logo
Woman, 74, arrested in Belfast for wearing Palestine Action T-shirt released

Woman, 74, arrested in Belfast for wearing Palestine Action T-shirt released

The woman was arrested at a protest in Belfast on Saturday.
Police said she was arrested on suspicion of possession of an article that indicates support for a proscribed organisation in the Linenhall Street area of Belfast.
It comes after the British Government in July made expressing support for, or being a member of, Palestine Action a criminal offence under terrorism legislation.
In London, some 466 people were arrested for supporting the banned group after protesters gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday.
In Belfast, videos shared online show a woman wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt being told by police officers she was being arrested on suspicion of 'possessing an article, namely a sign or T-shirt, that indicates support for Palestine Action'.
Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International UK, Patrick Corrigan, criticised the protester's arrest as 'outrageous'.
'Peaceful protest is a basic human right,' he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Who's on JD Vance's Cotswolds guest list?
Who's on JD Vance's Cotswolds guest list?

Spectator

time42 minutes ago

  • Spectator

Who's on JD Vance's Cotswolds guest list?

Well, well, well. The US Vice President has taken a family trip to the UK this summer, to enjoy a stay at an 18th-century Georgian manor in the Cotswolds. But although this getaway was supposed to provide some leisure time for JD Vance, the VP has made space to meet with a stream of British politicians and, er, at least one wannabe politico. So who is on Vance's guest list? First up was Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who took a fishing trip with Donald Trump's second in command at the weekend to discuss the war in Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick – and onetime Tory leadership contender – met with the Vice President on Tuesday, for a tête-à-tête before a drinks event. Jenrick wasn't the only shadow cabinet member to get the call up, however, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp also invited to see Vance on Tuesday. His boss, Kemi Badenoch has not been so fortunate – although a Conservative spokesperson insisted that the VP and Tory leader 'just couldn't make it work with schedules'. Vance's press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, added: The Vice-President met with a number of people during his trip to the United Kingdom. He specifically tried to see Kemi Badenoch, a friend of his, but a meeting was not possible due to their conflicting schedules. Any suggestion otherwise is false. That's that then! Reform leader Nigel Farage didn't manage to meet President Trump during his visit to Scotland last month, but he has been luckier this time. The Clacton MP secured an eleventh-hour meet with the VP, and is seeing Vance this morning for breakfast in the Cotswolds. And there's more: Vance met with his friend (and Spectator writer) James Orr on Monday for a barbecue, alongside Tory MP Danny Kruger and, er, even one Thomas Skinner – who befriended Vance online. It's certainly not the first time the Apprentice and MAGA have crossed paths, eh? Bosh.

Mothin Ali: 'There's a lot of racism on the left'
Mothin Ali: 'There's a lot of racism on the left'

New Statesman​

timean hour ago

  • New Statesman​

Mothin Ali: 'There's a lot of racism on the left'

Leeds councillor Mothin Ali is set to run for deputy leader of the Green Party. Photograph by Craig Gent, courtesy of Mothin Ali Within weeks of being elected as a Green Party councillor in May 2024, Mothin Ali was criticised for saying Allahu Akhbar ('God is great') in his victory speech, faced down rioters and was targeted by far-right disinformation. It was a very public and literal baptism of fire for the accountant and permaculture gardener who knows that in his garden he can be alone and away from online and offline hassle. Now he wants to become deputy leader of the Green Party. Ali and I speak via Zoom straight after his councillor surgery at the Compton Community Centre in Harehills, West Yorkshire. He seemed weighed down by some of the problems he had heard about, but quickly became energised when talking about the issues. '​​Housing's the biggest problem,' he said. Among the people who have been to see him this morning are a family of five living in a two-bed home. It's a common problem, along with disrepair and the long wait for social housing. 'It's just unbelievable,' he said. Ali, 43, represents Gipton and Harehills, a working-class, racially mixed community in the north-east of Leeds. It's where he grew up and first stood as a 'paper' candidate (without a chance of being elected) in 2022. It took Ali two years to turn a meagre 22 per cent of the vote into 52 per cent and a majority of 750 votes driven by a grassroots campaign. 'One thing I think that's missing is that connection between the grassroots activists and the leaders,' Ali said. What he wants for the Greens is to connect their local strength to a 'presence on a national scale in the mainstream media'. He contrasts his party's action-orientated approach to Reform, which is, 'getting the votes from media hype'. 'Inner-city areas feel let down, but for a long time it's been the Labour Party who've had free rein over these areas. And no one's really challenged them,' he said. He dismisses any idea that British people are apathetic: 'People are disenfranchised,' he observed. Ali has recently come under scrutiny for deciding not to sign any internal pledges from the party's various interest groups, particularly the LGBTIQA+ Greens. His reasoning was, firstly, that politicians regularly sign and break these types of pledge so they are not an effective way to effect change and, secondly, that pledges can subvert the party's member-led policy process. This stance prompted criticism and praise from inside and outside the party, much of which incorrectly assumed that he was unsupportive of LGBT rights when he is on the record expressing support for these communities. Amid the discussion online, Adnan Hussain, independent MP for Blackburn asked on X, 'Is there space on the left to create a broad enough church to allow Muslims an authentic space, just as it does all other minority groups?' Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe 'First and foremost, I've got to say I'm an unapologetic Muslim. I make no apology for who I am,' Ali said when I asked him if there is a place for practising Muslims in progressive spaces. 'A lot of our [Islamic] mindset, a lot of our thinking is predominantly left wing. It's predominantly socialist based,' he responded, 'we've got a lot of natural home here. 'But, just as the racists exist on the right, they exist on the left – and that's a conversation that's very rarely had.' Ali said that one prominent Green Party member described him of being 'sinister' while another said it was right to be 'suspicious' of Muslims. These are, frankly, not uncommon attitudes in British society, but Ali highlights how the Green Party does not yet have an anti-racism policy – something that he and others hope to change at the Party's autumn conference. 'There's a lot of that [racism] that goes on in left-wing spheres that, because it's done with a level of politeness and a level of niceness, it's not that visceral hate that you get on the right,' he said. At a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Leeds earlier this month, Ali encountered some of that visceral hate when was challenged on camera by far-right activists. It's a compelling watch as he calmly engages with the 'auditor' and puts across his points defending asylum seekers, migrants and refugees. 'Someone was actually swearing at me while I was having the conversation,' he remembered. 'I think it's important to be empathetic,' Ali said. 'They're looking for answers, looking for hope as well. And what they've found or what they've been fed is a narrative where immigrants are to blame or Muslims are to blame.' Ali believes the far right can be countered through dialogue. 'We've got to create a safe space where people can discuss things,' he said. 'So people can have robust discussions. They don't have to agree on everything. We can't all think the same.' In the aftermath of the riots in his ward last year, sparked by the removal into foster care of four Roma children, Ali organised a series of meetings to help the different communities hear and understand each other and the challenges they had. 'We created a space where there was understanding, where we're going to have some positives out of it,' he said. It's an approach Ali has used recently to gather opinion on the more quotidian local issue of roadworks, but reflects his belief that people have to be more directly involved in the decisions that affect them. His other method to bridge divides is doing the practical work of community activism. Ali recounts knocking on the door of a man who swiftly dismissed him, using the P-word for good measure. Instead of walking away, Ali pressed for the reasons why this person was so unhappy. 'His problem was fly-tipping and some anti-social behaviour,' Ali explained. The councillor got the fly-tipping cleared and went back to see him, but he was 'still very angry'. Months went by and Ali went back for another chat to see how things were going. This time the conversation was more 'civilised', Ali recalled. After election day the man told Ali that he had voted for him. 'That's how we change hearts and minds,' Ali said. [See also: Visions of an English civil war] Related

