Babak Belurs

Selasa, 02 April 2024

Pouria Zeraati: Three accused of TV presenter attack have left UK - BBC

By Thomas Mackintosh

BBC News

Three men suspected of being involved in the stabbing of an Iranian TV host in south London have left the UK, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Pouria Zeraati, 36, was stabbed outside his home in Wimbledon on Friday afternoon.

He has since been discharged from hospital.

Cdr Dominic Murphy, said: "We have identified three suspects who we believe left the UK within hours of the attack."

Detectives have established Mr Zeraati was approached by two men in a residential street and stabbed before the pair fled in a blue Mazda 3 driven by a third male.

The car was found abandoned in the New Malden area shortly after.

"We have established that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects travelled to Heathrow Airport and have left the UK," Cdr Murphy said in an update.

"We are now working with international partners to establish further details.

He added the Met was not yet able to provide further information about any motive, but Mr Zeraati's occupation, coupled with recent threats towards UK-based Iranian journalists, meant the investigation continued to be led by counter-terrorism officers.

The Iranian regime has denied any involvement.

Iran International journalist Pouria Zaraati

On Monday, Mr Zeraati thanked well-wishers for their "sympathy, kindness and love in the past few days".

"Fortunately, I am feeling better, recovering and I have been discharged from the hospital," he posted on X.

"My wife and I are residing at a safe place under the supervision of the Met Police."

Mr Zeraati, the host of the Last Word on Iran International, claimed the suspects had purposefully planned the attack.

Iran International says it provides independent coverage of events in the country, but the regime in Tehran has declared it a terrorist organisation.

The channel's spokesman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had been targeting journalists and their families.

Adam Baillie said: "It was a shocking, shocking incident, whatever the outcome of an investigation reveals.

"But for him as a leading presenter, as with our other presenters and journalists, yes, it is a great shock.

"It's the first attack of its kind."

Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, said "we deny any link".

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2024-04-02 19:22:17Z
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JK Rowling will not be arrested under new Scottish hate law, say police - The Guardian

Comments by JK Rowling challenging police to arrest her for online misgendering do not amount to a crime, Police Scotland said.

As the Scottish government’s contentious hate crime law came into force on Monday, the author and gender-critical activist posted a thread on X saying the legislation was “wide open to abuse” after listing sex offenders who had described themselves as transgender alongside well-known trans women activists, describing them as “men, every last one of them”.

She stated that “freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal”.

On Tuesday afternoon, Police Scotland confirmed they had received complaints about the social media post but added: “The comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken.”

The act brings together existing laws. Under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, it is a crime to make derogatory comments based on age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.

JK Rowling at the premiere of a Fantastic Beasts film

Responding to the decision, Rowling said: “I hope every woman in Scotland who wishes to speak up for the reality and importance of biological sex will be reassured by this announcement, and I trust that all women – irrespective of profile or financial means – will be treated equally under the law.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the force also confirmed that racist graffiti found on Monday near Humza Yousaf’s family home in Broughty Ferry had been recorded under the new act.

The first minister said the graffiti, which contained a racial slur against him, was a reminder of why Scotland must take a “zero-tolerance” approach to hatred. On X, he said: “I do my best to shield my children from the racism and Islamophobia I face on a regular basis. That becomes increasingly difficult when racist graffiti targeting me appears near our family home.”

The Scottish National party leader robustly defended the legislation, which has prompted a barrage of criticism about how it will be policed and how it could affect freedom of speech, as well as fears that it could be used maliciously against certain groups for expressing their opinions, in particular gender-critical feminists.

Yousaf said it “absolutely protects people in their freedom of expression” while guarding “people from a rising tide of hatred that we’ve seen far too often in our society”.

The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, asked about Rowling’s comment on Tuesday morning, said that while he would not comment on a police matter, “nobody should be criminalised for saying commonsense things about biological sex”.

