Latest news with #racerelations
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Yvette Cooper solves one headache for justice system but may have caused another
By getting her way and allowing police to consider disclosing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects charged in high-profile cases, Yvette Cooper has solved one enormous headache for the criminal justice system. But she may have caused another, which could have consequences for race relations. The home secretary has encouraged senior police officers to free themselves of longstanding protocols so they can combat the prolific use of social media by far-right bloggers and organisations that have escalated disinformation around high-profile incidents. Last summer's national riots were fomented from an early stage by misinformation about the Southport killer – he was claimed, in posts recycled tens of thousands of times, to be a Muslim, foreign-born and an asylum seeker. All three statements turned out to be wrong. Until today, there was nothing in the College of Policing's guidance that actually prevented police giving information about the nationality, asylum status or even ethnicity of someone who has been charged. The police are restricted as to what they can say about suspects. But the guidance on media relations – and what would be released to the public – said that if someone was arrested, police should only give the suspect's gender and age. Once a suspect was charged, the guidance said police could give out the suspect's name, date of birth and address. Before 2012, police forces made decisions on what information to give to the media on a purely case-by-case basis, decisions often made depending on the force's relationship with individual journalists and media outlets. But it was Lord Leveson's damning 2012 report into press ethics that prompted police forces to become more cautious because of concerns that releasing the ethnicity of suspects could be used to feed false narratives. Leveson examined testimony from the National Union of Journalists claiming that some national newsrooms openly encouraged racist reporting. One reporter was told by the news editor to 'write a story about Britain being flooded by asylum-seeking bummers', another was told to 'make stories as rightwing as you can' and another was told to go out and find Muslim women to photograph, with the instruction: 'Just fucking do it. Wrap yourself around a group of women in burkas for a photo,' the testimony said. He examined numerous reports including a Daily Star article under the headline 'Asylum seekers eat our donkeys,' which claimed that donkey meat was a speciality in Somalia and eastern Europe and blamed asylum seekers, without any evidence. Leveson concluded that 'when assessed as a whole, the evidence of discriminatory, sensational or unbalanced reporting in relation to ethnic minorities, immigrants and/or asylum seekers, is concerning.' Fast-forward 12 years to Southport, and Merseyside police were left making decisions on whether to release information on the ethnicity and nationality of the killer of three young girls in order to dispel public anger that had spilled on to the streets. Senior officers had to deal with major criminal incidents and took days to dispel social media untruths. Such disinformation was at least partly responsible for last summer's riots. At the time, Merseyside police said they were not giving out more information because of the contempt of court rules. It is hoped that the new guidance will mean police will no longer be left flat-footed when responding to viral social media posts by extremists. Decisions on releasing such information will remain with police forces, with wider legal and ethical considerations also taken into account, the National Police Chiefs' Council said, but verifying a suspect's immigration status is up to the Home Office. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion There is concern among some former police and race campaigners that Cooper's change will undo the restrictions imposed after Leveson and fuel racist sentiments. The former Met chief superintendent Dal Babu has warned of the 'unintended consequences' of the new guidance, which he said could lead to more online speculation in cases where these details are not released. 'The danger is there will be an expectation for police to release information on every single occasion,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The Home Office insists that it will not be encouraging the release of ethnicity and immigration status in all cases, and there are notable occasions when it has not. But a former race adviser to No 10 told the Guardian: 'Yvette has unwittingly opened a Pandora's box. After every charge, everyone with a union jack on their X bio will demand from the police the ethnicity of the suspect. 'The Home Office is going to to get even more demands for the asylum status of every black or brown suspect. It is going to be chaos, and has handed Nigel Farage another stick to beat Labour with.' There could well be a knock-on effect on mainstream reporting and community relations, campaigners believe. Enny Choudhury, from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said: 'Releasing the ethnicity of everyone suspected of serious crimes will do nothing to help victims or secure justice – it will simply fuel mistrust, deepen divisions, and make Black and brown communities more vulnerable to prejudice and harm.'
