Latest news with #Islamism
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
BRIAN READE: ‘Haters may try to divide us but they can never conquer our spirit'
WITH the shocked and injured still strewn across Water Street, the lies began to spew. Without a thought for the fate of dozens of casualties hit by a driver at Liverpool's trophy parade, or the fears of hundreds of thousands of others who knew loved ones were present, the immigrant-haters, far-right trolls and conspiracy theorists frantically pushed their agenda on social media as they declared it a terrorist incident. Tommy Robinson's X account called it 'suspected terror attack,' high-profile Reform UK supporter Ant Middleton deemed it a 'terrible terror-type incident' and warned: 'Do not believe anything that comes from police statements or the msm.' The leader of the British First Party, Paul Golding, fired off four posts headlined 'POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK' while dozens more raged about uncontrolled Islamism, diversity destroying the West, Britain getting what it deserves due to opening its borders… and on and on the cesspit seethed. They were all ignorant of the truth and all extremely dangerous. And what's worse they knew it. Which was why Merseyside Police, recalling what happened last summer in Southport, rushed out the news that the alleged perpetrator was a 53-year-old white, British man. Which only further triggered the trolls as they demanded to know why the 'two-tier' police had mentioned his ethnicity. Is it because he was white, they asked? No. It's because you knuckle-scraping keyboard warriors had left them fearing another riot. But something else was happening on social media platforms in the aftermath of Monday's incident, when transport was closed down in the ensuing chaos, leaving thousands of people who had travelled to Liverpool for the celebrations, stranded. Locals were offering their phones to those without power, lifts to other towns and their spare bedrooms for those with nowhere to sleep. Nathan Johnson, along with two friends, drove 26 people to different parts of the UK and arranged rides for many others. When, in the following days, the grateful recipients offered him petrol money, he told them to donate it to food banks. John and Kerri Davies, who run J&K Travel, called in staff, mobilised four minibuses and spent six hours transporting more than 400 people across the Mersey to the Wirral, and would not take payment. Oli Fountain was one of dozens offering somewhere to stay for the night, posting on X: 'Anyone stuck in town who can't get home give me a dm, have 2 sofas people can crash on, can put the kettle on and get people warm at least.' People turned up at Lime Street railway station with food and drinks, taxi drivers offered free lifts and hospital staff abandoned their bank holiday plans and went into work. This, along with the swift actions of the emergency services, was the real story of the human response amid Monday's panic. This is the real truth about people in this country, especially in my home city of Liverpool. That most are a font of goodness who want to unite communities not divide them. The individuals and political organisations who shout loudest about being the true patriots among us are often cowardly traitors consumed with prejudice. The real patriots are those who get on with helping others without caring what colour or race they are. As the aftermath of Monday's horror showed: Heroes don't always wear capes, but villains always wear their keyboards out with hate.
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Sweden takes notice of French report on Muslim Brotherhood infiltration
A French Interior Ministry report on the Muslim Brotherhood organization's influence in the country has continued to make waves – this time, however, in Sweden, where its publication attracted particular attention. The report repeatedly mentioned the Scandinavian country, and this was widely covered by local media outlets. Sweden's right-wing government and its far-right allies immediately seized on it and accused the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Published on May 21, the report, entitled "Muslim Brotherhood and Political Islamism in France," names Sweden – alongside the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria – as a country where "the need for an assessment of the [Muslim] Brotherhood movement is being felt." According to its authors, "evidence gathered attests to [the organization's] active presence" in Sweden, as well as in the Netherlands and Denmark. The report asserts that the Swedish branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, "though small in size, is characterized by its influence over the movement's European structures." This influence, the report states, "is explained by the supply of funding from Qatar, the great tolerance of Sweden's multiculturalist policies, and the good relations between the movement and local political parties, particularly the Swedish Social Democratic Party."
