Latest news with #racism
CNA
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNA
Spain tightens scrutiny of far-right groups after clashes
MADRID: Spain said on Thursday (Jul 17) it would step up investigations into suspected crimes by members of far-right and racist groups after four nights of clashes with African migrants in some of the nation's worst such unrest of recent times. Authorities have detained 11 people and filed more than 60 complaints over hate crimes and disorder since violence erupted last Friday following an attack on a local man in his 60s in the town of Torre Pacheco in southeastern Murcia region. Police have detained three Moroccan men over the attack in a town where one third of the inhabitants are of migrant origin. The Interior Ministry said Spain's terrorism and organised crime intelligence specialists have been asked to include hate crimes within their remit and to monitor online spaces for incitement to violence. Far-right groups will be investigated for links to national movements, the ministry said, after government claims that Vox, the nationalist party that is now Spain's third largest electoral force, was inciting violence in Torre Pacheco. "We cannot allow hatred to take root in our society," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said during a meeting of law enforcement officials. "Crime is not on the rise, nor is it linked to migration," he added, countering a common refrain of far-right groups. Vox has denied responsibility for the unrest and blamed the socialist-led government's migration policies. Despite a 54 per cent rise in foreign residents between 2011 and 2024, crime has dropped seven percentage points, with hate crimes down 13.8 per cent last year and Spain among the world's 25 safest nations, Grande-Marlaska said. "UNACCEPTABLE ATTITUDES" As well as the Torre Pacheco trouble, in Alcala de Henares, west of Madrid, there were protests earlier this month after a man - identified as Malian by El Pais newspaper - was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault outside a migrant reception centre. Four people arrested during an unauthorised protest in front of the same centre are being investigated for disorder. Grande-Marlaska condemned the Torre Pacheco attack that triggered the unrest and highlighted swift police action to detain the three suspects including the suspected main perpetrator who was attempting to flee to France. Calls went out on social media for people to go to the town to "protect Spaniards" and "hunt north Africans". "These are unacceptable attitudes that have grown in recent years, encouraged by anonymity on social media, but also, and more seriously, by irresponsible politicians," the minister said. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Spain tightens scrutiny of far-right groups after clashes
MADRID, July 17 (Reuters) - Spain said on Thursday it would step up investigations into suspected crimes by members of far-right and racist groups after four nights of clashes with African migrants in some of the nation's worst such unrest of recent times. Authorities have detained 11 people and filed more than 60 complaints over hate crimes and disorder since violence erupted last Friday following an attack on a local man in his 60s in the town of Torre Pacheco in southeastern Murcia region. Police have detained three Moroccan men over the attack in a town where one third of the inhabitants are of migrant origin. The Interior Ministry said Spain's terrorism and organised crime intelligence specialists have been asked to include hate crimes within their remit and to monitor online spaces for incitement to violence. Far-right groups will be investigated for links to national movements, the ministry said, after government claims that Vox, the nationalist party that is now Spain's third largest electoral force, was inciting violence in Torre Pacheco. "We cannot allow hatred to take root in our society," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said during a meeting of law enforcement officials. "Crime is not on the rise, nor is it linked to migration," he added, countering a common refrain of far-right groups. Vox has denied responsibility for the unrest and blamed the socialist-led government's migration policies. Despite a 54% rise in foreign residents between 2011 and 2024, crime has dropped seven percentage points, with hate crimes down 13.8% last year and Spain among the world's 25 safest nations, Grande-Marlaska said. As well as the Torre Pacheco trouble, in Alcala de Henares, west of Madrid, there were protests earlier this month after a man - identified as Malian by El Pais newspaper - was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault outside a migrant reception centre. Four people arrested during an unauthorised protest in front of the same centre are being investigated for disorder. Grande-Marlaska condemned the Torre Pacheco attack that triggered the unrest and highlighted swift police action to detain the three suspects including the suspected main perpetrator who was attempting to flee to France. Calls went out on social media for people to go to the town to "protect Spaniards" and "hunt north Africans". "These are unacceptable attitudes that have grown in recent years, encouraged by anonymity on social media, but also, and more seriously, by irresponsible politicians," the minister said. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Man jailed after corrupt officer's evidence cleared 20 years after his death
