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ITV News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Northumbria Police participation in Newcastle Pride event ruled unlawful by high court judge
A police force acted unlawfully by allowing its officers to take part in a Pride event last year, a High Court judge has ruled. Lindsey Smith, who lodged a complaint against Northumbria Police, describes herself as a 'gender critical' lesbian. She took legal action against the force over its decision to allow officers to participate in the Newcastle Pride in the City event last July, in which she also participated. Ms Smith argued that officers' participation meant they would have been unable to remain impartial if a dispute between those with similar beliefs and transgender rights supporters, had occurred. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said the force is committed to "providing each and every person of our wonderful region with an outstanding policing service". Uniformed officers marched at the event last year with some carrying flags which included Pride colours alongside police insignia, and others wearing uniforms with the word 'police' in the Pride colours. There was also a static display staffed by uniformed officers, which displayed a Progressive Pride flag, which includes representation of transgender and non-binary people, people of marginalised ethnicities and those living with Aids, the judge said. A police van with the colours of the transgender Pride flag painted on its sides was also present, the court was told. Lawyers for Ms Smith told the court that the officers' involvement breached impartiality rules, and that the decision to allow them to take part was unlawful. Barristers for the force opposed the challenge, claiming the decision, made by Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine, was within her 'discretion'. In a ruling on Wednesday (17 July), Mr Justice Linden said the decision relating to last year's event was unlawful, but that it was up to the force to decide how it approaches the 2025 event, which is due to take place this weekend. In his judgment, he said that Ms Smith is opposed to 'gender ideology', which she believes is 'wrong and dangerous' but has been 'embraced' by the organisers of the event, Northern Pride. While Ms Smith agreed that the event should be policed, she objected to officers 'associating themselves with the views of supporters of gender ideology and transgender activists by actively participating', the judge said. In a letter to the force before the legal action, Ms Smith said the involvement of officers in the event led her to conclude it was 'biased against gender critical people'. In response, the force said it considered that the decision to allow officers to participate in the event was a 'lawful exercise' of the 'discretion' of Ms Jardine, who considered that police participation in Pride was 'necessary and justified'. Ms Jardine also said in her evidence to the court that she believed preventing officers from attending would be contrary to her duties under the Equality Act. In his ruling, Mr Justice Linden said the participation of officers went against impartiality rules. He found that those who opposed Northern Pride's view on transgender rights were 'not welcome' at its events, and that uniformed officers' involvement meant they 'demonstrated support for the cause'. He said: 'It is not hard to imagine circumstances in which the officers in question might be called on to deal with a clash between gender critical people and supporters of gender ideology, and therefore situations where the former had cause for concern as to whether they were being dealt with impartially.' He added: 'Leaving aside the question whether the activities in question would be likely to interfere with the relevant officers' impartial discharge of their duties, on any view they would be likely to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that they may do so.' He concluded that the police displays added to the 'impression' that the force was 'associating itself with a particular viewpoint and, as far as gender critical people were concerned, taking sides'. In a statement, a Northumbria Police spokesperson said: 'The officers, staff and volunteers of Northumbria Police are dedicated and passionate about providing each and every person of our wonderful region with an outstanding policing service. 'In doing so, we recognise not all communities share the same level of confidence in policing for a variety of reasons. We want to ensure everyone knows that we are absolutely here for them when they need us. 'Part of that is us being visible in those communities and playing an active part in our force area. Throughout the year, we will have an important role to play in a variety of events, including parades and festivals. 'During these events, while our primary aim is to keep people safe, it also provides us with an opportunity to engage with people, including those who may have less confidence in policing. 'It is vitally important they feel supported and we continue to build their trust in us. 'That is why we felt it important to challenge the case which was brought against us and which has implications for wider policing. 'We will work through the ruling to understand the implications, while staying true to our values of fairness, visibility, and support for all. 'Our commitment to providing an outstanding service to all our communities will remain unchanged.'