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Islamist ‘entryism': French Muslims refuse to be labelled ‘enemies' within
There was no surprise - only dismay and frustration - among French Muslims following the publication last week of a government report highlighting the alleged influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islamism in France. Commissioned last year to 'clarify the threat posed by Islamist infiltration to security and national cohesion,' the document aims to raise awareness about so-called Islamist entryism. This is "considered a separatist mode of action" that "is characterised by involvement in local life to access positions of influence and power that enable the obtaining of amendments to existing laws". On 21 May, French President Emmanuel Macron convened a Defence Council meeting to discuss the report and asked the government to formulate proposals in light of the "seriousness of the facts". For many Muslims in France, this was just another worrying step in the stigmatisation of their community. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "After accusing us of separatism, now we are suspected of plotting to seize power,' Salwa Hamiti, a former sports coach at a community centre near Paris, told Middle East Eye. 'How far will this demonisation go, turning us into enemies to be defeated?' The 34-year-old Muslim woman became a target the moment she decided to cover her head two years ago. 'My manager didn't appreciate seeing me arrive one morning wearing a turban,' she said. 'He immediately took me aside to ask me to remove it. According to him, not only was I breaking the laicite law, but I risked influencing the young girls I was training, most of whom were of Muslim origin,' said Hamiti, who eventually resigned. 'After accusing us of separatism, now we are suspected of plotting to seize power. How far will this demonisation go?' - Salwa Hamiti, a former sports coach In France, "laicite" is a form of secularism defined as the separation between the state and religious institutions, which imposes an obligation of neutrality on the state. In 2004, the country legislated to prohibit the wearing of religious symbols or clothing in state schools, and earlier this year, the Senate adopted a similar law - that still needs to be discussed by the lower house of parliament - during all sports competitions. Today, although Hamiti has found a job as a saleswoman in a 'Muslim-friendly' store, the former coach still cannot believe she was accused of proselytising. "A kippah or a cross are fine, but not the veil, the qamis [tunic] and the beard, that are used today as a pretext for the right and the far right to fuel fear and hatred of French Muslims," she said. 'Fifth column' The report on the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in France unveiled last week highlights primarily alleged lobbying and networking practices. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau denounced the "threat" posed by the "entryism" of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose goal, according to him, is "to push all of French society into Sharia law." For lawyer Sefen Guez Guez, this is "utterly false." And by promoting such a discourse, the authorities validate conspiracy theories about Islam, he told MEE. French president asks for measures to combat Muslim Brotherhood 'entryism' Read More » "These theories suggest that there are organisations whose goal is to destabilise the nation, while we are all witnessing a rise in Islamophobia in France," he said. According to the National Directorate of Territorial Intelligence, anti-Muslim acts have increased by 72 percent when compared to the same period last year. Dramatic as this rise is, representatives of the Muslim community believe these figures do not show the full extent of the problem as victims do not always file complaints. Guez Guez considers that "the state contributes to amplifying Islamophobia by suggesting that Muslims represent a danger and constitute a kind of fifth column, especially if they organise and succeed". "Personally, I am convinced that it is the success of the Muslim community in this country that is disturbing," he added. In recent years, the lawyer has defended several cases involving Muslim organisations targeted by banning procedures - such as the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), dissolved in 2020 - as well as the closure of mosques and private Muslim schools. All these entities have been accused of colluding with Islamist circles and propagating their ideas. This is the case of the Averroes Muslim high school, a high-quality establishment located in the northern city of Lille, whose legal team has just obtained, on appeal, the reinstatement of public subsidies after more than a year of legal battles. '[There is] a clear desire on the part of the state to dismantle any possibility for the Muslim community to build an elite that is professionally successful and at the same time asserts its Islamic identity' - Sefen Guez Guez, lawyer In Lyon, in eastern central France, the fate of the Al Kindi high school, also renowned for the excellence of its results, is still in the hands of the courts. Last January, the local prefecture decided to terminate its contract with the state on the grounds that it "carries out a project contrary to the values of the Republic". "In court, the director of legal affairs at the interior ministry, who came to defend the case on behalf of the prefecture, said that Al Kindi's real problem was that it was training an elite that would one day be in