A man who was jailed on the basis of a corrupt police officer's evidence has had his name cleared 20 years after his death. Errol Campbell, who died in 2004, had his convictions for theft and conspiracy to steal from a goods depot in south London quashed at the Court of Appeal on Thursday. He was found guilty in April 1977 and sentenced at the Old Bailey to a total of 18 months imprisonment in relation to thefts from the Bricklayers Arms Goods Depot, where he was a British Rail employee. The case against him was led by DS Derek Ridgewell, a discredited British Transport Police officer. Giving his judgment on Thursday, Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice Butcher and Mr Justice Wall, said it was with 'regret' that the court could not undo Mr Campbell's suffering. He added: 'We can however, and do, allow the appeal brought on his behalf and quash his conviction. We hope that will at least bring some comfort to Mr Campbell's family who survive.' Lord Justice Holroyde said Campbell 'took the miscarriage of justice which he suffered and his wrongful convictions to his grave'. He continued: 'Mr Campbell Sr maintained his innocence for the rest of his life. He regarded himself, with justification, as a victim of racism.' The Crown Prosecution Service did not oppose the appeal. 'Shadow over administration of justice' Ridgewell led the case against Campbell and several others, but along with colleagues DC Douglas Ellis and DC Alan Keeling, later pleaded guilty to stealing from the same goods depot. Campbell unsuccessfully appealed against his convictions in 1978. His son submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in Sept 2024, with the help of the charity APPEAL. Following a review, the CCRC found there was a real possibility that, like the convictions of 11 other people that have been referred to the court, Campbell's convictions would be quashed, and it referred the convictions in Feb 2025. Henry Blaxland KC, representing Campbell, told the court it was dealing with victims of miscarriage of justice brought about by 'state crime'. He added the case 'throws a shadow over the administration of justice and led to loss of confidence not only in the police, but in the legal system as a whole'. Mr Blaxland also said the effect of the convictions of Campbell had been 'incalculable' and read a statement from his son, Errol Campbell Jr, to the court. Mr Campbell Jr said the first time his father had returned from the police station, 'he had bruises on him where he said he had been hit by the police'. Mr Campbell Jr said he remembered helping to bathe his father after this, and that is something he will 'never forget'. He continued: 'He called it n----- hunting by the police.' The court heard that after Campbell was released from prison he went to America to 'get away from his experience' and 'took up heavy drinking'. Mr Campbell Jr said in his statement: 'He was a ruined man.' Reading a statement on his behalf outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Matt Foot, Mr Campbell Jr's solicitor, said: 'The British Transport Police knew that Det Sgt Derek Ridgewell was corrupt and they let him carry on regardless with what he was doing. 'My dad always said he was innocent and today that's finally been confirmed, almost 50 years later. 'He came to England in the Windrush generation and worked for years for British Rail. The conviction caused absolute misery to my dad and our family. 'Due to the shame and disgrace of this conviction, he found it difficult to get employment, so much so that he fled the country. On his return, he became an alcoholic and couldn't hold down a lollipop man's job.' In August 2023 the CCRC referred the convictions of Campbell's co-defendants, Saliah Mehmet and Basil Peterkin, after it tracked down their family members. The convictions were quashed in January last year. In 1980, Ridgewell, Ellis and Keeling pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal from the Bricklayers Arms Depot. Ridgewell died in prison before he had completed his sentence. In a previous judgment, the court found their criminal activities between January 1977 and April 1978 resulted in the loss from the depot of goods to the value of about £364,000 – 'an enormous sum of money at that time'. Referring to the ruling in Mehmet and Peterkin's cases, Lord Justice Holroyde said fresh evidence as to the 'dishonesty' of the three British Transport Police officers had underpinned a series of CCRC references to the court. Final member of 'Stockwell Six' cleared Separately on Thursday, the Court of Appeal also quashed the conviction of Ronald De Souza, the final member of the 'Stockwell Six'. The group of black men were accused of trying to rob Ridgewell, and were all arrested on the London Underground while on a night out on Feb 18 1972. The CCRC referred De Souza's conviction for attempted robbery to the Court of Appeal after his co-defendants, Paul Green, Courtney Harriot, Cleveland Davidson and Texo Johnson, had their names cleared in 2021. Lord Justice Holroyde said it was 'very regrettable that none of the cases in which defendants have been convicted in reliance of the evidence was reviewed by the British Transport Police'. Quashing De Souza's convictions, he added: 'We regret that this court cannot now put right all that he has suffered. However, we can and do allow his appeal and quash his conviction.' Charlie Doyle, the Assistant Chief Constable of British Transport Police, has said he is 'disgusted' by the actions of Ridgewell after the Court of Appeal quashed Campbell's conviction. Mr Doyle said: 'We are sincerely sorry to those affected by the criminal actions of former BTP Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell, whose appalling actions in the 1970s and 1980s led to the criminalisation of innocent people. 'We're continuing to review records relating to his corrupt practices, which includes those relating to officers who were associated with Det Sgt Ridgewell or may have assisted him in his criminal activity, and the review team has recently been provided with additional resources to support its work. 'I am disgusted by the actions of Derek Ridgewell, and while we know we can't change the past, his actions do not represent the BTP of today. 'We continue to actively pursue a criminal investigation into the actions of those involved and will present a file to the CPS for consideration once we have completed our enquiries.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BBC sacked John Torode ‘for using the worst racial slur'
