RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: First they came for the soldiers, now it's the coppers... Orgreave is another excuse to dance on Mrs Thatcher's grave
Shamefully, members of the special forces and other troops posted to Northern Ireland during the Troubles are still being hounded through the courts while terrorists issued with 'letters of comfort' by the British government and freed from jail early enjoy a care-free retirement.
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The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Police fears over summer riots as forces already ‘stretched to the maximum'
Protests and demonstrations that have turned violent are taking a 'massive toll' on police forces across the UK, it has been warned, as fears rise over the prospect of another summer of riots. Recent scenes of unrest in Epping outside a hotel believed to house asylum seekers have already cost £100,000, with Essex Police forced to draft in support from neighbouring forces after the protests turned ugly with bottles and flares thrown at police, injuring eight officers. Last July and August, 40,000 officer shifts were worked by public order officers over 10 days to tackle the riots sparked by misinformation online after three girls were stabbed to death in Southport. With concerns mounting that the UK could be facing another summer of unrest, the police union has warned that forces are close to breaking point. Brian Booth, deputy chair of the Police Federation, said the UK's national mobilisation plan, which sees officers redeployed to assist other forces when needed, means staff miss rest days and additional hours at a time when resignation rates are 'off the scale' due to low morale and pay. 'What we've seen throughout this year is sporadic incidents that need dealing with. 'It's a good idea, we're not knocking it, but it means officers are pulled from frontline duties and puts an extra demand on forces. It comes from frontline policing and you then have traffic officers missing from duties, those in the community pulled out and they then have to cancel their rest days and extend their working patterns.' He added: 'The demand has got too high, the service is stretched to the maximum. It's like an elastic band, and all of a sudden, we'll have a snap. There's only so much pressure that can be placed on them.' He stressed that while police chiefs had a designated budget to assist lawful protests, that budget is stretched when demonstrations turn violent and require a larger police response. 'The budgets are cut so slim now that there's no fat left,' he said. A new report from the Police Federation, published on Tuesday, found 17,700 police officers have been signed off for mental health reasons – an 182 per cent increase in the past 12 years – with many citing burnout, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. It comes as anger mounts among police forces, with average annual pay falling by a fifth in real terms since 2010. 'The morale is terrible,' Mr Booth said. 'A lot of my colleagues are really angry. People are leaving, we have the highest rate of mid-service leavers, and the resignation scales are off the scale.' 'I know over the next few weeks that the anger will be rising among the ranks now that the government has broken for recess, and we're the only public service that hasn't had the pay award. We've got an unhappy workforce and I think the government needs to realise that.' It comes as 1,500 officers will be redeployed from frontline duties to Scotland on Friday to support President Donald Trump's private visit to his golf courses. 'We were notified over the Trump visit in a short period, we were told they needed 1,5000 officers only last week. That's one per cent of the population of policing. Chief constables are now trying to scramble around trying to find the numbers to detract from other duties,' he said. On Tuesday, Angela Rayner addressed the Epping protests and warned the UK faces another summer of riots unless 'the government shows it can address people's concerns'. In a dramatic intervention, the deputy prime minister said economic insecurity, immigration, the increasing time people spend online, and declining trust in institutions were having a 'profound impact on society'. On Wednesday, Essex Police said they had arrested 10 people after a series of protests outside the Bell Hotel, in Epping, which began after a 38-year-old, believed to be an asylum seeker being housed there, was charged with sexual assault. Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch played down the notion of further riots this summer, but said 'we need to be very, very vigilant'. The leader of the Conservatives also blamed Labour for the strains on social cohesion, adding: 'Yvette Cooper is waving things through. Rachel Reeves is not providing the money. I'm not surprised. Angela Rayner is saying the social fabric is fraying, but she needs to do something about it.'