power,' Guez Guez reported. The lawyer denounced: 'A clear desire on the part of the state to dismantle any possibility for the Muslim community to build an elite that is professionally successful and at the same time asserts its Islamic identity.' A year and a half after the promulgation of the so-called 'separatism' law in 2021 - which its detractors say discriminates against Muslims - 3,000 inspections have been carried out in Muslim establishments. As a result, 187 were closed, including seven mosques and 11 schools. After Averroes and Al Kindi, Ibn Khaldoun, a school located in Marseille, is now threatened with closure. The right-wing presidents of the region and department have just withdrawn public funding because, according to them, the establishment is part of the "Muslim Brotherhood ecosystem". "We must expect similar decisions to multiply following the publication of the report," Guez Guez warned. 'A culture of suspicion' This is also the fear of Christian Di Meglio, president of Sete Olympique, an amateur soccer club near the southern city of Montpellier that was stripped of its license a year ago for emblazoning its players' jerseys with a star and a crescent, two emblematic symbols of Islam. The club has been accused of 'communautarist' practices and 'separatism'. 'Down with the veil': Muslim athletes outraged by French bill to ban hijab in sports Read More » "Our logo had never caused any problems since the club's creation in 2016, but with the rise of the far right, we became a target,' he told MEE. Out of a total of "280 associations affiliated with the movement in a multitude of sectors that affect Muslim life', the government's report on the Muslim Brotherhood mentions 127 sports associations listed in 2020 as "having a relationship with a separatist movement". "When players pray in the locker room, they are Islamists, but when a footballer makes the sign of the cross upon entering the pitch, it doesn't bother anyone," Di Meglio said, protesting against "the development of a culture of suspicion that exclusively targets Muslims." The rector of the Grand Mosque of Lyon, Kamel Kabtane, calls it "a presumption of guilt towards Muslims." "When a Defence Council is convened, it's because the situation is serious, because there is an internal enemy, and they cite it: Islam and Islamism," Kabtane told MEE. The government report released this month claims that two mosques in Lyon and around 50 associations in the region are Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated. 'Should we consider that 400 people [...] could subvert republican institutions or even Islamise society? It's not credible' - Franck Fregosi, a researcher at the National Centre for Scientific Research The rector denies this, and denounces a very anxiety-inducing climate for Muslims in the country, which reminds him of "the way Jews were treated since 1933". "They are currently scrutinising the ways we dress, behave, and so on,' Kabtane said. Other Islamic organisations, such as the Grand Mosque of Paris and the French Council of the Muslim Faith, are concerned about the stigmatisation of Muslims in the name of the fight against Islamism. The Grand Mosque of Paris has denounced in a press release "the construction of a Muslim problem and the insidious development of an increasingly uninhibited discriminatory discourse" whose aim is to 'serve particular political agendas". Politically-motivated For Franck Fregosi, a researcher at the National Centre for Scientific Research and a specialist in Islam in France, the report serves in particular the interior minister, "whose presidential ambitions are well known". The academic, who was interviewed by the report's authors, was surprised to discover conclusions that according to him exaggerate the influence and the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood in France. "I admit I don't understand the nature of this threat. Should we consider that 400 people, who constitute the centre of the Brotherhood [according to the report], could subvert republican institutions or even Islamise society? It's not credible," he told MEE. Fregosi points out that Musulmans de France (Muslims of France), a group the report identifies as "the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood" in the country, is actually losing ground. 'The content of this report serves to scare public opinion and then provide [the government] with the means to act with racist laws against Muslims without the French people being upset' - Kamel Kabtane, rector of the Grand Mosque of Lyon Fregosi sees the focus on the Muslim Brotherhood as a pretext to call out Muslim urban visibility, which is intolerable in the eyes of right and far-right supporters. What's more, the researcher worries that the report will be a pretext to develop new, more restrictive laws against Muslims. The fear is shared by the rector of the Grand Mosque of Lyon. "The content of this report serves to scare public opinion and then provide [the government] with the means to act with racist laws against Muslims without the French people being upset," Kabtane said. Some political leaders are already making proposals. Gabriel Attal, former prime minister and president of the presidential party, Renaissance, wants to ban the hijab for girls under 15. Meanwhile, the interior minister wants the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood 'entryism' to be addressed in the same way as terrorism, including by increasing field controls of Muslim businesses, mosques and associations and facilitating administrative obstruction measures.
