Latest news with #CSSA
CBC
15 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Soccer tournament in GTA brings together players impacted by homelessness, mental health struggles
A Canadian soccer team that brings together people affected by homelessness, mental health struggles and substance abuse will be heading to the Homeless World Cup in August — an experience some players say they never thought would be within reach. The Canadian Street Soccer Association (CSSA), founded last year, is sending a team of eight players to Oslo, Norway, where they will compete alongside over 500 players from across the world. "We are not looking for the best players in soccer, we are not looking for the best strategists in soccer," said Hossam Khedr, the organization's CEO. "What we do is we use soccer as a simple tool to bring people together." The Homeless World Cup is an annual tournament that began in 2003, according to its website. It currently has members from 68 countries. On Saturday, the CSSA held a national tournament in Mississauga, hosting players from its programs in Toronto, Brampton, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. "For some of these players just traveling from Montreal to come to Mississauga, to be a part of this national tournament, is going to be like their World Cup," said Ed Kiwanuka-Quinlan, CSSA's director of operations, speaking to CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Friday. The CSSA, which is a non-profit run by volunteers, recruits players through outreach on the streets and by partnering with the Canadian Mental Health Association, which refers them prospective players, he said. Kiwanuka-Quinlan called the tournament a celebration of recovery and inclusivity. "We encourage [players] not to think about all the other trauma, all the other problems that are happening in their lives, and just to come and kick a ball, have fun and get a sweat on," he said. Finding 'another family' through soccer Among the players at Saturday's tournament was Emma "Zero" Bellante, who will be heading to Oslo in August. She said she has struggled with mental health issues, addiction and being unhoused. "This program has really helped me a lot in terms of getting out of the house and not isolating myself," she said. Bellante played soccer throughout her childhood but said the sport gradually became less fun and felt like a chore. Playing through CSSA is "like a completely different game," she said. "There's lots of clapping, encouragement, people cheering each other on," she said. Bellante said she never thought she'd have the chance to play in an international soccer tournament. "It's an opportunity I would never have passed up, despite the fact that I am very nervous, but it's mixed with excitement," she said. Players chosen to go to the Homeless World Cup were selected in part if they are going through a "transitional moment," Khedr said, such as if they are recovering from addiction or mental health struggles. The journey to the World Cup will "take them to a different place, and this is when we prepare them for the next step to reenter our society when they come back," he said. May Nakintu also joined Saturday's tournament. After she moved from Uganda in January 2024, she saw a poster about the CSSA at the shelter where she was staying in Toronto. She said she immediately felt welcomed by the group. "I just felt at home. I felt like I had another family," she told Metro Morning. Nakintu recently became certified by Canada Soccer as a referee, under encouragement and guidance from Kiwanuka-Quinlan. Another player, Cesar Lobos, moved to Canada from Guatemala 41 years ago. After struggles with homelessness and substance abuse, he was initially drawn to the CSSA to get in shape. Participating in soccer games "provided me some energy, some encouragement to get out of the street," he said. "Now I'm no longer homeless, I have my own apartment, and life is beautiful." Lobos, who is heading to Oslo in August, called the trip a "Cinderella dream." It will be the first time he's traveled since he moved to Canada, he said. "It takes courage to get out of that circle of life. But then when you are on the right track, the right road… this is like a dream come true," he said.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
I was detained by Chinese police after classmate in Britain spied on me
In late 2022, Haoyu, a Chinese student at a top British university, saw a call from a withheld number flash up on his mobile phone. The male voice at the end of the line identified himself as a member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), a network of student-led organisations claiming to represent Chinese citizens studying abroad. The caller said he knew where Haoyu lived, where his parents lived, and that there would be repercussions for what he had done. Haoyu – whose real name has not been used in order to protect his identity – was among several hundred protesters who had gathered outside the Chinese embassy in London on Nov 27 2022 to demonstrate against president Xi Jinping's Covid policies. The rally was one of dozens organised across the world in what was known as the White Paper Movement to show solidarity with rare anti-government protests that had erupted in China several weeks earlier. Though ostensibly reacting to strict