Babak Belurs

Jumat, 26 Maret 2021

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond launches new political party - bbc.co.uk

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond has announced the creation of a new pro-independence party which will stand in the Scottish Parliament election.

He said the Alba Party expected to field at least four candidates across every region of the country.

His statement came at the end of a dramatic week at Holyrood.

On Wednesday, Mr Salmond said he would take fresh legal action over the conduct of the Scottish government's top civil servant.

A report by MSPs on Tuesday described the government's handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond as "seriously flawed".

The previous day, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was cleared of breaching the ministerial code over her involvement in the Alex Salmond saga.

Analysis box by Nick Eardley, political correspondent

For months, a small but loyal group in the SNP have been unhappy with the party on independence and other issues.

Many of them supported Alex Salmond during the turmoil of the last few weeks. They are now being offered a political home.

Mr Salmond is pitching it as an opportunity for provide a "supermajority" for independence.

Under the system for Holyrood, the more constituency seats you win, the harder it is to win them on the list. Mr Salmond wants people to use the latter to back his party.

But this is a big moment in Scottish politics.

The SNP have managed to hold a broad pro-independence coalition together. Today that is fracturing.

Whether or not Mr Salmond's new venture is successful, this is a direct challenge to the idea the SNP is the only party for independence.

Mr Salmond said that under his leadership, the Alba Party was seeking to "build a supermajority for independence in the Scottish parliament".

"The party's strategic aims are clear and unambiguous - to achieve a successful, socially just and environmentally responsible independent country," he said.

"We intend to contribute policy ideas to assist Scotland's economic recovery and to help build an independence platform to face the new political realities."

He claimed that if Alba won regional list seats, this could lead to there being 90 or more MSPs at Holyrood who support independence.

Mr Salmond said Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has already dismissed the SNP's request for a second independence referendum, would "find it much more difficult to say no to a parliament and a country."

But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the people of Scotland deserved more than "score settling" and "old politics".

He said: "We are still in the midst of a pandemic. Lives and livelihoods are still at risk.

"This election must be about our national recovery and the people of Scotland's priorities, not the old arguments between personalities who believe their interest matters more than the national interest."

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2021-03-26 14:00:34Z
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Batley Grammar School: More people gather over Mohammed image row - as cabinet minister Robert Jenrick 'disturbed' by protests - Sky News

Demonstrations outside a school where a teacher showed a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed to pupils are "disturbing", a cabinet minister has said.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the protests outside Batley Grammar School were "not right" and that "we shouldn't have teachers feeling intimidated" as more people gathered there again on Friday.

"That is not a road we want to go down in this country so I would strongly urge people concerned about this issue not to do that," he told Sky News.

Mr Jenrick added that reports the teacher is now in hiding are "very disturbing".

Labour MP for Batley and Spen Tracy Brabin also accused people of "fanning the flames" of the row, which she said would "only provoke hate and division".

Dozens of people gathered outside the school in West Yorkshire on Thursday calling for the teacher involved to be sacked, as police guarded the gates. More protesters arrived on Friday morning.

Speaking "on behalf of the Muslim community, a protester read out a statement outside the school, saying: "The teachers have breached the position of trust and failed their duty of safeguarding, and this issue must be addressed as a matter of urgency."

He claimed the school "had not taken the issue seriously".

Another protester, who gave his name as Hussain, added: "A Muslim is required to stand up when Prophet Mohammed is insulted, and when all the prophets are insulted, including all the prophets of the Old Testament, including Jesus."

The caricature of the prophet, believed to be one published by French magazine Charlie Hebdo, was shown to pupils in a religious studies lesson on 22 March, according to a letter seen by Sky News.

Depictions of Mohammed are considered to be deeply offensive within Islam.

The school has suspended the teacher involved, with headteacher Gary Kibble saying: "The school unequivocally apologises for using a totally inappropriate image in a recent religious studies lesson. It should not have been used.

"A member of staff has also relayed their most sincere apologies."

The dispute comes after French teacher Samuel Paty was murdered following reports he showed an image of the prophet to pupils at a school near Paris.

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation in Manchester, described the lesson as a "despicable attack on our faith".

"Our hearts are pained to know a teacher working with 70% Muslim pupils didn't consider the hurt this would cause," he said.

