Displaying items by tag: London

An Al Quds Day march will be held in London on 18 June. This is a day chosen by the late Ayatollah Khomeini to call for Israel to be destroyed. Previous marches have seen displays of support for anti-Semitic Hezbollah, causing great distress to Jewish communities. A Friends of Israel group in North London is encouraging people to email the mayor of London and ask him to take action on this issue. The military wing of Hezbollah is a terrorist group, but the political wing is not. However it is widely recognised that they are one, controlled by a single command structure and sharing the same flag. Hezbollah operates terrorist cells in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and targets Israeli and Jewish communities around the world.

Data released by the Metropolitan Police showed that the number of reported acid attacks in London rose by 74% in 2016; over 1,800 attacks involving corrosive fluid have been reported since 2010. Acid is a popular weapon for gangs, as it is easy to obtain and it can be difficult to identify the attacker. Schoolchildren are increasingly using acid as a weapon instead of knives. The attacks, known as ‘dosing’, happen when youths smuggle acid or ammonia into school hidden inside drinks bottles. One 18-year-old told the Sunday Times that many were using bottles of cheap household cleaner as weapons. He claimed he has carried acid since he was 12, and said that he could get it for £5 and mess someone’s whole life up. He added, ‘A lot of people ain’t got the heart to stab people. It’s just easier to squirt someone.’ The police are appealing for parents’ help in tackling the problem.

On Wednesday a British-born man, Khalid Masood, drove a car along the pavement on Westminster Bridge, knocking down, injuring and killing pedestrians. He then ran towards Parliament and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman. Armed security police killed the terrorist. The police and MI5 had investigated him years ago, but he was ‘peripheral’ and not part of the current intelligence picture. Eight arrests in London and Birmingham followed Wednesday's attack. The murdered policeman was PC Palmer, to whom Mrs May paid tribute by saying, ‘He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten’. Others killed by the attacker were Aysha Frade, who worked at a London college, and Kurt Cochran. an American tourist. Seven of the injured are still in hospital in a critical condition. A further 29 have been treated in hospital. Pray for comfort and support for all who are grieving and / or suffering physical and mental injuries.

In a keenly-awaited white paper, Brexit secretary David Davis today set out the Government’s negotiating strategy for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Launching the 77-page document in a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Davis said the paper confirmed the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘an independent and truly global United Kingdom’. Confirming that the UK’s strategy would be guided by the twelve principles set out by Mrs May in her Lancaster House speech last month, Mr Davis said the Government was aiming for ‘a new, positive and constructive partnership between Britain and the European Union that works in our mutual interest’. The white paper was published a day after MPs voted overwhelmingly to permit Mrs May to press ahead with starting withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties.

Ex-UKIP chief Nigel Farage has accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of hypocrisy for attacking US President Trump’s travel ban while inviting ambassadors from countries which refuse entry to Israeli citizens. At a meeting in City Hall on Tuesday night, Khan condemned Trump’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ for being a ‘cruel, prejudiced and counterproductive’ policy. Also present at the reception were diplomatic representatives from eleven of the sixteen countries which do not allow entry to Israelis. Farage took to Twitter to call the London mayor a hypocrite. However, LSE professor and Middle East expert Fawaz A Gerges told the Independent that the two situations are totally different. ‘Trump’s ban is a Muslim ban, based on religious discrimination and racial discrimination. The relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbours is one of war since 1947 - for the last 70 years. By trying to force comparison, it just flies in the face of reality, it’s apples and oranges, sky and sea,’ he said. ‘What Trump has done has undermined America as a moral voice in the world.’