Latest news with #Protests
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Netanyahu's Gaza takeover plan heightens war tensions
04:21 08/08/2025 Protests erupt with Israelis divided over government's plan to 'control' Gaza Middle East 07/08/2025 Dr. Gershon Baskin: 'Hamas is ready for a deal that will release all Israeli hostages in 24 hours' Middle East 07/08/2025 Relatives of hostages protest with Gaza flotilla ahead of Israeli security meeting Middle East 07/08/2025 Israel's Netanyahu says wants to take control of all of Gaza, doesn't intend to 'govern' it Middle East 07/08/2025 Netanyahu's far-right coalition: What's next for the West Bank and Gaza? Middle East 06/08/2025 Nuclear weapons states no longer respect 'legal commitment to non-proliferation treaty' Asia / Pacific 06/08/2025 'The memories of the horrors of nuclear war and radiation seem to be lost on today's leaders' Asia / Pacific 06/08/2025 Netanyahu signals possible Gaza war expansion amid ongoing bombing Middle East 05/08/2025 War-torn Gaza resident and humanitarian worker recounts harrowing plight of civilians under siege Middle East
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Hezbollah supporters protest after Lebanese government's decision to disarm group
Protests broke out in parts of Lebanon on Thursday night after the government endorsed plans to disarm Hezbollah. Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs chanting anti-government slogans in protest at its decision. Similar demonstrations took place in other parts of the country where Hezbollah enjoys strong support, including Nabatieh in the south, Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and Hermel in the north-east. Army troops were deployed to maintain order. The cabinet agreed on disarming Hezbollah and endorsed the objectives of a US proposal that requires the Iran-backed group to hand over all its weapons during a stormy meeting on Thursday evening. The government's four Shiite ministers, out of the 23 cabinet members present, walked out before the decision was taken, highlighting the risk of alienating the sect from which Hezbollah draws most of its support. Information Minister Paul Morcos said the cabinet approved only the goals of the US plan, and did not discuss it in full. The US plan lists 11 'objectives' including 'ensuring the sustainability' of the ceasefire with Israel announced in November and 'the gradual end of the armed presence of all non-governmental entities, including Hezbollah, in all Lebanese territory'. It also calls for the deployment of Lebanese troops in border areas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the five places in the south they have occupied since last year's war with Hezbollah ended with November's ceasefire. Lebanon says Israel's continued presence and its air strikes inside Lebanese territory are a violation of the truce. On Friday morning, an Israeli strike in south Lebanon killed journalist Mohammad Shehadeh, a photographer and director of the Hawana Lebanon website. At least six people were killed and 10 injured in Israeli strikes in the Bekaa region on Thursday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The cabinet on Tuesday gave the Lebanese Armed Forces until the end of August to prepare a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. The group rejected the decision and said it would treat it as if it did not exist. 'The government threw the ball into the Lebanese army's court. The problem is not the decision, but the method of application of the plan by the Lebanese army,' said Gen Mounir Shehadeh, who until recently was the government's co-ordinator with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil). 'The Lebanese army consists of the Lebanese people, and Hezbollah is also comprises the people. People in the [Lebanese army] have relatives in Hezbollah and vice versa,' he told The National. 'So maybe we'll not get to the point where there will be a face-off between the [army] and Hezbollah. The army is studying the decision in a very detailed way and considering the difficulties of the plan which the government has tasked it with.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Protests against Palestine Action ban to continue ‘until November'
Protests against the ban on Palestine Action as a terror organisation will continue until a High Court hearing in November, organisers have said. Defend Our Juries said more than 500 people have committed to risking arrest by holding 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' signs on Saturday afternoon in London's Parliament Square. The campaign group said the protest in the capital is the only action it is organising on Saturday, but added that there could be 'other actions in solidarity' which are independently organised. A High Court ruling, last week, decided that Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori had several 'reasonably arguable' beliefs in her challenge over the group's ban that would be heard at a three-day hearing in November, but a bid to pause the ban temporarily was refused. The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Defend Our Juries spokesman Tim Crosland said: 'There will be more actions to come in September and October until the law is struck down, as we believe it will be in November at the High Court.' Mr Crosland said Defend Our Juries had received legal advice that claims against the police 'for unlawful arrest and for trespass to people's property' could be possible if the High Court rules in Palestine Action's favour. The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone found to be expressing support for Palestine Action on Saturday 'can expect to be arrested'. More than 200 people were arrested at a wave of protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month as part of the campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries. Mr Crosland said police forces were in 'disarray' over their handling of the protests, adding that no protesters had yet been charged. He added: 'Nobody has been charged, it's important to say. And there's a sense that there aren't going to be any charges until the other side of the judicial review.' Discussing the arrests, Mr Crosland said: 'In Derry, in Edinburgh, Kendal, Chichester, police have left people be – it shows they can exercise common sense if they want to. 'In London, people have been arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which is the lesser of the two possible charges, and somewhere between six and 12 hours after a police interview in the police cells, people have been arrested without charge. 