Pro-refugee, anti-fascist stickers vandalised in Walthamstow

A member of the public spoke of their anger and disgust after stickers welcoming refugees and anti-fascist in nature were vandalised on several lampposts in Walthamstow.

The individual spotted the vandalism when out walking over the Bank Holiday weekend along Coppermill Lane – the first vandalised sticker found appeared just past Rensburg road, showed a ‘Refugees Welcome’ sticker vandalised in black marker pen to read ‘Refugees Not Welcome’. They removed the racist vandalism upon closer inspection.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, they described seeing anti-fascist stickers marked with black crosses through the logos in a similar-sized tip, as another ‘Refugees Welcome’ sticker bore similar markings before someone(s) aggressively scratched out the family in the logo.

The witness believed the vandalism was carried out by the same individual(s) given the nature of the handwriting and use of marker pen.

The manner of the vandalism ‘alarmed’ them, given the anger directed the depiction of a refugee family when scratched out so aggressively – stressing their belief that those responsible felt emboldened by the political climate and rhetoric of some politicians and wanting to target vulnerable refugees and those opposed to racism and fascism.

As they walked further down Coppermill Lane, a sticker reading ‘No One Is Illegal’ had been scratched out, though other pro-refugee stickers remained or appeared after that.

After giving Tell MAMA permission to post their photographs, they believed the vandalism was recent, owing to the arrival of Afghan refugees.

Tell MAMA has long highlighted examples of racist and neo-Nazi stickers targeting Muslims, refugees, and other minorities.

We have flagged the racist vandalism of the sticker welcoming refugees to the Metropolitan Police.

More broadly, for those wishing to do so, there are many resources and articles dedicated to assisting Afghan refugees and showing solidarity, with helpful advice available for those wanting to help refugees about the practicalities and avoiding potential pitfalls when donating to small charities. For example, Bridgette Chapman, who works for a refugee charity in Kent, wrote: “Rather than contact overstretched charities to ask what’s needed, try taking a look at their website and social media to see if there are any specific requests.”

Tell MAMA extends their gratitude to the upstander who safely removed the sticker they came across.

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.

 

 

 

 

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Categories: hate crime, Metropolitan Police, News, refugee, Waltham Forest, Walthamstow

Racist rants about Taliban and terrorism after sitting behind Muslim family

A Muslim family described how a couple had sat behind them on a bus in the Southwark area and loudly discussed the Taliban and other “Islamic terrorists” in a manner intended to provoke a response.

The family, who are South Asian, and the women present wear hijabs, overhead a white male also loudly describe how Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were “Islamic terrorists” in a prolonged rant. He also ranted about how, “we went over there, we killed the Taliban before, but now they’re back we’re gonna have to go again.”

Speaking to Tell MAMA, one of the family members said the man, described as being white and in his mid-to-late twenties or early thirties, continued to make repeated reference to “Islamic terrorists” even when the white woman next to him did say that “not all Muslims are terrorists” but he continued with the rants.

They added that they would not report the incident to the police as they did not feel intimidated but, instead, to raise public awareness.

The incident occurred on the evening of August 16 in the Old Kent Road area.

Tell MAMA continues to document how anti-Muslim and Islamophobic abuse, threats, forms of discrimination, and in cases, violence harm the mobility of Muslims when using public transport.

Due to the overlap between the offline and online world, we continue to urge the public to report harmful and racist content on social media to our service, given our trusted flagger status across all major social media platforms that grants us prioritised flag reviews and increased actionability status.

South Yorkshire Police recently arrested a 42-year-old woman in the Sheffield area. They questioned her about malicious communication and racially aggravated public order offences about the tragic death of five-year-old Afghan refugee Mohamed Munib Majeedi – as questions remain about the suitability of the hotel to host refugees.

Acting Detective Inspector Lee Corker said: “I would like to remind people that comments made online can have serious consequences.

“Hate speech or hate crimes will not be tolerated in person or online and will be dealt with robustly by officers.”

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.

 

 

 

 

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Categories: bus, London, News, Taliban, TFL, Transport for London

Racist rants about Taliban and terrorism after sitting behind Muslim family

A Muslim family described how a couple had sat behind them on a bus in the Southwark area and loudly discussed the Taliban and other “Islamic terrorists” in a manner intended to provoke a response.