Ex-Ibiza worker claims British tourists are overcharged by simple yet common scam
Ex-Ibiza worker claims British tourists are overcharged by simple yet common scam

Daily Record

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Ex-Ibiza worker claims British tourists are overcharged by simple yet common scam

The former fast food worker reveals a shocking tale of deceit and mistreatment of UK tourists. An ex-staff member at an Ibiza fast food restaurant has claimed British tourists are conned out of money using an easy and widespread scam. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was ordered to charge tourists more than locals when she worked at the fast food franchise in Ibiza's party resort San Antonio. ‌ The female has reportedly lodged a formal complaint alleging malpractice by the Spanish eaterie, which has not yet been named. The Daily Mail reports the restaurant is on the resort's Doctor Fleming Avenue. and the claims come just days after a UK tourist was left fighting for his life after being knocked down in San Antonio. ‌ The former employee claims that senior staff members mistreated or threatened employees who refused to follow bosses' orders to charge travellers more or upgrade their meals to larger sizes, reports the Express. ‌ Speaking to Ibiza newspaper Periodico de Ibiza, she said: "Workers were instructed to charge for more expensive products. "For example, if a customer, generally British tourists staying in the area, asked for a hamburger with cheese, employees were told to serve them an XL hamburger with cheese and add several extras, like extra hamburgers, extra cheese, XL chips or other products they hadn't asked for. "We had to do it without them realising." She went on to say: "I didn't want to form part of that. I didn't want customers getting annoyed with me over that." The former employee at the fast food eatery said she was sacked halfway through her shift for refusing to overcharge customers. ‌ She said: 'They made me sign papers that said I hadn't passed my trial period. She also alleged the franchise owner had refused to accept a work uniform when she went to return it, saying one of them had grease stains on it. Defending her decision to speak out and alleging staff were mistreated in other ways, like being made to mop the floor with their bare hands by abusive bosses, she said: 'The most important thing for me is to make the situation public, for former colleagues who have to carry on enduring this inhumane treatment.' ‌ Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. San Antonio Town Hall could not be reached for comment. The resort on Ibiza's west coast has long been a favourite with British tourists. ‌ However, San Antonio has come under the spotlight this summer following a number of tourist deaths in hotel plunges. Dundee-born ice hockey star Gary Kelly, 19, became the fourth holidaymaker to die at four-star Ibiza Rocks Hotel since April 27 when he fell from a third-floor balcony on July 21 in an incident which the Civil Guard has described as an accident. On July 7 Ewan Thomson, 26, from Aberdeen, fell to his death at the same hotel, with his sister Teila claiming afterwards: 'Once it did happen, the hotel's response was just completely heartbreaking; almost as if it never happened.' ‌ A 19-year-old Italian tourist of Turkish origin plunged to her death on April 27 from a fourth-floor at the hotel, owned by the Ibiza Rocks Group which is led by the British founders of island super club Manumission. In the early hours of yesterday morning a British holidaymaker was left fighting for his life after being run over in Doctor Fleming Avenue. Ibiza and its neighbouring island, Majorca, have been the centre of anti-mass tourism protests over the past couple of summers.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store