'In Cardiff, people were arrested under Section 12, which is an offence punishable with 14 years' imprisonment – doing exactly the same thing, holding the same sign, quietly sitting – they were held in police custody beyond the 24-hour maximum. The time was extended under the terrorism laws while those people's houses were raided.' Palestine Action co-founder Ms Ammori said the campaign by Defend Our Juries had been 'crucial' in winning a bid to bring a High Court challenge over the group's ban. Ms Ammori told the press conference: 'It was a major factor in the judge's decision when he decided to give us permission because hundreds of people had already been arrested who will then potentially go through the criminal court system, and the judicial review will allow an authoritative decision to be made by the High Court. 'If that is successful, it would mean that the order was unlawful from the moment the decision was made to implement it, and all subsequent arrests were also unlawful.' A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. 'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality. 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. 'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
Daily Mail
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Protests at asylum hotels spread to Bournemouth, Norwich and Portsmouth
Protests against migrant hotels escalated this weekend with tense stand–offs in Norwich, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Leeds. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside The Best Western Brook Hotel in Bowthorpe, Norwich, on Saturday chanting 'we want our country back' and ' Keir Starmer 's a w*****'. Police officers separated the main group from a set of counter protesters, some of whom were waving Revolutionary Communist Party flags. Three masked anti–racism activists tried to force their way in at one point, causing angry scuffles. The hotel – one of two Norwich sites used by the Home Office to house migrants – has been the focus of fury since April when a 'predatory' asylum seeker staying there was jailed for more than eight years for raping a woman. Eritrean Dan Tesfalul, 27, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, attacked his victim in the city centre after she left a nightclub and only fled when he was challenged by a security guard. Last month, another asylum seeker staying at the hotel was jailed for 20 months after admitting three attempted child sex offences and an indecent images offence. Rashid Al–Waeli, a Yemeni, tried to persuade a 14–year–old boy to send naked images of himself, a court heard. Protesters on Saturday brandished placards with pictures of both Tesfalul and Al–Waeli. 'That's what this is about,' a 54–year–old protester who live–streamed the demonstration on YouTube said. Norfolk Police said on Saturday they made two arrests following demonstrations in Norwich and Diss last week. In Portsmouth, more than 40 anti–immigration demonstrators confronted almost 30 activists holding Stand Up to Racism placards outside the Royal Beach Hotel on Friday evening. Some on the anti–immigration side hung a banner which said 'protect our children' outside the hotel. The Mail on Sunday last week revealed how a migrant named Rabie Knissi, who was staying at the hotel, was jailed for ten years in March last year after a sex attack against a woman in her 40s. Protesters also gathered outside the Chine Hotel in Bournemouth on Friday night. Demonstrators waved signs with slogans including 'bring back Rwanda', 'two–tier Keir, two–tier policing' and 'it's not racist, it's a national security risk'. When two migrants arrived with their belongings in bin bags, some chanted 'send them back'. Angry protests also took place in Leeds on Friday outside another asylum–seeker hotel, with demonstrators shouting 'get back in your rubber dinghies' to those inside. Officers made a defensive cordon as crowds waving Union Jacks surrounded the Britannia Hotel, in the city's Seacroft area. One protester said: 'Not only have they got a free hotel, they have extra bobbies looking after them.' Meanwhile, protest organisers in Epping expect 2,000 to attend a demonstration outside the town's Bell Hotel on Sunday. Sarah White, 40, said she expected it to be the biggest so far – and vowed they would continue until the hotel closes. She added: 'Women and families are terrified. People are living in fear when this is their home. They should not feel unsafe.' The protests started after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault against a local girl. Far–Right activists have since become involved, clashing with police. The mother–of–three condemned those who 'cause trouble', saying she hoped the event would be peaceful. Essex Police said it had a 'robust policing operation in place' to deal with any disorder.
France 24
26-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
India's new voter registration rules spark protests, ‘mission of exclusion' warnings
Protests have erupted in the eastern Indian state of Bihar against a new law, which requires all voters enrolled after 2003 verify their citizenship by providing a list of documents prescribed by the Election Commission of India. The new rule, called Special Intensive Revision (SIR), was rolled out just four months before state elections. It attempts to take on the mammoth task of verifying voter identity in one of India 's most populous states. Bihar is the poorest state in India, where only 70% of births are registered and just 2% of the population hold passports. Millions lack the basic documents required to prove their citizenship and vote. Furthermore, critics say that scrutinising citizenship while excluding certain documents for verification - including India's national identity 'Aadhar' card - could be considered unconstitutional. The Election Commission of India defends the move as a constitutional clean-up — with similar voter list revisions expected across the country. But election expert and founder of the opposition Swaraj India Party, Yogendra Yadav, says the Election Commission is on a 'mission of exclusion.' "That is a very big anxiety, especially among minority groups, especially among Muslims who suspect, with good reasons, that the exercise would not be carried out in a non-discriminatory manner," he says. The final electoral roll will be released on September 30.
