TfL worker smirked as she told Muslim woman she could travel “as long as you have no bombs”

A Transport for London (TfL) employee informed a Muslim woman and her friends that they could travel from Stratford station with their celebratory balloons so as long as they were not carrying ‘any bombs’.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the Muslim woman, who wears the niqab, spoke of her shock at the employee’s Islamophobic statement and sought clarification. To which, the TfL employee added with a smirk: “You can carry them as long as you don’t bomb them up”. All three women were left upset that such comments had ruined a morning of personal celebrations.

The incident occurred hours after a neo-Nazi terrorist murdered 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15.

She described the employee as being female, black, but was unsure of their age when speaking with Tell MAMA.

Tell MAMA will raise this case further with Transport for London, and in writing, given the discriminatory and Islamophobic attitudes displayed. The woman has already submitted her complaint to TfL.

Tell MAMA has continued to document the often-disproportionate abuse, discrimination and violence directed at Muslim women who wear the niqab, which is an affront to their fundamental right to freely practice their religious beliefs and wear religious clothing, regardless of how conservative some interpret it.

Examples of discriminatory behaviour directed at women who wear the niqab have included being denied entry onto buses and told to remove their niqabs over ‘security concerns’ at school open days with their children. Disproportionality in the use of counter-terror policies impacts upon Muslims more broadly. Others have been subjected to abhorrent racist abuse and called ‘suicide bombers’.

Tell MAMA recorded a temporary rise in reports following Islamophobic comments made by the former Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, which included a Muslim woman being called ‘postbox’ as they walked to work.

The post TfL worker smirked as she told Muslim woman she could travel “as long as you have no bombs” appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: bomb, News, Niqab, TFL, train

Police Arrest Six Teenagers After Newcastle Mosque Attack Where Qurans Were Ripped Up

Police have arrested six teenagers after an Islamic centre was ransacked in an attack in which copies of the Quran were ripped up and windows were smashed.

The incident happened at the Bahr Academy on Benwell Lane, Newcastle – formerly the set of the children’s TV show Byker Grove – at 9pm on Monday.

Northumbria Police said there was significant damage and have classed it as a hate crime.

In January, there was a similar break-in and vandalism at the centre and the offenders were never caught.

In the latest attack, copies of the Quran were ripped up and dumped on the floor, and windows were smashed.

The force said an 18-year-old woman, two 16-year-old boys, two 14-year-old boys and a 14-year-old girl have been arrested and remained in police custody.

Neighbourhood Inspector Alan Davison said: “This is a very distressing incident for members of the Bahr Academy, particularly as it is the second break-in this year.

“Although there is not the same racist graffiti as we saw in the first incident, we are treating this as a hate crime.

“We are aware of the impact incidents of this nature can have on the community and I want to be clear that this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.”

Officers will work with the academy to put measures in place to protect the centre and police will carry out high-visibility patrols.

The post Police Arrest Six Teenagers After Newcastle Mosque Attack Where Qurans Were Ripped Up appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Bahr Academy, Newcastle, News

Pair Held on Suspicion Of Conspiracy To Distribute Terrorist Publications

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute terrorist publications.

West Midlands Police said the arrests took place on Tuesday in Birmingham and Doncaster and were carried out by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit with the support of South Yorkshire Police.

A 36-year-old man from Birmingham and a 35-year-old man from Doncaster are being questioned by counter-terror officers at a police station in the West Midlands.

The arrests, both on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute terrorist publications, were pre-planned and intelligence led, the force said.

Police added that addresses in Birmingham and Doncaster continue to be searched.

The post Pair Held on Suspicion Of Conspiracy To Distribute Terrorist Publications appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Birmingham, Doncaster, News, Terrorist material, West Midlands Police

Druze protest Trump’s backing of Israeli sovereignty on Golan

Dozens of Druze Arabs, some carrying Syrian flags and pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, gathered on the Golan Heights on Saturday to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s support for Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

The mountainous plateau was part of Syria until Israel captured it in the 1967 Middle East war, annexing it in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally.

