Latest news with #Hain
Daily Maverick
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
‘I am deeply ashamed' — Peter Hain breaks with Starmer government's ban on Palestine Action
Former anti-apartheid activist Peter Hain voted against the banning order issued against Palestine Action in the House of Lords last week. The order came into force on Saturday. Peter Hain, the former anti-apartheid activist and now a British Labour lord, has broken with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government over its banning of the activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Hain, who grew up in South Africa, voted against the Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2025 — which proscribes Palestine Action and two right-wing extremist groups — when it came before the House of Lords on Thursday, after passing the House of Commons on Wednesday. The House of Lords also passed the Bill, and after the Court of Appeal rejected an appeal to block the ban on Friday, it came into effect on Saturday. That day, the police detained 29 individuals in London on Saturday on suspicion of terrorism-related offences for holding a demonstration in support of Palestine Action. The decision to ban Palestine Action followed vandalism by its members of two Voyager refuelling planes at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June by spraying paint into their engines, resulting in about $9.5-million of damage. Palestine Action said the aircraft had been involved in Israel's bombing of Gaza. Hain told his fellow lords that in 1969-70, 'I was proud to lead a militant campaign of direct action to disrupt all-white racist South African rugby and cricket tours, and we succeeded in getting them stopped for two decades. 'No doubt I would have been stigmatised as a terrorist today rather than vilified, as indeed I then was. 'That militant action could have been blocked by this motion, as could other anti-apartheid activity, including militant protests to stop Barclays Bank recruiting new students on university campuses, eventually forcing Barclays to withdraw from apartheid South Africa. Nelson Mandela 'Remember also that Nelson Mandela was labelled a 'terrorist' by the apartheid government, by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, by the United States and other Western governments during much of the Cold War. 'Mandela even remained on the US terrorism watchlist until 2008, many years after becoming South Africa's first democratically elected president and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.' Hain noted that the suffragettes had gained iconic status and were treated as heroines today. 'Yet they could have been suppressed under this proscription. They used violence against property in a strategic manner to demand voting rights for women as part of civil disobedience protests when their peaceful protests seemed futile. 'They intended to highlight the injustice of denying women the vote and to provoke a reaction that kept the issue in the public eye. Like Nelson Mandela, they were vilified at the time, including in strident denunciations by members of this House. 'Suffragettes attacked shop windows, government buildings and political party offices, sometimes using hammers, stones or iron bars. 'They also set fire to unoccupied buildings such as churches, railway stations, sports pavilions and empty country houses, intending to cause material loss without causing injury. 'Suffragettes cut telegraph and telephone wires to disrupt government and commercial operations. 'They even hid small homemade bombs inside mailboxes and attempted to bomb Westminster Abbey and Prime Minister David Lloyd George's uncompleted house. Criminal damage 'Frankly, Palestine Action members spraying paint on military aircraft at Brize Norton seems positively moderate by comparison. And those alleged to have done this are being prosecuted for criminal damage, as indeed they should be. 'There are plenty of criminal offences which such activity could attract rather than treating young people as terrorists because they feel frustrated about the failure to stop mass killings and bombings of Palestinians in Gaza.' Hain stressed that he supported the right of Israel to exist and of Israelis to enjoy full security. 'I am also a long-standing supporter of Palestinian rights to self-determination in their own state. 'I was vehemently opposed to widespread anti-Semitism tolerated under Jeremy Corbyn's ill-fated Labour leadership.' Hain deplored that the Labour Party government was now putting Palestine Action in the same category as 'real terrorists: Al-Qaeda and Islamic State', which had killed thousands of people in terror attacks. 'Nazi-like US racists and, here in the UK, the IRA, also committed terrible atrocities, targeting or killing innocent civilians, properly and rightly labelled 'terrorists'. 'This government is treating Palestine Action as equivalent to Islamic State or Al-Qaeda, which is intellectually bankrupt, politically unprincipled and morally wrong. 'Frankly, I am deeply ashamed,' he said. DM