New Statesman
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
Lucy Connolly is not a political prisoner
Illustration by Bea Crespo / Ikon Images The more I read about Lucy Connolly's 31-month sentence for inciting racial hatred, the less I think it is a matter of freedom of speech at all. Ever since Connolly, then 41, was charged and received a lengthy prison sentence for posting a vile message on X in the hours after three young girls were murdered in Southport last July, the case has divided opinion. On the right, Connolly's imprisonment is taken as yet more evidence of a two-tier policing and justice system that disproportionately punishes white British people more harshly than others. Those on the left, meanwhile, say those supporting Connolly really want the 'right to be racist'. Neither are correct. Since losing an appeal to reduce her sentence on 20 May, the row has intensified (with Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick all demanding her release) and gone global. Donald Trump's White House is 'monitoring this matter', as it 'remains concerned about infringements on freedom of expression'. Yet, the case says far more about our criminal justice system than it does about our ability to speak freely. That one Labour MP, Mary Glindon, has publicly voiced her concerns is perhaps an indication that the case is not a culture wars issue but rather one of fairness, humanity and compassion. 'In my opinion, Lucy doesn't pose a threat to the public,' Glindon told the Telegraph – whose columnist Allison Pearson has consistently raised Connolly's case. 'She seems to be paying a heavy price for what she did.' That more from Labour's ranks have not spoken out is perhaps down to the official parliamentary call for Connolly's release coming from former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, rather than genuine belief she should remain in prison. In July 2024 Connolly vented her outrage on social media after three young girls were murdered at a dance class in Southport. Rumours had circulated that the perpetrator was an illegal immigrant, who had arrived by boat, and was most likely motivated by Islamism. 'Mass deportation now,' Connolly wrote. 'Set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards for all I care.' 'If that makes me racist, so be it,' she added. Make no mistake, these comments were criminal. As such, it is unsurprising that Connolly was arrested and charged under Section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986 for publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred. I am a staunch advocate of freedom of speech. Moreover, there are genuine threats to this freedom in Britain right now – in our universities, the arts, publishing and elsewhere. But freedom of speech does not, and legally in the UK never has, allowed for calling for harm to be done to others. This was not merely 'offensive'; it called for people to be attacked. As Glindon said, the post was 'vile in content'. Connolly herself appeared to recognise this. She apologised and deleted the post within four hours, during which it had been viewed 310,000 times. The finer details are contested. The Crown Prosecution Service said at the time of sentencing that, 'The prosecution case included evidence which showed that racist tweets were sent out from Mrs Connolly's X account both in the weeks and months before the Southport attacks – as well as in the days after.' Connolly has argued that she was enraged by the murder, having lost a child herself when he was just 19 months old. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Arguments, like those made by the former prime minister Boris Johnson, that British citizens are now lying 'awake in the small hours waiting for the police to knock on your door – just because you were so foolish as to say something a bit off colour online', are absurd. His invoking of the Gestapo, KGB, and the Stasi are beyond ridicule. He should know better than this. It was not 'spies and informers' who told 'the authorities' what Connolly had said – she posted it voluntarily to thousands of people. There is immense danger, too, in the suggestion that Connolly is some kind of 'political prisoner'. That those on the right, traditionally defenders of law and order and the independence of our judiciary, should invoke this argument, is worrying. It takes us back to where this whole story began: the spreading of misinformation that fuels civil unrest. There is no evidence that I can see that the government has personally intervened in the sentencing of Connolly – or anyone else during or after last summer's riots for that matter. But it is justified to ask whether something is going wrong with sentencing in our criminal justice system. On the one hand, there are certainly others charged last summer with incitement on social media, who received similar sentences to Connolly: 26 year-old Tyler Kay was sentenced to 38 months in prison for posting messages that called for mass deportation and for people to set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers; Jordan Parlour, 28, was jailed for 20 months after calling for an attack on a hotel in Leeds known to house asylum seekers. The comparisons being drawn with completely different crimes – most notably sexual offences – which have received lenient sentences, are not relevant. While it may be the case that the