Michelle O'Neill accused of ‘pathetic attempt to rewrite history' over ‘killing of local lads by British state' comments
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on the other Afghan scandal: countries are forcing refugees back to Taliban rule
The British public discovered only very belatedly that an enormous accidental data breach by an official three years ago put up to 100,000 Afghans at risk of torture and death. Some of them had worked with British forces in Afghanistan. The result was that thousands were secretly relocated to the UK. A superinjunction covered up the story for almost two years. But the shocking security lapse is far from the only example of Afghans being failed since Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. Many more are now at risk because the countries to which they fled are pushing them out. The mirage of a more moderate Taliban was soon shattered by their imposition of gender apartheid and the brutality faced by minorities. Three-quarters of the population struggle to meet their daily needs. Women are particularly vulnerable. Humanitarian support is being slashed. A drought and now the loss of overseas remittances are deepening the crisis. Yet almost 2 million Afghan refugees and migrants in neighbouring countries have returned or been forced to return home this year alone – thousands of them unaccompanied children, according to UN experts. More than 1.5 million Afghans have returned from Iran in 2025, with Iran accelerating expulsions after the war with Israel, which fed suspicion towards migrants. Pakistan began deporting unregistered Afghans in late 2023, after attacks by militants in border areas, but has widened its campaign to those who hold documents. More than two-thirds have never lived in Afghanistan, according to the International Crisis Group; their families fled conflict decades ago. In some cases, security forces are forcibly repatriating Afghans. In others, threats, harassment or intimidation have chased them out. The Trump administration has announced the removal of temporary protected status from almost 12,000 Afghans in the US, though an appeals court has for now blocked it from doing so. The US said that conditions in Afghanistan no longer merited the status. Tajikistan has also ordered Afghans to leave. UN experts have warned that former officials, including judges and lawyers, human rights defenders and journalists and other critics of the Taliban, along with religious and ethnic minorities, are at particular risk if they are returned. Women and girls are being deported to a country where they can no longer attend secondary school or university and are prohibited from letting their voices be heard outside the house, and where the EU has estimated that basic health services are available to just 10% of women. By driving women out of jobs and severely restricting their movements, the Taliban have ensured that female-headed households face destitution. The prospect of return is particularly frightening for women's rights activists who face imprisonment or death for their work. Pakistan and Iran should not force Afghans home – endangering lives and ending education for girls. But other governments too bear responsibility for this crisis. Poorer nations have been left to shoulder the strain of a high number of refugees, some of whom are in limbo due to Germany's closure of a humanitarian admission programme, and the bureaucracy surrounding a similiar programme in Australia. This has been a triple failure: a failure to welcome Afghans with a strong case for resettlement; to support them in countries which have accepted them; and to help those who are returning to Afghanistan. Western countries must live up to their promises to the Afghan people.
ITV News
29 minutes ago
- ITV News
One year on: The lasting scars of the North East riots
ITV Tyne Tees Correspondent Gregg Easteal looks at the one year anniversary of the summer riots, which stunned a nation. A year ago, riots swept through parts of the North East sparking days of unrest and causing lasting damage. Thousands of rioters took to the streets - leaving lives, homes and businesses in disarray. Violent disorder flared up in different parts of the UK over the space of a week, including in Hartlepool, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. It began after misinformation spread online over the identity of a suspect involved in a stabbing attack at a children's dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July 2024 - where three young girls were killed. The riots, which followed, were fuelled by false claims on social media that the perpetrator of the Southport attack was a Muslim and an illegal immigrant. An information vacuum allowed a false narrative to develop, that was picked up and amplified by far right sources. In some cities across the UK, rioters set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, and launched bricks and fireworks at police. The violence left a trail of destruction across several towns and cities. ITV Tyne Tees revisited some of the hardest-hit areas to hear how residents are coping, one year on. 31 July - Hartlepool The first riot to strike the region was in Hartlepool. It started off in Murray Street. On the same street you will find Mason's Cafe. Tony at the cafe has said he was 'not surprised' that the riots happened. "The North East has changed quite a bit," he said. He continued: 'It will happen again.' Ezekiel, from Nigeria, settled down in Hartlepool two years ago. He said: 'There has been a lot of misconceptions of immigrants, and I think what the Government, and the council has done, to include everyone. "Whether they are British citizens or immigrants, everyone feels safe with one another. And also to remove all those misconceptions in general." 2 August - Sunderland The next place in the region to flare up in violence was in Sunderland. Rebaz, who is a Kurdish immigrant, was watching over his city centre barber shop when the riots began. He recalled the day, and how people shouted several racial slurs at him. He believes that it was "outsiders" who came into Sunderland to start the riot, and not local people. 