Latest news with #PublicOrder
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Prison bosses make room for possible influx amid planned protests across England
Prison bosses will make room for a possible influx of arrested demonstrators this weekend amid concerns that some jails are close to full, the head of the national governors' body has revealed. The police have threatened to arrest hundreds of supporters of the banned group Palestine Action, who plan to protest in London this weekend. There are also at least eight planned demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that it has initiated 'capacity gold command' as it attempts to manage the use of individual prison cells, with jails across England and Wales 97.5% full. Capacity gold command is initiated when the number of prisoners across the estate reaches critical levels. It allows an appointed gold commander to monitor every out-of-use cell, direct moves into and out of prisons and maximise the use of open prisons and home detention curfews. Government sources said the justice department has re-examined the possibility of launching Operation Early Dawn, which would allow defendants to be held in police cells until prison beds became available and could mean their court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice. Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association, said he is concerned about the impact on prisons of possible public order events after the riots in 2024 after the Southport murders. He added: 'Any spike in the numbers of people remanded in custody will have an impact on prisons. HMPPS HQ is again operating 'capacity gold command' arrangements to direct governors to move prisoners to ensure capacity is available. Governors in reception prisons will be directed to move prisoners over the weekend in order to create space. 'This will mean sometimes moving prisoners long distances to prisons that have room to create it in those that don't. This is far from ideal in that resettling prisoners from prisons a long way from where they are going to live on release is difficult logistically and less likely to be successful.' Sources said capacity gold command was activated in February 2023 and ended in September 2024, when the Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary and lord chancellor, initiated an early release scheme. Because of overcrowding, a source said it was reactivated in March this year so that senior officials and ministers are informed about individual cell space. A protest against the ban on Palestine Action will go ahead in London on Saturday, organisers have confirmed, despite the police saying they will carry out mass detentions. Defend Our Juries, a pressure group campaigning to lift the ban on Palestine Action under terrorism laws, said on Tuesday that more than 500 people had committed to holding up signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action', as part of the protest. The group said the event would go ahead as planned after the 'conditional commitment requirement' had been reached. More than 200 people have been arrested in response to the proscription of the group last month. The location of Saturday's protest has not been made known. The Metropolitan police made clear the force would arrest anyone breaking terrorism laws, as Downing Street urged people not to attend any protest. The demonstration has been organised to protest against the decision by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, to ban the organisation last month after activists caused what police said was £7m of damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton. Police are braced for further protests and disorder across the UK, as anti-migrant demonstrations continue outside hotels housing asylum-seekers. At least four protests have been organised for the upcoming week in locations such as Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth, with tensions rising further after clashes over the weekend. Far-right groups also plan to protest outside at least eight migrant hotels on Friday as part of a 'no asylum day' of action. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Capacity gold has been used for many months in the management of capacity pressure in the prison estate. 'The swift and coordinated response to last year's unrest shows the criminal justice system is prepared to act quickly if needed to maintain stability and keep the public safe.'
South Wales Argus
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Caldicot Castle to host Summer Nights concert series
The venue is set to host a three-night concert series called Summer Nights from Friday, August 1 to Sunday, August 3. The event will bring together a mix of indie, rock, and alternative music in the historic setting, offering something for fans of both classic and contemporary sounds. Friday features Razorlight, Jamie Webster, and Public Order, delivering energetic performances to kick off the weekend. Saturday's lineup includes Levellers, Pop Will Eat Itself, Rusty Shackle, and Dactyl Terra, blending punk, folk, and alternative rock. Sunday wraps things up with Squeeze and Badly Drawn Boy, offering a more laid-back and melodic close to the series. The concerts will showcase national headliners alongside rising Welsh talent, creating a diverse musical experience. Gates open in the late afternoon each day, and ticket prices range from £53 to £63 depending on the night. The castle's grounds provide a unique backdrop, adding atmosphere to the performances. Whether you're into singalong anthems or discovering new artists, Summer Nights at Caldicot Castle promises to be a standout event in the Welsh music calendar.
South China Morning Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Anti-Israel performances at Glastonbury subject to criminal investigation, UK police say
UK police said on Monday that the weekend performances by rap punk duo Bob Vylan and Irish-language band Kneecap at the Glastonbury Festival are subject to a criminal investigation after they led crowds in calling for 'death' to the Israeli military and chants of 'Free Palestine'. Police said the performances at the UK's largest summer music festival 'have been recorded as a public order incident'. 'We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling. There is absolutely no place in society for hate,' the police said. Meanwhile, the US State Department said it has revoked the US visas for Bob Vylan after their 'hateful tirade at Glastonbury'. 'The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,' US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on social media on Monday. The State Department did not immediately give more details as to the names of those who had visas revoked and what kind of visas they were. Bob Vylan are scheduled to play some concerts in the US in November.