lockdown measures under Mr Xi, the demonstrations were also part of a broader protest against Chinese oppression. Wearing Covid masks to obscure their faces, protesters filled the street outside 49 Portland Place, in central London, and held up blank sheets of paper – a symbol of China's pervasive censorship. Haoyu is one of several students to whom The Telegraph has spoken about the real-life consequences of Chinese dissidence in the UK. Students described a similar pattern of receiving flak from their peers after speaking critically about China, before the situation escalated to more formal punishments. It comes amid growing fears that UK universities are failing to protect China-critical students for fear of jeopardising lucrative ties with Beijing. Around 150,000 Chinese students are enrolled at British universities, who collectively contribute around £2.3 billion in fees each year. Chinese students also make up a significant portion of the overall student body at many universities, including some leading Russell Group institutions. More than a quarter of all students at University College London came from China in 2022/23, while just under a fifth did at the University of Manchester, according to the Higher Education Statistics Authority. At the same time, the UK university sector receives millions each year in donations, grants and research funding from Chinese sources, with many institutions holding fruitful partnerships with Beijing institutions. The Telegraph has seen a letter sent last week by leading China hawks to Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, warning that this has created a university sector in which Chinese students are being 'systematically silenced on UK campuses'. Haoyu, who is in his twenties and studying for an undergraduate degree, immediately moved in with a friend after the phone call. When his parents called him a few days later, he realised that news of his activism appeared to have reached China. 'They told me they had been questioned by the administrative police in China, in my home town. [The police] asked them if I had done something abroad, so they felt very scared,' he told The Telegraph. After a family member became ill in 2023, Haoyu booked a flight to China. He was right to fear that something may happen when he landed. Chinese border officials soon led him to an interrogation room, where he was questioned over what he had 'done abroad' before being handcuffed and driven to a nearby police station. There, he was subjected to further questioning by officers. 'They kept asking me the same thing. What they wanted to do was just to force me to confess, just to admit what I did, and then they were asking me if I recognised any other members [of the protest],' he said. 'They said if I confessed I would have a relatively un-severe punishment, but I didn't recognise them.' After about an hour, Haoyu was forced to sign a document confirming his presence at the demonstration, and was taken to a single cell with a hard board for a bed, where he was told he would remain for two weeks. 'At the beginning I was told [it would be] for 14 days, so I was counting down. But there was no clock. You don't have a concept of time inside. There is no window, so you have no [natural] light, but I also couldn't sleep because they kept the lights on,' he said. Haoyu claimed he was repeatedly hauled into an interrogation room during the two-week detainment, where he was frequently forced to recite China's national security law from a small brochure. Officers sat scrolling on their phones while he was reciting the law, but would get up and flash a spotlight directly into his eyes if he stopped. 'There was one time when it lasted more than a day... [I know] it lasted for more than 24 hours, because I can remember that they changed shifts two or three times to different officers,' Haoyu said. His prevailing feeling during the sleepless fortnight was one of 'hopelessness', abated briefly by a single phone call to his parents that he was allowed to make on the third or fourth day. Haoyu was released after signing a 'repentance letter' – used as a political tool in China by forcing dissidents to express regret over their actions. When he finally reached home, few words were exchanged with his parents about what had happened to him, or their previous visit from police. 'They had the fear – they wouldn't talk about that,' he said. Hoyu returned to the UK several weeks later. He managed to convince Chinese officials to let him board his flight by showing them proof of his forthcoming university exams. 'I felt a relief when I was on the plane, but at the same time, I thought I don't know what I can do next,' he said. 'I went back to my accommodation, and I didn't know it but I was in a very large depression at that time. I was scared of Chinese faces and also I was almost afraid of my mother tongue. 'When you're just walking on the street and someone with a Chinese face approaches you, I feel scared. You have no idea where the fear comes from – you just feel like someone's watching. You self-censor what your behaviour is.' He has slowly built back his confidence, but received another blow when fellow students reported him to the Chinese government about a university presentation he had given in which he briefly criticised his country. Haoyu received an email from an anonymous address, which included a screenshot of a 'successful report' made about him through a Chinese government platform. The website, seen by The Telegraph, claims to reward Chinese citizens for 'whistleblowing' about dissidents. 