Two more men charged with murder over car park stabbing in Bury
Another man, Abbas Hussain, 19, of Bolton, was charged with murder and possession of a bladed article in relation to the death of Mr Afzal on Tuesday (5 August).Two other men who were arrested following the incident have been bailed.
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The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
How long can overstretched Met Police cope if Palestine Action protests continue?
In 2024, a total of 248 people were arrested in Britain for terrorist-related activity. Within a matter of hours on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police arrested more than double that as 522 protesters were handcuffed under terror laws for holding placards declaring: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' Half of those arrested – who face up to 14 years in prison if they are convicted under the Terrorism Act for supporting a proscribed organisation – were over 60 years old, including 15 octogenarians. Many were applauded by onlookers as they were hauled away by officers. The scale of the challenge forced the Met to use a 'street bail' system to prevent police stations from being overwhelmed by what was described by organisers as a 'momentous act of collective defiance' in Parliament Square. The force used two processing points in Westminster to deal with 320 protesters, who were asked to confirm their details before being released and ordered to appear at a police station at a future date. A total of 212 were transported to police custody, likely because they refused to confirm their identity or were already on police bail. The Met said they were aware of online photos and footage suggesting some people returned to Parliament Square after being released on bail, but conceded it would be 'entirely unrealistic' to recognise these individuals. Over the coming weeks, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together case files and secure charges against those arrested. In some instances, charges will also require approval by the Attorney General Lord Hermer. But the threat of arrest and prison appears to be doing little to deter supporters who have vowed to continue to defy home secretary Yvette Cooper's controversial decision to ban the direct-action group with monthly protests, organised by Defend Our Juries, ahead of a High Court legal challenge November. The Met says they proved they can respond to 'significant protest' requiring many arrests, adding: 'We will do so again if we are required to.' However, the toll of hundreds of terror arrests on a force already grappling with a £260million funding shortfall, a staff recruitment crisis and regular large-scale rallies linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict, should not be underestimated. Paula Dodds, chairman of the Met Police Federation, warned 'tiredness is setting in' for officers. 'Officers are overstretched, rest days are being cancelled,' she told The Independent. 'Leave may be cancelled in the coming weeks as we try to ensure that we have resources to police protests as well as business as usual to keep London safe. 'We will need to call on more mutual aid officers to assist if these protesters continue to come out in numbers. It has just been relentless, and I think we are going to see that for a while yet.' She warned the workload of processing arrests, investigating offences and building files to be passed to the CPS increases demand across all departments at a time when the force is already under strain. In the coming weeks alone, officers face the threat of more anti-migrant protests at hotels housing asylum seekers, the restart of the football season and managing Notting Hill Carnival. She said 'only time will tell' if the resulting pressures result in increased levels of sickness or more officers leaving the force. Saturday's protest comes on the back of 221 similar arrests across the country, including dozens in London, in the weeks since Palestine Action was banned after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two military planes with red paint. Last week, the first three people were charged for flouting the ban. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September. Ms Cooper has continued to defend proscribing the direct-action group, repeating claims that an assessment found evidence of 'ideas for further attacks' which cannot be reported due to ongoing legal proceedings. 'Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear - this is not a non-violent organisation,' she said. 'UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority.' Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori claimed the latest demonstration was 'humiliating' for Ms Cooper and would 'go down in our country's history as a momentous act of collective defiance of an unprecedented attack on our fundamental freedoms'. She said the fact most of those arrested at the protest were 'given street bail and allowed to go home' proved the current ban was 'unenforceable'. 'It's clear that more and more ordinary people appalled by this anti-democratic, authoritarian ban will defy it en-masse and it is simply not possible to arrest them all,' she added.
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Brothers jailed after rioting outside asylum seeker hotel
Two brothers have each been jailed for three years for their part in rioting outside a hotel housing asylum seekers last summer. Scott and Jason McGuire were at the forefront of the disorder which engulfed the Holiday Inn Express near Rotherham, on August 4, 2024, Sheffield Crown Court heard on Monday. The brothers were jailed along with two others men – Keethan Reeve-Lawson and Daniel Kazemi. This is understood to have brought the total number of people sentenced for the Rotherham violence to 104. Judge Jeremy Richardson KC outlined how the McGuire brothers were at the forefront of the 'mob' during the most serious part of the disorder on that Sunday afternoon. The judge has heard over dozens of hearings how the hotel was besieged for around 12 hours. Police officers and the hotel itself were pelted with missiles as more than 200 asylum seekers and 22 staff were trapped inside. At one point, the rioters smashed their way into the building and a burning wheelie-bin was pushed against a fire door. A total of 64 officers were injured in the violence along with police horses and a dog. Judge Richardson said it was his 'misfortune' to have sentenced most of those arrested after the disorder and said he was very familiar with video footage of the violence shown in court. He said: 'Each time I see this exceptionally serious disturbance represented in the footage of these events I feel, as I'm sure many others feel, profound shame that such shocking disorder should occur in this country.' The judge said: 'The venom of racism and racially motivated violence suffuses the events from first to last.' Judge Richardson told the defendants: 'Several hundred people were intent on mob rule. That will never be tolerated in this country.' And he added: 'All of those police officers are deserving of the highest praise for the way in which they resisted provocation and handled an immensely challenging situation with bravery, professionalism and skill.' Judge Richardson described how Scott McGuire was captured arriving at the scene with what appeared to be his partner and a child in a pushchair. He was later pictured in the mob at various times during the disorder and is seen dismantling safety barriers in front of the riot police as well as kicking items which were then thrown at the officers by others. The judge said: 'You were involved in fierce attacks on police officers close to the hotel. 'You were well to the fore and your participation was of a high order.' Judge Richardson said Jason McGuire was filmed throwing missiles at officers and a police van as well as at the hotel building, while wearing a mask. He was also filmed tearing down fencing which was used by others to throw at the police lines and fuel the fire which was set outside the building. The judge said: 'Your involvement was well to the fore in the most serious aspects of the episodes that afternoon.' The court heard how Jason McGuire was jailed for four years in 2015 for a drugs offence and for 10 years in 2018 for a machete attack. Judge Richardson jailed Reeve-Lawson and Kazemi for 22 months each after hearing how they were involved in later incidents once police had managed to push the mob away from immediately outside the hotel. Kazemi was filmed throwing a can of beer at officers, which smashed against their shields, and the judge noted that he was 'visibly happy' when another man threw a metal bar at police. Richard Barradell, defending Kazemi, said 'like many others' his client joined in 'once the pack mentality started'. He said: 'He cannot for the life of him explain why.' Mr Barradell said his client was 'bitterly embarrassed' and wanted to apologise to everyone involved. Scott McGuire, 35, and Jason McGuire, 31, both of Schofield Street, Mexborough; Reeve-Lawson, 22, of Mount Vernon Road, Worsbrough Common, Barnsley, and Kazemi, 35, of Edna Street, Bolton-upon-Dearne, all admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing.
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump sends in National Guard to ‘liberate' Washington DC
President Donald Trump has placed the Washington D.C. police department under federal control and deployed the National Guard to address crime and homelessness. The initiative involves deploying approximately 500 federal law enforcement officers from agencies including the FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, and the Marshals Service. Trump earlier stated his intention to "liberate" the nation's capital, citing concerns about public safety and the city's homeless population. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed concerns about the federal intervention, questioning the effectiveness of using the National Guard for city laws. Bowser said that violent crime in Washington D.C. has decreased, contradicting Trump's portrayal of the city as highly dangerous.