RNZ News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Former Attorney-General criticises marine and coastal rights law changes
Former Attorney-General and National MP Chris Finlayson. Photo: Nicola Edmonds A former Attorney-General and National MP has lashed out at the government over its decision to push on with controversial legislation that would make it harder for Māori to get customary marine title. Chris Finlayson is calling the move foolish and "extremely harmful" to race relations. But Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says it will see the law returned to its "original intention" and strike a better balance for the rights of all New Zealanders. The changes to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act would toughen the test for judging whether customary rights should be given. Customary title recognises exclusive Māori rights to parts of the foreshore and seabed, provided certain legal tests are met, including proving continuous and "exclusive" use of the area since 1840 without substantial interruption. A 2023 Court of Appeal ruling , however, declared that groups only needed to show they had enough control over the area that they could keep others from using it, and that situations where the law itself had prevented them from doing so could be ignored. The Supreme Court subsequently overturned that and the government put a pause on any amendments to the law. On Tuesday, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith said after the discussing the ruling, Cabinet felt it still did not achieve the "balance" the government wanted and the test to win customary rights was still too low. His comment were echoed by Luxon who, speaking from Papua New Guinea, said the change would get the legislation back to its "original intention". "We obviously have looked at the Supreme Court decision pretty closely [and] think it's quite broad and able to be interpreted in quite a broad way," he said. "We think the best way to do [that] is actually to get legislation to put it back to its original intent, which struck the right balance." Chris Finlayson disputes that, and told RNZ the Supreme Court had already expressed "very well" what Parliament's intention back in 2010 was. "These amendments do not restore the original intention of Parliament. They undermine them. Let there be no doubt about that at all," he said. Finlayson was Attorney-General at the time the legislation was enacted in law in 2011, which replaced the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act . "What they are doing by these foolish amendments is destroying the settlement that the National Party and the Māori Party reached in 2010." Finlayson said there was no justification for the move, which he said was "extremely harmful" to race relations in New Zealand. "Tangata whenua have a few wins in court, and it's ripped away from them by the government, which changes goal posts 15 years later. "I am very, very saddened by what they have done, and I think it's a very bad day for race relations in New Zealand. "I just can't believe that they're as foolish as they appear to be," he said. Labour Party Māori Crown-Relations spokesperson Peeni Henare said the changes would restrict the ability of Māori to test their rights in court. "In 2011, the National Party made much of their commitment to Māori 'having their day in court' and this proposed change takes that away again." Henare said the law, as it stands today, does not give Māori ownership rights like control over public access. "This action by the government does nothing to strengthen the Māori-Crown relationship, despite them saying they value iwi Māori. "The government needs to be straight up and admit they don't care about Māori. Their actions don't match their words," he said. The amendments prompted fierce backlash from iwi last year, including Ngāpuhi who walked out of an Iwi Chairs Forum meeting with the Prime Minister in protest of the legislation. It also drew the ire of Northland iwi Ngāti Wai , who said at the time they would not accept the Crown "exercising an authority we do not believe they possess". In September last year, The Waitangi Tribunal found the changes were characterised by a "blind adherence" to pre-existing political commitments at the expense of Māori. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Bloomberg
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
The Tories' Reshuffle Won't Fend Off Reform's Challenge
The mercury is rising on community tensions in the UK. This message is no longer the preserve of people who flam up every small crisis into a bigger one; Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner warns 'the social fabric' needs repairing as police in Essex face a wave of residents' protests over the housing of migrants in their midst. A More in Common opinion poll this week reveals that 73% believe that it is 'very' or 'quite likely' that there will soon be race riots. The sleepy market town of Epping has become the latest tinder box. Outside the unassuming Bell Hotel, recently converted into a hostel for asylum seekers, there have been violent clashes between far-right thugs and Socialist Worker Party troublemakers who have hijacked a local dispute for their own opposing purposes.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
