Greta Thunberg statue unveiled at Winchester University despite criticism from union bosses - Sky News

A £24,000 bronze statue of Greta Thunberg, which has been described as a "vanity project", has been unveiled at the University of Winchester.

The controversial life-size bronze sculpture of the environmental activist has been placed on the university's campus, despite calls from the students' union and staff union to delay the unveiling.

The university was criticised for the timing of the big reveal, with opponents believing that it should have been postponed after years of austerity.

Image: The £24,000 statue was commissioned in 2019

The university had commissioned the £23,760 bronze of Thunberg in 2019 but has since had to make cuts to staff numbers and university services due to the impact of the pandemic.

Last week, students' union president, Megan Ball, told Sky News that it has urged the university to pause the unveiling.

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"Students are angry and frustrated, we should have the opportunity to see how their money is being spent," Ms Ball said.

Despite facing criticism from Winchester Student's Union (SU) and the University and College Union (UCU), the university's vice-chancellor Professor Joy Carter said they are "proud to honour" Thunberg.

More from Greta Thunberg

"The university's approach to art is to commission or purchase unusual and striking pieces which embody our distinctiveness and values," she said.

Image: The statue is believed to be the first life-sized sculpture of Thunberg

"Greta is a young woman who, in spite of difficulties in her life, has become a world-leading environmental activist.

"As the university for sustainability and social justice we are proud to honour this inspirational woman in this way.

"We know that many find her a controversial figure.

"As a university, we welcome reasoned debate and critical conversations.

"We hope her statue will help to inspire our community, reminding us that no matter what life throws at us we can still change the world for the better."

Ms Carter added that no funds were diverted from student support services or from staffing.

Image: The students' union and staff union have criticised the unveiling after staff redundancies and cuts to student services

The UCU posted a motion of censure on Twitter, stating that while it "supports the role that Thunberg has played globally, this has come after several years of austerity".

"This money should have been better used by preventing redundancies and other cuts at the university," the UCU added.

She said the "the statue is a vanity project by the outgoing vice-chancellor".

Following the official unveiling, the UCU tweeted: "The university's distinctive approach to commissioning pieces of art is to do so in unminuted meetings and/or avoid any committee scrutiny.

"Not the ideal approach when spending university money."

The bronze is called 'Make a Difference' and was created by artist Christine Charlesworth, said that Thunberg is a remarkable woman who "has been able to forefront the mobilisation of young people in support of global environment protection".

The University of Winchester declared a climate and ecological emergency in 2019 and has eliminated all unnecessary single-use plastic across, as it aims to be carbon neutral by 2025.

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2021-03-31 10:04:57Z
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Racial disparities: UK a model for other white majority countries, report says - BBC News

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The UK "should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries" on race, a review set up by No 10 says.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities found social class and family structure had a bigger impact on how people's lives turned out.

It said children from ethnic communities did as well or better than white pupils, but overt racism remained, particularly online.

The Runnymede Trust think tank said it felt "let down" by the report.

The commission was set up after Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests across the country last summer - triggered by the killing of George Floyd in the US.

The main findings were:

• Children from ethnic communities did as well or better than white pupils in compulsory education, with black Caribbean pupils the only group to perform less well
• This success in education has "transformed British society over the last 50 years into one offering far greater opportunities for all"
• The pay gap between all ethnic minorities and the white majority population had shrunk to 2.3% overall and was barely significant for employees under 30
• Diversity has increased in professions such as law and medicine
• But some communities continue to be "haunted" by historic racism, which is creating "deep mistrust" and could be a barrier to success

The commission's report, which is due to be published later, concluded that the UK is not yet a "post-racial country" - but its success in removing race-based disparity in education and, to a lesser extent, the economy, "should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries".

• The black British history you may not know about

Chairman Tony Sewell, an education consultant and ex-charity boss who led the review, said: "The effect of education is transformative on individuals but also their families and their communities - sometimes within a generation.

"Another revelation from our dive into the data was just how stuck some groups from the white majority are.

"As a result, we came to the view that recommendations should, wherever possible, be designed to remove obstacles for everyone, rather than specific groups."

Dr Sewell added: "Creating a successful multi-ethnic society is hard, and racial disparities exist wherever such a society is being forged.

"The commission believes that if these recommendations are implemented, it will give a further burst of momentum to the story of our country's progress to a successful multi-ethnic and multicultural community - a beacon to the rest of Europe and the world."

