Latest news with #riots
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Taskforce launched to tackle root causes of UK riots
An independent commission aimed at tackling community divisions across Britain in the aftermath of last summer's riots will hold its first meeting on cross-party body, led by former Tory home secretary Sir Sajid Javid and Labour MP Jon Cruddas, says it will examine what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last year called the "cracks in our foundation" and has support from across the political aims to develop "evidence-based" recommendations for a stronger, more connected sense of community across the Sajid said ministers have only responded to challenges to community cohesion "when tensions spill over, and too often ignoring the root causes". Did social media fan the flames of riot in Southport?MPs reject two-tier policing claims in 2024 riots Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street, and former counter-extremism tsar Dame Sara Khan are also among its Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion was announced after the summer riots last year which hit parts of the country last year following the Southport stabbings. False information spread on social media about the identity of the attacker, later found to be 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was widely seen as playing a role in fuelling the disturbances, which saw mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted, were denounced at the time as "far-right thuggery" by Sir recent weeks, there has also been unrest in parts of Northern Ireland, where police have said some of it has been racially motivated. The commission said a UK-wide "national conversation" will be launched this autumn, to hear directly from people across the country about how they experience connection and belonging and what they want to see panel will have representation from all four nations of the UK and people from different faiths and is being facilitated by the Together Coalition founded by Brendan Cox, the husband of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered by a far-right not officially government-sponsored, the commission is being supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.A spokesperson for the department said: "We are supportive of the work that the Together Coalition is undertaking, and we look forward to following the commission's progress".
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Rodney King-era 'rooftop Korean' calls left-wing riots manufactured: 'looking for the next George Floyd'
A Los Angeles man who armed himself and took to the streets in 1992 to protect a local business during the height of the Rodney King unrest says today's rioters in the city are astroturfed for political purposes. Tony Moon, 53, is what is now known as a "rooftop Korean." Thirty-three years ago, the Korean-American, then 19, was asked to join a spontaneous movement alongside other Korean-Americans who armed themselves to protect their lives and property from being destroyed by violent rioters who were upset over the verdict in a trial against officers who beat Rodney King during a traffic stop. The officers were acquitted on charges of assault and excessive force, plunging the city into tumult as rioters attempted to burn down Los Angeles, causing 63 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times. Determined to protect their livelihoods, "rooftop Koreans" took to the streets – and to the rooftops of their own businesses – to deter rioters from causing trouble in their neighborhoods. "When the riots occurred, it wasn't anything that anyone foresaw obviously, but we were well aware of Rodney King and the verdict that was coming down," Moon told Fox News Digital. "And when that occurred is when everything kind of popped off. The reason why I went out was because a close and good friend of mine, his older brother had a stereo shop that was on the outskirts of near Koreatown." During the attack, Radio Korea became a go-to source of information for the Korean-American communities, alerting them to potential threats. "He called me Thursday evening after the radio announcement asking for volunteers to come to the community, to defend the community," Moon said. "And he told me that his brother's store might be threatened from the fires and the looting that was slowly traveling up north from the south, like South Central and South LA." Moon described a tense atmosphere, which he said had been building between the Black and Korean communities in the city since the fatal shooting of a Black girl by a Korean shop owner the year prior. The civil unrest at that time, Moon said, was organic. "The sentiment was much different then than it is now," he said. "Now it's all manufactured. And not only that, but there's no true grassroots support from any of the communities. You know, it's what I would say [is] part two of BLM/Antifa from 2020 that's being carried over." "But it doesn't have the same traction and support that it did back in 2020 with defunding the police, [and with] Black Lives Matter," he continued. "I don't see that, and what they're looking for is, they're looking for someone to martyr. They're looking for a death. They're looking for the next George Floyd." Moon emphasized his support for peaceful protest, but said that when damaging property, vandalization and looting occur, those activities cross the line. He also advised Angelenos who feel unsafe due to violent crime to do what he and others in the Korean-American community did more than three decades ago: arm themselves. "If it's a riot or if there's any sort of mayhem, social chaos going on in your neighborhood, invest in firearms," he said. "I mean, support the Second Amendment. Buy a gun, buy a rifle. I mean, the most easiest weapon to shoot is a shotgun. So invest in something like that and learn how to shoot it and be proficient with it, so that way it becomes part of your defense, whether it's for your home or your business." Earlier this month riots plagued Los Angeles, a so-called sanctuary city, since a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps targeting criminal illegal immigrants. Federal law enforcement and police clashed with rioters in the city's streets, while those agitators burned cars, looted businesses, took over streets and graffitied buildings in the heart of downtown Los Angeles with anti-ICE and anti-Trump messaging. The city's mayor, Karen Bass, has blamed President Donald Trump for causing the unrest by deploying National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to protect federal property, and Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration for the move. The Trump administration ordered 2,000 more members of the National Guard to the city last week, and ICE will continue conducting operations in the city.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Bid to save Britain from more riots and ease community tensions launched by expert taskforce