The family, who are South Asian, and the women present wear hijabs, overhead a white male also loudly describe how Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were “Islamic terrorists” in a prolonged rant. He also ranted about how, “we went over there, we killed the Taliban before, but now they’re back we’re gonna have to go again.”

Speaking to Tell MAMA, one of the family members said the man, described as being white and in his mid-to-late twenties or early thirties, continued to make repeated reference to “Islamic terrorists” even when the white woman next to him did say that “not all Muslims are terrorists” but he continued with the rants.

They added that they would not report the incident to the police as they did not feel intimidated but, instead, to raise public awareness.

The incident occurred on the evening of August 16 in the Old Kent Road area.

Tell MAMA continues to document how anti-Muslim and Islamophobic abuse, threats, forms of discrimination, and in cases, violence harm the mobility of Muslims when using public transport.

Due to the overlap between the offline and online world, we continue to urge the public to report harmful and racist content on social media to our service, given our trusted flagger status across all major social media platforms that grants us prioritised flag reviews and increased actionability status.

South Yorkshire Police recently arrested a 42-year-old woman in the Sheffield area. They questioned her about malicious communication and racially aggravated public order offences about the tragic death of five-year-old Afghan refugee Mohamed Munib Majeedi – as questions remain about the suitability of the hotel to host refugees.

Acting Detective Inspector Lee Corker said: “I would like to remind people that comments made online can have serious consequences.

“Hate speech or hate crimes will not be tolerated in person or online and will be dealt with robustly by officers.”

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.

 

 

 

 

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Categories: bus, London, News, Taliban, TFL, Transport for London

Northumbria Police investigating menacing letters sent to Muslim woman

Northumbria Police are investigating two menacing anti-Muslim and Islamophobic letters sent to a Muslim woman, one of the letters included the ominous statement, “we will watch you burn alive”.

Copies of the letters seen by Tell MAMA contain further examples of racist language, like “go back to where you come from” and “go back”.

One letter contains the anti-Muslim and misogynistic phrase “f****** Muslim c***” and insists that “you’re not welcome in our community”.

An extract of one of the letters

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the woman who wishes to maintain anonymity described her concern that those responsible may have links to a previous employer, adding that she faced harassment and gaslighting about the successes in her role before leaving.

Officers have taken steps to safeguard the woman, including increasing patrols in the local area.

As protocol, we advise members of the public and Islamic institutions when dealing with racist and harmful materials sent in the post to:

  • Letters and envelopes must be kept and handled minimally to preserve evidence
  • Place the letter and the envelope in a clean and sealable plastic bag to stop further contamination
  • Call the police on 101

A copy of a second letter sent to the Muslim woman.

We will continue to provide further updates as the investigation progresses.

To protect the integrity of the investigation and the identity of those impacted, we are not disclosing further details at this time.

 

 

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Categories: Uncategorized

Interpreter appeals to UK Government to help families left in Afghanistan

An Afghan interpreter has pleaded with the UK Government to help the families “who offered their sons when your sons needed help” in the fight against terror.

The 35-year-old man and his brother started helping British forces when he was just 17 before emigrating to the UK in 2011.

Although he is now a British citizen, his brother and parents remain trapped in Kabul as the Taliban move to complete their lightning quick takeover of the country.

The interpreter, who gave his name only as Mr Hottak to protect his family’s identity, is now planning a protest outside Parliament on Wednesday to demand the UK offer asylum to all interpreters and their families.

He told the PA news agency: “That nation (Afghanistan) had lost all hope when it was under the Taliban regime, they were only alive, they weren’t living.

“But the international community came, they gave them hope, they gave them dreams, they started living with humanity, and then suddenly you pull out the rug from under their feet and leave them alone like that.

“To the audience here in the UK please, support these interpreters and their families, their parents, their siblings, those who have offered their sons when your sons needed help.

“We supported you in that war against terror, many of us carry mental and physical scars.

“Our parents and our families have supported us against all the odds and against all our relatives who were against aiding the Americans in that country.”

The interpreter said that only today the father of a fellow interpreter in Paktia province was shot dead in front of his family when he refused to reveal the whereabouts of his son.

His own parents are currently in hiding while his brother – having finally been granted asylum in Britain – is desperately trying to get a flight out of Kabul.