Yunus Lunat, an executive member of the Indian Muslim Welfare Society in Batley, told Sky News he thinks the teacher "went off script" and was trying to "provoke".

"I'm absolutely shocked that we've arrived where we are today. This wasn't part of the approved curriculum," he said.

The Department for Education last night condemned the demonstrations as "completely unacceptable".

A spokesperson said in statement: "It is never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers. We encourage dialogue between parents and schools when issues emerge.

"However, the nature of protest we have seen, including issuing threats and in violation of coronavirus restrictions are completely unacceptable and must be brought to an end."

Local MP Ms Brabin said she "welcomes the school's apology" but the "focus must be on the welfare and education" of the pupils.

"Conversations between the school, parents and local community must proceed in a dignified and respectful matter," she said.

"Those who seek to fan the flames of this incident will only provoke hate and division in our community and I would encourage all involved to work together and calm the situation."

Mr Shafiq and Mr Lunat expressed fears the debate will now be "hijacked" by those looking to criticise British Muslims.

"We urge all who love the Prophet Mohammed within the British Muslim community to remember our responsibilities to reject violence and never give in to the narrative that some want to paint us as," Mr Shafiq said.

He also accused the government of "amplifying divisions" by condemning the protests.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed they were called to monitor the demonstrations on both days, but no COVID fines or arrests were made.

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2021-03-26 13:30:00Z
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Batley Grammar School: Prophet Muhammad cartoon row 'hijacked' - BBC News

Protests outside a school where pupils were shown a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad are "deeply unsettling", a government minister has said.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said teachers should be able to "appropriately show images of the prophet" in class.

Protests have been staged outside Batley Grammar School, where a teacher has been suspended.

The West Yorkshire school has apologised "unequivocally".

Head teacher Gary Kibble said the member of staff had been suspended since the image was used in a lesson on Monday.

As demonstrations resumed for a second day, the school is understood to have switched to a day of remote learning.

Mr Jenrick called for the "deeply unsettling" scenes outside to "come to an end".

"In a free society we want religions to be taught to children and for children to be able to question and query them," he told the BBC.

"We must see teachers protected and no-one should be feeling intimidated or threatened as they go into school.

"And the scenes that I have seen yesterday and this morning in Batley are deeply unsettling."

Protesters had demanded the teacher's sacking, while some parents who spoke to the BBC said they didn't agree with the demonstrations and found them "intimidating".

As a crowd gathered on Friday, one protester read out a statement at the school gates.

He said the group "do not accept that the school has taken this issue seriously, given that it's taken them four days to merely suspend only one of the teachers involved".

Another protester, who gave his name only as Mr Hussain, told the PA news agency he was a parent at the school and said: "We would not like any form of extremism, any extremist viewpoints, to be taught to children."

Former Conservative Party chairwoman Baroness Warsi said the debate has been hijacked by "extremists on both sides" to fuel a "culture war" at the expense of "kids and their learning".

She told the BBC she had spoken to pupils and parents over the last 24 hours and "that many pupils were left distressed because of what happened".

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "It's about safeguarding children and making sure the school look again, as should every school, to ensure that every pupil in their school is being taught in a way which creates a positive, unifying learning environment."

West Yorkshire Police said no arrests had been made and officers remained at the school.

Parts of the Koran are taken to mean that neither Allah nor Muhammad can be captured in an image by human hand and any attempt to do so is seen as an insult.

Head teacher Mr Kibble said the teacher had "given their most sincere apologies" and been suspended pending an investigation.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department for Education said it was "never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers" and that they encouraged dialogue between schools and parents when issues emerged.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

Protests ‘not right’: Minister

The UK is home to more than 3.3 million Muslims, according to the Office for National Statistics – about five percent of the overall population.

Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, told Sky News that the protests were “not right”.

“That is not a road we want to go down in this country so I would strongly urge people concerned about this issue not to do that,” he said, adding reports the teacher is in hiding were “very disturbing”.

Others saw the school’s apology and teacher’s suspension as a sign that free speech was at risk.

The National Secular Society called the protest an “attempt to impose an Islamic blasphemy taboo on a school”.

