Latest news with #Stasi-like
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fined for feeding the ducks and picking up litter. How ‘Stasi-like' councils are ripping off Britain
While serious criminal behaviour all too often goes unpunished, councils across the country are increasingly issuing fines for misdemeanours as innocuous as putting the bins out early or feeding the ducks. After one west London man was penalised with a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for putting his bins out early last month – more on which below – the shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, warned that local authorities were veering into 'Stasi-like control of people's lives'. 'Instead of cracking down on genuine antisocial behaviour, the state tries to reassert itself by punishing well-meaning people for tiny infringements,' he told The Telegraph. 'It's the easy thing to do but it's counter-productive and unfair.' Indeed, on-the-spot penalties – condemned by critics as 'busybody fines' – have been rising for years. Data show such fines soared by 42 per cent in the year to 2023, resulting in nearly 20,000 FPNs being dished out, according to research conducted by civil liberties group the Manifesto Club. Although nominally aimed at cracking down on offences such as loitering and littering (offering local authorities a way to deal with relatively minor transgressions outside of court), the seemingly heavy-handed use of these penalties in a justice system where people convicted of grave crimes are often handed short or suspended sentences seems ever more unjustifiable. Here are some of the most egregious examples… Martin Fielder had given up his job to care for his young children after the death of his wife when he was hit with a £500 fine and the threat of a criminal record in February this year. His misdemeanour? An errant envelope that he suspects flew out of his recycling bin. After the envelope had been found by a council warden 250ft from his house, Fielder was accused of fly-tipping in a letter sent by District Enforcement, a private contractor of Welwyn Hatfield borough council that issues FPNs on commission. The ensuing back-and-forth with the council, he said, has left him in a state of 'constant anxiety'. 'The letter stated that if the fine was not paid within 28 days, the matter would be referred to the magistrates' court, where I could go to prison for up to 12 months or receive a bigger fine, or both,' Fielder told The Guardian newspaper. Fielder explained that strong winds the night before could have caused the packaging to fly out of his recycling bin, and the company downgraded the charge to a £100 littering fine. He is now deciding whether to challenge the penalty in court. As in Fielder's case, the administration of FPNs is often outsourced from cash-strapped councils to third-party contractors, prompting critics to suggest the system is used to replenish local authorities' coffers and wide open to exploitation. Indeed, the Manifesto Club's research indicated that the 39 local authorities which employed private enforcement companies were behind 14,633 of the penalties served in 2023, while 261 councils that did not issued just 4,529 by comparison. 'While councils fire off fixed penalty notices for fly-away envelopes, real criminals are being let off the hook,' says William Yarwood of the TaxPayers' Alliance. 'Taxpayers will be rightly jaded that trivial mishaps are being met with extortionate fines. Councils need to make sure that the private companies they hire don't have skewed incentives that encourage the handing out of fines merely to make a profit.' In November last year, Harrow council issued a five-year-old girl with a £1,000 FPN that claimed she had been 'witnessed by a uniformed officer… committing the offence of fly-tipping'. What had actually happened, according to the girl's father, was that parcel packaging with her name on it had been found on a neighbouring street due to overfilled communal bins. The child was then sent a 'final reminder' letter from the local authority's enforcement team the month after, which advised that it was 'about to instruct the council's legal team to start court proceedings'. Her father branded the fine 'absurd' and, after failing to resolve the issue himself, went to a ward surgery held by his local councillor. The issue was then raised at a council cabinet meeting, after which APCOA, the private contractor used by Harrow council to issue FPNs, apologised and the fine was dropped. Faye Borg, 82, was in Morden Hall Park, a National Trust property, in August last year when she was fined £150 for feeding the ducks. She was approached by two council wardens, who issued an FPN that said a 'female was seen throwing biscuits' into the River Wandle. Borg alleges that the two wardens, who worked for Kingdom, a company contracted to provide environmental enforcement services to local authorities, followed her to her doorstep, demanding she 'pay the fine on the spot'. Merton council subsequently apologised, sent a senior member to Borg's home with flowers, and said it was 'taking this matter up with our contractor to ensure that it does not happen again'. 'These kinds of absurd fines exist only because the companies are being paid per fine,' says Josie Appleton, the founder of the Manifesto Club. 'The Government is reviewing fining for profit, but it's taking far too long to do something about it. So long as wardens are being paid per fine, this is going to happen, no matter how many regulations are in place.' Hammersmith and Fulham council fined Clyde Strachan £1,000 for 'fly-tipping' in May when he put his bins out a few hours early. The 37-year-old was going away from his home for a few days, so he put his rubbish and recycling out at midday the day before the refuse was due to be collected. 'I deliberately put them out of the way on the pavement, tucked to one side against the wall so they weren't in anyone's way,' he said. 