“My parents are among the victims who gave two of their sons to the British forces to do work alongside them in the war against terror and today they are left behind to face the cruelty and brutality of the Taliban,” Mr Hottak said.

When asked if he had faith in the Taliban’s promises that human rights would be respected, he replied: “Do you think that’s fair that you are giving people the choice of either leave the country or we will butcher you? Do you think that’s a fair deal to strike with the Taliban?”

Mr Hottak continued: “The Americans betrayed us – toppling our entire system and blaming the Afghan nation for it, saying that we should fight.

“How would you fight a zombie group that all they know is to kill?”

Appealing to the British people, Mr Hottak said: “I don’t want you to be in my shoes but for a second just think how would you feel knowing that your parents, your siblings, could be killed for the crimes that you have committed?”

He added: “Your crime is serving your country, fighting against terrorism, but today the international community are running away and leaving your parents behind.

“There is nothing that I as an individual can do, but as a UK citizen I have the right to ask ‘do not leave me to suffer like this, bring my loved ones here with me’.”

Mr Hottak is being supported in his campaign by Afghanistan veteran Major Andrew Fox, who served three tours in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2010 with the Royal Welsh and later the Parachute regiment.

Major Fox, 42, said any promises from the Taliban not to take revenge against those that had helped the British and Americans as “pure lies”.

“They are monsters and they are simply trying to get the west on side with their takeover,” he said.

“What they are saying doesn’t match anything at all that I am hearing about on the ground and people messaging me from Afghanistan,” Major Fox said.

“They are going door-to-door, they are threatening people, they are calling them up and saying they are going to hunt them down, they are passing messages saying, ‘we are coming back once the Americans have left’.”

He added: “I’ve seen images of soldiers executed on their doorsteps and units that have tried to surrender being executed to a man.

“So their words and their actions in no way line up. I don’t believe a word they are saying, they are monsters and they are simply trying to get us onside.”

Major Fox said it was imperative to keep the issue of evacuating interpreters and their families uppermost in MPs’ minds as they reconvene to debate the Afghan crisis on Wednesday afternoon.

“I think the Government are going to do their best, it is a really fiendishly complicated situation in Afghanistan,” he said.

He added: “It is something that needs resolving and we can’t just walk away from a moral obligation – we have to do everything we can to get as many people out as possible.”

The protest is due to take place at Parliament Square at 10am.


Read More: Afghan Interpreters Who Fought With Us Have Been Let Down

The post Interpreter appeals to UK Government to help families left in Afghanistan appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Afghan Interpreter, Afghanistan, British forces, Mr Hottak, News

Interpreter appeals to UK Government to help families left in Afghanistan

An Afghan interpreter has pleaded with the UK Government to help the families “who offered their sons when your sons needed help” in the fight against terror.

The 35-year-old man and his brother started helping British forces when he was just 17 before emigrating to the UK in 2011.

Although he is now a British citizen, his brother and parents remain trapped in Kabul as the Taliban move to complete their lightning quick takeover of the country.

The interpreter, who gave his name only as Mr Hottak to protect his family’s identity, is now planning a protest outside Parliament on Wednesday to demand the UK offer asylum to all interpreters and their families.

He told the PA news agency: “That nation (Afghanistan) had lost all hope when it was under the Taliban regime, they were only alive, they weren’t living.

“But the international community came, they gave them hope, they gave them dreams, they started living with humanity, and then suddenly you pull out the rug from under their feet and leave them alone like that.

“To the audience here in the UK please, support these interpreters and their families, their parents, their siblings, those who have offered their sons when your sons needed help.

“We supported you in that war against terror, many of us carry mental and physical scars.

“Our parents and our families have supported us against all the odds and against all our relatives who were against aiding the Americans in that country.”

The interpreter said that only today the father of a fellow interpreter in Paktia province was shot dead in front of his family when he refused to reveal the whereabouts of his son.

His own parents are currently in hiding while his brother – having finally been granted asylum in Britain – is desperately trying to get a flight out of Kabul.

“My parents are among the victims who gave two of their sons to the British forces to do work alongside them in the war against terror and today they are left behind to face the cruelty and brutality of the Taliban,” Mr Hottak said.

When asked if he had faith in the Taliban’s promises that human rights would be respected, he replied: “Do you think that’s fair that you are giving people the choice of either leave the country or we will butcher you? Do you think that’s a fair deal to strike with the Taliban?”