'I don't feel safe': No arrests yet in West End shooting; police, EMS response questioned at wide-ranging forum
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The largest mass shooting in Johnstown's recent history, during which four women were injured outside a nightclub early Sunday morning, has brought increased attention to public safety and race relations between the Black community and the Johnstown Police Department. Those were among the many subjects discussed during a public forum, organized by Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King, at The Kastle in the city's West End on Wednesday. The Johnstown Police Department is still looking for a person of interest, a Black man around 40 years of age, in the attack. JPD reported that the club, Vybe Lounge, denied a person entrance multiple times due to being filled to capacity on its grand opening night. The person then opened fire at people outside the lounge, located on Fairfield Avenue. King, a Black woman, said the mass shooting 'not only affects the area here, the West End, it affects the residents as a whole in the City of Johnstown. I felt it was a good thing if we came together.' About 40 people attended the forum, with several residents and local business owners actively participating in the discussion. 'What I took away from tonight's event is police, police, police, police,' King said. 'They can't be everywhere at one time. They cannot be anybody's personal bodyguard. But it's their presence.' Club owner: 'I did as much as I could do' Vybe owner Tianna Dukes said the shooter was not inside the building. She mentioned that her establishment had multiple security personnel and an ID scanner in place. Dukes contacted the police before her opening. 'I did as much as I could do to protect my customers,' Dukes said. JPD Chief Mark Britton replied to Dukes: 'You did do everything right.' Dukes, a Black woman, said she believed the way JPD officers responded to the victims and her staff was 'deplorable,' referencing some alleged comments she heard. A few other participants in the discussion accused Johnstown police officers – none by name – of racism over the years. King said race relations between the Black community and police is a 'nationwide issue and it always has been.' 'Prayerfully, it will not always be,' she said. Britton, a white man who joined the JPD in 2009, stated: 'I can tell you, as I'm doing this interview today, I have never seen it in our department. But I implore the community if there is an incident where that would happen, it would 100% be addressed by myself and the city manager.' City Manager Art Martynuska, a white man, added: 'As much of support as we give to law enforcement officers, we understand all the stress that they're put under. We need to give them all the support that we can. But this administration will have zero tolerance for any type of racism that is exhibited by police officers.' 'He came out looking for trouble' The shooter was still not in custody as of Wednesday night. 'Right now, I could open up if I want to,' Dukes said. 'I don't feel safe. There's no update on this, I'm calling him the devil, because that's what he is. He came out looking for trouble. He's the devil.' King and Britton both stressed the importance of remembering that the shooter is the person responsible for the incident. Vybe Lounge shootings The Johnstown Police Department released a photo of a person of interest in the shooting of four women outside of Vybe Lounge, located on Fairfield Avenue in the city's West End neighborhood, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, June 15, 2025. 'At the end of the day, I don't want the focus to be lost, and the focus is the person that did the shooting,' King said. 'That's who we need to focus on.' Anybody with information about the suspected shooter can contact the JPD at 814-539-0889 or the Cambria County non-emergency number at 814-472-2100. 'There's got to be somebody out there that knows who this individual is,' Britton said. 'I wouldn't even call this person an 'individual.' This coward did a senseless act that injured four women for no reason.' 'I just thank God that I'm here and I'm alive' A shooting victim, who spoke during the meeting but wished to remain anonymous for an interview, also expressed concerns about the suspect still being at large. She suffered an in-and-out wound on her left side and a dislocated shoulder on her right side. The anonymous victim, a Black woman, was transported from the scene by her boyfriend when no emergency medical services showed up at the incident. 'We're looking into what may have transpired that night that EMS was not on scene,' Britton said. The victim said that even days after the shooting, 'mentally, physically, I can't be alone.' 'I still don't feel like there's anything that got resolved today,' she said after the meeting. 'I came here to speak for myself because I am alive, and also came to support, to see what we can do as far as the community and to also support Tianna because she did everything right as far as cameras, security and everything on her end.' The woman emphasized: 'I just thank God that I'm here and I'm alive.'
