Latest news with #peacefulprotest
Times
2 days ago
- General
- Times
Boulder ‘terror' attack: Holocaust survivor named eldest victim in Colorado
Run for their Lives holds weekly walking and running events in cities around the world to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The movement was started by a group of Israelis in California after the October 7 atrocities, and local events are independently organised. Participants walk or run for a kilometre wearing branded red T-shirts and are encouraged to carry national flags of the citizens who are among the hostages still held in Gaza. 'This is not a protest; it is a peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release,' the group says on its website. According to Israeli officials, about 58 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Only 21 are believed to be alive. Jared Polis, the governor of Colorado, said it was 'unfathomable' that the Jewish-American community was facing the third terror attack on US soil in as many months. In April, a suspect fire-bombed the official residence of Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, hours after the governor and his family hosted a Passover meal there. On May 21 Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two Israeli embassy staffers, were shot dead outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Polis noted the marchers in Boulder were targeted on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. 'Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully marching to draw attention to the plight of the hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days,' Polis, a Democrat, wrote on X. 'I condemn this vicious act of terrorism, and pray for the recovery of the victims.' A Holocaust survivor is said to be among the eight people injured. Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, a director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS the victim was an 88-year-old woman. Chany Scheiner, a friend of the victim, described her as an 'amazing person … She has spoken at our synagogues as well as other synagogues and schools just about her background and the Holocaust and from her own perspective,' Scheiner told the KUSA news station. 'Her life wasn't easy, but she is just a bright light. And anybody who is her friend is a friend for life.' Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he was praying for the victims. 'This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews,' he said in a statement posted to X. 'I trust the American authorities will prosecute the cold-blooded perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and will do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians. 'The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped.' A suspect charged with setting people alight at a march for Israeli hostages in Colorado was in the United States illegally, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said. Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered the US in August 2022 on a B2 visa, which is primarily used by tourists on short stays, Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X. The visa expired in February 2023, McLaughlin added. Soliman filed for political asylum in September 2022. Several news outlets have reported that Soliman is Egyptian, citing law enforcement sources. He is due to make an initial appearance in court this afternoon.
CNN
7 days ago
- General
- CNN
Jewish congressman shares emotional message against political violence in wake of fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers
A Jewish congressman on Wednesday shared his personal fears of political violence, as he reflected on last week's fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers and called on those protesting the war in Gaza to do so peacefully. Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman shared Wednesday that the killing of 'two innocent young people,' Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, 'was deeply personal and profoundly unsettling.' 'First, let me be as honest and as personal as it gets. I have had a hard time getting the image of being shot and killed out of my head. It happens almost every time I'm in a big crowd now,' the Ohio congressman, who's now in his second term, wrote in an emotional statement. 'Last Saturday at a rally back home, I decided not to have police protection. Standing in a crowd talking to constituents, I had the most vivid image: All of a sudden, I saw myself on the ground, dead from a gunshot. This is what actually happened a few days later to Yaron and Sarah.' Landsman told CNN in an interview following the release of his statement that he 'felt compelled to be as honest as possible' in order to 'pull back from this moment' and 'lay out a path forward' from tragedy. 'I want people to appreciate that organizing and advocating and pushing for something you believe in is so critically important, and that there is a difference between protest and chaos,' he said. 'There is a difference between free speech and hate speech or violent speech. And just to do everything in your power to make sure that you and others are in solidly in the camp of protest and free speech and nowhere near chaos and hate or violent speech.' In his statement, Landsman detailed how anti-Israel protesters have followed him for more than a year, including sleeping outside his home, and have threatened him and his family. 'They don't just protest. They get in my face, screaming about the 'genocide' I'm causing,' he wrote, while also stressing that most protesters aren't violent. Other Jewish members of Congress, he said, face similar situations, and some have 'constant police protection' while back in their home states. 'We worry about being on Capitol Hill, too. Without going into specific security concerns, we know that what happened to Yaron and Sarah could happen to one of us as we move around the Capitol,' he wrote. He compared the killing of Lischinsky and Milgrim to the 'outrageous murder' of 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume, whom authorities said was killed because he was Muslim. 'We allow people to 'otherize' and demonize folks, and we forget to appreciate that it often turns violent,' Landsman wrote. 'Everyone has to do a better job of ensuring disagreements don't lead to this disturbing and dangerous process.' He also attributed the violence against the Israeli Embassy staffers to the spreading of 'blood libels.' He continued his calls for a ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas. He also called on the Senate to pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, which the House passed last year. Landsman argued that the bill would be helpful in fighting antisemitism, along with colleges working with organizations such as the American Jewish Committee. 'I would encourage my colleagues to stop politicizing this, on both sides. Our safety and wellbeing are at stake, and antisemitism should be a nonpartisan, noncontroversial issue,' he wrote. Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were leaving an event on May 21 at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, when a gunman opened fire, killing them, authorities said. 'It is so deeply painful and it shook all of us because one, two really wonderful people were executed. And two, this is what we have been telling people will happen if folks don't change the way they're talking about this,' Landsman told CNN.
BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
MLAs discuss arrest of Palestine activists for allegedly putting stickers on bank ATM
Peaceful protest should not be 'criminalised', the Northern Assembly has heard. Stormont Opposition Leader Matthew O'Toole was speaking following the arrest of two protesters in Belfast on Saturday. Advertisement Sue Pentel, a high-profile campaigner against Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, was one of two women detained by officers on suspicion of criminal damage. Videos circulated online of the arrest of the 72-year-old indicate the alleged offence related to the placing of stickers on a bank's ATM machine. Ms Pentel and the other woman who was arrested, who is in her 50s, were released later on Saturday pending a report to the North's Public Prosecution Service (PPS). Stormont Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole said peaceful protest is a 'profound right' in a democracy (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr O'Toole mentioned the arrests during Members' Statements in the Assembly on Tuesday morning. Advertisement However Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots warned MLAs against 'second-guessing' police. Mr O'Toole told MLAs: 'It's important to say there is no more profound right in a democracy than peaceful protest. 'Over the weekend we saw dozens more innocent people lose their lives in Gaza as a result of the bombardment by the Netanyahu regime. We are witnessing an ongoing genocide in Gaza. 'People from all over this region, from all backgrounds, all ages, all perspectives are completely, frankly, in disbelief at what they see on their screens. They want some form of registering protest, dissent and challenging what is happening in the Middle East. Advertisement 'One means is through peaceful protest. 'One of the people who was arrested is a woman named Sue Pentel, who is in her 70s. She also just happens to be Jewish. She will be known to people here because she is often here, peacefully and respectfully engaging with MLAs on her views in relation to the Middle East.' He went on: 'I understand that the PSNI has a difficult job to do. 'I don't trivialise the fact that in fast-moving situations sometimes there are judgments that have to be made by police officers, but I don't think anybody, certainly not the dozens and dozens of my constituents who are, frankly, appalled by what's happening in Gaza, who have emailed me in the last few days to say 'What the hell is going on in our society whenever a peaceful protest is met with arrests of pensioners?' Advertisement 'Peaceful protest in Belfast city centre, even if it is a minor convenience, is not something which should be criminalised. 'That is legitimate peaceful protest and, yes, I respect that police officers have a job to do in all these circumstances, but let's please be proportionate and respect the rights of ordinary people to register dissent and protest.' Stormont Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots warned MLAs against 'second-guessing' police (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr Poots urged caution on comments around live investigations: 'I just want to make it very clear that the police have a role to do, and it's not our place to be second-guessing that role. 'There are a number of matters of the day and urgent questions that were put in that related to different events that have taken place, questioning police, and I think that we need to be very, very careful whenever there is a live investigation. Advertisement Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs targeted with graffi... Read More 'This hasn't got to the stage of there being charges, and may never get to that stage, but there is a live investigation and it's not our role in this House to influence police decisions on investigations. 'They have to go through their course, it goes to the PPS, there is a due process to happen there, and it's not for us to seek to influence that. 'I just caution Members on that issue.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arrested pro-Palestine campaigner says 'we are not the criminals'
Two female campaigners have said they feel as if they are "being criminalised" after they were arrested during a pro-Palestine protest in Belfast. Sue Pentel, 72, a long-standing campaigner and member of Jews for Palestine Ireland, and Martine McCullough, who is in her 50s, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after protesting outside a Barclays bank branch in Castle Place on Saturday. Stickers had been placed on an ATM. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) defended its actions and said that the body-cam footage was looked at and the officer's actions were "lawful and proportionate". Ms Pentel said it was "an actual peaceful protest" and that "we feel we are being criminalised, we're not the criminals." In a statement to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the officers were reacting to an emergency call from a city centre business. Ms Pentel told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that she turned up late to the protest. "I was there to help Martine, who was standing with the petition, and I was there at 11:10 because I was watching how late I was, so I was 10 minutes late, and by 11:26 I was in a jeep, the back of a jeep," she said. "So I failed to see what that was about in 20 minutes. "And we refute the allegation of criminal damage." Ms Pentel said that on Saturday they were talking to people about not using the ATM at the bank while she held a placard saying "forced starvation is a war crime". "We would not shout, but I was making myself heard so that people come over that want to support us," she said. "We're not going into details but stickers may have been placed and have been placed in the past and nobody has been arrested. "When I left within that 20 minutes the ATM was in good working order because someone was using it so I couldn't see any criminal damage." Both of the women were released later on Saturday, pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service. ACC Henderson said the right to both freedom of speech and assembly are "fundamental human rights". "However, they must be balanced with the need to uphold the rights of others, protect public health and safety, minimise disruption to normal life and by the need to prevent and detect crime." Ms Pentel said it would be "ridiculous" if they were to be charged with criminal damage. "When people are being bombed and burnt alive... an actual peaceful protest, we feel we are being criminalised, we're not the criminals," Ms Pentel added. "It's always an absolute privilege and we're always proud to stand up to highlight what's happening in Palestine, and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians. So if they charge us, so be it. "We will say exactly what we're saying now: we have the right to peacefully protest and we will continue to peacefully protest." Also speaking to BBC Good Morning Ulster, Ms McCullough: "I would really like to see the body-cam or the CCTV footage that the chief constable is referring to because I was there from the start until I was arrested, and there is nothing, in my opinion, criminal happened that day." She added: "I believe there is absolutely zero possibility of any charges being brought forward." Police defend arrests of pro-Palestinian protestors Two women arrested during pro-Palestinian protest
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Arrested Belfast pro-Palestine campaigner says 'we are not the criminals'
Two female campaigners have said they feel as if they are "being criminalised" after they were arrested during a pro-Palestine protest in Pentel, 72, a long-standing campaigner and member of Jews for Palestine Ireland, and Martine McCullough, who is in her 50s, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after protesting outside a Barclays bank branch in Castle Place on Saturday. Stickers had been placed on an Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) defended its actions and said that the body-cam footage was looked at and the officer's actions were "lawful and proportionate". Ms Pentel said it was "an actual peaceful protest" and that "we feel we are being criminalised, we're not the criminals." In a statement to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the officers were reacting to an emergency call from a city centre Pentel told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that she turned up late to the protest."I was there to help Martine, who was standing with the petition, and I was there at 11:10 because I was watching how late I was, so I was 10 minutes late, and by 11:26 I was in a jeep, the back of a jeep," she said."So I failed to see what that was about in 20 minutes."And we refute the allegation of criminal damage."Ms Pentel said that on Saturday they were talking to people about not using the ATM at the bank while she held a placard saying "forced starvation is a war crime"."We would not shout, but I was making myself heard so that people come over that want to support us," she said."We're not going into details but stickers may have been placed and have been placed in the past and nobody has been arrested."When I left within that 20 minutes the ATM was in good working order because someone was using it so I couldn't see any criminal damage." 'We're not the criminals' Both of the women were released later on Saturday, pending a report to the Public Prosecution Henderson said the right to both freedom of speech and assembly are "fundamental human rights"."However, they must be balanced with the need to uphold the rights of others, protect public health and safety, minimise disruption to normal life and by the need to prevent and detect crime."Ms Pentel said it would be "ridiculous" if they were to be charged with criminal damage."When people are being bombed and burnt alive... an actual peaceful protest, we feel we are being criminalised, we're not the criminals," Ms Pentel added."It's always an absolute privilege and we're always proud to stand up to highlight what's happening in Palestine, and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians. So if they charge us, so be it. "We will say exactly what we're saying now: we have the right to peacefully protest and we will continue to peacefully protest."Also speaking to BBC Good Morning Ulster, Ms McCullough: "I would really like to see the body-cam or the CCTV footage that the chief constable is referring to because I was there from the start until I was arrested, and there is nothing, in my opinion, criminal happened that day."She added: "I believe there is absolutely zero possibility of any charges being brought forward."