Matthew Thomspson, a reporter with the LBC radio station, tweeted: “Muslims who are offended by cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad being shown at Batley Grammar School have every right to let their feelings be known. But they must also know that they have absolutely no right not to be offended. Blasphemy is not a crime.”

Henry Bolton, former leader of the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP), tweeted: “Those people protesting outside the school in Batley need to accept that Great Britain is secular. We have no laws on blasphemy, there is no right not to be offended and they have no right to demand otherwise. The outrage isn’t a cartoon, it’s that the teacher needs protection.”

In 2019, Muslim parents staged protests at a primary school in the central city of Birmingham after it held lessons incorporating same-sex relationships and transgender issues.

Thursday’s incident came after a teacher in France was murdered in October by a teenager of Chechen origin for showing cartoons of the prophet to students during a lesson on free speech.

The caricatures were popularised by Charlie Hebdo, whose Paris office was attacked in 2015, leaving 12 people dead.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly confirmed his support for the images to be shown, comments that often provoke anger within France’s Muslim community.

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2021-03-26 11:34:39Z
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Batley Grammar School: Prophet Muhammad cartoon row 'hijacked' - BBC News

"Extremists on both sides" have hijacked the row over a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad being shown in a school, a Tory peer has said.

Crowds have gathered for a second day outside Batley Grammar School to protest over the "inappropriate" image.

It is understood the West Yorkshire school has switched to a day of remote learning after earlier demonstrations.

Baroness Warsi said the debate has been used to fuel a "culture war" at the expense of "kids and their learning".

Batley Grammar's head teacher Gary Kibble issued an "unequivocal" apology and said the teacher had been suspended since the image was used in a lesson on Monday.

Protesters had demanded the teacher's sacking, while some parents who spoke to the BBC said they didn't agree with the protests and found them "intimidating".

As a crowd gathered for a second day, one protester read out a statement at the school gates.

He said the group "do not accept that the school has taken this issue seriously, given that it's taken them four days to merely suspend only one of the teachers involved".

Prophet Muhammad cartoon sparks protest at school

Former Conservative Party chairwoman Baroness Warsi said she had spoken to pupils and parents over the last 24 hours and "that many pupils were left distressed because of what happened".

The Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News the protest was "not right" and that "we shouldn't have teachers feeling intimidated".

"We know that the school is looking into the matter and investigating, and that is absolutely right - the Department for Education is liaising with the school and the council," he said.

"What I can say is there has to be an appropriate balance - we have to ensure there is free speech, that teachers can teach uninhibited but that has to be done in a respectful and tolerant way and that's a balance to be struck by teaching professionals and the school concerned."

West Yorkshire Police said no arrests had been made and officers remained at the school.

Parts of the Koran are taken to mean that neither Allah nor Muhammad can be captured in an image by human hand and any attempt to do so is seen as an insult.

Head teacher Mr Kibble said the teacher had "given their most sincere apologies" and been suspended pending an investigation.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Education said it was "never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers" and that they encouraged dialogue between schools and parents when issues emerged.

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Beijing strikes back after UK sanctions - and adds senior British politicians to its own list - Sky News

Boris Johnson has said he "stands firmly" with MPs and other British citizens who have been sanctioned by China for speaking out against "gross human rights violations" against the Uighur people.

China has sanctioned individuals and organisations in the UK who it said "maliciously spread lies and disinformation" - days after the British government imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

MPs including former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, were among those named by China's foreign ministry.

It means they will be banned from entering Hong Kong and Macau as well as mainland China.

Organisations including the China Research Group of MPs and Essex Court Chambers, which published a legal opinion describing China's actions in Xinjiang as genocide, were also included in the sanctions.

The prime minister has given his backing to those targeted by sanctions, arguing they were "performing a vital role shining a light on the gross human rights violations" being carried out against the Uighur Muslims in the northwest province.

Mr Johnson tweeted: "Freedom to speak out in opposition to abuse is fundamental and I stand firmly with them."

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also expressed his support, writing on Twitter: "While the UK joins the international community to sanction human rights abuses, Chinese govt sanctions its critics."

Sir Iain has described the sanctions as "a badge of honour".

Highlighting the abuses of the Uighur's, he told Sky News: "We are literally, I believe, seeing genocide take place there as they attempt to exterminate a whole ethnic group."

