Grandmothers arrested at Palestine protest ‘robustly deny any criminal offence'
Two grandmothers arrested following a pro- Palestine protest in Belfast 'robustly deny they have committed any criminal offence'.
Sue Pentel and Martine McCullough were arrested earlier this year by police investigating an incident of criminal damage at a Barclays Bank in the city.
Ms Pentel, 72, was detained by officers along with Martine McCullough, aged in her 50s, on May 24 while protesting outside the bank in Castle Place over an incident at a previous protest at the bank on April 26.
The two attended Musgrave Street police station in Belfast city centre on Wednesday morning for the pre-arranged interview under caution.
Fellow campaigners staged a protest in solidarity with the women outside the station, with applause and calls of 'we're with you' as they arrived.
Solicitor Padraig O Muirigh, who represents the two women, said they 'robustly deny that they have committed any criminal offence'.
'Our clients have been involved in peaceful protests against the ongoing genocide in Gaza which has been ongoing now for 628 days,' he said.
'Today's interviews under caution follow their arrests on the 24th May 2025.
'My clients robustly deny that they have committed any criminal offence and maintain that they should not be subjected to criminal investigations for exercising their right to peaceful protest against the atrocities being committed in Gaza.'
He added: 'Our clients will robustly contest their innocence and defend their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights to freedom of assembly and expression if a decision is made to prosecute them.'
Jewish grandmother Ms Pentel is a high-profile campaigner against Israel's military offensive on Gaza.
Videos circulated online of the arrest of Ms Pentel indicate the alleged offence related to the placing of stickers on the bank's ATM machine.
Barclays has been a target for pro-Palestine protesters who claim the bank is linked to companies supplying weapons to Israel.
Barclays has previously addressed the criticism, saying it provides financial services to nine defence companies supplying Israel but does not directly invest in such firms.
The bank has said it has become the target of a disinformation campaign over its ties to defence companies.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Ms Pentel said they are 'proud to peacefully protest outside Barclays'.
'We've been doing it for the last eight months,' she said.
'To protest the genocide, to protest the violence, to protest the way that Israel feels its OK to starve children, to stop humanitarian aid while the world looks on.
'Well, we won't look on, we won't remain silent.'
She added: 'We understand that we've been asked to be interviewed under caution, and we're voluntarily going in about an incident on April 26 and all we can say is we're proud to demonstrate with our amazing colleagues every week outside Barclays.
'We have the right to peacefully protest, we want to thank our solicitor Padraig O Muirigh for his time and advice.
'We have the right to peacefully protest and we will continue to do it until the genocide stops.
'We're two grandmothers, when our grandchildren ask us what we did, we know what we'll say, we stood up, we spoke out, we weren't silent, and as a Jewish person I am absolutely ashamed of anybody either Israeli Jewish or London Jewish or wherever who doesn't stand up and who thinks this is OK.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
7 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
UK energy and steel to be classed as ‘nationally important' in procurement shift
Britain's steel and energy sectors could be classed as 'nationally important' to UK security under new procurement rules aimed at giving homegrown industry an edge over foreign firms. Public sector buyers would be able to avoid normal requirements to consider overseas bidders and instead give priority to domestic firms under the plans set out in a consultation launching on Wednesday. Ministers would be allowed to designate sectors such as steel, energy and cyber nationally important in order to help grant them more of the £400 billion spent on procurement each year, the Government said. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the proposals would ensure British industry was supported and 'boost growth'. 'The new rules being considered will give us the power to protect our national industries, ensuring more money goes to them as we buy goods and services in Government,' he said. The Government said the new rules will also ensure buyers exclude companies that cannot provide evidence of a good record of paying companies in their supply chains promptly and on time in a move to protect small businesses. New guidance will also require Government departments to consider British steel products for the £725 billion of UK infrastructure spending over the next 10 years announced in the industrial strategy on Monday. UK Steel welcomed the proposals, describing them as 'unequivocally positive news' that would help safeguard jobs in the industry. Director general of UK Steel, Gareth Stace, said: 'These changes rightly recognise the strategic importance of steelmaking to national security and the vital role of resilient domestic supply chains.' It comes as the industry faces uncertainty over the US-UK trade deal finalised this month, which slashed tariffs on aerospace and auto sectors but left levies on steel standing at 25% rather than falling to zero as originally agreed.