Robbie de Santos, the director of campaigns and human rights at Stonewall, said: “The prime minister and high-profile commentators are simply incorrect when they suggest that misgendering or ‘stating facts on biology’ would be criminalised.

“This is no more true than stating that the existing law has criminalised the criticism of religion. This kind of misrepresentation about the act and its purpose only serves to trivialise the very real violence committed against us in the name of hate.”

He called on political leaders to address the trend of “rising hate and escalating violence” facing LGBTQ+ people. “We already have longstanding laws preventing the incitement of hatred on the basis of race and religion, and the new Hate Crime Act creates parity in the law in Scotland by expanding these protections to cover sexual orientation, transgender identity, age and disability,” he said.

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2024-04-02 19:44:00Z
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Outrage after Met Police officer says swastikas 'need to be taken in context' - The Independent

A Metropolitan Police officer has sparked fury after telling a Jewish woman that swastikas “need to be taken in context” at a pro-Palestine rally.

In footage from Saturday’s Stop the Genocide in Gaza march, a counter-protester confronted officers citing concerns that a person carrying a swastika banner had not been arrested.

After a heated discussion where the officer admitted to not having “in-depth knowledge” about signs and symbols, the woman was asked to alert an officer elsewhere to the prevalence of the symbol.

More than 200,000 people took part in the demonstration on Saturday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, according to estimates by organisers, where crowds marched from Russell Square to Trafalgar Square.

The counter-protester said in the video: “I was told when I asked that a swastika was not necessarily antisemitic or a disruption of public order, that doesn’t seem right to me.”

Impassioned voices in the background can be heard saying “it is” as the woman begs, “Please for the love of god film this.”

The officer started telling the woman about the Public Order Act, to which she asked how the symbol was not disrupting public order.

The officer responded: “I haven’t said anything about it, that is is or it isn’t. Everything needs to be taken in context doesn’t it?”

After more pleading from the woman to acknowledge the sign is antisemitic, the officer said he did not have an “in-depth knowledge of signs and symbols” but admitted he knew the symbol was used during Nazi Germany.

He said: “I don’t know how everyone would feel about that sign. If you came up to me and said you feel mass alarm and distressed about a symbol that someone was using.”

The woman interjected and said: “I’m extremely distressed, I’m very alarmed.”

The officer said he could not leave the area for which he was responsible, but advised the woman to go to another police officer. She claimed she had already been sent to his station by another officer after she reported the symbol.

The footage was posted online and received significant backlash on social media platform X.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “This video clip is a short excerpt of what was a 10-minute conversation with an officer.

“During the full conversation, the officer establishes that the person the woman was concerned about had already been arrested for a public order offence in relation to a placard.

“The officer then offered to arrange for other officers to attend and accompany the woman to identify any other persons she was concerned about amongst the protesters, but after turning to speak to his supervisor, she had unfortunately left.”

The Met said officers arrested a man on the Strand in relation to inviting support for a proscribed organisation.

Three further arrests were made at the march – one person was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and two others were arrested on suspicion of causing harassment, alarm and distress.

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2024-04-01 18:20:16Z
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Channel migrants: Crossings in 2024 exceed 5,000 - BBC.com

More than 5,000 migrants cross channel in 2024

Migrants disembark from boat in Dover — A total of 791 migrants made the journey on 30 and 31 March

More than 5,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel this year, with nearly 800 making the journey over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

A total of 791 migrants made the journey on 30 and 31 March, according to the Home Office.

The government's figures indicate that 349 crossed on Saturday, with a further 442 spotted on Sunday, taking the total number of people who have made the journey this year to 5,435.

A Home Office spokesperson said the “unacceptable number of people” crossing the Channel “demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible”.

Before Saturday’s crossings, 2024 had already seen a record number of people making the journey in the first three months of the year.

The previous record for January to March was 4,548 in 2022, with 3,793 arrivals in the first quarter of last year.

Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: “The Tories have overseen an unprecedented level of dangerous Channel crossings this Easter Bank Holiday.

