Latest news with #terror group
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The logistical challenge of Palestine Action
The arrest of over 500 protesters in London at the weekend for supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action poses a major logistical challenge for the courts. Thousands of cases are already stuck in a backlog that has built up since the pandemic, with trials often set for years ahead. In addition, the prisons are full to bursting, so much so that criminals are being let out even earlier than normal to free up places. If these demonstrations, ostensibly in favour of free speech, continue in the weeks ahead how will the system cope? There is an argument that Palestine Action should not have been designated a terror group in the first place. It does not conform to the usual description of an organisation intent on killing innocent people and forcing policy change through fear. There are many, mostly on the Left but not exclusively so, who consider the ban to have been excessive. But this issue was thrashed out in Parliament, where MPs and peers agreed with the Government's assertion that it met the criteria for proscription. This followed an attack that inflicted damage on two RAF aircraft. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has said that PA is not 'non-violent' and that more information about its malign intentions would be revealed in future court cases. The fact remains that those who consider themselves martyrs for free speech are breaking the law and should suffer the consequences of doing so. Courts managed to act swiftly against rioters last summer following the Southport murders and can do so again. If they have to sit over August and round the clock, so be it; the logjams in the system must not be an excuse for law-breaking to go unpunished. Moreover, if the Government is serious (which we doubt) about removing foreign criminals the moment they are convicted that will free up spaces in our jails. To do that however, ministers will need to resile from Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights which allows criminals to stay even when the courts have ordered their deportation on the grounds that they have family in this country. Furthermore, will the offender's home country take them back and, if so, impose the punishment they faced in the UK or let them get away with criminal behaviour? The Government managed to extract some supportive headlines for its plan; but will it really see it through, or is this just the hot air of high summer?
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
California woman who led white supremacist terror group pleads guilty several charges
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that a California woman who led a transnational white supremacist terror group has pleaded guilty to a sweeping list of charges, including soliciting both hate crimes and the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Dallas Humber, 35, of Elk Grove, is the leader of the Terrorgram Collective. She faces up to 30 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5. The Justice Department noted that District Court Judge Dena Coggins "found that Humber's plea was knowing and voluntary, and deferred acceptance of the plea agreement until the sentencing hearing." According to the plea agreement, Humber led the Terrorgram Collective from July 2022 until her arrest in September 2024. During that time, she and other members of the group solicited individuals to carry out acts of terrorism, assassinations and hate crimes. "Humber led a transnational terrorist group promoting white supremacy, hate crimes, and violence, including soliciting the murder of U.S. government officials," said John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for National Security. "Her actions posed a direct threat to our citizens and national security." Prosecutors outlined a list of violent incidents inspired by Humber and the Terrorgram Collective. These included plots to attack energy facilities in New Jersey and Tennessee, the murder of two people in Wisconsin as part of a broader assassination plan targeting a federal official, and an attempted assassination of an Australian government official. "Humber solicited murders and hate crimes based on the race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity of others," said Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez for the Eastern District of California. The group's influence extended far beyond U.S. borders, contributing to international acts of terror such as the 2022 shooting at an LGBT bar in Bratislava, Slovakia, which left two dead; a school shooting in Aracruz, Brazil, in which four were killed; and a stabbing outside a mosque in Eskişehir, Turkey, that injured five. Humber remains in federal custody pending sentencing.
The Independent
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
42 people arrested at protest supporting banned Palestine Action
Some 42 people have been arrested at a protest against Palestine Action being designated a proscribed terror group, the Metropolitan Police said. Protesters gathered for the second week in a row in central London after police reiterated that showing support for the group was a criminal offence. Other demonstrations were also planned across the UK on Saturday, including in Manchester, Cardiff and Londonderry, Northern Ireland, according to campaign group Defend Our Juries, who organised the event. Two groups of protesters gathered underneath both the Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela statues in Parliament Square for the demonstration shortly after 1pm. The individuals then wrote the message 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' with black markers on pieces of cardboard, and silently held the signs aloft as they were surrounded by Metropolitan Police officers and members of the media. Some demonstrators could be seen lying on top of each other on the floor as police searched their bags and took their ID cards and handmade signs. Officers could then be seen carrying away a number of protesters who were lying down, lifting them off the ground and into waiting police vans parked around the square. Other standing protesters were also led away from the statues and placed into the vans. The last of the protesters was lifted from the Nelson Mandela statue shortly after 2.30pm. A Metropolitan Police officer at the scene told the PA news agency that 46 people had been arrested at the protest, but the force later confirmed on X that the figure stood at 42. All but one of the arrests were for showing support for a proscribed organisation, while one person was arrested for common assault, the Met said. In a post shared on X, Defend Our Juries said the protesters had been arrested 'for holding cardboard signs' and that further arrests had been made at the Manchester demonstration. Scotland Yard said its stance remains that officers will act where criminal offences, including support of proscribed groups or organisations, are committed. The force added that this includes 'chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos'. Police arrested 29 people at a similar protest in Parliament Square last weekend. The terror group designation means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The move to ban the organisation came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident claimed by Palestine Action, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action, saying that the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