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
'I don't feel safe': No arrests yet in West End shooting; police, EMS response questioned at wide-ranging forum
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The largest mass shooting in Johnstown's recent history, during which four women were injured outside a nightclub early Sunday morning, has brought increased attention to public safety and race relations between the Black community and the Johnstown Police Department. Those were among the many subjects discussed during a public forum, organized by Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King, at The Kastle in the city's West End on Wednesday. The Johnstown Police Department is still looking for a person of interest, a Black man around 40 years of age, in the attack. JPD reported that the club, Vybe Lounge, denied a person entrance multiple times due to being filled to capacity on its grand opening night. The person then opened fire at people outside the lounge, located on Fairfield Avenue. King, a Black woman, said the mass shooting 'not only affects the area here, the West End, it affects the residents as a whole in the City of Johnstown. I felt it was a good thing if we came together.' About 40 people attended the forum, with several residents and local business owners actively participating in the discussion. 'What I took away from tonight's event is police, police, police, police,' King said. 'They can't be everywhere at one time. They cannot be anybody's personal bodyguard. But it's their presence.' Club owner: 'I did as much as I could do' Vybe owner Tianna Dukes said the shooter was not inside the building. She mentioned that her establishment had multiple security personnel and an ID scanner in place. Dukes contacted the police before her opening. 'I did as much as I could do to protect my customers,' Dukes said. JPD Chief Mark Britton replied to Dukes: 'You did do everything right.' Dukes, a Black woman, said she believed the way JPD officers responded to the victims and her staff was 'deplorable,' referencing some alleged comments she heard. A few other participants in the discussion accused Johnstown police officers – none by name – of racism over the years. King said race relations between the Black community and police is a 'nationwide issue and it always has been.' 'Prayerfully, it will not always be,' she said. Britton, a white man who joined the JPD in 2009, stated: 'I can tell you, as I'm doing this interview today, I have never seen it in our department. But I implore the community if there is an incident where that would happen, it would 100% be addressed by myself and the city manager.' City Manager Art Martynuska, a white man, added: 'As much of support as we give to law enforcement officers, we understand all the stress that they're put under. We need to give them all the support that we can. But this administration will have zero tolerance for any type of racism that is exhibited by police officers.' 'He came out looking for trouble' The shooter was still not in custody as of Wednesday night. 'Right now, I could open up if I want to,' Dukes said. 'I don't feel safe. There's no update on this, I'm calling him the devil, because that's what he is. He came out looking for trouble. He's the devil.' King and Britton both stressed the importance of remembering that the shooter is the person responsible for the incident. Vybe Lounge shootings The Johnstown Police Department released a photo of a person of interest in the shooting of four women outside of Vybe Lounge, located on Fairfield Avenue in the city's West End neighborhood, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, June 15, 2025. 'At the end of the day, I don't want the focus to be lost, and the focus is the person that did the shooting,' King said. 'That's who we need to focus on.' Anybody with information about the suspected shooter can contact the JPD at 814-539-0889 or the Cambria County non-emergency number at 814-472-2100. 'There's got to be somebody out there that knows who this individual is,' Britton said. 'I wouldn't even call this person an 'individual.' This coward did a senseless act that injured four women for no reason.' 'I just thank God that I'm here and I'm alive' A shooting victim, who spoke during the meeting but wished to remain anonymous for an interview, also expressed concerns about the suspect still being at large. She suffered an in-and-out wound on her left side and a dislocated shoulder on her right side. The anonymous victim, a Black woman, was transported from the scene by her boyfriend when no emergency medical services showed up at the incident. 'We're looking into what may have transpired that night that EMS was not on scene,' Britton said. The victim said that even days after the shooting, 'mentally, physically, I can't be alone.' 'I still don't feel like there's anything that got resolved today,' she said after the meeting. 'I came here to speak for myself because I am alive, and also came to support, to see what we can do as far as the community and to also support Tianna because she did everything right as far as cameras, security and everything on her end.' The woman emphasized: 'I just thank God that I'm here and I'm alive.'