“Over Christmas, they were quick to claim credit for the low number of crossings, so where are the home secretary and prime minister now, when we’ve seen almost 800 people arrive in small boats over the bank holiday weekend?

“This is complete chaos."

'Work closely with French police'

Stopping the boats was one of Rishi Sunak’s five pledges to the electorate before an expected general election later this year.

The Rwanda Bill remains tied up in parliament after peers inflicted a series of defeats on the government before the Easter break.

Ministers did not try to rush it back to the Commons before the recess and it will be considered by MPs again when parliament resumes on 15 April.

The Home Office spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys.

“We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said: “Governments on both sides of the Channel must completely change tack by sharing responsibility and putting in place arrangements to enable safe access to each of their asylum procedures – something they have done before.”

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.

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2024-04-01 15:39:19Z
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Worried Ally McCoist erupts over hate crime law and claims Rangers diehards are sitting ducks vs Celtic - Daily Record

Angry Ally McCoist has ripped into the new hate crime act which has come into effect in Scotland - claiming he and his fellow Rangers fans will all be at risk of breaching it against Celtic on Sunday.

The bill – passed by MSPs back in 2021 – was rubber-stamped on Monday and aims to combat abuse which "stirs up hatred" surrounding age, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and disability. But a het-up McCoist – who praised the law's loudest detractor JK Rowling – is aghast over the introduction of it in Scotland and believes he and his fellow Ibrox supporters will be in the cross hairs of it when Philippe Clement's side host their biggest rivals this weekend.

Speaking to talkSPORT, McCoist said: "We've got a hate bill by the way, a hate bill has been passed in the country. And I can guarantee you, next Sunday at Ibrox, I, along with 48,000 will be committing a breach of that hate bill in the particular Rangers vs Celtic game we are all going to. It is madness."

And McCoist believes officers in blue will not be in favour of the law which has come into effect with fears from within it could damage public trust in the force.

The Rangers icon added: "That's exactly what the police think (impossible to enforce). The police spokesperson has come out and more and less said that. He obviously can't because he'll get himself in trouble. He has implied it, everybody with two brain cells in their head knows it's madness, crazy. There is nobody in our country who thinks that is a good idea, who I have spoken to."

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Senin, 01 April 2024

Scotland's new hate crime law comes into force - BBC

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By James Cook

Scotland editor

Scotland's new hate crime law has come into force, with JK Rowling and Elon Musk among its critics.

The Harry Potter author and the owner of social media platform X both claim the legislation could harm free speech.

Senior police officers say they expect a flood of complaints about online posts.

But the Scottish government insists the law provides protection from hate and prejudice without stifling individual expression.

"I think there has been a lot of misinformation," about the legislation, said the Victims and Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown, before going on to claim, inaccurately, that it was "passed unanimously" by MSPs in 2021.

In fact the law was approved by 82 votes to 32 with four abstentions after heated debate about its contents.

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 creates a new crime of "stirring up hatred" relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.

The maximum penalty is a prison sentence of seven years.

A person commits an offence if they communicate material, or behave in a manner, "that a reasonable person would consider to be threatening or abusive," with the intention of stirring up hatred based on the protected characteristics.

Stirring up hatred based on race, colour, nationality or ethnicity was already illegal in Great Britain under the Public Order Act 1986 but, in an attempt to streamline the criminal law in Scotland, that too is now part of the Hate Crime Act.

The bar for this offence is lower than for the other protected characteristics, as it also includes "insulting" behaviour, and as the prosecution need only prove that stirring up hatred was "likely" rather than "intended".

Free speech protection

Supporters of the hate crime law point out that it contains safeguards designed to protect freedom of speech.

For example, it states that it is a defence for a person charged with stirring up hatred to show that their actions were "reasonable."

It also references the right to freedom of expression in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which includes protection for "ideas that offend, shock or disturb."

To be convicted of a hate crime, "you have to be really threatening and really abusive, and there has to be reasonable assumption from others that that is the case," said Ms Brown.