Mr Hottak continued: “The Americans betrayed us – toppling our entire system and blaming the Afghan nation for it, saying that we should fight.

“How would you fight a zombie group that all they know is to kill?”

Appealing to the British people, Mr Hottak said: “I don’t want you to be in my shoes but for a second just think how would you feel knowing that your parents, your siblings, could be killed for the crimes that you have committed?”

He added: “Your crime is serving your country, fighting against terrorism, but today the international community are running away and leaving your parents behind.

“There is nothing that I as an individual can do, but as a UK citizen I have the right to ask ‘do not leave me to suffer like this, bring my loved ones here with me’.”

Mr Hottak is being supported in his campaign by Afghanistan veteran Major Andrew Fox, who served three tours in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2010 with the Royal Welsh and later the Parachute regiment.

Major Fox, 42, said any promises from the Taliban not to take revenge against those that had helped the British and Americans as “pure lies”.

“They are monsters and they are simply trying to get the west on side with their takeover,” he said.

“What they are saying doesn’t match anything at all that I am hearing about on the ground and people messaging me from Afghanistan,” Major Fox said.

“They are going door-to-door, they are threatening people, they are calling them up and saying they are going to hunt them down, they are passing messages saying, ‘we are coming back once the Americans have left’.”

He added: “I’ve seen images of soldiers executed on their doorsteps and units that have tried to surrender being executed to a man.

“So their words and their actions in no way line up. I don’t believe a word they are saying, they are monsters and they are simply trying to get us onside.”

Major Fox said it was imperative to keep the issue of evacuating interpreters and their families uppermost in MPs’ minds as they reconvene to debate the Afghan crisis on Wednesday afternoon.

“I think the Government are going to do their best, it is a really fiendishly complicated situation in Afghanistan,” he said.

He added: “It is something that needs resolving and we can’t just walk away from a moral obligation – we have to do everything we can to get as many people out as possible.”

The protest is due to take place at Parliament Square at 10am.


Read More: Afghan Interpreters Who Fought With Us Have Been Let Down

The post Interpreter appeals to UK Government to help families left in Afghanistan appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Afghan Interpreter, Afghanistan, British forces, Mr Hottak, News

SACKED: Legal assistant shared abhorrent Facebook posts, including about throwing boiling water over Muslim children

A legal assistant sacked after promoting violence against Muslim children and ‘jokes’ about the paedophilia of Jimmy Savile and taking class A drugs on public Facebook posts had their claim for unfair dismissal over her pregnancy dismissed by an employment tribunal.

Leanne Livesey had, according to the tribunal ruling, posted a ‘joke’ about gravely assaulting Muslim children by throwing boiling water over them during a water fight – and given the public nature of the horrific content, it took little time for management to find them, as evidenced by a screen recording presented to the tribunal.

When Senior Associate at Slater and Gordon Victoria Higgins scrolled through the publicly accessible timeline of Ms Livesey, they were “appalled at the nature of the posts, which in her assessment expressed racist views, joked about Jimmy Savile’s crimes against children, and joked about taking class A drugs.”

The Facebook search, however, was pure chance. Ms Higgins, when scrolling one evening, saw the profile of Ms Livesey appear under “People you may know” on Facebook

It came hours after a probationary meeting that detailed Ms Livesey’s performance that fell far below expected standards. It was during this meeting that mention of a hospital appointment came to the attention of senior staff.

Concerns about a hospital appointment and its validity stuck with Ms Higgins, given the pandemic and the short notice of the appointment, only raised during the probation review meeting.

Her curiosity convinced her to click on Ms Livesey’s profile as Ms Higgins maintained concerns about her poor performance, unaccounted working hours, and a sudden hospital stay. Curious to see if they had shared anything about their hospital stay, Ms Higgins, however, was instead horrified by what she found – and in disbelief that a colleague could hold such abhorrent and harmful views.

After raising the issue with HR and in evidence to the tribunal, the judgment noted how “it would have taken very little time and effort to see the offensive posts in question” and judged Ms Livesey’s response “objectionable and wholly inappropriate” when questioned about the content on her Facebook.

The violent post towards Muslim children and the posts about Jimmy Savile caused Ms Higgins the most alarm, given their number of Muslim clients (some of whom could easily find the content), leaving her feeling physically ill.