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Woman is fighting for her life after 'BMW driver flipped car and then attacked her' as she walked down the street
A woman has been left fighting for her life after she was allegedly attacked by a man who had just crashed a car and rolled it onto its roof. A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the horror assault which happened at around 5.30pm on Tuesday in Leicester. The victim, a woman in her 50s, was walking down the street when she was attacked, police have said. She was rushed to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where she is being treated for life-threatening injuries. It came after police received a call that a white BMW 1 series had overturned on Aylestone Road near to the junction with Welford Road and the Voco hotel. Minutes later the driver was seen running away from the vehicle and down the street towards the Leicester Royal Infirmary. The man then allegedly assaulted the woman and was detained by officers at the scene, police have said. He remains in police custody. As well as attempted murder, the 23-year-old has been accused of possession with intent to supply class B drugs, assault of an emergency worker, dangerous driving, driving while unfit through drugs and failing to provide a specimen. He is currently in police custody. Detective Inspector Emma Matts from Leicestershire Police said: 'This woman was sadly subjected to a serious assault and remains in hospital in a critical condition. 'We have a dedicated team of detectives who are pursuing all lines of enquiry to establish the full circumstances around what happened. 'We have spoken to a number of witnesses, but we know from CCTV that the area was extremely busy with many people passing through the city. 'If you saw anything connected to this incident or filmed any footage - whether that was of the vehicle being driven beforehand through the city centre, the collision itself or the assault – please get in touch with us. 'Also, if you were driving a vehicle which has a dash cam, please check your vehicle to see if it has captured anything of use to the investigation.' Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting 25*367901 or visit us online at You can also pass on information using the dedicated public portal for this incident: Public Portal Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers which is free and anonymous on 0800 555 111.
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ministers in talks over welfare concessions as Labour rebellion grows
Ministers are discussing the prospect of further concessions to win over a growing list of Labour MPs poised to rebel against planned welfare reforms ahead of a crunch vote next week. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said talks between backbenchers and Government were 'ongoing' on Thursday night as Downing Street seeks to head off what would be Sir Keir Starmer's first Commons defeat. It came as six more Labour MPs added their names to an amendment that would halt the legislation in its tracks, arguing disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. The new signatories include the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee chairman Toby Perkins, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell, Newcastle upon Tyne MP Mary Glindon and Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards. North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell and Colchester MP Pam Cox, both of whom won their seats in the party's 2024 landslide election victory, have also added their names. The new names takes the total number of Labour backbenchers supporting the so-called 'reasoned amendment,' tabled by Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hiller, to 126. The Prime Minister has insisted the reforms are set for a Commons vote on Tuesday as planned, but ministers are locked in talks with backbenchers about the possibility of making changes to soften the impact of the Bill as a major revolt looms. Asked what concessions could be offered to convince rebels to back the Government, Ms Rayner sought to reassure backbenchers that they would not be expected to betray the party's traditional values. 'I'm not going to get into that on your show tonight,' she said in an interview on ITV's Peston programme. 'Those discussions are ongoing around making sure that the welfare reforms that we're bringing in support people into work who need that, and we're putting a huge amount of investment into doing that, but also protecting the most vulnerable.' She acknowledged that 'a lot of people are very scared about these changes' but added: 'I haven't changed my Labour values and we're not expecting our benches to do anything that isn't in check with them. 'What we want to do is support people, and that is the crucial bit around these reforms of what Labour are trying to achieve, and we're discussing that with our MPs.' The plans restrict eligibility for personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit. The Government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year. Existing claimants will be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, a move seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes. But the fact so many Labour MPs are prepared to put their names to the 'reasoned amendment' calling for a change of course shows how entrenched the opposition remains. One backbencher preparing to vote against the Bill told the PA news agency: 'A lot of people have been saying they're upset about this for months. To leave it until a few days before the vote, it's not a very good way of running the country. 'It's not very grown up.' They said that minor concessions would not be enough, warning: 'I don't think you can tinker with this. They need to go back to the drawing board.' According to the Government's impact assessment, the welfare reforms as a whole could push an extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty. Asked whether she thought there were hundreds of thousands of people claiming disability benefits who were not disabled, Ms Rayner said: 'No, what we're saying though is that the welfare system has to be able to have longevity.' Earlier on Wednesday, Sir Keir defended his leadership against accusations he had misjudged the mood in his party, insisting he is 'comfortable with reading the room'. At a press conference at the Nato summit in The Hague, the Prime Minister said: 'Is it tough going? Are there plenty of people and noises off? Yes, of course, there always are, there always have been, there always will be. 'But the important thing is to focus on the change that we want to bring about.' Later on Wednesday, armed forces minister Luke Pollard echoed the Deputy Prime Minister, telling Sky News's Politics Hub show that 'of course' the Government was in talks about possibly making changes. 'Of course we are, and I think there's a concern that's very valid and real for lots of my colleagues. They're not doing this to cause trouble or be argumentative,' he said. 'They're doing it because they have a genuine, heartfelt concern about some of the impacts. ' He said some of the reforms would be supported across the party but 'where there is concerns… those discussions will continue until the vote and beyond.' Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Mr Pollard said the Government had 'between now and Tuesday to listen to those concerns' and 'to address them' before making the case for reform in the Commons debate next week. Asked whether the Government would listen to calls for it to change course over planned cuts to Pip, he said: 'I think that's for many colleagues where the real concern is.' Other senior Labour figures outside Parliament, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, have publicly expressed their opposition to the plans. Meanwhile, the Tories seem unlikely to lend the Government their support, with leader Kemi Badenoch setting out conditions for doing so including a commitment to rule out tax rises in the autumn budget and further cut the benefits bill.
