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ITV News
01-08-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
First-ever monument in the UK to honour Roma Holocaust victims unveiled in Newcastle
A monument has been erected in Newcastle dedicated to remembering the suffering and murder of the Roma during the Holocaust. It is the first, and only permanent, memorial in the UK for the victims of the genocide of the Roma. The exact number of Romani people who died during World War II at the hands of the Nazi regime is unknown - but it is thought it could be as many as half a million people. The memorial unveiled on 1 August hopes to serve as a tranquil space for visiting families and friends, as a place of reflection and to ensure those who lost their lives will not be forgotten. ITV Tyne Tees spoke to one woman at the event, who shared how "important" the commemoration was for her family. She said: "It's very important to me, especially my family, because my grandfather's father died in Auschwitz, but unfortunately we have no memory of that, because of World War II. "It means a lot to us to have the memorial stone here today." Another person said that it was "really amazing" that this happened, whilst another said "I'm really happy to see what Newcastle Council has done for the Roma community." In 2023, former Councillor Nicu Ion introduced a motion to Newcastle City Council, leading to the official recognition of the day - 2 August - being a day of commemoration for the Roma victims of the Holocaust. As part of this initiative, the council pledged to provide a space at the Civic Centre for a dedicated memorial. Nicu Ion attended the unveiling event and spoke about how the memorial is also dedicated to soldiers from the North East, who helped free the Roma survivors of the Holocaust. "It's really important to acknowledge the British soldiers from the North East who actually fight to liberate the concentration camps, where Roma were prisoners, and Bergen Belsen is one of them, where the majority of prisoners in those camps were actually Roma. "So we wanted to pay a special tribute to the British soldiers, so there's a powerful connection," he said. It is hoped that the memorial can be used to educate others about the Roma victims of the Holocaust. Ruth-Anne Lenga, from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), said: "It's been so long forgotten. It's been ignored. There's not enough research about it, and teachers really struggle to know enough to feel confident to teach about this subject. "So at the IHRA we're really determined to support the Roma communities, not just in this country, but internationally."
ITV News
31-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
One year on: The lasting scars of the North East riots
ITV Tyne Tees Correspondent Gregg Easteal looks at the one year anniversary of the summer riots, which stunned a nation. A year ago, riots swept through parts of the North East sparking days of unrest and causing lasting damage. Thousands of rioters took to the streets - leaving lives, homes and businesses in disarray. Violent disorder flared up in different parts of the UK over the space of a week, including in Hartlepool, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. It began after misinformation spread online over the identity of a suspect involved in a stabbing attack at a children's dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July 2024 - where three young girls were killed. The riots, which followed, were fuelled by false claims on social media that the perpetrator of the Southport attack was a Muslim and an illegal immigrant. An information vacuum allowed a false narrative to develop, that was picked up and amplified by far right sources. In some cities across the UK, rioters set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, and launched bricks and fireworks at police. The violence left a trail of destruction across several towns and cities. ITV Tyne Tees revisited some of the hardest-hit areas to hear how residents are coping, one year on. 31 July - Hartlepool The first riot to strike the region was in Hartlepool. It started off in Murray Street. On the same street you will find Mason's Cafe. Tony at the cafe has said he was 'not surprised' that the riots happened. "The North East has changed quite a bit," he said. He continued: 'It will happen again.' Ezekiel, from Nigeria, settled down in Hartlepool two years ago. He said: 'There has been a lot of misconceptions of immigrants, and I think what the Government, and the council has done, to include everyone. "Whether they are British citizens or immigrants, everyone feels safe with one another. And also to remove all those misconceptions in general." 2 August - Sunderland The next place in the region to flare up in violence was in Sunderland. Rebaz, who is a Kurdish immigrant, was watching over his city centre barber shop when the riots began. He recalled the day, and how people shouted several racial slurs at him. He believes that it was "outsiders" who came into Sunderland to start the riot, and not local people. 'Sunderland is the best city and has the best people in the UK," he said. The mob also set fire to the Citizens Advice Bureau - which was next door to the police station - in the city centre. 'It was heart breaking", Sunderland Citizens Advice chief officer Denise Irving said. She continued: 'I think everybody in the community was shocked.' The following day saw hundreds of people from the community come together, to clean up the destruction left behind. 'Sunderland is a tight community that does look after each other," Ms Irving said. 4 August - Middlesbrough A few days later, unrest spread to the streets of Middlesbrough. Videos circulated online of rioters stopping cars in the town centre, asking drivers about the colour of their skin. In the clips, people were heard asking, "Are you white?" and "Are you English?" Nearby was Innocent Adeboye, a Nigerian law student, who was at home with his young family. Despite being fearful, Mr Adeboye said he still remembers the support of the white locals, who formed a protective guard outside his home. "They protected us," he said. For shop owner Arthur Thompson, he says that the mood in the area is still tense. 'You do feel tension between English people and the people who do live down here. 'There is resentment, because people believe that they get everything, and English people don't, and that's what they think," he said. There have been concerns raised about the potential for more trouble, and the need to improve opportunities, and bolster social cohesion in the deprived areas where trouble flared. Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald said: "It's so easy to trigger the negative responses, we hear it all the time, if any development is talked about suddenly it's going to be hostile for asylum seekers and so on. "This sort of thing, it's got its own momentum behind it. We got to think more critically about what's going on, and be proud of our community, and the good things that are going on." Help and support If you or someone you know has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, you can get help from hate crime support services. You can get help from Victim Support - this is an independent charity that can: . You can also report it to the police. If you want to report the crime or incident to the police, it's a good idea to contact a hate crime support service first. They can help you work out what to say in your report. Check how to report a hate crime to the police. If you don't want to talk to the police, you can ask an independent organisation to report it for you anonymously. These organisations are called 'third party reporting centres'. In an emergency, you should call 999.