Israel regards the Golan as a strategic asset because its peaks overlook northern Israeli towns and southwest Syria, where battles from an eight-year civil war have raged in view.

Some 22,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam, live in the Israeli-occupied Golan, and many still have relatives on the Syrian side of the fortified boundary.

“This land has sovereignty and its sovereignty is the Syrian Arab Republic,” said local resident Rafiq Ibrahim, dressed in traditional Druze black garb, in the town of Majdal Shams.

Trump on Thursday said it was time to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, marking a major shift in U.S. policy. Syria pledged to take back the territory and there was widespread international criticism of the U.S. move.

The post Druze protest Trump’s backing of Israeli sovereignty on Golan appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Bashar Al Assad, Donald Trump, Druze Arabs, Golan Heights, News

Revealed: DFLA Polish Group Provide ‘Security’ for Yellow Vester James Goddard as He Attended Magistrates Court

We can today reveal that when James Goddard attended court at Manchester Magistrates Court four days ago, he was accompanied by members of the Democratic Football Lads Alliance Polish division.

The DFLA Polish division held its first ‘annual general meeting’ on the 27th of January 2019 and individuals involved with it have included Tomasz Gawdziakowski and Shaun Holt. Here is a picture of Tomasz Gawdziakowski.

Another key figure in the Polish Division of the DFLA is Matthew Bartnik. He stated the following below on the Facebook screen shot. “Gerard Batten spoke to me today about Poles remaining in the UK after Brexit. Don’t believe the media. Vote UKIP”.

Here is Matthew Bartnick with Shaun Holt.

Within this news article, it is clear that Holt and Bartnick are providing the security for Goddard showing that there are inter-relationships between the Yellow Vest movement in the U.K and the DFLA Polish division. The video in this article shows them to be around Goddard.

Journalists were called ‘scum’ by James Goddard at this hearing and what is also troubling is how such individuals in these groups slide into other groups and how they are attempting to enter into settled communities of Polish heritage, (see below).

For example, associations between Husaria Manchester, which our sister organisation Faith Matters has written about, and the DFLA Polish division can be highlighted through such photographs (below) taken in Manchester recently at an event commemorating fallen Polish WWII soldiers. In the picture are Karol Kamil Peruta of Husaria Manchester with Matthew Bartnik, Shaun Holt and Tomasz Gawdziakowski (all three of the DFLA).

 

The post Revealed: DFLA Polish Group Provide ‘Security’ for Yellow Vester James Goddard as He Attended Magistrates Court appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: DFLA Polish Division, Far Right groups, James Goddard, Manchester Magistrates Court, Matthew Bartnik, News, Shaun Holt, Tomasz Gawdziakowski, Yellow Vester

Man in Court Accused of Trying to Kill Bulgarian Teenager – Heard Shouting About ‘White Supremacy’ in Attack

A man accused of trying to kill a teenager in an alleged terror attack after being heard ranting about “white supremacy” has appeared in court.

Vincent Fuller, 50, is said to have lunged through a car window at 19-year-old Dimitar Mihaylov’s head and neck with a knife in a Tesco car park on Town Lane, Stanwell, last Saturday night.

The alleged victim, believed to be from Bulgaria, was left with superficial wound to the neck and a 4cm laceration to his left hand which he raised as he tried to defend himself.

Fuller, of Viola Avenue, Stanwell, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’

Court in central London on Saturday charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife over the incident.

Prosecutors are treating it as terrorism because Fuller was allegedly heard shouting “white supremacy” and “I’m going to kill Muslims” in the hours leading up to the attack.

He is also said to have expressed agreement with the Christchurch terror attack the previous day, which left 50 people dead.

Fuller, wearing a grey sweater and grey tracksuit bottoms, appeared in the dock flanked by two police officers – who wore facial coverings to conceal their identities due to the nature of their work.

