Latest news with #FreeSpeech
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Two-tier policing row over Palestine protester dressed as Holocaust victim
Scotland Yard has been accused of 'two-tier' justice after police ignored a Palestine protester dressed as a Holocaust concentration camp inmate. Jewish leaders and MPs criticised the 'religiously aggravated' outfit worn by Maria Gallastegui, in which she replaced the star worn by inmates with an Islamic symbol. They complained that the police failed to challenge a protest 'clearly designed to cause distress', but warned men 'waving Israeli flags' at a Palestine Action march they could be guilty of breaching the peace. Ms Gallastegui, 66, a full-time protester who gave up her job as a coach driver nearly 20 years ago for a life of activism, joined a protest against plans to ban the group Palestine Action after its activists attacked RAF aircraft with paint. Critics contrasted her treatment with that of Hamit Coskun, who was prosecuted and fined for a religiously aggravated public order offence after he set fire to a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London. Free speech advocates argue that offensive behaviour should not be criminalised, regardless of whether it is committed by protesters against Islam, such as Mr Coskun, or against Israel. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'We appear to have a two-tier blasphemy law in this country, which protects Islam from offensive references, but not others.' Alex Hearn, of Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS), said: 'Dressing as a concentration camp inmate, with the yellow patch replaced by an Islamic symbol, has caused many people upset. 'This religiously aggravated performance appropriated and distorted the Holocaust and was clearly designed to cause distress. It's shocking that while police act swiftly on less obvious public offences, this blatant display went unchallenged at the heart of our democracy.' LAAS has written to Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, asking him to investigate the incident as a potentially religiously aggravated offence that had 'appropriated and distorted the Holocaust' and risked 'trivialising the suffering of six million Jews and other victims of Nazi persecution'. Ms Gallastegui has been arrested previously over the past two decades including during a protest for the right to protest in Parliament Square in August 2005. She previously lived in a tent in Parliament Square for six years after joining the campaign against proposals to change the law to restrict protests in front of the Commons and Lords. In 2021, she lived and slept in a 150 year old tree in Hackney to challenge the council's 'reckless' and 'irresponsible' plans to fell it to make way for a 600-home development. 'We are passionate people,' she previously told the BBC at the time. 'Any campaign that we can think of doesn't start overnight. There are a lot of underlying issues that the system is not dealing with.' A supporter of Julian Assange, the the Wikileaks co-founder, she was banned from going within 100 yards of Belmarsh prison after she damaged a wall in a mock jail break attempt while he was held in the jail. Ms Gallastegui used a drill against a prison wall, where he was held during his lengthy battle to avoid extradition to the US, next to a sign that said 'jailbreak in progress'. 'Priti Patel Save Julian Assange' was also sprayed on the wall during the stunt. She previously appeared dressed in the Holocaust outfit in a protest to support Kneecap, the Irish republican rap group, after one of the band's members was charged with a terror offence for displaying a flag in support of Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK. At Monday's protest, Ms Gallastegui was pictured carrying a placard that said: 'We are all Palestine Action,' a message that could lead to criminal action once the group is proscribed. Anyone who is a member of or supports Palestine Action could face up to 14 years in jail once its proscription is enacted in the next fortnight. One Jewish observer said: 'One cannot help but conclude that if the police do not stand with us against this hatred, then they stand with those who hate us. There is no middle ground when it comes to abusing the memory of the Holocaust. It is done as a deliberate act of provocation and religious division.' Ms Gallastegui issued a statement, saying: 'Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp was liberated by the British Army in 1945 following WW2. 'The world was shocked and horrified at the appalling sight of the starving, emaciated prisoners and the piles of decaying bodies in their stripped uniforms. 'Afterwards, the international community affirmed never to let this happen again. 'Never Again'. Fast forward to now, and the same scenario is being carried out again - but this time the concentration camp and the people being deliberately starved are the people of Gaza. 'This is a history lesson for now, and by no means is it meant to be anti-Semitic. Changing the symbols of the yellow star to the crescent and star is simply to illustrate that point.'