'I didn't realise after the class but people were asking for my name, like 'oh, your speech was very interesting, shall we get to know each other?' So some of them reported me, and I don't know how long it was, but after that my parents were questioned again by the police in China.' Haoyu believes his experience shows that the UK is not safe for Chinese dissidents, even at university. 'Once I received the threat from the CSSA, I can no longer trust anyone,' he said. 'I can't fall asleep and I have flashbacks and nightmares… I'm just a dissident, I'm not someone who's committed a crime. But when I hear the sound of a police car now I feel scared. I always feel like someone is following you.' Ms Phillipson has been warned by more than a dozen academics and human rights campaigners that 'Chinese students in the UK live in fear'. In their letter to the Education Secretary last week, they raised serious concerns that Chinese students faced the threat of 'surveillance, harassment, intimidation, and even violence as Chinese authorities attempt to suppress their engagement with sensitive or political issues'. The China hawks claimed that 'Chinese embassies regularly threaten universities with the loss of Chinese students if they fail to respond to embassy 'guidance''. The letter – signed by figures including Prof Steve Tsang, from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Charles Parton, a senior fellow at the Rusi think tank – raised particular concerns over the 90 or so CSSAs operating across the UK. The academics warned that while they purported to be student bodies helping their peers to integrate at university, CSSAs were often 'heavily involved in reporting Chinese students to the embassy and authorities'. The Telegraph has also seen evidence that Chinese students may be getting financial rewards to report peers who speak critically about Beijing in the UK. The Chinese government website used to report Haoyu to Beijing authorities states that it offers 'corresponding rewards' for people who submit information about dissidents that 'is found to be true'. The platform accepts 'clues' about Chinese citizens involved in 'organising, planning, and implementing activities to split the country, undermine national unity, subvert state power and overthrow the socialist system'. It claims to offer rewards ranging from around £1,000 to more than £10,000 for those who make reports that lead to the prevention or punishment of acts 'that seriously endanger national security' in China. The UK Government has promised to crack down on Chinese pressure in British universities through its planned Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. The Home Office register, which will track foreign lobbyists, has been repeatedly delayed by Labour as it works out its stance on China. There is mounting expectation that China may be exempted from the 'enhanced tier' list when the scheme comes into force, which The Telegraph has been told will be this summer. The top threat level will require individuals and organisations to make extra disclosures about links they have with countries that pose the biggest risks to Britain's national security. In the meantime, academics have called on Ms Phillipson to fully implement new free speech laws to properly target Chinese influence on campus. In January, she announced that she would revive the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act in a watered-down version, with several key elements removed. Students will be barred from a new free speech complaints scheme under changes to the Tory laws planned by Ms Phillipson. The Education Secretary also told MPs she needed 'more time to consider' whether to implement a new duty on the Office for Students, the universities regulator, to scrutinise overseas funding for UK institutions. The Government is concerned that this may be overly burdensome for universities and first wants to monitor how well the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme tackles the issue. In their open letter, academics accused Ms Phillipson of planning to torpedo 'essential safeguards for our Chinese students', saying: 'We must not allow the Chinese government's systematic efforts to suppress free speech and academic freedom to take root in our universities.' A Department for Education spokesman said: 'We are committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We take protection of individuals' rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously, and any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated. 'As autonomous institutions, we also expect universities to have robust processes in place to prevent and tackle incidents of harassment and abuse on campus.' An Office for Students spokesman said: 'We take these concerns seriously. It's important that international students studying at English universities and colleges can speak freely without fear of repercussions from their home countries. 'As part of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, institutions will be obligated to secure and promote freedom of speech and academic freedom. This includes ensuring international students can exercise their free speech rights. 'In our 2024 draft guidance on the duty to secure freedom of speech, we said that if universities and colleges had international scholarship arrangements that had the effect of limiting free speech, they should take robust steps to address this, which could include terminating such arrangements.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