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Gap in law could see young people ‘committing terrorist acts by weekend'
He backed the Home Office's plan to ban Palestine Action, adding it to the list of 81 organisations which are already proscribed including Hamas, al Qaida and National Action. Lord Walney told peers it was 'a nonsense' that groups which have advocated causing 'damage', such as Palestine Action, 'have been able to operate freely for as long as they have'. But opposing the move, Labour former Northern Ireland and Wales secretary Lord Hain warned: 'If you start labelling people willy-nilly terrorists right across the board, you're going down a very, very dangerous route.' Lord Walney said: 'There is a gap in the law, it seems to me at the moment, where we ought to be able to place a restriction on an organisation that is committing systematic criminality in the name of a cause without necessarily branding them as terrorists.' He suggested a future law change could mean authorities do not 'end up branding young people who are going to be committing terrorist acts, probably, by the weekend' as terrorists. The independent crossbench peer, who was previously a Labour MP, later said: 'I think we have to think more in the Labour movement about working people here, because they have been systematically targeted in defence factories. They have been deeply intimidated. Lord Hain warned of going down a 'very dangerous route' (PA) 'At times, they have been violently injured, and it's totally unacceptable for the Labour movement to say, 'well that's ok, because it's in a cause'.' The Home Office's order, using the Terrorism Act 2000, will make it a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of Palestine Action or to support it. The group claimed responsibility for a break in at RAF Brize Norton last month, when activists damaged two RAF Voyager aircraft using paint. Crossbencher Lord Carlile of Berriew, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, urged peers to 'act responsibly' by 'accepting this instrument'. Baroness Jenny Jones of Moulsecoomb moved a motion to 'regret' the Government's plan (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He said: 'Every day the police prosecute people for theft. The maximum for theft – I'm not sure if it still is, but it was seven years at one time. Practically nobody gets seven years for theft. 'Most people get a non-custodial sentence. The assumption that everybody who's prosecuted is going to be locked up for years and years and years is a misleading premise for this debate.' Lord Hain was one of three Labour rebels who backed a motion to 'regret' the Home Office's plan, which Green peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb moved. He was joined in the 'content' lobby by Lord Hendy and former Trade Union Congress general secretary Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway. 'Frankly, I'm deeply ashamed,' Lord Hain told peers. 'This Government is treating Palestine Action as equivalent to Islamic State or al Qaida, which is intellectually bankrupt, politically unprincipled and morally wrong.' Lord Hain earlier said: 'In 1969-70, I was proud to lead a militant campaign of direct action to disrupt all-white, racist South African rugby and cricket tours, and we successfully succeeded in getting them stopped for two decades. 'No doubt, I would have been stigmatised as a terrorist today rather than vilified as I was then. 'That militant action could have been blocked by this motion, as could other anti-Apartheid activity, including militant protests to stop Barclays bank recruiting new students on university campuses, eventually forcing Barclays to withdraw from Apartheid South Africa.' Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint said he had previously protested. 'Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly are cornerstones in our democracy,' he said. 'I have protested. I know of many other members who've protested against various things in our lives, and we have done so in a fair and open way.' He added: 'People engaged in lawful protests do not need weapons. 'People engaged in lawful protests do not throw smoke bombs and fire pyrotechnics to innocent members of the public, and people engaged in lawful protest do not cause millions of pounds of damage to national security infrastructure, including submarines and defence equipment for Nato.' Baroness Jones described a 'long and noble tradition of the use of direct action by protest movements'. She added that 'Palestine Action is not like any other group that the British Government has declared a terrorist organisation so far'. Her motion to regret was rejected by 144 votes to 16, majority 128. Peers who had stayed in the chamber afterwards called 'content' to back the order, which has also received MPs' backing in the Commons after a vote on Wednesday.