'It meant I had put them out about six or seven hours before… I would normally take them there.' When he returned home, however, he was issued with a £1,000 FPN, reduced to £500 if it were paid early. It stated: 'There was one large box, six bags of waste, and one food bin deposited on the pavement and left. It isn't collection day so it shouldn't be there.' The penalty was cancelled after Strachan appealed. He argued it was 'excessive' given he had made an 'honest mistake'. Last month, Richard Cameron, 45, was found guilty of four cycling offences for pedalling down Victoria Street in Grimsby town centre, which is subject to a public spaces protection order intended to deal with recurrent antisocial behaviour. In a press release, North East Lincolnshire council said that Cameron had received four FPNs for 'recurrent cycling offences' but 'had not paid the fines and was therefore summoned to Grimsby magistrates' court'. It continued: 'Also being prosecuted that day was Viktorija Kosareva, 28, of Smith Square, Doncaster, who was summoned for not paying an FPN she received for walking her dog on Cleethorpes beach when not permitted to do so… Neither individual attended court and both were proven guilty in their absence.' Cameron was ordered to pay £1,224, consisting of a £660 fine, £264 victim surcharge and costs of £300. Rubbish dumped on Veronika Mike and Zoltan Pinter's street in Stoke-on-Trent had started to attract rats, so they took matters into their own hands. The couple said the area had been blighted with 'disgusting' litter for years and 'just wanted it clean', so collected the refuse into an old cardboard box – addressed to Pinter – that he placed by his bins in the hope that it would be taken away by Stoke-on-Trent city council. 'I couldn't put it in the bins because they were full, so I left it beside them,' he said. A week later, Pinter was issued an FPN for 'an offence of failing to transfer waste to an authorised person', and fined £600. Mike was fined the same, despite her name not appearing on the cardboard box. The couple are paying the penalty in monthly instalments. When Violet Cooper, 38, arrived to collect Juliet, her lost chow-chow dog, in August last year, she was issued with a notice requiring her to update the microchip details within 21 days (microchipping has been compulsory for pet cats and dogs since April 2016). Cooper failed to do so, and last month was found guilty at Salisbury magistrates' court of failing to comply with the notice. She was fined £847.59 – a fine of £220, plus £539.59 in costs and an £88 victim surcharge. 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.
Gulf Insider
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Germany Chancellor Slams US, Backs Crackdown
After the Trump administration condemned Germany's slide into tyranny and anti-democratic actions against the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the new German government under Friedrich Merz is now openly criticizing the U.S. for pointing out these tyrannical methods. Realizing that there is serious potential for conflict between Washington and Berlin, Merz says he will speak to the U.S. government. Merz criticized the voices from parts of the U.S. government that supported the AfD during the federal election campaign and recently criticized the party's classification as right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The current main point of contention is the powerful domestic spy agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and its decision to classify the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a 'confirmed right-wing extremist' party. Merz said the U.S.'s comments were 'absurd observations of the Federal Republic of Germany,' and that 'I've actually always had the feeling that America is able to distinguish very clearly between extremist parties and parties of the political center.' The BfV operates with modern Stasi-like powers but wields a far greater technological arsenal. Under the new designation, the BfV can now legally surveil all AfD members without a warrant, including reading their emails and chats. It can also flood the AfD party with informants and take action against civil servants who are members of the party. The fact that the AfD is the largest opposition party in the country and that there are now efforts underway to ban the party is causing serious alarm in the United States, which is calling the German government's path forward authoritarian and undemocratic. Most notably, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it 'tyranny in disguise.' Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That's not democracy—it's tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment's deadly open border immigration policies… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 2, 2025 Perhaps the best analogy would be if the U.S. government suddenly declared the Democratic Party a 'confirmed extremist' party because it promotes open borders, and under Biden, effectively brought millions of more illegal migrants into the country. Then, a Republican-appointed spy chief surveilled all members of the Democratic Party without a warrant, was able to send informants into the party, and could fire teachers, judges, and police officers who were members of the party. If such a scenario occurred, the liberal EU and mainstream press would be the first ones to scream about 'tyranny' and a new 'authoritarian' reality in the United States, with Germany at the top of the list. Merz, on the other hand, seems dismissive of the U.S. critiques. He said he will speak with Donald Trump and establish contacts with the White House, but Merz may be in store for a chilly reception. In regard to Trump, Merz said: 'We don't know each other personally yet.' However, he said at the end of June, he will meet with Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague and 'perhaps even sooner.' He said they 'talk openly with each other.' 'As Europeans, we have something to offer; together we are even bigger than the United States of America,' said Merz. 'We can do something, we are united, largely anyway. That will be my message to the American government.' 'I did not interfere in the American election campaign and did not take sides unilaterally for one party or the other,' said Merz. However, democratic backsliding in Germany is a grave concern for the entire world, and there are fears that a ban of the AfD could come sooner than later. In such a scenario, millions of voters would be denied their democratic rights. Not everyone in the CDU, or its sister party, the Christian Socialist (CSU), is on the same page though. Also read: Only 1 In 8 Afghan Refugees Entering Germany Was Properly Screened