'Deeply worrying'

Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, said she felt "deeply, massively let down" by the report, and that the government did not have the confidence of black and minority ethnic communities.

Asked for her view on the commission's suggestion that the UK is not institutionally racist, she said: "Tell that to the black young mother who is four times more likely to die in childbirth than her young white neighbour, tell that to the 60% of NHS doctors and nurses who died from Covid and were black and ethnic minority workers.

"You can't tell them that, because they are dead.

"Institutionally, we are still racist, and for a government-appointed commission to look into (institutional) racism, to deny its existence is deeply, deeply worrying."

She added: "We feel that if the best this government can do is come up with a style guide on BAME terminology, or what we should do about unconscious bias training, or extend a few school hours, then I'm afraid this government doesn't carry the confidence of black and ethnic minority communities any longer, certainly not on race."

The 264-page report makes 24 recommendations which include:

• Extended school days to be phased in, starting with disadvantaged areas, to help pupils catch up on missed learning during the pandemic
• Children from disadvantaged backgrounds should have access to better quality careers advice in schools, funded by university outreach programmes
• More research is needed to examine why pupils perform well in certain communities, so this can be replicated to help all children succeed
• The acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) should no longer be used because differences between groups are as important as what they have in common
• Organisations should stop funding unconscious bias training, with government and experts developing resources to help advance workplace equality

Matthew Ryder QC, the lawyer who represented the family of Stephen Lawrence and a former deputy mayor of London, pointed to a 2019 report by the University of Aberdeen which he said found that white working class boys with lower educational qualifications and a lower likelihood of going to university, still had higher employment rates and higher social mobility than those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that this suggested "racism is in the system, and doesn't suggest racism has been removed from the system".

Meanwhile, Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy said she wanted the report to recognise that "we've had report after report after report, but very little action has been taken".

She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "At a time when black Caribbean children are three-and-a-half more times likely to be excluded from school than their white counterparts, when black children are four times more likely to be arrested, we have got a problem and we've got to deal with it.

"We shouldn't seek to downplay structural racism, we should seek to take it on and deal with it.

"I'm making a speech later today about what it means to be patriotic, it isn't simply about waving a flag - although I'm very proud to do so - it's about raising up the standards that we have for people in this country and giving people the ability to live large, rich, dignified, brilliant lives in this country."

'Change the narrative'

The report had been due to be published last year but was pushed back until 2021, with the commission blaming Covid restrictions and the large number of responses from the public for the delay.

At the time of its launch, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that although there was much more to be done to tackle racism, he wanted to "change the narrative" to highlight stories of success among those from ethnic minority backgrounds and "stop a sense of victimisation and discrimination".

The race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust said last year that it was concerned by signs the commission intended to "downplay" the impact of racism on the lives of black and other minority ethnic people.

The full report will be published on Wednesday at 11:30 BST.

What work has already been done on racial inequality in the UK?

• The Race Disparity Audit, published by then Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017, showed inequalities between ethnicities in educational attainment, health, employment and treatment by police and the courts
• The 2017 Lammy Review found evidence of bias and discrimination against people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the justice system in England and Wales
• Also in 2017, the McGregor-Smith Review of race in the workplace found people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds were still disadvantaged at work and faced lower employment rates than their white counterparts
• An independent review of the Windrush scandal, published in March, found the Home Office showed "institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race"

• SLEEP AND COVID: How do stressful situations affect our dreams?
• GRENFELL ATHLETIC: Healing the community after tragedy

Have you been affected by the issues covered in this report? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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2021-03-31 08:11:13Z
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Race and racism 'less important in explaining social disparities' - report - BBC News

AFP/ Getty Images

Race and racism have become less important factors in explaining social disparities in the UK, a government-commissioned review has concluded.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, set up after Black Lives Matter protests, found social class and family structure had a bigger impact on how people's lives turned out.

Concerns the UK is institutionally racist are not borne out by the evidence, the commission says.

But overt racism remains, it adds.

The commission was set up in response to anti-racism protests across the country last summer - triggered by the killing of George Floyd in the US.