I was detained by Chinese police after classmate in Britain spied on me
In late 2022, Haoyu, a Chinese student at a top British university, saw a call flash up on his mobile phone from a withheld number. The male voice at the end of the line identified themselves as a member of Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), a network of student-led organisations which claimed to represent Chinese citizens studying abroad. They said they knew where Haoyu lived, where his parents lived, and that there would be repercussions for what he had done. Haoyu, whose real name has not been used in order to protect his identity, was among several hundred protesters who had gathered outside the Chinese embassy in London on November 27 2022 to demonstrate against president Xi Jinping's Covid policies. Known as the White Paper Movement, the rally was one of dozens organised across the world to show solidarity with rare anti-government protests that erupted in China several weeks earlier. Though ostensibly reacting to strict lockdown measures under Mr Xi, the demonstrations were also part of a broader protest against Chinese oppression. Wearing Covid masks to obscure their faces, protesters filled the street outside 49 Portland Place in Marylebone and held up blank sheets of paper – a symbol of China's pervasive censorship. Haoyu is one of several students who The Telegraph has spoken to about the real-life consequences of Chinese dissidence in the UK. Students described a similar pattern of receiving flak from their peers after speaking critically about China, before the situation escalated to more formal punishments. It comes amid growing fears that UK universities are failing to protect China-critical students for fear of jeopardising lucrative ties with Beijing. There are around 150,000 Chinese students enrolled at British universities, who collectively contribute around £2.3 billion in fees each year.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- BBC News
Catholic whistleblower welcomes child abuse ex-priest jailing
A whistleblower in the Catholic church has welcomed the jailing of a paedophile ex-priest who was caught online offering advice on how to abuse Gardner, 53, was jailed for eight and a half years at Newcastle Crown Court after being caught in an undercover police was a close associate of Bishop Robert Byrne, who resigned from the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle amid serious concerns over his friendship with the priest in December diocese's former safeguarding head, Angie Richardson, said she had previously raised major concerns about the bishop's closeness to Gardner but they were ignored. She said Gardner's jail term, which included a further year to be served on extended licence upon his release, "reflected the seriousness of his offending".She also said she still had concerns about the diocese, which had chosen to keep a page dedicated to Bishop Emeritus Byrne on its website without any mention of the scandal surrounding him. "It is really quite insulting," Ms Richardson told the BBC, adding: "The message given out to people of the diocese and to victims is 'this man is incredibly important and he has this status'."It appears that his reputation is much more important than caring for victims and survivors and all the people in the diocese who have been left disillusioned."Bishop Byrne, who has declined to comment, resigned, with the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) finding serious failings in his Richardson also said the diocese should apologise for "what they got wrong" in relation to Bishop Byrne. 'Abuse treated seriously' A diocese spokesman said it had "not refused to acknowledge past failings" but rather had "twice apologised publicly for them".He said Gardner did not work in the diocese and the current bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, Stephen Wright, had never met him."The diocese is dedicated to the effective safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in its parishes and institutions and we treat any allegation of abuse extremely seriously," the spokesman said. "It is simply untrue to suggest that the diocese is lax in any respect of safeguarding."He said the CSSA's latest report from February found "good practice" across all eight safeguarding areas. In relation to the webpage about Bishop Byrne, the spokesman said the title Bishop Emeritus was simply a description of his status as a living, former bishop and was "not a judgement of him".He said the content of the website had already been amended in accordance with requests of victims and survivors of abuse but it was "not prepared to mislead people by giving false information".A review by the Dicastery for Bishops found Bishop Byrne ignored warnings about his "inappropriate relationship " with Gardner. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