ITV News
15-07-2025
- ITV News
Sycamore Gap: Pair jailed for four years and three months over felling of famous Northumberland tree
The two men who cut down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland have been jailed for more than four years. Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday (15 July) having previously been found guilty of criminal damage in relation to the felling and subsequent damage to Hadrian's Wall. They were handed a sentence of four years and three months for criminal damage to the tree and a concurrent six months in custody for damage to Hadrian's Wall. During the trial at Newcastle Crown Court in April, jurors heard how Graham, of Millbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Carruthers, of Church Street, Wigton, drove for 40 miles from the Carlisle area to the Sycamore Gap site on 28 September 2023. The court was shown a video, found on Graham's phone, which appeared to show the felling of the sycamore in the pitch black, before it fell backwards onto Hadrian's Wall. It caused £622,191 of criminal damage to the tree as well as causing £1,144 of damage to Hadrian's Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Both are owned by the National Trust. The prosecution also claimed the men took a wedge from the tree as a trophy. It, and the chainsaw believed to have been used to cut the tree down, have never been found. Following the sentencing, a close relative of Graham said she wanted "nothing to do with him". She told ITV Tyne Tees: "Nature and birds, that is everything to me. It was everything to his father and his grandfather. He's nuts. To me, he's nothing." Meanwhile, Carruthers, whose girlfriend is standing by him, was defended by a close family friend who has know him since childhood. They said: "All we want at this point is Adam home. If he's as guilty as they say he is, all he did was cut down a tree. "If you can't see why that's less important than people's lives then you're missing something." Find out the full story in Sycamore Gap: Britain's Lost Landmark on ITV1 at 10.45pm tonight.
ITV News
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Sam Fender's People Watching is the biggest selling album released this year
Sam Fender's People Watching is the biggest-selling album released this year, the Official Charts Company has confirmed. People Watching became the singer-songwriter's third number one album when it came out in February, with sales soaring as the North Shields-born singer played a series of sold-out shows last month. The Official Charts Company announced his latest success on Wednesday (2 July), confirming is had reached 120,000 pure sales, and was also the most popular physical album released this year - with 115,000 sales. Fender has just recently finished a trio of sold-out gigs at St James' Park in Newcastle, where he brought out a local mining band each night to play with him on stage. The Easington Colliery Band from County Durham performed Fender's song Remember My Name - a tribute to his late grandparents - to the packed audiences at the stadium in June. The band had recorded the song with Fender for the album back in 2024. They told ITV Tyne Tees after its release that recording the song had been a "surreal" experience. Fender has enjoyed a run off success since releasing his debut album Hypersonic Missiles in 2019, followed two years later by Seventeen Going Under.
ITV News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Sunderland boxer Josh Kelly wins by TKO in first-round victory against Flavius Biea
Josh Kelly is hoping to bring a world-title fight to the North East after a dramatic win in front of a home crowd. The Sunderland boxer put a quick stop to the show at Newcastle's Utilita Arena, after a first-round knock out of opponent Flavius Biea. The dramatic TKO was called with less than a minute left on the clock, meaning the Romanian champion's 12-win streak was ended. Following the fight, Kelly told ITV Tyne Tees: "I've been hitting different in the gym, nothing much has changed but my mindset. "I don't ever think I'm going in there to knock this guy out, I just go in there to box. The speed and the power and when you don't see the shot coming, it lands and that's it. Good night, God bless." Kelly needed to win to keep himself in contention for a world title fight in the future - one he says should be fought at the Stadium of Light. He told ITV Tyne Tees: "I believe in the next couple of years I will headline there. But it needs a big domestic to get it there, we need someone interesting, like a [Conor] Benn or someone like that. It would be unbelievable, a dream come true for me." The undercard also featured five fighters from the North East, including huge wins for Newcastle's Cyrus Pattinson, who was declared victorious after an "all out war" with Joe Garside - his team threw in the towel in round five. Plus, TKO wins for Darlington's Ben Marksby and Birtley's Dan Toward and Lee Rogers defeated Charles Tondo by decision. Morpeth's Matt McCallum who went the distance, but lost on points to Niall Brown.