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Kane County Board approves sheriff's officers' contract, electronic home monitoring service and ‘robot dog' purchase
Three public safety-related items were approved by the Kane County Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday. They include a new contract and raises for sheriff's officers, a new electronic home monitoring service and the purchase of a 'robot dog' for the Kane County Sheriff's Office for use by its bomb squad and other units. All three items were approved by the board Tuesday as part of the consent agenda. The new collective bargaining agreement for Kane County sheriff's officers approved Tuesday includes 6% raises for the 2024-25 fiscal year and 4% raises for the following two fiscal years, according to past reporting. The previous collective bargaining agreement — which is between the sheriff, county and the Metropolitan Alliance of Police Chapter 735 — expired in November, and the parties have since been engaged in negotiations. The raises will not require additional money from the county until the 2026-27 fiscal year, Sheriff Ron Hain previously said, when the office is set to request upwards of $3 million for the salary increases. Hain previously attributed the increase then to the office's expectation that a number of officers will have reached greater seniority by then and will therefore be receiving higher salaries. The sheriff's office will also be entering into an agreement with Sentinel Offender Services for electronic home monitoring services in the county, used for both detainees awaiting trial who are released and some other offenders. The county has had an electronic monitoring system for more than five years, according to past reporting, after having discontinued its previous program at the end of 2017 over budget concerns. Andrew Schwab, a sergeant in the Kane County Sheriff's Office who oversees court operations, said that there were 'shortcomings' in the current system related to the software, ease of use, app and alerts at the May Kane County Board Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting. He said that the office researched other options and has tested the winning provider, Sentinel. At the May committee meeting, the sheriff's office noted that the new monitors have a long battery life, are easy to use and are able to send voice alerts and audible alerts. Per the resolution, the contract with the current provider expired on April 30. Hain told The Beacon-News that the current contract was extended month-by-month until the new agreement was approved by the board. The new contract will last for two years, with the option for up to three one-year extensions, according to the resolution. Per the resolution and sheriff's office, the system will be paid for via the office's corrections detainee food budget and through the payments made by participants in the monitoring program. Also, the sheriff's office will be purchasing a Boston Dynamics Spot robot to be used for bomb detection operations, and also by the SWAT team and other teams, following county board approval of the purchase on Tuesday. The Kane County Sheriff's Office has said the current bomb robot being used by the office is 27 years old, and that updating it would have cost $250,000 and wouldn't have enhanced the current device's capabilities. The new robot, which is designed to resemble a dog, will have integrations from FlyMotion, the resolution said. It can open doors, use stairs and essentially go wherever a person would go, the sheriff's office said in May when the matter was brought to a County Board committee, and will have a disruptor that can make an explosive inert on-scene. The new 'robot dog' will be paid for using money from the sheriff's office new vehicle fund, per the resolution, and is set to come in at just over $350,000.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears edging Pears derby despite Duffy haul
Rothesay County Championship Division One, Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcester (day three) Warwickshire 227 & 280: Hain 87*, Woakes 42; Duffy 5-75 Worcestershire 181 & 57-2: Roderick 34* Worcestershire (3pts) trail Warwickshire (3pts) by 269 runs with eight wickets remaining Match scorecard Sam Hain's second highly-skilled innings of the match left Warwickshire well-placed to press for victory over Worcestershire in the County Championship derby at Visit Worcestershire New Road. Hain followed his first innings 86 with an unbeaten 87 (174 balls) as Warwickshire took their second innings to 280 to set the home side 327 to win. Chris Woakes supported Hain with 42, during which he passed 10,000 runs in all formats, while Jacob Duffy took 5-75. Worcestershire closed the third day on 54-2 and face a huge batting challenge on the final day when they must make much the biggest score of the match to win it. Warwickshire resumed on the third morning day on 