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two children and woman killed in shooting while man remains in hospital
Two children and a woman have died in a shooting in Co Fermanagh, police have confirmed. A fourth person, a man, remains in a serious condition in hospital after the incident in the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge. All four people are members of the same household, police said. Superintendent Robert McGowan confirmed all four suffered gunshot wounds. Officers remain at the scene, which has been cordoned off. Police are probing a triple murder and attempted suicide line of inquiry. Police said the three victims are a woman aged in her 40s and two children, one male and one female, however their ages have not yet been confirmed. Mr McGowan said that the suspect has a 'limited footprint' with police. Speaking in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, Mr McGowan said that two people were pronounced dead at the scene while a third person died in hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said they received a 999 call at 8.21am on Wednesday and dispatched three emergency ambulances, one rapid response paramedic, two ambulance officers and an ambulance doctor to the scene. Mr McGowan said: 'Earlier this morning, police received a report of an incident in Maguiresbridge. 'Officers, along with their colleagues in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, attended a house in the Drummeer Road area. 'Tragically, despite best medical efforts, two people were pronounced dead at the scene. Sadly, I can confirm that a third person has this afternoon passed away in hospital. 'The fourth person, who was taken to hospital, remains in a condition described as serious. 'All four had sustained gunshot wounds and I can confirm that all four individuals are from the same household.' Mr McGowan said the incident was ongoing when police arrived at the scene on Wednesday morning. 'It just happened prior to police attending, so, as you can appreciate, it's a very harrowing scene for all involved,' he told reporters. 'So, not only police officers, but colleagues in the ambulance service, and family members. Without going into detail, it's a very harrowing scene for anybody to attend.' He added: 'There is limited domestic history involving the people concerned and that is certainly one line of inquiry that the detectives will take forward.' He said the alarm was raised by a phone call made from the house where the incident was taking place. 'I am keen first and foremost to express my sympathy to the family members and loved ones who are today left in total shock and who will struggle to come to terms with their unimaginable loss,' he added. 'Detectives have now commenced a murder investigation and are working at pace to determine the circumstances. 'This is a quiet rural location and I'm aware that this tragic event will have sent shockwaves of sadness throughout the community.' Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said on Twitter: 'I'm absolutely heartbroken by the news from Maguiresbridge today. 'My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the local community. 'I have no doubt that the people of Maguiresbridge will come together and support one another through this incredibly difficult time.' 'My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. 'I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.'
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
‘Anti-Semitic' trans activists ban Zionism at pride event
Trans activists have been condemned for calling for 'Zionists' to be excluded from a pride event in London. The demand was criticised as anti-Semitic by gay Jewish campaigners, who said most Jews regard themselves as Zionist, believing in their right to self-determination and a Jewish homeland. The controversy erupted when London Trans Pride published leaflets and posters stating that its event on Saturday was 'not the place for' racism, religious discrimination, sexism, xenophobia or a number of other attitudes and beliefs. It ended the 'banned' list with the word 'Zionism'. Jewish LGBTQ campaigners have written to the organisers to point out that the blanket exclusion of Zionism and Zionists 'is not only discriminatory, it is anti-Semitic '. The Hineni Project, which works to 'mobilise the LGBTQ+ community in the fight against anti-Semitism in all its forms', wrote in its letter: 'Over 90 per cent of Jews identify as Zionist. 'For the overwhelming majority of LGBTQ+ Jews, Zionism is not an abstract ideology. It is a lived identity tied to survival, self-determination, and ancestral belonging. 'It is a belief that Jewish people – who have endured exile, genocide, and marginalisation for centuries – deserve safety, equality, and a homeland.' It added: 'To declare that Zionism is unwelcome at Pride is to implicitly declare that LGBTQ+ Jews are unwelcome too.' Jewish LGBTQ campaigners have also accused London Trans Pride of double standards in ignoring the oppression and persecution of gay, lesbian and trans people in areas controlled by Hamas and the Palestine Authority. The Hineni Project stated: 'This is not theoretical. Since Oct 7, queer Jewish people across the UK have faced exclusion, isolation, and abuse from the very spaces we helped to build. 'Queer Jews have been central to the fight for liberation – from Harvey Milk to Larry Kramer, from ACT UP to the founders of Pride itself. And yet now we are treated with suspicion, silenced, or forced to renounce a core part of our identity just to participate. 'To equate Zionism with oppression while ignoring the persecution of queer Palestinians by Hamas and Fatah is to promote a distorted, dehumanising narrative. 'To focus your activism on Israel – a democracy with legal protections for LGBTQ+ people, including Palestinians – while remaining silent on the 64 countries that criminalise homosexuality, including many where queer people are imprisoned, tortured or executed, reveals a double standard that demands reflection.' Commentators have said there is a paradox in some anti-Israel campaigners adopting the slogan ' Queers for Palestine ' in protest marches against the Israeli military response to the Hamas attacks of Oct 7 2023. They point out that gay and lesbian people in Gaza have long faced persecution and have struggled to be accepted in societies with hard-line Islamic governments, in contrast to the treatment of LGBTQ people in Israel. A spokesman for Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said: 'This kind of exclusion is despicable. 'Not only are Zionists not welcome at London Trans Pride, but the organisers view Zionism as being in the same category as racism and sexism. 'Eighty per cent of British Jews consider themselves to be Zionists; only 6 per cent do not, according to our polling. Zionism is the right of Jews to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. 'According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, is an example of anti-Semitism. 'Yet again, for all that 'progressive' spaces boast of inclusivity, that inclusivity doesn't extend to Jews. Not very 'progressive' at all.' Saturday's London Trans Pride will see a march from outside BBC Broadcasting House, through central London to Parliament Square for speeches and music.