The main findings were:

• Children from ethnic communities did as well or better than white pupils in compulsory education, with black Caribbean pupils the only group to perform less well
• This success in education has "transformed British society over the last 50 years into one offering far greater opportunities for all"
• The pay gap between all ethnic minorities and the white majority population had shrunk to 2.3% overall and was barely significant for employees under 30
• Diversity has increased in professions such as law and medicine
• But some communities continue to be "haunted" by historic racism, which is creating "deep mistrust" and could be a barrier to success

The commission's report, which is due to be published later, concluded that the UK is not yet a "post-racial country" - but its success in removing race-based disparity in education and, to a lesser extent, the economy, "should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries".

• Racial disparities report pushed back into 2021
• 'Unconscious bias training' scrapped by ministers
• The black British history you may not know about

Chairman Tony Sewell, an education consultant and ex-charity boss who led the review, said: "The effect of education is transformative on individuals but also their families and their communities - sometimes within a generation.

"Another revelation from our dive into the data was just how stuck some groups from the white majority are.

"As a result, we came to the view that recommendations should, wherever possible, be designed to remove obstacles for everyone, rather than specific groups."

The 264-page report makes 24 recommendations which include:

• Extended school days to be phased in, starting with disadvantaged areas, to help pupils catch up on missed learning during the pandemic
• Children from disadvantaged backgrounds should have access to better quality careers advice in schools, funded by university outreach programmes
• More research is needed to examine why pupils perform well in certain communities, so this can be replicated to help all children succeed
• The acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) should no longer be used because differences between groups are as important as what they have in common
• Organisations should stop funding unconscious bias training, with government and experts developing resources to help advance workplace equality

Dr Sewell added: "Creating a successful multi-ethnic society is hard, and racial disparities exist wherever such a society is being forged.

"The commission believes that if these recommendations are implemented, it will give a further burst of momentum to the story of our country's progress to a successful multi-ethnic and multicultural community - a beacon to the rest of Europe and the world."

'Change the narrative'

The report had been due to be published last year but was pushed back until 2021, with the commission blaming Covid restrictions and the large number of responses from the public for the delay.

At the time of its launch, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that although there was much more to be done to tackle racism, he wanted to "change the narrative" to highlight stories of success among those from ethnic minority backgrounds and "stop a sense of victimisation and discrimination".

The race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust said last year that it was concerned by signs the commission intended to "downplay" the impact of racism on the lives of black and other minority ethnic people.

The full report will be published on Wednesday at 11:30 BST.

What work has already been done on racial inequality in the UK?

• The Race Disparity Audit, published by then Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017, showed inequalities between ethnicities in educational attainment, health, employment and treatment by police and the courts
• The 2017 Lammy Review found evidence of bias and discrimination against people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the justice system in England and Wales
• Also in 2017, the McGregor-Smith Review of race in the workplace found people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds were still disadvantaged at work and faced lower employment rates than their white counterparts
• An independent review of the Windrush scandal, published in March, found the Home Office showed "institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race"

• SLEEP AND COVID: How do stressful situations affect our dreams?
• GRENFELL ATHLETIC: Healing the community after tragedy

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2021-03-31 07:01:08Z
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Kill the Bill: Bristol protesters gather at police station - BBC News

Protesters marched through Bristol as part of another demonstration against the Police and Crime Bill.

Avon and Somerset Police said about 100 people had gathered on College Green by about 19:00 BST rising to 150 by 20:10.

Several hundred protesters then marched through the city centre before heading back towards Bridewell Police station at about 21:30.

A sit-down protest took place at the station which was boarded up following violent scenes at the 21 March protest.

• Kill the Bill: The protesters' perspective
• Protesters on why they are marching

Supt Mark Runacres of Avon and Somerset Police said the force deployed police liaison officers at College Green "to try and develop that communication" with protesters.

"They established some communication which has been really helpful and again thanks to those who have assisted us with that," he said.

"That's what we look to encourage in advance of any future protest events, particularly Saturday to get in touch with us in advance so that we can discuss things like the protest route, the timings the duration and the end point."

"That really helps us to assist and facilitate the protest."

Earlier at College Green, protesters cheered a speech by organisers explaining their concerns about the new legislation which is making its way through Parliament.

At about 20:30 people started leaving and marched towards the city centre chanting "our streets".

EPA

A small number of uniformed police officers walked in front of a large group of protesters who headed past Bridewell Police station towards Broadmead.

They then marched towards the Bearpit roundabout before looping back on themselves and returning to the city centre.

During the march there was a low police presence.

It is the fourth such protest in the city centre and the first to be held under new rules for lockdown easing.

