Greenpeace accuses police of ‘abuse of powers' over protest arrests
Data obtained by Greenpeace reveals that the Metropolitan Police made 638 arrests for conspiracy to cause public nuisance over the past six years, with only 18 of these resulting in charges.
Greenpeace UK's co-executive director, Areeba Hamid, criticised police for routinely arresting protesters for crimes they rarely charge them with, describing it as an 'abuse of their powers and an assault on the right to protest'.
The sharp increase in protest arrests since 2019 coincides with major climate demonstrations and the implementation of new anti-protest legislation, such as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
A coalition of environmental and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International UK and Greenpeace, is launching a nationwide campaign to defend the right to protest and urge the home secretary to reverse restrictive measures.
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Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Harvey Willgoose's best friend told police after schoolboy's death that his killer, 15, was 'always carrying a weapon' - including 'a little axe and knives', court told
The best friend of a pupil fatally stabbed in school claimed his killer was 'always carrying weapons' hidden in his trousers, including an axe, a court has heard. Harvey Willgoose, 15, suffered fatal injuries when another pupil stabbed him on their lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3. The teenage attacker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded guilty to Harvey's manslaughter by reason of loss of control, but is facing trial at Sheffield Crown Court accused of murder. A boy who was best friends with the Sheffield United fan said that the defendant once told him to feel the outline of something in his trousers - where he found an axe concealed. The jury previously heard that the defendant's mother had contacted the school in December 2024 because she found an axe in his gym bag. The incident was reported to police. In a recorded police interview that was played to the jury today, the boy was asked about the defendant's history of carrying knives. 'I have known since he joined the school he used to carry them a lot,' he said. 'He carried a little axe, he carried knives - different types of knives. 'He would either show me or tell me to feel the outside of his trousers and there would be an imprint of the top of an axe or something. It was a few months ago.' But he admitted he had never actually seen the defendant carrying a knife before. The boy was in school on the day of the attack and recalled how he and other pupils barricaded themselves in a storage cupboard after a panicked student told them: 'Someone's been stabbed, there's blood all over.' It came less than an hour after Harvey and the defendant had squared up to each other in a science class which was also attended by the friend. The boy said he was in detention over lunch when a girl ran into the room to tell them that there had been a stabbing. 'I didn't even need her to say who it was, because [the defendant] was always carrying a weapon and Harvey was having a bit of an argument with him,' he said. The boy, who was 14 at the time, added: 'We ran into a storage cupboard in the detention hall so we were safe, locked ourselves in and barricaded the door.' He said he had spent quite a bit of the morning with Harvey that day, having been dropped off at his house so they could travel to school together. Hear developments from the trial of the boy accused of killing Harvey Willgoose on the Mail's award-winning The Trial podcast The boy was also present at the first school break when Harvey and the defendant began to push each other, but he said that it had seemed friendly and assumed it was 'banter'. Harvey and the defendant fell out on social media over the weekend before the attack, after Harvey supported a boy with whom the defendant had a disagreement the week before, the court previously heard. The disagreement had seen the school placed into lockdown and the police called, because the defendant claimed he had seen the other boy carrying a knife. But the witness said Harvey and the defendant that had previously been friends with no history of animosity. Recalling the science lesson where Harvey and the defendant squared up just minutes before the fatal attack, he said: 'Harvey walked into the lesson, sat down for a bit and [the defendant] walked in as Harvey was walking out to go on a time out and they squared up to each other. 'I sat near [the defendant] and said to him 'what's happened?' and he said 'it was just a bit of beef'.' The defendant is expected to argue that his actions were manslaughter due to a loss of control which was the 'end result of a long period of bullying'. The trial was previously shown shocking CCTV of the fatal attack on Harvey, which saw the two boys squaring up, before the defendant produced a knife and lunged at him, twice. Harvey quickly backed away and collapsed just 49 seconds later, the court previously heard. He died from a stab wound to the heart. The trial continues.
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Grandmother accused of toddler's murder regrets not doing more
The grandmother of a two-year-old boy who died from a severe head injury regrets every day not doing more for the "babby", a court has Ives-Griffiths collapsed at his grandparents' home in Garden City, Flintshire, in 2021 and later died from a serious head Ives, 47, and Kerry Ives, 46, deny his murder. They, along with their daughter Shannon Ives, 28, from Mold, also deny causing or allowing his death, and child evidence at Mold Crown Court on Friday, Kerry Ives said she had not previously spoken about Ethan's collapse because she "didn't want anyone to get in trouble". She was asked by prosecution barrister Caroline Rees if she regretted that she and Shannon did nothing to protect Ethan from Michael, and replied: "Every day", adding: "I regret I didn't do more for the babby".On Wednesday, Mrs Ives denied that either she or her husband hit Ethan, but said her daughter "used to smack his hand and smack his bum", and she had seen her "hit him up the back of the head"."If he'd laugh at her, she'd lose her temper," she described Ethan as a "chubby and "bubbly little child" who acted differently when his mum was around, "biting his lip" until it bled or shoving food into his mouth until he choked. On Friday, Mrs Ives was being cross-examined by the prosecution barrister Ms Rees about her failure to act after Ethan had a brief collapse on Friday 13 August - the day before his fatal Ives said she had not witnessed the incident herself but was told about it by her husband Michael and daughter Shannon, and was reassured Ethan had come told the court that had she been awake at the time, she would have suggested calling an asked why she did not tell anyone outside the family what had happened, she said: "I didn't want to get anyone in trouble."Ms Rees challenged her: "Why were Michael and Shannon more important than little Ethan?""They wasn't," she replied. Mrs Ives said Shannon had hit Ethan on 14 August but claimed the toddler "never cried or whinged".Ms Rees suggested Ethan had "learned not to" because "bad things were always happening to poor Ethan all the time".Mrs Ives denied being asked by Michael to keep quiet about the assault, but admitted she waited 18 minutes before calling an ambulance on 14 August because she had "panicked".Ms Rees asked her: "Were you hoping he'd come round like he did on Friday. Nobody would need to know?"Kerry Ives said "No".The trial continues.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Protesters turn out as woman appears in court over alleged support for Hamas
Pro-Palestine protesters chanted outside the Old Bailey as a 21-year-old woman appeared in court accused of expressing support for Hamas in a speech at a London university. Student Sarah Cotte, from Camden, north London, has denied two charges of expressing 'an opinion or belief in support of a proscribed organisation'. On October 9 2023, it is alleged she gave a speech at Soas University of London 'being reckless' as to whether a person would be encouraged to support a proscribed organisation. Seven days later, she allegedly expressed support for Hamas by giving her opinion in a WhatsApp group chat. On Friday, Cotte appeared at the Old Bailey and sat in the well of the court for a hearing before the trial judge, Richard Marks KC. The judge set a further pre-trial hearing for October 24 and granted Cotte continued conditional bail. The defendant faces a 10-day trial at the Old Bailey from February 23 next year.