Arab News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Family of detained Baloch rights activist moves Supreme Court against her arrest
ISLAMABAD: The family of a detained Pakistani Baloch rights activists, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, filed a petition in Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking to overturn a provincial court ruling that upheld her arrest under public order laws, according to a local media report. Baloch, a physician and a civil society activists, has been held at Quetta's Hudda District Jail since March 22 after she participated in protests following a separatist militant attack on a passenger train in Balochistan. She was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a move her supporters described as part of a broader crackdown on nonviolent dissent in the restive province. The petition, filed by her sister, argues that the detention is arbitrary and aimed at silencing peaceful activism. 'Nadia Baloch, the sister of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to set aside the April 15 order of the Balochistan High Court that rejected the plea against her detention under the Maintenance of Public Order,' the English-language newspaper Dawn quoted from the petition. The detained activist, who leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, also published a letter from prison in the US-based Time magazine this week, in which she asserted that 'speaking up for justice is not a crime.' Pakistani authorities have accused Baloch of promoting the narrative of separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in public. However, her letter in the American magazine maintained the officials had not provided any evidence of her links with BLA or any other militant group while criticizing the authorities for blurring the line between militancy and peaceful protest. Earlier this year, the Balochistan High Court dismissed Baloch's initial challenge to her detention, advising her to seek administrative remedies instead of judicial relief. Her sister's petition has now asked the apex court to suspend that ruling and review whether constitutional protections such as habeas corpus were ignored in the previous judicial decision. The Supreme Court has yet to announce when it will take up the case for hearing.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Bringing back blasphemy laws would only be bad for Muslims
As a Muslim, I do not welcome the conviction of a man who set fire to a copy of the Quran. Hamit Coskun – a 50-year-old of Armenian and Kurdish descent who was born and raised in Turkey, and whose family have suffered persecution at the hands of Islamists – was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence. He was fined £240 after he held the flaming book aloft outside the Turkish consulate in Knightsbridge while shouted 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'F*** Islam'. His one-man protest wound up when he was himself assaulted by a passer-by. Although I find the burning of the Quran a thoroughly grotesque act – on a par, say, with derogatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad – the reality is that England is a country where the medieval common-law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel have been scrapped. Following the verdict, Coskun asked: 'Would I have been prosecuted if I'd set fire to a copy of the Bible outside Westminster Abbey? I doubt it.' Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said that the decision was wrong, as it put free speech is under threat: 'It revives a blasphemy law that parliament repealed. I have no confidence in 'Two-Tier Keir' to defend the rights of the public to criticise all religions.' The judge made clear that it was not the burning of the holy text of Islam that warranted prosecution, but other factors. The CPS had argued that Coskun's actions had been 'a real threat to public order', while the defendant was said to have made Islamophobic comments during police interviews. There is a growing Muslim population in Britain who hold their faith very dearly – myself included – but for others, they are anxious over the presence of Islam in modern Britain and the impact of orthodox religious doctrines on wider society. The ruling to find Coskun guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence will reinforce the public perception that Islam is provided with preferential treatment under Britain's model of multicultural governance – which, in turn, will only serve to harden anti-Muslim hostility and prejudices. Contrary to this ruling being in the interests of so-called 'diversity management', it runs the risk of further undermining social cohesion. There is also the possibility that it will encourage an uptick in Quran burnings – which is an act which rarely takes place on British soil. In Scandinavia, the tension between freedom of speech and desecration of holy texts has recently been laid bare. In Sweden – a country which had some of the strongest protections for freedom of expression in the world and abolished its blasphemy laws back in the 1970s – people have been charged over the burning of the Quran. This included Salman Momika, an anti-Islam Iraqi refugee who was shot dead in January – a killing that was welcomed by al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, Denmark has passed a law to stop Quran burnings, banning the 'inappropriate treatment' of religious texts, with offenders now potentially facing imprisonment. This was quite the U-turn after the parliament, only a few years earlier, repealed a 334-year-old blasphemy law. In the UK, there is now growing pressure to re-introduce similar laws, with the Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley, Tahir Ali, last year calling on Keir Starmer to prohibit the desecration of all religious texts and the prophets of the Abrahamic religions. While the prime minister did not pledge support for Ali's proposal, neither did he rule it out. Blasphemy laws in England and Wales were abolished by a Labour government in 2008. But sometimes, it is the perception that a particular right is under threat that results in the greater exercising of it. This ruling is likely to heighten anti-religion rebelliousness, not reduce it – which is not an ideal outcome, most of all for religious social conservatives. The reality is that England is a country with an established church, which provides its faith minorities with considerable religious freedoms. British Muslims benefit from a wide array of opportunities, rights and protections which are not enjoyed by their co-religionists in other European countries such as France, where the Fifth Republic's militant secular universalism is undeniably oppressive towards its Muslim communities. The Supreme Governor of the Church of England, King Charles III, is arguably the most pro-Islam figurehead in the western world. His Majesty has previously championed Muslim contributions to the European Renaissance, extolled the virtues of Islamic finance, and championed Islam's emphasis on environmental sustainability. But none of this should be taken for granted – the pendulum should not swing so far, that the freedom to dissent and rally against organised religion in our liberal democracy is undermined by the courts. The very real fact is that religious freedom is protected by the right to blaspheme; far from being contradictory, they are mutually reinforcing. Adherents of Islam in England have the freedom to proselytise and work towards spreading their faith, known as da'wah. This can involve criticising other faiths and challenging their core tenets – such as the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation in Christianity, or idolatry in polytheistic religions such as Hinduism. Devout members of non-Muslim faith groups may find this to be gravely insulting to their faiths – indeed, blasphemous. But that is part of the social contract: with religious freedom comes the responsibility of accepting that others will behave towards one's religion in a way they may not like, to the point it may be considered grossly offensive. It is time for religious social conservatives – especially in Muslim communities – to recognise that freedom of expression is a friend, not an enemy, of Islam in modern Britain. That would be a major breakthrough for community relations in our multi-faith society.