53-1, already 99 ahead, and soon lost Tom Latham who edged an aggressive shot at Tom Taylor to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick. Rob Yates eked out a valuable 29 from 112 balls before falling lbw, hit on the back pad, by Ben Allison. Beau Webster paid the price for going on the back foot on a pitch sometimes keeping low when Duffy flattened his leg stump. That was 86-4 and Worcestershire were clawing their way back into the match but the excellent Hain unfurled his second crucial innings of the contest and received important support from the middle and lower orders. Ed Barnard (30) added impetus before top-edging Matthew Waite to third man. Zen Malik helped Hain add 30 and, after he sliced Duffy to point and Kai Smith pulled Allison to long leg, Woakes arrived – not a bad player to have coming in at nine. The eighth-wicket pair added 67 in 21 overs, lifting Worcestershire's target over 300, before Woakes edged Taylor to slip. Duffy completed his five-for with wickets from successive balls when Ethan Bamber hit his wicket from the follow through from a pull and Chris Rushworth edged to slip. Rushworth wasted no time before inflicting damage with the ball when he knocked out Jake Libby's off-stump with an out-swinger. Six balls later, Henry Nicholls copped a tough lbw decision when he appeared to be struck outside the line of off-stump by Woakes. That was 25-2 and, with 27 overs left in the day Warwickshire fancied their chances of making match-clinching inroads before stumps. Batting remained a serious test of concentration and technique but Roderick and Kashif Ali negotiated 12 overs before bad light lopped off the last 15. An intriguing final day beckons with an additional factor from some rain in the forecast. Warwickshire remain strong favourites to bank a win which would owe most to Hain whose high-class batting in this match was worthy of two centuries. Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears edging Pears derby despite Duffy haul
Rothesay County Championship Division One, Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcester (day three) Warwickshire 227 & 280: Hain 87*, Woakes 42; Duffy 5-75 Worcestershire 181 & 57-2: Roderick 34* Worcestershire (3pts) trail Warwickshire (3pts) by 269 runs with eight wickets remaining Match scorecard Sam Hain's second highly-skilled innings of the match left Warwickshire well-placed to press for victory over Worcestershire in the County Championship derby at Visit Worcestershire New Road. Hain followed his first innings 86 with an unbeaten 87 (174 balls) as Warwickshire took their second innings to 280 to set the home side 327 to win. Chris Woakes supported Hain with 42, during which he passed 10,000 runs in all formats, while Jacob Duffy took 5-75. Worcestershire closed the third day on 54-2 and face a huge batting challenge on the final day when they must make much the biggest score of the match to win it. Warwickshire resumed on the third morning day on 53-1, already 99 ahead, and soon lost Tom Latham who edged an aggressive shot at Tom Taylor to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick. Rob Yates eked out a valuable 29 from 112 balls before falling lbw, hit on the back pad, by Ben Allison. Beau Webster paid the price for going on the back foot on a pitch sometimes keeping low when Duffy flattened his leg stump. That was 86-4 and Worcestershire were clawing their way back into the match but the excellent Hain unfurled his second crucial innings of the contest and received important support from the middle and lower orders. Ed Barnard (30) added impetus before top-edging Matthew Waite to third man. Zen Malik helped Hain add 30 and, after he sliced Duffy to point and Kai Smith pulled Allison to long leg, Woakes arrived – not a bad player to have coming in at nine. The eighth-wicket pair added 67 in 21 overs, lifting Worcestershire's target over 300, before Woakes edged Taylor to slip. Duffy completed his five-for with wickets from successive balls when Ethan Bamber hit his wicket from the follow through from a pull and Chris Rushworth edged to slip. Rushworth wasted no time before inflicting damage with the ball when he knocked out Jake Libby's off-stump with an out-swinger. Six balls later, Henry Nicholls copped a tough lbw decision when he appeared to be struck outside the line of off-stump by Woakes. That was 25-2 and, with 27 overs left in the day Warwickshire fancied their chances of making match-clinching inroads before stumps. Batting remained a serious test of concentration and technique but Roderick and Kashif Ali negotiated 12 overs before bad light lopped off the last 15. An intriguing final day beckons with an additional factor from some rain in the forecast. Warwickshire remain strong favourites to bank a win which would owe most to Hain whose high-class batting in this match was worthy of two centuries. Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