POLITICIANS are joining forces to unite the country in the hope of avoiding more riots like those seen last summer. Former Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid says growing community tensions have been ignored by politicians for too long. 1 He said: 'Successive governments have treated community and cohesion as second-tier issues — responding only when tensions spill over and too often ignoring the root causes.' Sir Sajid is co-chairman — with ex- Labour MP Jon Cruddas — of the cross-party Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion. Sir Keir Starmer has warned of mounting 'cracks in our foundation', while Nigel Farage has warned of civil unrest because of anger over immigration. The taskforce was set up following last summer's riots in Southport, Sunderland and across the UK and meets for the first time today. It brings together 21 experts from politics, business, media and religion, including Reform -supporting commentator Tim Montgomerie, founder of Cobra beer Lord Bilimoria and former counter-extremism czar Dame Sara Khan. Brendan Cox of Together, which assembled the commission, said: 'Declining community connection and growing division is an existential threat to democracy. 'It won't be solved by more of the same - or by a single party or government. 'We will only see progress if we can forge both a shared vision of where we are going, and an effective roadmap of how to get there. 'That's not an easy thing to do - especially not in the current climate - but it's an extraordinary group of people who have committed to helping try.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Los Angeles taxpayers to foot millions for 'peaceful' anti-ICE protests
The violent and destructive Los Angeles anti-ICE protests cost taxpayers $32 million, according to a report by the city budget chief. Controller Kenneth Mejia posted the figures on X, detailing what the money from local taxpayers will be funding. City taxpayers are on the hook for emergency services, cleanup and public property damage, all stemming from the protests that turned into riots, according to Mejia's post. More than $29 million, or 92% of the cost, is for the Los Angeles Police Department's response. Part of these funds will also cover the cost of the citywide tactical alerts. La Anti-ice Rioters Face New Charges As Violence Rages A little more than $1 million will go to the city's efforts to clean up the city and repair damage to public property, according to Mejia's post. The rest of the money will be distributed to various departments, such as the Los Angeles Fire Department, the city's street services, general services, tourism and others. Read On The Fox News App Mejia noted the funding did not factor in potential lawsuits that could arise from the unrest. Fbi Will Investigate 'Any Evidence Of A Criminal Conspiracy' In La Riots The protests, described as "peaceful" by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and the liberal media, saw demonstrators violently clash with the LAPD over multiple days, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy both the National Guard and active-duty military personnel. The protests have led to several arrests, including Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48. He was charged with buying fireworks with the intent to harm law enforcement and government officials during the protests, according to the Department of Justice. While at a store, federal authorities allege, he told employees he previously served in the military's special forces and claimed he could make pipe bombs before revealing he was planning to travel to Los Angeles to kill law enforcement officers and government officials in the anti-ICE riots. Federal Agents Thwart Man's Explosive Alleged Plot Against Officers During La Riots Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced that nearly a dozen deputies were injured during the ongoing riots after protesters launched rocks, Molotov cocktails and "high-grade pyrotechnics" at them. Since June 7, the LAPD has made over 500 arrests related to protests, according to the LAPD. Mejia's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News' Christina Coleman, Julia Bonavita and Stepheny Price contributed to this article source: Los Angeles taxpayers to foot millions for 'peaceful' anti-ICE protests
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
JD Vance travels to Los Angeles to scold Gavin Newsom for 'egging on' violent riots
Vice President JD Vance traveled to Los Angeles on Friday, setting up a showdown with Gov. Gavin Newsom as he visited deployed Marines in the city. The vice president traveled to a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a Federal Mobile Command Center to visit with federal law officials and thank them for their efforts to protect the city. He defended the president's decision to send in federal troops to help local law enforcement combat rioters in the city. He described the series of events surrounding the riots a 'tragedy' and said that the rioters were 'egged on' by Newsom and the Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. 'That is disgraceful,' he said, adding, 'We've got to enforce our borders and get so many of these criminals out of our country to begin with.' He said that Trump acted because Newsom refused to take the riots seriously. 'If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the national guard because it's unnecessary,' he said. 'But if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then of course we're going to send in federal law enforcement to protect the people the president was elected to protect.' Vance said he was grateful to federal law enforcement officials citing the 'good news' that the rioting had slowed down, but said it was still necessary to keep them on duty in case the riots flared back up. The vice president criticized both Bass and Newsom for encouraging a 'crisis' by extending government benefits to illegal immigrants and straining the local public services. He also criticized both leaders for inciting violent riots in response to the president's deportation orders and endangering local law enforcement officials. 'I think it's disgraceful that we've ever gotten to this point,' Vance added. The vice president also ridiculed Sen. Jose Padilla for causing a scene at a press conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last, leading her bodyguards to wrestle him to the ground and handcuff him. 'Well I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question but unfortunately I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater,' he said when asked to respond to the incident. 'I think we ought to laugh them out of the building, we ought to call them out for doing what they are doing which is grandstanding.' President Donald Trump deployed 700 U.S. Marines to the city after protesters rioted in response to increased ICE raids and deportations of illegal immigrants. Vance's visit takes place after Newsom, who is considering a 2028 Ron for president, loudly protested the deployment of military forces to help quell the riots. Newsom warned that 'democracy was under assault,' because the president ignored his plea to deescalate the riots and protests. He described the deployment of federal troops and Marines unnecessary and illegal, filing a lawsuit to contest the president's deployment. Vance's trip takes place just after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Thursday in favor of the president's authority to deploy military forces. 'The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters 'pinned down' several federal officers and threw 'concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects' at the officers,' the court's decision read. 'Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van's windows. The federal government's interest in preventing incidents like these is significant.' The Marines were tasked with protecting federal buildings. Last week they detained a man for walking onto the property of a Los Angeles federal building but he was released without charges.