He said the casual language used by Beijing about the internment camps "was redolent" of that used by the Nazis.

He added: "As far as I am concerned I intend to continue to speak out. Speaking out for the Uighur people and others who have no voice at the moment is a badge of honour for us considering what they are going through."

Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the sanctions "will not succeed" as she condemned them as a "blatant attempt to silence British parliamentarians who are shining a spotlight on the appalling persecution of the Uighur people".

On Monday, the UK joined the EU, Canada and the US in sanctioning China - the first time the UK had imposed asset freezes and travel bans on Chinese officials.

China immediately imposed retaliatory sanctions on the EU, including on members of the European Parliament.

But it seems to have been relatively surprised by the British sanctions, taking several days longer to respond.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the UK sanctions were "based on nothing but lies and disinformation" and that the move "severely undermines China-UK relations".

As well as the travel ban, sanctioned individuals are also forbidden from doing business with Chinese citizens or companies.

Others facing sanctions are Tory MPs Neil O'Brien, Tim Loughton, and Nusrat Ghani; peers Lord Alton and Baroness Kennedy; lawyer Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, and academic Jo Smith Finley.

In their legal opinion published in February, lawyers from Essex Court Chambers wrote: "There is a very credible case that crimes against humanity of enslavement, torture, rape, enforced sterilisation and persecution and the crime of genocide, are being committed against the Uighur population".

China has repeatedly denied the accusations and says the camps are voluntary training centres.

Analysis: Beijing risks unifying opponents with sanctions

By Tom Cheshire, Asia correspondent

The only surprise about China's sanctions on the UK was that it took them a whole week to respond.

The measures mirror the ones applied to the EU, targeting politicians, researchers and organisations.

Beijing will insist this is merely a reciprocal act.

And on the face of it, they will have little direct effect.

Iain Duncan Smith probably wasn't planning on spending his first post-pandemic foreign holiday in Xinjiang.

But they are important for two reasons.

The UK sanctions - along with corresponding ones form the US, the EU and Canada - targeted officials alleged to be conducting gross human rights abuses against the Uighur people.

Beijing's sanctions target critics of its policies, as the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab pointed out in his response.

They do not target ministers but backbench MPs.

As we have seen with the "spontaneous" boycott of Western companies like H&M and Nike, who have prohibited the use of cotton from Xinjiang in their supply chains, Beijing wants to apply a cost to those who simply speak out against it.

That may have a deterrent effect - less so for outspoken politicians, but certainly for companies who rely on China for sales.

But it also has a corresponding effect on the countries being sanctioned by China.

The impact in the EU of China's sanctions has been to put at risk an investment agreement years in the making, and to unite European politicians - notably more dovish on China than those in the UK and US - in opposition.

China clearly wants to draw a line.

But it may find that by doing so, rather more people than it thought are standing on the other side.

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2021-03-26 11:03:45Z
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Uighurs: China bans UK MPs after abuse sanctions - BBC News

Iain Duncan Smith, Nusrat Ghani and Tom Tugendhat

China has imposed sanctions on nine UK citizens - including five MPs - for spreading what it called "lies and disinformation" about the country.

The group are among the most vocal critics of China in the UK.

It comes in retaliation for measures taken by the UK government on Monday over human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority group.

The foreign secretary said if Beijing wanted to "credibly rebut" the claims it should allow UN access to Xinjiang.

Those targeted by China include former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, two peers, a lawyer and an academic.

Sir Iain said he would wear the sanctions "as a badge of honour".

The response by China follows similar sanctions imposed on the European Union, which was part of the co-ordinated action on Monday, along with the UK, the US and Canada.

China has detained Uighurs at camps in the north-west region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labour and sexual abuse have emerged.

It has denied the allegations of abuse, claiming the camps are "re-education" facilities used to combat terrorism.

The nine people facing sanctions are:

Tory MPs Sir Iain, Nusrat Ghani and Tim Loughton, and peers Baroness Kennedy and Lord Alton, who are all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China
Tory MPs Tom Tugendhat and Neil O'Brien, who lead the China Research Group
Lawyer Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, chair of the Uighur Tribunal, which is investigating atrocities against the minority group
Newcastle University academic Jo Smith Finley, whose research focuses on the Uighurs

They will all be banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau, their property in China will be frozen and Chinese citizens and institutions will be prohibited from doing business with them.