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Anti-woke' chief constable won't back down on Twitter post probes
An 'anti-woke' chief constable has refused to back down on his force's probes into social media posts. Stephen Watson has been praised for his no-nonsense approach to policing since taking up the post of chief constable at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2021. However, earlier this year, the force faced intense backlash after a grandmother was visited by two plain-clothed officers for criticising Labour politicians on Facebook. Although GMP acknowledged no crime had been committed, Helen Jones, 54, was left 'scared' after the ordeal, which prompted national outrage. Now, Mr Watson has vowed to continue looking into similar matters. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: 'We investigate every single report of crime in Greater Manchester. 'However, if it turns out the allegation isn't valid, we will also drop it really quickly.' Mr Watson describes himself as 'anti-woke' having previously spoken out against officers 'virtue-signalling' with rainbow badges and taking the knee. But his comments come amid growing concerns over controversial police responses to social media posts and other trivial matters in which no charges are brought. As a result, several forces have been accused of becoming 'Stasi-like' in their implementation of the law. Last month, two parents from Hertfordshire revealed they were detained by six officers in front of their young daughter for complaining about their child's primary school in a WhatsApp group. Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine were held in a cell for eight hours, despite Hertfordshire Constabulary concluding, after a five-week investigation, that there would be no further action. Both events followed Essex Police officers arriving at the house of Allison Pearson, The Telegraph columnist, and informing her she was being investigated on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred over a post she had published and then deleted on social media 12 months earlier. The investigation was later dropped. Elsewhere, a mother-of-two was arrested and blocked from seeing her daughters after she confiscated their iPads. Surrey Police held Vanessa Brown for nearly eight hours last month, before eventually concluding she had been 'entitled' to take the devices off her children. Harry Miller, a former police officer who works with the free speech campaign group Fair Cop, said: 'The police have become agents of a state orthodoxy rather than upholders of the law. 'They repeatedly overreach and they seem to have taken it upon themselves to become social engineers. 'That is not their role.' GMP was approached for comment. 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
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Anti-woke' chief constable won't back down on Twitter post probes
An 'anti-woke' chief constable has refused to back down on his force's probes into social media posts. Stephen Watson has been praised for his no-nonsense approach to policing since taking up the post of chief constable at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2021. However, earlier this year, the force faced intense backlash after a grandmother was visited by two plain-clothed officers for criticising Labour politicians on Facebook. Although GMP acknowledged no crime had been committed, Helen Jones, 54, was left 'scared' after the ordeal, which prompted national outrage. Now, Mr Watson has vowed to continue looking into similar matters. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: 'We investigate every single report of crime in Greater Manchester. 'However, if it turns out the allegation isn't valid, we will also drop it really quickly.' Mr Watson describes himself as 'anti-woke' having previously spoken out against officers 'virtue-signalling' with rainbow badges and taking the knee. But his comments come amid growing concerns over controversial police responses to social media posts and other trivial matters in which no charges are brought. As a result, several forces have been accused of becoming 'Stasi-like' in their implementation of the law. Last month, two parents from Hertfordshire revealed they were detained by six officers in front of their young daughter for complaining about their child's primary school in a WhatsApp group. Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine were held in a cell for eight hours, despite Hertfordshire Constabulary concluding, after a five-week investigation, that there would be no further action. Both events followed Essex Police officers arriving at the house of Allison Pearson, The Telegraph columnist, and informing her she was being investigated on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred over a post she had published and then deleted on social media 12 months earlier. The investigation was later dropped. Elsewhere, a mother-of-two was arrested and blocked from seeing her daughters after she confiscated their iPads. Surrey Police held Vanessa Brown for nearly eight hours last month, before eventually concluding she had been 'entitled' to take the devices off her children. Harry Miller, a former police officer who works with the free speech campaign group Fair Cop, said: 'The police have become agents of a state orthodoxy rather than upholders of the law. 'They repeatedly overreach and they seem to have taken it upon themselves to become social engineers. 'That is not their role.'
Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Last Tuesday it was Rumeysa Ozturk. Who will it be next?
Advertisement These elements of the Constitution project a humane vision of democracy. We lose this vision when we allow the federal administration to divide us into separate categories of citizens and noncitizens. Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts graduate student who was swept off a Somerville street by masked plainclothes agents and then detained out of state, was a documented legal resident until her legal status was suddenly revoked without legal process. Now every noncitizen is at risk of having their legal status suddenly revoked. Once that is allowed, citizens will be next. Our silence is acceptance. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up John L. Hodge Jamaica Plain ICE arrest has all the trappings of the Stasi of East Germany The secret police of East Germany, the Stasi, used spies, collaborators, kidnappings, violence, and fear to infiltrate every institution of society and daily life, including personal and family relationships. In its editorial 'The chilling arrest of Rumeysa Ozturk, and the damage done,' the Globe worries about the loss of brain power in the country when international students are suddenly arrested and dragged off. I worry about the Stasi-like kidnap-style detentions and the defiance of due process of the Trump administration, which could result in any one of us finding ourselves handcuffed and leg chained in an airplane headed to a place of no return. Karyn Rose North Billerica 'I am a Zionist. And I condemn' the attack on Ozturk's rights I am a Zionist: I believe in the right of the Jewish people to a homeland where we can self-determine, and that homeland is Israel. I'm also a student at Tufts University. And I strongly condemn what was essentially a kidnapping by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts doctoral student who was on her way to an Iftar dinner Tuesday evening when agents suddenly swarmed her and led her away in handcuffs. Advertisement Ozturk was activism took the form of campus protests and journalism, and she is nonviolent and here legally on a student visa. Canary Mission does not act in my name. While I find Ozturk's views objectionable, I will forever defend her right to express them. What is happening to her is unconscionable and unconstitutional. This is a matter of basic human rights and the First Amendment. We must not allow people to be picked off the streets for having shared their views. As a Jewish person, my values call me to speak up when I see others being mistreated. I implore my fellow Zionist Jews to stand against ICE and fascism everywhere. If we apply the lessons of the Holocaust only to our own group, we have learned nothing. Zoey Howe Medford Not free to protest? In America? Almost 55 years ago, I was a senior at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In October 1969 a nationwide demonstration against the Vietnam War was scheduled, and there was to be a march in Salt Lake City, just up the road from campus. In spite of the BYU administration's warnings that any student who participated in the march could face expulsion, I joined a handful of fellow students in the protest. Our presence at the march (fewer than 10 of us out of a student body of about 25,000) and the 'risks' we were taking were deemed remarkable enough that we were ushered to the podium and cheered for our 'bravery.' As frightened and exposed as I felt that day, I never heard a word from either then-president Richard Nixon or BYU about any of it. Advertisement That came to mind this week as I read about the arrest in Somerville and detention out of state of Rumeysa Ozturk. As I write this, she remains held in Louisiana, her visa revoked, her freedom taken, and her future very much in jeopardy — all for publicly disagreeing with the policies of the United States and its allies. Some have asked whether Donald Trump is worse than Nixon. Whatever the answer, what is clear is that the Republican Party that helped to dethrone Nixon in 1974 no longer exists. It has been replaced by a gang of spineless acolytes willing to sit by and watch people like Ozturk be grabbed from a street in America and taken away in an unmarked SUV for simply exercising her right of free speech. Michael Knosp Melrose Trump keeps seeing what he can get away with Masked plainclothes agents handcuff and whisk a person off the street into an unmarked vehicle and transport her to a distant detention facility. It appears that they did not tell her why they were apprehending her. How is this not the action of a Gestapo? I fear that these incidents are the administration testing the waters to see what it can get away with. What would the agents have done if the person ran? Advertisement Brian Huckins Northborough