As well as the offence of stirring up hatred, the Hate Crime Act also consolidates the existing law on crimes which are "aggravated by prejudice."

These are where an offender demonstrates malice or ill-will towards their victim based on a protected characteristic, which can be taken into account by a sheriff or judge with a longer sentence or a higher fine than would otherwise have been the case.

For example, if an assailant punched someone in the face while also making a hateful comment about their age, that might be assault aggravated by age-related hatred.

This is the first time that age has been included in the list of protected characteristics for aggravated offences, a move welcomed by some campaign groups.

"It's going to be a positive thing for the country," said Adam Stachura of the charity Age Scotland.

Others are less enthusiastic.

Adam Tomkins, professor of public law at Glasgow University, and a former Conservative MSP, voted against the bill because it could see someone convicted of stirring up hatred for a comment they make in private in their own home, not just in public, "and I just don't think that's where the criminal law belongs."

However, Professor Tomkins said he believed the law only posed a risk to free speech "if it's misunderstood," adding, "if it's properly understood, I think this is a fairly safe piece of legislation now."

Susan Smith of For Women Scotland, which campaigned against recent proposed changes to gender law, is not convinced.

"The tests are quite woolly and we don't know how people are going to interpret this," she told BBC News.

"We do anticipate that there will be a lot of malicious complaints, a lot of rather trivial complaints and potentially people who are investigated will see their lives upended.

"I imagine there will be many complaints, for example, made against JK Rowling," she added.

Ms Rowling, a prominent critic of some transgender ideology, described the law as "ludicrous" in a defiant post on X (formerly Twitter) last month.

Mr Musk has cited discussion about the legislation as an "example of why it is so important to preserve freedom of speech."

Vic Valentine of the charity Scottish Trans said the organisation supported the law because of the "serious impact that hate crime can have on LGBTI people."

Vic Valentine from Scottish Trans is in favour of the new legislation

It would not, Vic added, criminalise behaviour which transgender people might simply find upsetting, offensive or even transphobic.

Police resourcing

The SNP-led Scottish government has tried to soothe concerns.

Siobhian Brown described the act as "ambitious" while also insisting it would "not necessarily" criminalise anything that was not already criminal.

Asked whether "misgendering" someone or making a comment about their religion would be a crime the minister replied: "This will be up to Police Scotland. I wouldn't say misgendering if you say something on social media for example it would be up to Police Scotland to determine."

Ch Supt Rob Hay of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS), which represents senior officers, said there was the potential for a "huge uplift" in complaints about social media posts.

Mr Hay said his central concern was that Police Scotland "haven't been provided with any additional resources in terms of dealing with this piece of legislation."

Just last month the national force said it was no longer able to investigate every "low level" crime, including some cases of theft and criminal damage.

It has, however, pledged to investigate every hate crime complaint it receives.

BBC News understands that these will be assessed by a "dedicated team" within Police Scotland including "a number of hate crime advisers" to assist officers in determining what, if any, action to take.

At a recent meeting of the Scottish Police Authority board, Ch Con Jo Farrell said her force would apply the act "in a measured way" under "close scrutiny."

Debate about the act has also resurrected a long-running row about how police forces throughout Britain record allegations of hate crimes where no charges are brought.

The Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has been leading a campaign against the recording of what are termed "non-crime hate incidents" after he discovered that Police Scotland had recorded a comment he had made on social media as a hate incident, despite deciding that no crime had been committed.

More generally, the publicity about the new law, and the controversy surrounding it, has prompted warnings that it could lead to self-censorship.

Roddy Dunlop KC, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, said it could have a "chilling effect" on free speech.

And some feminist groups have raised concerns that the absence of sex as a protected characteristic in the legislation leaves women unprotected.

The Scottish government has promised to introduce a separate misogyny law "in due course" following a report by the barrister, Helena Kennedy KC.

Selasa, 02 April 2024

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'Work closely with French police'

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