justice system is too lenient on many sex offenders, it does not follow that Connolly is therefore a free speech martyr, just that our sentencing of certain crimes is flawed. On the other hand, there are other (more relevant) examples which can and do lead one to question whether Connolly's treatment has been overly harsh. Philip Prescot received a lesser sentence – 28 months – for being involved in rioting outside a Southport mosque and throwing missiles at the police. Most notable, perhaps, is the former Labour councillor Ricky Jones, who was charged in the aftermath of the riots with encouraging violent disorder after being filmed, according to the CPS, of encouraging 'others to act violently towards far-right protestors'. Jones described other protestors as 'disgusting Nazi fascists', adding, 'We need to cut their throats and get rid of them.' While initially remanded in custody, Jones was later released on bail, and he is yet to stand trial. He has accepted he spoke the words, but denied knowing the offence of violent disorder would be committed. Compare this treatment to Connolly, who pleaded guilty, but was refused bail, and has now been imprisoned for seven months (she went to jail in October 2024). Her requests to be released on temporary licence have been turned down, despite it being highly unlikely she poses a risk to anyone. It is irresponsible to lurch to the suggestion, as some commentators have, that the difference in treatment can be explained by race. Connolly is white; Jones is Asian, while the 'throats' to be cut were those of white men. From interviews conducted with Lucy Connolly, it seems that prior to the summer of 2024 she had a normal life. She has a 12-year-old daughter who now longs to have her mum back home. She has no prior police record, and has suffered the loss of a child, resulting in chronic anxiety. On a personal level, I do feel some sympathy for her. I cannot imagine anything worse than losing a child, nor being away from the ones I have for such a long time. What Connolly wrote amounted to a crime. She is no 'hostage of the British state'. But sentencing is not just about punishment. Judges also consider what would be served by sending someone to prison – both personally, and for society more generally. It seems to me that Lucy Connolly has done her time. There is no merit to keeping her away from her family any longer. For those who have no sympathy with her, bear this in mind: the longer she remains imprisoned, the more her case will be used by those who wish to sow division and hatred in our country. [See more: Nigel Farage's political personality disorder] Related
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Germany offers to host Harvard ‘exile campus'
Harvard University could establish an 'exile campus' on German soil in response to Donald Trump's attempts to purge the institution of alleged Left-wing tendencies, Berlin's culture minister has suggested. This week, the US president tried to block the US's oldest university from enrolling any more international students by ordering his embassies to pause student visa interviews. It followed efforts to cancel the university's funding after it refused to remove diversity policies. Wolfram Weimer, Germany's culture minister, told Bloomberg News: 'I suggest that Harvard University establish its own exile campus in Germany. Our country stands for freedom of art and the press, for quality of studies and openness, discourse and diversity.' Students from Harvard were 'very welcome' in Germany, Mr Weimer added. He gave no concrete details of his proposal, but his office said that if his idea was considered a good one by Harvard then 'the respective departments concerned will discuss [it] in close coordination with each other'. Markus Blume, the Bavaria state education minister, backed the plan, saying: 'With its top universities, Bavaria has an outstanding offer for all students in the world.' He added: 'Our arms are open.' Mr Weimer last week described Mr Trump's measures against Harvard as a 'heavy blow against academic as well as artistic freedom'. He added that it 'shakes the transatlantic relation, which is built on shared values'. Andreas Gran, a professor at Frankfurt's International School of Management, said any foreign students who could not get into Harvard because of the US president's actions 'should be admitted to us – academic freedom applies here'. Karl Lauterbach, the former German health minister and a Harvard alumnus, also encouraged students to come to Germany, saying: 'We offer excellent opportunities and prospects after graduation.' Germany, however, is no stranger to clashes over academic freedom, with the last government's education minister having drawn up lists of lecturers to defund after they signed an open letter in support of pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Prof Margarita Tsomou, a speaker from Krisol, an academic freedom network, told The Telegraph that Mr Weimer's proposal was 'highly hypocritical since he applies the exact same justification of anti-Semitism accusations as Trump for restructuring culture politics in Germany'. Mr Weimer's proposal was not welcomed by everyone. An MP from the far-Right AfD party wrote on X: 'The German government wants to make Germany the world centre of Islamism and anti-Semitism.' 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.
