Operation Brock to be lifted on M20 with overnight road closure
A signed diversion will be in place during the closure, with the motorway due to reopen as normal on Wednesday.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'You're sold a lie': How do you spot a cult?
For seven years of her twenties, Gillie Jenkinson was in a religious cult. She recalls being told what to eat, when to sleep and what clothes to wear."It was completely coercive, controlling," she says, going on to add that the group operated from an "ordinary" looking terraced remembers giving all of her money to the group, believing it would go towards their mission of "saving the world"."None of that happened, we didn't save anybody or do anything with it, but you're sold a lie," she leaving the cult, she sought mental health support to help process her experiences but she was unable to find any trained therapist with experience in helping cult the end, she decided to train as a therapist herself and has now been practising for around 30 years, specialising in helping people who have left cults. This led her to appear in the two-part BBC documentary Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army, which sees her work with people brought up in the now-defunct religious cult to recognise cult dynamics and identify the group's impact on BBC revealed allegations of widespread child abuse in the group, which disbanded in Jesus Fellowship Community Trust, which has been winding up the group's affairs, said it was sorry for "the severely detrimental impact" on people's to the BBC, Jenkinson explains how to recognise a cult and why more support is needed for those who leave. How do you spot a cult? "It's not always easy to identify a cult," Jenkinson says, explaining that there isn't one type of person that joins a cult, they don't dress a certain way and they can operate from "ordinary" Family Survival Trust (FST), a charity that offers support to those affected by cults, defines a cult as a system controlled by a charismatic and authoritarian leadership that is "rigidly bounded" and supported by a fixed set of beliefs. It involves brainwashing designed to isolate, control and exploit do not have to be religious. Linguist Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, explains people can "erect a cult around anything, as long as you can inject it with fear and an 'us-versus-them' mentality".Montell adds that these groups don't even have to take place in person anymore and says they are becoming "easier" to find because of the internet, adding "so many cults do their recruiting online". While cults can be hard to spot, Jenkinson and Montell note some "red flags" people can look for:One possible indicator Jenkinson highlights is "love bombing" - a manipulation tactic that sees abusers use affection and declarations of love as a way of gaining power and common theme is promising "answers to life's very complex problems", like climate change or the meaning of existance, the psychotherapist says the combination of mantras, buzzwords and nicknames for insiders and outsiders of the group, as well as language that elicits a strong reaction while encouraging us not to ask further questions, can be linguist adds that certain texts being "off-limits" in the group can also be a warning most "extreme" trait of a cult for Montell is a "high barrier to exit", meaning group members being made to feel they might lose their identity or friendships, or fear retaliation, if they leave the group. What can you do if you think you're in a cult? Jenkinson encourages people to listen to their "gut feeling" if they think something is wrong, to listen to critical voices and to investigate the group online. "It might save you years of pain," the psychotherapist also strongly discourages relatives from giving a group money because it likely won't go to their loved one. However, she encourages family and friends to keep lines of communication open and to ask "genuine, critical thinking questions".However, Jenkinson says greater support and understanding is needed for people who have left cults, explaining: "it needs destigmatising because people need help when they come out".She adds that there should be provision within the NHS to offer specialist counselling for those leaving cults.A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care says as part of its 10-year health plan it "will increase access to talking therapies to support patients".Jenkinson adds that changes to the law are "desperately" needed to protect those in cults. Currently in England and Wales, coercive control is illegal in intimate or family relationships. However, Jenkinson says this needs to be extended to include the coercive control that occurs in groups like cults.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice says: "Cult leaders can already be prosecuted for a number of offences including fraud, false imprisonment or harassment."Details of organisations offering information and support with sexual abuse or child abuse are available at the BBC's Action can watch part two of Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army on BBC Two Sunday 3 August at 21:00 BST or both episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Memorial to Roma Holocaust victims unveiled in Newcastle
England's first permanent public memorial dedicated to Roma victims of the Holocaust has been memorial has been erected outside Newcastle City Council's headquarters to remember the victims of the genocide and honour soldiers from the region who helped liberate concentration camps in is estimated up to 500,000 Roma and Sinti people were murdered by the Nazis during World War Two and the memorial was funded by the Tyneside Roma Karchnakova, of the Roma Right Path Project, said her great-grandfather Jan was murdered at Auschwitz and the statue "means a lot" to her family. She said she was "very proud" of the local Roma community for creating the Ion, of the Roma Access Association, said the monument was a "powerful statement that history needs to be remembered, commemorated, and that we need to educate younger generations about the atrocities of the past so that those mistakes won't happen again".The former city councillor led the efforts to establish monument and told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he hoped it would help tackle hate crime and racism experienced by his community. "Prejudice against the Roma community is increasing and we need to do a lot of education and outreach so people can understand how hatred and extremism can lead to devastating our communities and people's lives," he said. Dalibar Ferenc, 18, hoped the memorial would spread awareness of the impact of Nazi persecution on Roma people."I never actually learned much about it, especially at school," he Lenga, associate professor at the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, praised the city's efforts campaigning for the monument. "I think it will help to challenge anti-Roma discrimination."We need to know these things. We live in such a fragile world where genocide can happen again, is happening again," she said. The memorial was unveiled the day before European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place on the ceremony traditional Roma songs were sung and wreathes laid. Council leader Karen Kilgour said there were about 4,000 Roma people in Newcastle and they had "enriched our city for the better".She said: "This monument is a long overdue tribute to the men, women and children whose lives were stolen by hatred and persecution. "It is also a tribute to those from our own region, soldiers from the North East who bore witness to the horrors of the camps and played a vital role in their liberation. "Their bravery and the lessons history learned must never be forgotten."Local political and religious leaders and members of the Roma community were joined at Friday's event by representatives of the Romanian Embassy and the International Holocaust Remembrance embassy delegate Mariam El-Hek said the memorial was a "long overdue act of justice and act of remembrance". Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
Summer Reading Challenge 2025: Are you taking part?
Do you enjoy reading for fun? Like a challenge? Well, charity The Reading Agency has launched its big Summer Reading year the charity launches a big summer challenge, where children set a goal to read as many books as they'd like over the holidays, to encourage children to feel more confident, and discover a love for by the charity has shown that in the UK, one in four children cannot read well by the age of part of the challenge last year, more than 13 million books were read and issued through libraries, and 70% of children who took part said they now feel more confident reading. How can people get involved? The Summer Reading Challenge is aimed at children aged four to 11-years-old, and kids can take part online, or by visiting a local the library, children can sign-up for free, set a reading goal for how many books they'd like to read, choose some books, and earn rewards like stickers or a medal for completing a reading libraries are also hosting special events as part of the Summer Reading you can't get to your local library, kids can join in online, by signing-up on the official website, setting a goal and get tips for accessing books for free at home. As you read you'll unlock digital rewards, including a printable certificate for completing your goals. Kids can also leave book reviews for other children to help them find a book they might you taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge?What books do you love to read? Let us know in the comments below!