Sir Iain said: "Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak for those who have no voice. If that brings the anger of China down upon me then I shall wear that as a badge of honour."

Mr Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told the BBC: "I view this as a direct assault on British democracy and an attempt to silence the British people who have chosen me to speak for them - if that isn't an assault on British sovereignty, I don't know what is."

Ms Ghani told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the move was a "wake-up call" for democratic countries, that China would sanction law-makers who were just doing their job.

She added: "I won't be intimidated. This has now made me even more determined to speak out about the Uighurs."

Academic Dr Smith Finley tweeted: "I have no regrets for speaking out, and I will not be silenced."

Lord Alton said: "The imposition of tit-for-tat sanctions is a crude attempt to silence criticism," adding that the "first duty of a parliamentarian is to use their voice on behalf of those whose voices have been silenced".

Workers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China September 4, 2018.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "It speaks volumes that, while the UK joins the international community in sanctioning those responsible for human rights abuses, the Chinese government sanctions its critics.

"If Beijing want to credibly rebut claims of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, it should allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights full access to verify the truth."

Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said China's sanctions were a "blatant attempt to silence British parliamentarians who are shining a spotlight on the appalling persecution of the Uighur people".

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the UK's decision to impose sanctions "flagrantly breaches international law and basic norms governing international relations, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, and severely undermines China-UK relations".

He added that the Chinese foreign ministry had summoned the British Ambassador to China to "lodge solemn representations, expressing firm opposition and strong condemnation".

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, later told a press briefing China was forced to act "in self-defence" in response to UK sanctions "based on lies".

Relations 'will deteriorate further'

Analysis box by James Landale, Diplomaitc correspondent

This retaliation by the Chinese government was not unexpected.

From the moment the UK imposed its first ever sanctions on Chinese officials earlier in the week, a response from Beijing was inevitable.

But that does not mean the tit-for-tat exchange of sanctions is unimportant. It will ensure that the UK's already poor relationship with China will deteriorate further.

And that matters because the government is trying to strike a balance in its relations with Beijing.

In its recent foreign policy review, the UK described China as a "systemic competitor" and "the biggest state-based threat to the UK's economic security".

But it also spoke of pursuing "a positive trade and investment relationship" and co-operating with China on climate change and biodiversity. All that just became a little harder still.

Four groups have also been sanctioned - the China Research Group, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, the Uighur Tribunal, and Essex Court Chambers.

A legal opinion by senior barristers at Essex Court Chambers had concluded there was a "very credible case" that the Chinese government was committing genocide against the Uighurs.

An Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China spokesman said: "The decision to sanction five of our British members is a flagrant assault on those parliamentarians' rights to conduct their duties.

"We will be making urgent representations to ministers and the House authorities to see that they're protected from danger or harm as a result of the communist party's bullying."

China 'targeting' Boris Johnson

Analysis box by Robin Brant, Shanghai correspondent

China has gone for the people exerting the most pressure on Boris Johnson to be tough on China.

It's gone for the people who say "genocide" has happened in Xinjiang.

The measures are essentially tokenistic - it's unlikely these people or entities did any business with Chinese firms or people anyway.

Targeting Neil O'Brien is personal for the UK prime minister. The MP is in charge of leading policy in Downing Street.

Going after Essex Court Chambers - a group of self-employed barristers - for a legal opinion it reached also shows you how China views an independent judicial system. It doesn't believe in them.

After UK sanctions were announced on Monday, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the abuse of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang "one of the worst human rights crises of our time".

More than a million Uighurs and other minorities are estimated to have been detained in camps in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang lies in the north-west of China and is the country's biggest region. Like Tibet, it is autonomous, meaning - in theory - it has some powers of self-governance. But in practice, both face major restrictions by the central government.

Uighurs living in the region speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations.

The Chinese government has been accused of carrying out forced sterilisations on Uighur women and separating children from their families.

The country initially denied the existence of the camps, before defending them as a necessary measure against terrorism. It has denied allegations of human rights abuses.

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2021-03-26 09:30:53Z
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Jumat, 26 Maret 2021

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