John Torode was sacked from MasterChef for using 'the worst racial slur there is', Richard Osman has claimed. Osman made the claim in his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, during a discussion about the exit of Torode and his co-presenter Gregg Wallace from the BBC show. The presenter and author also alleged that Banijay, the makers of MasterChef, had offered Torode a second chance if he took a year off, but the Australian chef had declined. Speaking on the podcast, Osman said: 'On this particular occasion, it's not 'woke gone mad'. You know, he used, I think, probably the worst racial slur there is. And they found it to be substantively true. 'They found evidence that they were happy with, that was true. 'He is saying, 'I definitely didn't do it, I certainly can't remember it.' But that one was upheld.' Osman also alleged that 'all sorts' of complaints had been raised about Torode during the course of Banijay's investigation into the show, but they were not upheld 'because they couldn't say for certain they believed it happened'. The Telegraph understands Torode was the subject of multiple allegations, although only one was substantiated. Torode has been contacted for comment. Banijay UK declined to comment. Torode was sacked on Tuesday after he was drawn into the investigation into Gregg Wallace's conduct. Banijay said that the review, conducted by law firm Lewis Silkin, had substantiated an accusation of 'highly offensive racist language'. Torode is alleged to have made the remark during after-show drinks in 2018. The BBC said Torode had used 'an extremely offensive racist term' in the workplace. 'We will not tolerate racist language of any kind,' the corporation said. Torode maintained: 'I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened.' After being sacked, he said: 'I'd hoped that I'd have had some say in my exit from a show that I've worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few days seem to have prevented that.' ITV is standing by Torode at present, saying it will continue to show the Saturday morning programme John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen, which he presents with his wife, Lisa Faulkner, an actress and the 2010 winner of Celebrity MasterChef. Meanwhile, the future of MasterChef is now in limbo. Two series that have been filmed may never be aired if the BBC decides it would be inappropriate to show them. Wallace has threatened to sue the BBC and Banijay for discrimination, claiming that they should have taken more care of him on set because of his autism.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
John Torode was sacked by BBC MasterChef ‘after using worst racial slur there is' Richard Osman claims
JOHN Torode was sacked from MasterChef for using the 'worst racial slur there is', a fellow BBC star has claimed. The top TV chef, 59, was said to be heartbroken after the BBC and production firm Banijay confirmed his dismissal for racist language following the Gregg Wallace scandal. 3 The broadcaster confirmed the host's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an 'extremely offensive racist term' during drinks after filming. Torode has denied the claims and said he has 'no recollection' of the event. He also revealed that he had been told the person with whom he was speaking "did not believe it was intended in a malicious way". The BBC was unable to specify the time or date of the allegation, narrowing it down to '2018 or 2019'. According to the MailOnline, Ex-Pointless presenter Richard Osman described the language used as the 'worst racial slur there is'. He added both the Beeb and Banijay believe the allegation is 'watertight' and will stand up in court if the Australia-born star took legal action. Osman said: "He used I think probably the worst racial slur there is and they found that to be substantively true. They found evidence they were happy with. He said that he couldn't remember it. But that one was upheld." It comes after a source told The Sun Torode was 'blindsided' by the shock decision to sack him. And allegedly read about it first on the BBC website. Rival ITV, however, are understood to be standing by Torode. 'Devastated' Gregg Wallace FIRED by BBC over MasterChef sexual comments The Sun understands the broadcaster held crisis talks yesterday about whether or not to air this Saturday's episode of John And Lisa's Weekend Kitchen. A source said: 'There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to John but ITV are standing by him.' His axing came after Beeb chief Tim Davie said no presenter was bigger than the show. The Corporation said: 'John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language. 'This allegation — which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace — was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by law firm Lewis Silkin. ' John Torode denies the allegation. 'We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. 'John Torode's contract will not be renewed.' A source said: 'John's agent received a call 11 minutes before the statements went out and hadn't had a chance to call him. 'He read about it on the BBC News website. 'Obviously he's heartbroken. 'He feels he's been made a scapegoat off the back of the Gregg Wallace report.' Another source told The Sun the Australian chef planned to quit at the end of this week. In an Instagram post John said: 'Although I haven't heard from anyone at the BBC or Banijay — I am seeing and reading that I've been 'sacked' from MasterChef and I repeat that I have no recollection of what I'm accused of. 'I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else.' The report into the behaviour of MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace, 60, upheld 45 of 83 complaints from 2005 to 2024, leading to his sacking. Dad of four Torode said: 'The allegation is I did so sometime between 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and the person I was speaking with did not believe it was intended in a malicious way and I apologised immediately afterwards. 'I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened 'However, I want to be clear that I've always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. 'I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.' 3
