Palestine Action members charged after incident at Elbit Systems
Earlier this week, a draft order was laid before Parliament requesting an amendment to the Terrorism Act 2000 to include Palestine Action as a proscribed organisation.If approved, it would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it.Palestine Action are seeking a legal challenge against the government's bid to proscribe it, with a hearing expected on Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily blocked, pending further proceedings to decide whether a legal challenge can be brought.Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.Since then, 56,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
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The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
LGBTQ+ figures criticise supreme court's gender ruling at London Pride
Thousands of people gathered in London for Pride on Saturday, but prominent LGBTQIA+ figures at the event voiced concern that transgender people are being 'villainised more than ever'. Singer and actor Olly Alexander and writer Shon Faye were among those to criticise a UK supreme court ruling on the definition of a woman at London's annual celebration of LGBTQI+ communities. Alexander, the Eurovision 2024 contestant, told the PA news agency: 'Trans people right now, they need our support and love more than ever, they're being villainised, demonised in the press, by a lot of the media, and trans people they're just like us … they're you, they're me. 'They deserve the same respect, the same rights, the same privileges, same opportunities, and that's why Pride is so important this year.' In April the supreme court ruled the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Before the march, Faye, author of Love in Exile and The Transgender Issue, said 'we've just seen an unprecedented attack on queer rights and trans rights across the world'. She told PA: 'For the trans community in particular here in the UK, we've seen an onslaught of misinformation, attacks in the media, and unfortunately the roll back of human rights in the courts. 'I think (Pride) is more important than ever – I think a lot of trans people have been made to feel afraid in public space and pride this year is about taking back public space, and showing what we're not going to be silenced, and we're not going to be intimidated.' US pop singer Chaka Khan is headlining a concert in Trafalgar Square after the march, at which about 500 organisations filed from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus and on to Whitehall Place. 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 The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 'It was an honour and a privilege to again walk at the front of London's world-famous Pride parade as huge crowds of Londoners and visitors joined together for an incredible show of love, unity and solidarity with our LGBTQI+ communities. 'The fantastic parade and celebrations across central London have shown once again that our capital is a beacon of inclusivity and diversity. 'This year's event was also a defiant reminder that we must keep fighting for equality and take a stand against those seeking to roll back hard-won rights.' A YouGov poll released before the event found 67% of people in the UK believe the country is inclusive to LGBTQ+ people, and 60% would not welcome a shift towards more negative attitudes. Simon Blake, chief executive of charity Stonewall, which commissioned the survey, said, despite the findings, 'we know many LGBTQ+ people do not feel this in their neighbourhoods and workplaces'.
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: 'Deeply disturbing' Muslim matchmaking site operating in Britain advertising virgin brides and polygamous marriages
A Muslim matchmaking site advertising virgin brides and polygamous marriages is operating in Britain, it has been revealed. NikkahGram describes itself as a service for Muslims who want a 'shy, untouched spouse' and men that are looking for more than one wife. The company, which has been registered in the UK, promotes virgin women under the age of 35 as ideal first wives, The Telegraph has reported. Videos shared on NikkahGram's social media profiles suggest that men should beat their wives as a 'wake-up call' for continued disobedience. In a clip posted on the topic of divorce on Instagram last week, men are told: 'From those wives whom you fear arrogance, first advise them. '[After] one month of advising, then if they persist, forsake them in bed - don't have any intimacy. Show them that you don't desire them. 'And if they persist, finally strike them lightly, not with a baseball bat, not from the very beginning boom, no. This is gradual.' NikkahGram's website also lists Dr Asif Munaf, who was suspended from the medical register after making anti-Semitic remarks, among its staff. The former Apprentice star faced a furious backlash after he called Zionism a 'satanic cult' and Zionists 'odiously ogre-like' in the aftermath of Hamas' October 7 attacks. Mr Munaf is now described as NikkahGram's associate coach who clients can book a call with for advice on Muslim marriages. He also features in several of the company's social media videos, alongside other Islamic influencers. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told The Telegraph: 'This vile site promotes domestic abuse. It shouldn't exist. 'The fact it does shows yet again how our immigration and integration policies have failed. Mr Munaf's views are abhorrent and should have no place in public life.' Chief executive of the Muslim Women's Network UK Baroness Gohir also described the 'extreme ideology' promoted on the site as 'deeply troubling'. She said it was targeting vulnerable women and insecure Muslim men who are struggling with their identity. NikkahGram was first founded in 2023 'to facilitate marriage for Muslims who stick to core Islamic values of modesty and submission to Allah without modern excuses'. It operates on a subscription basis but virgin women are able to access its services for free. NikkahGram's site includes a description what it means to be a virgin Once signed up, users can browse other people's profiles but all contact with the women must be channelled through their legal guardian. According to an explainer on NikkahGram's website, a 'complete virgin' means 'you never been intimately/sexually touched by anyone else'. Its definition adds: 'This includes any form of sexual intercourse. 'If you decide to register as a Virgin, you must swear by Allah that you are telling the truth about being a complete virgin as described above. 'Lying in this oath is a severe sin with serious consequences in this life and the hereafter.' NikkahGram also promotes polygamous marriages, where men can opt for a second, third or even fourth wife. It advises men not to register Islamic marriages in the West, where polygamy is a crime. NikkahGram's Instagram page has more than 7,000 followers and it has posted more than 520 times. In one post, that features Hocine Based, a Muslim fitness influencer, it is claimed that non-virgin women can cause cancer. He says in the video, despite there being no medical evidence to support the claims: 'Even the exchange of saliva, even exchange of looks, and eyes, and even pheromones, a woman will be adaptive, because she's a host, so she prepares her body which adapts to the man's DNA… because a baby is an external organism that's actually growing within her. 'And if it doesn't align with her DNA, guess what? We get cancer!' The company also wrote in another post from last September: 'We encourage brothers to get married from overseas, second wife especially but first wives too. 'Less prone to feminism, more traditional, and many virgins! If you're tired of Western sisters and want a wife (or second/third/fourth wife) who respects your role as a man and a provider, and hers as a homemaker, you should consider this.' NikkahGram has defended its position, saying it operates fully within UK law. A spokesperson for the company said: 'NikkahGram operates strictly within UK law and Islamic principles. We provide a religious matrimonial service that reflects the values and preferences of many practicing Muslims. 'All participation is voluntary, and our platform facilitates lawful introductions between consenting adults who seek to marry in accordance with their faith.' 'We do not promote abuse, coercion, or illegality. We only discuss and endorse faith-based preferences that are protected under religious freedom laws,' they added.
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
Welfare U-turn makes spending decisions harder, minister says
Spending decisions have been made "harder" by the government's U-turn on welfare changes, the education secretary has said, as she did not commit to scrapping the two-child benefit Phillipson told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that ministers were "looking at every lever" to lift children out of she said removing the cap would "come at a cost" and insisted the government was supporting families with the cost of living in other comes after a rebellion of Labour MPs forced the government to significantly water down a package of welfare reforms that would have saved £5bn a year by 2030. The climbdown means the savings will now be delayed or lost entirely, which puts pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of the autumn its retreat on benefits, the Labour government was considering lifting the two-child benefit cap, a policy that restricts means-tested benefits to a maximum of two children per family for those born after April asked if the chances of getting rid of the cap had diminished, Phillipson said: "The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make decisions, future decisions harder."But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty."