PA Media

At the scene: BBC reporter Scott Ellis

A good 300 to 400 people were at College Green where people said that if police kept away and did not intervene the protest would remain peaceful, and it was good-natured.

I saw the Dean of the Cathedral walking by and she was more than happy as it's her land.

The protesters set off on a march through Bristol, down past Bridewell Police station where I saw riot police. They went past the boarded building, to Baldwin Street then along James Barton St.

The protesters had a sit down at the Holiday Inn and now they're sitting outside Bridewell Police station and are currently blocking the road.

They've told me that they're pleased that police haven't rounded them up and let them protest. There are about 150 to 200 hundred of them with some standing in a row towards the back.

The atmosphere is still peaceful with police officers in normal uniform. The march was a bit leaderless at times, with some going off in a few wrong directions.

One speaker who addressed the crowd just before 19:00 said: "The bill curtails the right to roam," and places further criminalisation on the traveller community "that are already harassed by police and subject to racism".

The second speech ended with a rallying cry for peace.

"The only way to do something about this is by pushing the message of peace. So please, everybody, keep it peaceful today."

On Monday, Avon and Somerset Police asked organisers to "engage" with officers to ensure the event did not breach Covid-19 regulations on public protests.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk

Related Internet Links

• Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021

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2021-03-30 21:39:13Z
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Sarah Everard: Priti Patel says 'images can be taken out of context' after review finds police 'acted appropriately' at vigil - Sky News

The home secretary has said "images can be taken out of context" after a review into the police's handling of the Sarah Everard vigil found officers "acted appropriately".

Speaking to reporters, Priti Patel said she backed the Metropolitan Police following the report's findings and was "appalled and shocked" to learn officers had been assaulted during the event.

The vigil for Ms Everard, whose body was found a week after she went missing in London, was held on Saturday 13 March on Clapham Common despite police warning it would breach lockdown regulations.

Image: Sarah Everard went missing on 3 March and her body was found in woodland near Ashford in Kent a week later

A report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found that "officers remained calm and professional when subjected to abuse" and "did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner".

But it said that there was insufficient communication between police commanders about the changing nature of the events on the ground.

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The watchdog also found that the force should have adopted "a more conciliatory response" amid criticism after the event and that public confidence in the Met Police had "suffered as a result" of its policing.

Images of women being pushed to the ground by police at the vigil caused uproar in the days that followed, with hundreds gathering to protest outside Scotland Yard.

But the home secretary said: "It's important people don't judge the actions of the police by footage that was put out and aired on broadcast without knowing the full facts...

"I do also think images can be taken out of context and we should not prejudge. Some people have before knowing the full facts."

Shortly after the images emerged from the vigil, Ms Patel had called them "upsetting".

Some of the footage circulating online from the vigil in Clapham is upsetting. I have asked the Metropolitan Police for a full report on what happened.

My thoughts remain with Sarah’s family and friends at this terrible time.

— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) March 13, 2021

But she defended her change in tone, saying she had "rightly" demanded a report on the event for this reason.

She added that violence towards officers was "simply unacceptable" and said the police had "conducted themselves in the right way".

One officer who was at the vigil, Met Police Sergeant Imogen Hirst, said she was "hit three times in the chest" and there was "a lot of pushing and shoving".

"There's actually body-worn [footage] where I'm saying to this person who assaulted me 'madam don't hit me, please don't hit me' and she continued to hit me before I gently pushed her out of the way," she said.

"The verbal abuse I heard was the worst. I've worked tens and tens of demonstrations and I've never been verbally abused like that."

The Met Police said in a statement: "We are determined to tackle violence against women and girls and hope this report goes some way to build confidence that our officers are working tirelessly to keep Londoners safe."

Police added that while the vast majority of those who attended the vigil throughout the afternoon did so in a "dignified, respectful and lawful manner", the atmosphere changed after 6pm and officers faced "considerable abuse and hostility from a small minority of the crowd".

Image: Police surround the bandstand in Clapham Common, London

Reclaim These Streets had failed to agree with the Met on how a vigil could be held in line with the rules, however hundreds of people turned up anyway to lay flowers on the bandstand to show their respects.

The organisation said the report from HMICFRS was "disappointing" and demonstrated "institutional sexism running through the force".

