Concert musician has ‘priceless' 300-year-old violin stolen
A 300-year-old violin, valued at over £150,000, was stolen from a London pub.
The instrument, made in Florence in 1740, belongs to a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra.
The theft occurred on the evening of February 18 at The Marquess Tavern in Islington.
Metropolitan Police have released CCTV images of a suspect and are appealing for witnesses.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact them to help return the "priceless" violin to its owner.
Philharmonia Orchestra player's £150,000 violin stolen from London pub
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
Moment protest chaos erupts as group behind RAF Brize Norton raid to be ‘BANNED like terror organisation'
POLICE have been spotted clashing with Palestine Action protesters at a demonstration today - as the group is set to be put on par with terror groups. Shocking footage showed officers tackling activists as violent scenes erupted at a protest on Trafalgar Square in central London this afternoon. 6 6 6 In one video posted online, a group of four cops can be seen attempting to wrestle a single protester to the ground. Other activists swarm around the officers as they struggle to take down the man. It comes as the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced today she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action. She explained that she will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal. The ban will see the organisation on par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The decision was made after activists from the pro-Palestinian group broke into RAF Brize Norton last week. Footage shared online showed two members breaking into the base and vandalising two planes in a "grotesque" breach of security. They spray red paint into the rear of one of the jet's two engines and deep into the aircraft itself. The pair of activists can then be seen roaming free across the grounds of the airbase on electric scooters. Brize Norton is the RAF 's largest airbase and home to more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel as well as the UK's largest military aircraft. The MoD slammed the "vandalism of Royal Air Force assets" in a scathing statement. A spokeswoman for the ministry said: "Our armed forces represent the very best of Britain. "They put their lives on the line for us, and their display of duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice are an inspiration to us all. "It is our responsibility to support those who defend us." The shocking break-in at the Oxfordshire base prompted a security review at military bases across the UK. Hundreds commented under videos of the activists' efforts on social media, asking how security could be "that lacking" at a major military air base. 6 6 6
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Palestine Action activists blocks streets and clash with police in Trafalgar Square demonstration - as government moves to ban group following RAF base protest
Palestine Action activists have clashed with police during a mass protest in London as the Government moves to proscribe the group under terrorism law. Hundreds of activists waving Palestinian flags and holding placards gathered at Trafalgar Square today. Protesters were seen scuffling with police, with officers forced to drag activists out of the crowds. The Palestine Action protest comes just days after two of its members broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged two military planes in a stunt condemned by MPs including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action and will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal. The proscription of Palestine Action puts the group on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda or ISIS under British law, banning anyone from promoting the group, arranging meetings or carrying its logo in public. Those breaching the rules could face up to 14 years in jail. The Home Secretary confirmed she is launching the process that will make it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group. She said the government 'will not tolerate those that put that security at risk'. 'I have decided to proscribe Palestine Action under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000. A draft proscription order will be laid in Parliament on Monday 30 June. If passed, it will make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action. 'This decision is specific to Palestine Action and does not affect lawful protest groups and other organisations campaigning on issues around Palestine or the Middle East. 'The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action.' Ms Cooper added: 'Since its inception in 2020, Palestine Action has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions, including key national infrastructure and defence firms that provide services and supplies to support Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), 'Five Eyes' allies and the UK defence enterprise. 'Its activity has increased in frequency and severity since the start of 2024 and its methods have become more aggressive, with its members demonstrating a willingness to use violence. 'Palestine Action has also broadened its targets from the defence industry to include financial firms, charities, universities and government buildings. Its activities meet the threshold set out in the statutory tests established under the Terrorism Act 2000. 'This has been assessed through a robust evidence-based process, by a wide range of experts from across government, the police and the Security Services.' Ms Cooper said that the group had caused damage 'running into the millions of pounds'. In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the Government. These include attacks at Thales in Glasgow in 2022; and last year at Instro Precision in Kent and Elbit Systems UK in Bristol. The seriousness of these attacks includes the extent and nature of damage caused, including to targets affecting UK national security, and the impact on innocent members of the public fleeing for safety and subjected to violence. The extent of damage across these three attacks alone, spreading the length and breadth of the UK, runs into the millions of pounds.
Glasgow Times
33 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Palestine Action's behaviour ‘totally unacceptable', Chancellor says
Rachel Reeves condemned Palestine Action ahead of an update from the Home Secretary to Parliament on the Government's plan to proscribe it under terror laws. A protest in support of Palestine Action is also due to take place in London on Monday. The group posted on X that the protest location has moved to Trafalgar Square after the Metropolitan Police banned action from taking place at the Houses of Parliament. Asked whether Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley should be able to ban Monday's demonstration, the Chancellor told broadcasters: 'What I would say about Palestine Action is that their behaviours in the last few weeks, and particularly in the last few days, are totally unacceptable. 'To cause damage to military assets, but also to cause such damage to privately owned assets, it is unacceptable whatever your views are on what's happening in the Middle East. 'These actions are unacceptable and the Home Secretary will be making a statement to Parliament later today.' A Number 10 spokesman said Palestine Action has committed 'unacceptable actions that risk our security', adding: 'We keep the list of proscribed organisations under constant review.' On Sunday, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at the protest supporting the 'organised extremist criminal group' as the force imposed an exclusion zone around Westminster. He said that until the group is proscribed, the Met has 'no power in law' to prevent the protest taking place, adding that breaches of the law would be 'dealt with robustly'. In a statement on Sunday, Sir Mark said: 'I'm sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action. 'This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered. 'Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft. 'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest.' Pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire (Palestine Action/PA) Palestine Action posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police. Palestine Action has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising US President Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. But Baroness Shami Chakrabarti told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that plans to ban the group would mark a very serious step. The former shadow attorney general said: 'From what I can tell, this is a militant protest group that engages in direct action and that includes criminality, no question, but to elevate that to terrorism so anybody who attends a meeting, or who promotes the organisation, or is loosely affiliated with it, is branded a terrorist – that is a serious escalation I think.' The former director of the Liberty human rights group added: 'No doubt the Home Secretary will come to Parliament today and she will explain her reasoning and announce what she is actually going to do. 'I think this is a very serious step and I would share the concerns of Amnesty International, of Liberty, my former group, and others that this may be an escalation too far.' A spokesperson for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. The spokesperson said: 'When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. The Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe Palestine Action, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.'