IOL News
5 hours ago
- Health
- IOL News
PEPFAR funding exempt from Trump's proposed cuts to foreign aid
NGOs and healthcare systems struggled as the US abruptly cut off its funding for HIV/Aids programs. Image: Navesh Chitrakar /Independent Newspapers THE US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the global program to fight HIV/AIDS, has been exempt from President Donald Trump's request to slash billions in spending on foreign aid and public broadcasting previously approved by Congress. This comes after objections from lawmakers in both Republican and Democrat parties, bringing the size of the package of cuts to $9 billion from $9.4 billion. Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters after lunch with Republican senators that Trump could accept a change in the measure to exempt PEPFAR. "There is a substitute amendment that does not include the PEPFAR rescission and we're fine with that," Vought said. Congress has until Friday to pass the rescissions package, originally a request to claw back $8.3 billion in foreign aid funding and $1.1 billion for public broadcasting. Otherwise, the request would expire and the White House will be required to adhere to spending plans passed by Congress. If the Senate passes the bill without the PEPFAR cuts, the measure must go back to the House of Representatives for a vote before it can be sent to the White House for Trump to sign into law. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, a Republican, said he expected the House would act quickly to pass the measure. PEPFAR aid constituted 17% of South Africa's HIV/AIDS programme. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Reacting to the developments, South Africa's health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said: "We have noted the ruling on PEPFAR, but this doesn't translate into immediate reversal of funding cuts.' Health Justice Initiative director, Fatima Hassan said: "To be honest no one knows the details on this as there is minimal transparency on the US side, so too early to tell what if any impact on SA." Francois Venter from Wits University and Ezintsha said: "Even if they do return, everyone will be deeply wary of the deep dependency on these cuts, and the lack of preparedness and unwillingness of the government to acknowledge the impact of the cuts.' He said the initial impact of funding cuts had been "devastating". "We haven't seen the collapse of immediate delivery services like labs and immediate clinical services, like in some countries, but case finding, data services, monitoring of clinic quality, and many key population services have pretty much ceased to exist. The combination of the overnight withdrawal of PEPFAR, and the complete lack of any urgency or action from the Department of Health, will likely translate into hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths, and millions of new infections, in the next decades, unless something is done urgently." Cape Times
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Thousands receive warmth as Moti Cares Foundation distributes 2 500 blankets in Tsakani
Tsakani – The Moti Cares Foundation donated 2 500 blankets during their annual Blanket Winter Drive at the Faranani Multi-Purpose Centre on Saturday. Since the beginning of winter, the foundation has been committed to providing warmth and comfort to those in need across various communities. Zunaid Moti, founder of Moti Cares, launched the drive by reaching out to South Africans through his social media pages, inviting them to nominate charities in need. This approach attracted numerous deserving organisations and individuals, helping ensure the initiative's wide reach and meaningful impact. The foundation aims to distribute 20 000 blankets in total this winter. So far, the initiative has touched the lives of many underprivileged individuals and families, offering relief during the harsh cold months. Local resident Pinky Lebese, who runs the Kwadutsa HIV Program from her home, was invited to bring beneficiaries from her organisation. 'I mainly work with children who have been orphaned when their parents die from HIV and Aids. I also have a few older people that we assess regularly to ensure they are in good health,' she explained. Lebese referred 350 people to receive donations at the event. Attendees also received warm soup, loaves of bread and snacks for the children. ALSO READ: Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming an advocate ALSO READ: Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming an audiologist At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Founder wants UK Aids quilt to be brought home to Edinburgh
The man behind a memorial quilt which was created to remember people who died from HIV and Aids wants to bring it back to Scotland more than 30 years Ally van Tillo took charge of the UK-wide project in Edinburgh in the early days of the Aids epidemic in the late helped set up the Names Project UK after seeing the US version of the memorial and gathered contributions from people across the country who had lost loved ones to the virus. The quilt was recently brought out of storage for an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, attracting 70,000 visitors. Now Ally wants it to go on display in Scotland. The quilt is made up of 6ft by 3ft panels of fabric. Each one is created in memory of someone who died from Aids. The massive artwork is seen as a unique document of social history, representing 384 people from all around the UK. It is designed to remind people how far the fight against HIV has come – and how the virus no longer stops people living long and healthy Van Tillo said it was just as important for people to see it and understand its meaning today as it was when it was first told BBC Scotland News: "In total there are 42 twelve foot by twelve foot panels, each comprising up to eight smaller panels. "Lives remembered include those of the writer Bruce Chatwin, actors Ian Charleson and Denham Elliot, gay rights activist Mark Ashton and the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe."In addition, emotive testimonials, photos, and personal documents that tell the story behind the panel accompany many of the quilt panels." The original quilt project started in America in the 1980s, and it inspired Mr Van Tillo, formerly known as Alasdair Hume."It was in Edinburgh for an exhibition," he said. "It had come over from San Francisco during the festival."And I was thinking, why don't we have one here?"He found the beginnings of a similar project based in Bournemouth and met the offered to look after the project, and it Lanigan works with Aids Quilt UK, the charity which currently looks after the said there had been a stigma around Aids in the 1980s."Sometimes people couldn't be buried," she said."Funeral directors wouldn't accept the bodies of people who had died with Aids."Many families rejected their family members and would have nothing to do with them." She said the quilt was a memorial to the people who had died, a campaigning tool and a protest about the fact that the deaths were happening."Society didn't seem to be taking it seriously in terms of finding a vaccine, finding the medications that were needed, doing the work that was needed," she panel size was chosen to represent a typical grave plot. The sections would be made by family, friends, lovers, partners, cousins, uncles, aunts - anyone who had cared for the person who had died and who wanted to celebrate and commemorate their were sewn in that were very personal to the person being remembered, like a ring or a cassette panels were sent to Edinburgh where they were sewn into blocks of eight panels, creating a 12ft by 12ft fabric the success of the Tate exhibition, Ally is keen to see the quilt in Scotland again."To see it back in Edinburgh or Scotland just being shown would be brilliant," he said."Especially to myself and my husband Ian, I think it would mean rather a lot."He added: "We cannot forget, because it's through forgetting that we're seeing all these rights being taken away from people again."Ms Lanigan is similarly enthusiastic."There are still people all over the world who are dying as a result of HIV," she said."So the quilt is a very powerful reminder that we still need to do the work to end that. We haven't got a vaccine. We haven't got a cure."Scotland is our next goal. We would love to see the quilt back in Scotland where it was created."We want people to be able to see it without having to pay to see it, because again, that was part of its purpose, that people should be able to see it."