He spoke to confirm his name, date of birth, address, and that his nationality was British before listening to prosecutor James Cable outline the allegations against him.

Fuller is further charged with causing racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence over an alleged incident with his neighbour, who is of Indian heritage, earlier on the evening of March 16.

Fuller is also charged with affray and possession of an offensive weapon after allegedly using the baseball bat to indiscriminately attack occupied cars.

He was not required to enter pleas to any of the charges and his lawyer, Fadi Daoud, made no application for bail.

District Judge Michael Snow remanded him in custody and sent the case to the Old Bailey, where Fuller will appear on Friday as part of the court’s next terrorism list.

The judge told Fuller: “All charges are now sent to the Central Criminal Court to be heard there.

“You will appear there, almost certainly, by way of videolink on March

29 when the judge will give directions for the smooth running of the case

The post Man in Court Accused of Trying to Kill Bulgarian Teenager – Heard Shouting About ‘White Supremacy’ in Attack appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Dimitar Mihaylov, Far Right groups, I'm Going to Kill All Muslims, News, Racially aggravated, White Supremacy

Teens target Muslim mother and daughter with shooting sounds and gun gestures

A group of teenagers made machine gun sounds and directed gun gestures at a Muslim mother and her young daughter as they passed each other on a London street.

The incident took place at around 10:23 am today (March 22) in the north-western part of the city.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the mother, who wears the hijab, agreed to have her story told anonymously.

The incident mirrors similar incidents in Oxford and Southampton which were reported to Tell MAMA following last week’s terror attack which left 50 Muslims dead in New Zealand.

She described her fears and a desire to protect her daughter by walking away from the abuse, which she felt was directed at her as a Muslim because of her hijab.

Given the young age of her daughter, she described how she did her best to distract them from the abuse and downplay the gravity of the situation as to not worry them further.

Tell MAMA reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police for intelligence as the woman did not want to take the matter further.

She described the teenagers as being a mix of males from white and black backgrounds.

We have seen an unprecedented spike in reports to our service, rising by 593 per cent, in the week which followed the Christchurch mosque terror attack, with 95 reports. Of which, 89 per cent made direct reference to New Zealand.

Of the online cases reported to Tell MAMA, examples included praise for the suspect Brenton Tarrant, a self-avowed white supremacist, to dehumanising and racialised comments celebrating the murder of ‘P*kis’ (despite the victims coming from a range of ethnic backgrounds), and generalised Islamophobic statements which justified this form of terrorism as a form of retaliation. Some accounts went as far as to argue that Islam should be removed from society regardless.

Other recent examples of Islamophobic incidents this week include the vandalism of five mosques in Birmingham, which is being investigated by counter-terror police. Counter-terror police are still questioning a 50-year-old man in connection with a far-right inspired stabbing in Surrey last Saturday.

Tell MAMA has documented more than 150 incidents against mosques and Islamic institutions, where information is held in the public domain, since May 2013, in an interactive map.

Given this sharp rise in reports to Tell MAMA, both online and offline, we urge Muslims, Islamic institutions, and members of the public to follow our safety tips.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

The post Teens target Muslim mother and daughter with shooting sounds and gun gestures appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: gun, hate crime, New Zealand, News, shooting sounds

New Zealand Killer Will Spend Life in Isolation in Prison says Prime Minister

New Zealand’s deputy prime minister says the man accused of killing 50 people in two mosques will spend the rest of his life in isolation in prison and called for solidarity to eradicate “hate-filled ideologies”.

Winston Peters was speaking at an emergency session of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Co-operation’s executive committee called by Turkey to combat prejudice against Muslims after the attack.

Mr Peters’ attendance comes amid controversy sparked by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who, at election campaign rallies, has been screening video clips of the attack, despite efforts by New Zealand to prevent the video’s spread.

Mr Erdogan also drew Australia’s anger for comments suggesting Australians and New Zealanders with anti-Muslim sentiments would be sent back in coffins like their ancestors who fought against Turks in the First World War Battle of Gallipoli.