Wales Online
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Prime Minister weighs in on Kneecap row over Glastonbury show
Prime Minister weighs in on Kneecap row over Glastonbury show Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in court this week charged with displaying a flag in support of a proscribed organisation Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London (Image: PA ) Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think rap group Kneecap's planned Glastonbury Festival performance is 'appropriate'. He made the comments after one of the trio, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, appeared in court this week charged with displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah during a gig last November. In an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the band should perform at the festival. 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this,' he replied. Adding: 'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.' On Wednesday the west Belfast rapper (whose stage name is Mo Chara) was cheered by hundreds of supporters bearing "Free Speech, Free Palestine" flags as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court with bandmates Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J. J. Ó Dochartaigh. Ó hAnnaidh's defence team argued that the charge, which was brought on May 22, was outside the six-month window required to fall under the court's jurisdiction. Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring adjourned the case to August to hear arguments on whether the court has jurisdiction. The rapper, known for songs including Get Your Brits Out, has been released on unconditional bail and Kneecap are scheduled to perform at 4pm next Saturday on Glastonbury Festival's West Holts stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Article continues below The Times reports that the BBC will not show the set live on one of its main TV channels, instead featuring pop star Jade, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and rock band Weezer who will be performing at the same time. But, according to the newspaper, Kneecap's hour-long performance is expected to be made available on demand afterwards via BBC iPlayer. BBC bosses are said by the Times to be "weighing up" whether to stream the show live on one of the five dedicated iPlayer channels being set up to support the event. The members of Kneecap (Image: Getty Images for BFI ) The footage from the gig in which Ó hAnnaidh is alleged to have displayed an illegal flag was circulated online in the days following a Kneecap performance at US music festival Coachella, where the band repeatedly accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people. Last month more than 100 Welsh musicians including Adwaith, Gruff Rhys and Gwenno issued a joint statement in solidarity with the group. 'Kneecap is not the story, the story is the slaughter in Gaza,' they said. This came after a show of solidarity from musicians such as Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Pulp, the Pogues, Massive Attack, Fontaines DC, Thin Lizzy and Yard Act. "Genocide is the story," they said. "And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story. "Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people." Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury, adding: 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' Last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after Ms Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. The band split the grant between two Belfast youth organisations, Irish language group Glór Na Móna and Shankill Road's R-City. Following this week's court hearing, Ó hAnnaidh said: 'For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September. But most importantly: free, free Palestine.' Kneecap denies supporting Hezbollah. In their initial statement responding to the charge, the band said: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction.' The Israeli military has bombed large swathes of Gaza in response to a Hamas-led attack in October 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Gaza's health ministry has since said that Israel's attacks have killed at least 55,637 people. Article continues below
Al Arabiya
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Judge says he will order Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil freed from detention
A federal judge says he'll order Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released from immigration detention. Judge Michael Farbiarz made the ruling from the bench in federal court in New Jersey on Friday. Lawyers for the Columbia graduate had asked a federal judge to immediately release him on bail from a Louisiana jail or else transfer him to New Jersey where he can be closer to his wife and newborn son. Khalil was the first arrest under President Donald Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's devastating war in Gaza. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Khalil must be expelled from the country because his continued presence could harm American foreign policy. The same judge had ruled earlier that the government can continue to detain the legal US resident based on allegations that he lied on his green card application. Khalil disputes the accusations that he wasn't forthcoming on the application. The judge previously determined that Khalil couldn't continue being held based on the US secretary of state's determination that he could harm American foreign policy. Khalil, a legal US resident, was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. His lawyers say the Trump administration is simply trying to crack down on free speech. Khalil isn't accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists. He wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country, as it considers their views antisemitic.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Kneecap: Protests outside court as rapper appears on terror charge
Supporters of Irish language hip-hop group Kneecap have gathered outside a court in London where one of the rappers is appearing on a terror Óg Ó hAnnaidh, charged under the name Liam O'Hanna, is accused of allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London 27-year-old, who performs under the name Mo Chara, is appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on a statement, posted on social media in May, Kneecap said: "We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves." Fans outside the court could be seen with placards saying "Free Mo Chara" and "Defend Kneecap".Large green flags saying "Free Speech, Free Palestine" are also on said it had "plastered" London with messages of support for its band member.A mixture of Palestinian and Kneecap flags were being held by some of the crowd, and cheers were heard after a van drove past displaying the slogan "More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara". Who are Kneecap? Kneecap are an Irish-speaking rap trio who have courted controversy with their provocative lyrics and group was formed in 2017 by three musicians who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.Their rise to fame inspired a semi-fictionalised film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael film won a British Academy of Film Award (Bafta) in February April, the group faced criticism after displaying messages about the war in Gaza during their set at US music festival November 2024, the group won its case against the UK government over a decision Kemi Badenoch took when she was a minister to withdraw an arts grant.
Extra.ie
18-06-2025
- Extra.ie
In pics: Kneecap fans gather outside court in support of Mo Chara
A handful of Kneecap fans gathered outside court on Wednesday morning with a mixture of Palestinian and Kneecap flags. 27-year-old Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who is known as Mo Chara, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday following the alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London. The charge Og O hAnnaidh faces alleges he displayed a flag in a public place, 'in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation' – namely, Hezbollah. Kneecap Pic: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images A microphone stand was being set up behind metal barriers that had been erected to create an area for fans. Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images Austrian Alexandra Kennedy, who had travelled from her home country to show support, said: 'I think that Kneecap are important to so many people that if Liam Og O hAnnaidh gets a heavy sentence, then maybe people will lose something, they need the connection to Kneecap. Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images 'They trigger good and they trigger strong feelings.' Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images She said many of Kneecap's fans seek solace in their music while suffering mental health issues. Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images Ms Kennedy said the rap group should 'be aware of the social responsibility they have. It's not only music, it's much more than this'. Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images Fans could be seen with placards saying Free Mo Chara, referring to the rapper's stage name, and Defend Kneecap. A large green flag saying Free Speech, Free Palestine was also on display. The small crowd cheered as an ad van emblazoned with the support slogan used for Mo Chara – More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara – drove past the court. Kneecap described the prosecution as a 'witch hunt' in a post on X on Tuesday evening.