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Calls for Aids quilt to be brought home to Edinburgh
The man behind a memorial quilt which was created to remember people who died from HIV and Aids wants to bring it back to Scotland more than 30 years later. Campaigner Ally van Tillo took charge of the UK-wide project in Edinburgh in the early days of the Aids epidemic in the late 1980s. He helped set up the Names Project UK after seeing the US version of the memorial and gathered contributions from people across the country who had lost loved ones to the virus. The quilt was recently brought out of storage for an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, attracting 70,000 visitors. Now Ally wants it to go on display in Scotland. The quilt is made up of 6ft by 3ft panels of fabric. Each one is created in memory of someone who died from Aids. The massive artwork is seen as a unique document of social history, representing 384 people from all around the UK. It is designed to remind people how far the fight against HIV has come – and how the virus no longer stops people living long and healthy lives. Mr Van Tillo said it was just as important for people to see it and understand its meaning today as it was when it was first created. He told BBC Scotland News: "In total there are 42 twelve foot by twelve foot panels, each comprising up to eight smaller panels. "Lives remembered include those of the writer Bruce Chatwin, actors Ian Charleson and Denham Elliot, gay rights activist Mark Ashton and the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. "In addition, emotive testimonials, photos, and personal documents that tell the story behind the panel accompany many of the quilt panels." The original quilt project started in America in the 1980s, and it inspired Mr Van Tillo, formerly known as Alasdair Hume. "It was in Edinburgh for an exhibition," he said. "It had come over from San Francisco during the festival. "And I was thinking, why don't we have one here?" He found the beginnings of a similar project based in Bournemouth and met the organisers. He offered to look after the project, and it evolved. Siobhan Lanigan works with Aids Quilt UK, the charity which currently looks after the quilt. She said there had been a stigma around Aids in the 1980s. "Sometimes people couldn't be buried," she said. "Funeral directors wouldn't accept the bodies of people who had died with Aids. "Many families rejected their family members and would have nothing to do with them." She said the quilt was a memorial to the people who had died, a campaigning tool and a protest about the fact that the deaths were happening. "Society didn't seem to be taking it seriously in terms of finding a vaccine, finding the medications that were needed, doing the work that was needed," she added. The panel size was chosen to represent a typical grave plot. The sections would be made by family, friends, lovers, partners, cousins, uncles, aunts - anyone who had cared for the person who had died and who wanted to celebrate and commemorate their lives. Things were sewn in that were very personal to the person being remembered, like a ring or a cassette tape. Completed panels were sent to Edinburgh where they were sewn into blocks of eight panels, creating a 12ft by 12ft fabric display. Following the success of the Tate exhibition, Ally is keen to see the quilt in Scotland again. "To see it back in Edinburgh or Scotland just being shown would be brilliant," he said. "Especially to myself and my husband Ian, I think it would mean rather a lot." He added: "We cannot forget, because it's through forgetting that we're seeing all these rights being taken away from people again." Ms Lanigan is similarly enthusiastic. "There are still people all over the world who are dying as a result of HIV," she said. "So the quilt is a very powerful reminder that we still need to do the work to end that. We haven't got a vaccine. We haven't got a cure. "Scotland is our next goal. We would love to see the quilt back in Scotland where it was created. "We want people to be able to see it without having to pay to see it, because again, that was part of its purpose, that people should be able to see it." 'Brave and beautiful people' remembered in Aids quilt display UK Aids Memorial Quilt to be shown at Tate Modern I Kissed A Boy contestant shares story of HIV diagnosis Aids memorial quilt display aims to 'break stigma'