In a statement on Twitter, the group also said: "The HMICFRS interviewed Reclaim These Streets for over 10 hours. The Met Police antagonistic actions around the vigil forced us to cancel the event, which then in turn, caused a greater number of people to attend due to their publicity.

"We warned the Met Police on Friday night, that forcing us to cancel would cause additional risk to public safety, as did Lambeth Council. They completely dismissed our warning and concerns.

"The HMIC had a responsibility to begin rebuilding the trust between women and girls across the capital and the Metropolitan Police. The disregard for us as women organisers in the report is clear there is still institutional sexism running through the force."

A minute's silence for Ms Everard was held at 6pm when the crowd had reached around 500 people and the police presence had grown.

It was shortly after this that chanting began and a local councillor asked people to go home.

As it got dark the police started to urge a group of people on the bandstand to leave and told them COVID regulations were being broken.

The bandstand was soon almost surrounded by officers and the atmosphere started to become more hostile. It was at this point that a number of women appeared to be shoved and people starting shouting at the police.

Chants of "all cops are b******s" were directed towards officers on the bandstand.

Met Police officers grabbed women stood within the bandstand before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

By 8pm the clashes had finished and the Metropolitan Police said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

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2021-03-30 17:10:16Z
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Coronavirus: Covid antibodies in half of UK population and festivals to go ahead - BBC News

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Tuesday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow morning.

1. Half of UK has Covid-19 antibodies

Vaccinations and infections mean that about half of the people in the UK now have antibodies against Covid-19, according to tests carried out by the Office for National Statistics. Antibodies are proteins in the blood which recognise specific infections and fight them off. With 30 million people having received at least one dose, most of the protection has been acquired through vaccination. Among over-65s, who have been prioritised for the vaccine, about 90% have antibodies. There has been a small decline in detectable antibodies among this group since January, however. The ONS suggests this may be because some people had their first dose but had not received their second yet - but it stressed that doesn't mean they have less immunity.

Reuters

2. Scotland to end stay-at-home rule on Friday

Scotland is ending its "stay at home" lockdown order on Friday and urging people to stay local instead, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed. People will still be asked to remain within their local authority area until 26 April, when the travel ban within Scotland is lifted. Hairdressers, barbers, garden centres, homeware stores and click-and-collect services will also be allowed to reopen from Monday. The ending of the stay-at-home order follows similar moves in Wales earlier in March and yesterday in England. Conservatives in Wales have said they hope to end social distancing altogether on 21 June if they win May's Senedd elections.

PA Media

3. More work needed to rule out lab leak Covid theory, says WHO

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says further investigation is needed to rule out a theory that Covid-19 emerged from a laboratory in China. Although such a leak is the least likely cause, more extensive research is needed, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, in China's Hubei province in late 2019, but the Chinese government has dismissed the allegations of a virus leak. An international team of experts travelled to the city in January to probe the origin of the virus but Dr Tedros said they had difficulty accessing raw data and called for "more timely and comprehensive data sharing" in the future.

Reuters

4. Crowds and brawls greet sunshine and eased restrictions

Just one day after restrictions in England were eased to allow up to six people or two households to gather outdoors, police put in place a dispersal order to prevent large crowds gathering in Nottingham Arboretum. Videos shared on social media showed people brawling, hugging and drinking while enjoying the warm weather. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, First Minister Arlene Foster has called for the PSNI's chief constable to resign after it was announced there would be no prosecutions following the attendance of 2,000 mourners - against Covid restrictions - at the funeral of former IRA head of intelligence Bobby Storey.

5. Festivals to go ahead - but vaccine passports will be needed

The organiser of the Leeds and Reading festivals has said he is confident they will go ahead in August - but fans will "almost certainly" need some form of Covid vaccination passport. Melvin Benn said he was taking the prime minister at his word that legal restrictions would be removed in June for a "summer of fun". Headline acts announced so far include Stormzy, Liam Gallagher and Queens of the Stone Age. But Mr Benn said if the dual-site festival does have to be cancelled, fans will receive a refund.

Getty Images

And don't forget...

You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

If you want to know what rules have been relaxed, and what changes are expected next, you can find all the details here.

What questions do you have about coronavirus?

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Use this form to ask your question:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.

• WHO GOT IT RIGHT?: The different ways governments around the world responded to Covid-19
• SCARY ADULT THINGS: Does anyone have this whole life thing sorted?

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2021-03-30 17:06:29Z
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