Mr Peters took a conciliatory tone on Friday, welcoming comments by Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who said at a news conference at the end of the OIC meeting that Australians and New Zealanders visiting Turkey would be greeted at Gallipoli remembrance ceremonies next month with the same welcoming hospitality “as they always were”.

Mr Peters said: “We are returning home to New Zealand with a grateful assurance that our people will come here to commemorate Anzac and will be as welcome as they always were.”

He said he did not discuss Mr Erdogan’s use of the footage with Turkey’s foreign minister or president.

“I did not see any sound, peaceful purposes in raising it,” Mr Peters said, adding that they had received “very assuring information” from the Turkish presidency.

Mr Peters told representatives of Muslim nations: “No punishment can match the depravity of (the gunman’s) crime but the families of the fallen will have justice.”

He also screened moving photographs of New Zealanders mourning the victims.

Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, was arrested and charged with murder. The gunman livestreamed the attack and released a manifesto describing his white supremacist views and how he planned the shootings.

The OIC urged all countries to refrain from statements and policies that associate Islam with terror and extremism. It also demanded that March 15 – the day of the Christchurch attack – be marked as the International Day of Solidarity Against Islamophobia.

Addressing the OIC meeting on Friday, Mr Erdogan praised New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, saying her “reaction, the empathy displayed, and her solidarity with Muslims” should serve as an example to all leaders.

He condemned populist politicians who he said encouraged attacks on Muslims and refugees.

“Politicians who pave themselves the road to power by alienating Muslims and creating enemies out of refugees must pull themselves together.”

He also called for neo-Nazi groups to be considered terrorists.

He said: “If we don’t show our reaction in a strong manner, the neo-Nazi virus will engulf the body even more. If we don’t raise our voices, Western governments will not disrupt their comfort.”

The post New Zealand Killer Will Spend Life in Isolation in Prison says Prime Minister appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Brenton Tarrant, Christchurch, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand, News

Mosques Remain Under Security One Week After the Christchurch Massacre

Mosques will remain under heightened security for Friday prayers a week after the Christchurch terror attack, while counter-terror police investigate a spate of “abhorrent” vandalism.

The West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit was working with police after five mosques in Birmingham had their windows smashed in a “despicable act” on Thursday.

The motive is unknown but a series of suspected Islamophobic hate crimes have blighted the UK following the massacre of 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand by a suspected right-wing extremist.

Two were charged after a report a taxi driver in Rochdale was abused and threatened by people referencing the terror attack, and far-right symbols were spray-painted near a school in Oxford.

An Asian man in London was left with a head injury following a “horrible hate crime assault”, and a man was being questioned following a suspected terror attack in Stanwell, Surrey.

Scotland Yard said on Thursday that officers would be continuing increased patrols, while working with Muslim communities and faith leaders to give security advice.

Commander Mark McEwan said: “This approach will continue … as well as over the week ahead with policing tailored in response to local community concerns and needs.

“This has specifically taken into account Friday prayers and vigils in response to the attack in New Zealand.”

There has been no intelligence linking the events in the UK with the attack in Christchurch during Friday prayer last week, but the efforts have been taken to reassure communities.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, speaking after a meeting between Muslim leaders and police at the capital’s City Hall on Thursday night, said: “Mosques should always be sanctuaries, places where people feel safe to worship and practise their faith in peace.”

Farooq Aftab, a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, stressed the need to be alert to danger.

“We have heard what’s going on in Birmingham, and we have to be on our guard and we have to be vigilant,” he said.

A sledgehammer had been used to smash some of the windows during those attacks.

Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said: “This is an abhorrent, despicable act that is clearly designed to create fear in our communities who are actually cherished in Birmingham.”

Police were collecting forensic evidence and examining CCTV to identify a suspect.

The post Mosques Remain Under Security One Week After the Christchurch Massacre appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Christchurch, Christchurch massacre, Islamic, mosques, News