'Sunderland is the best city and has the best people in the UK," he said. The mob also set fire to the Citizens Advice Bureau - which was next door to the police station - in the city centre. 'It was heart breaking", Sunderland Citizens Advice chief officer Denise Irving said. She continued: 'I think everybody in the community was shocked.' The following day saw hundreds of people from the community come together, to clean up the destruction left behind. 'Sunderland is a tight community that does look after each other," Ms Irving said. 4 August - Middlesbrough A few days later, unrest spread to the streets of Middlesbrough. Videos circulated online of rioters stopping cars in the town centre, asking drivers about the colour of their skin. In the clips, people were heard asking, "Are you white?" and "Are you English?" Nearby was Innocent Adeboye, a Nigerian law student, who was at home with his young family. Despite being fearful, Mr Adeboye said he still remembers the support of the white locals, who formed a protective guard outside his home. "They protected us," he said. For shop owner Arthur Thompson, he says that the mood in the area is still tense. 'You do feel tension between English people and the people who do live down here. 'There is resentment, because people believe that they get everything, and English people don't, and that's what they think," he said. There have been concerns raised about the potential for more trouble, and the need to improve opportunities, and bolster social cohesion in the deprived areas where trouble flared. Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald said: "It's so easy to trigger the negative responses, we hear it all the time, if any development is talked about suddenly it's going to be hostile for asylum seekers and so on. "This sort of thing, it's got its own momentum behind it. We got to think more critically about what's going on, and be proud of our community, and the good things that are going on." Help and support If you or someone you know has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, you can get help from hate crime support services. You can get help from Victim Support - this is an independent charity that can: . You can also report it to the police. If you want to report the crime or incident to the police, it's a good idea to contact a hate crime support service first. They can help you work out what to say in your report. Check how to report a hate crime to the police. If you don't want to talk to the police, you can ask an independent organisation to report it for you anonymously. These organisations are called 'third party reporting centres'. In an emergency, you should call 999.
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Minister rejects claim that recognising Palestinian state would break international law
A minister has rejected claims that plans to recognise a Palestinian state would break international law. Business minister Gareth Thomas told ITV News that the decision is a 'political judgement', after a group of peers raised concerns about the prime minister's announcement. Some 38 members of the House of Lords, including some of the UK's most eminent lawyers, have written to Attorney General Lord Hermer. As first reported by The Times newspaper, the peers warned Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to recognise Palestine may breach international law as the territory may not meet the criteria for statehood under the Montevideo Convention, a treaty signed in 1933. "I obviously respect what those lawyers and colleagues in the Lords have written, but I don't agree," Thomas told ITV News. "Over 140 countries have already recognised the state of Palestine. "And in the end, it is a political judgement that has to be made about whether to recognise a state or not. "The prime minister has been very clear this week and certainly has led the way in conversations with countries such as Canada, which have also just confirmed their intention to recognise the state of Palestine." Thomas said that the UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September at the UN General Assembly, "unless there is an end to the violence, unless the aid that is necessary gets in, and unless Israel commits to a two-state solution." In their letter to Lord Hermer, the peers said Palestine 'does not meet the international law criteria for recognition of a state, namely, defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states'. There is no certainty over the borders of Palestine, they said, and no single government, as Hamas and Fatah are enemies. Lord Hermer has previously insisted that a commitment to international law 'goes absolutely to the heart' of the government's approach to foreign policy. Among the respected lawyers who have signed the letter are Lord Pannick, who represented the previous government at the Supreme Court over its Rwanda scheme, as well as KCs Lord Verdirame and Lord Faulks. Some of the British-Israeli hostages, including Emily Damari, have also criticised Starmer over the government's plans. In a post on X, Damari said the move "does not advance peace - it risks rewarding terror". In response, Starmer told ITV News he does "particularly listen" to hostages. 'I particularly listen to the hostages, Emily Damari, who I have spoken to, – I've met her mother a number of times, and they've been through the most awful, awful experience for Emily and for her mother," he said. 'And that's why I've been absolutely clear and steadfast that we must have the remaining hostages released. "That's been our position throughout and I absolutely understand the unimaginable horror that Emily went through." He continued: "Alongside that, we do need to do everything we can to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where we are seeing here children and babies starving for want of aid which could be delivered. "And that is why I've said that unless things materially change on the ground, and we'll have to assess this in September, we will recognise Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly in September."