At present, the firm is representing victims of the Manchester Arena terror bombing and had once represented the survivors of Jimmy Savile’s paedophilic sex crimes.

Given the firm’s role of working with those impacted by catastrophic injuries, bereaved families (many who had experienced loss from road accidents) required deep empathy from the staff at Slater and Gordon – the opposite of what appeared on the Facebook wall of Ms Livesey.

The meeting that followed felt like a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ scenario for Ms Higgins as when they presented the Facebook posts, Ms Livesey proved “really defensive and did not say much” who declined an offer of legal advice, nor could they provide any explanation for the horrific content. Instead, arguing that the content pre-dated her employment with the firm, despite the most recent flagged most having appeared online three months before their employment began and never denied making the posts.

Dismissing Ms Livesey proved difficult, given her pregnancy and the unemployment levels during the pandemic, but given the severity of the content coupled with their poor performance, the only suitable outcome would be to terminate their employment, both contributing factors in the loss of trust. As the tribunal noted, “these posts were so awful, in the opinion of Ms Higgins, that she definitely did not trust her after having read these and she did not want to work with someone who held those types of views.”

Pregnancy or not, Ms Higgins would have arrived at the same conclusion: they failed the probationary period with one week’s payment in lieu of notice.

Dismissing the claim of discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy, the tribunal ruled that it would prove “simply inconceivable in the face of the Facebook evidence that (she) was dismissed in any way at all because of or by reason of or in connection with her pregnancy.”

Following the ruling, Miss Livesey apologised to Ms Higgins, as reported in The Mirror newspaper and other media outlets.

 

 

 

 

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Categories: discrimination, Employment Tribunal, Manchester, News

Anaesthetist guilty of injecting partner with drugs during distorted Ruqya exorcisms

A hospital anaesthetist is facing jail after injecting his partner with drugs during a series of exorcism ceremonies, leaving her close to death with multiple organ failure.

Hossam Metwally, 60, made dozens of video recordings of himself administering fluids through a cannula to Kelly Wilson while chanting as part of a “dangerous perversion” of the Islamic Ruqya ritual, a court heard.

A jury at Sheffield Crown Court was warned about the disturbing nature of the content before it was shown extracts from 200 clips the doctor recorded over four years, mainly at his home in Grimsby, north-east Lincolnshire.

Some of the recordings show Ms Wilson strapped to a bed, in others she is in a bath, and some show a white liquid being administered – on occasions using an electronic device.

In one clip from 2016, Metwally can be heard chanting and after he revives his partner with smelling salts, she asks “have you raped me?” and requests the police.

Metwally, who is originally from Egypt, told the jury he performed rituals on Ms Wilson to exorcise evil spirits, called Jinns, but said he only used holy oil and did not inject anaesthetics.

Following an eight-week trial, the jury on Thursday took just two hours to find the father-of-four guilty of endangering Ms Wilson’s life through the unlawful and deliberate intravenous administration of anaesthetics or sedative agents and drug possession offences.

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told the jury he had “never been involved in a more bizarre case” in his 41-year legal career and said Metwally had been convicted on the “clearest possible” evidence.

Judge Richardson lifted a reporting restriction on Friday, allowing the trial to be reported for the first time, after Metwally admitted two further charges of voyeurism.

Opening the case for the prosecution in June, John Elvidge QC described how an investigation began after Ms Wilson was taken to the Diana, Prince of Wales Hospital in Grimsby – the hospital where Metwally also worked – on July 4, 2019.

Paramedics had arrived at Metwally’s home to find her in a deep coma, on the brink of a cardiac arrest and with a fluid line inserted in her chest.

Mr Elvidge said: “She was critically ill. It was obviously an emergency situation. The medical team at the hospital feared she may suffer a total organ failure and the serious possibility that she might die.”

The prosecutor said Metwally “chose not to reveal that he and Ms Wilson had been engaging in an exorcism ritual on the evening of July 3 2019 during which he had administered anaesthetic sedative agents and then had to give her oxygen support”.

The court heard Metwally qualified as a doctor in Egypt and worked in Saudi Arabia before coming to the UK in 1996 and Grimsby in 1999.

He worked in Goole, Scunthorpe and Grimsby and ran his own pain clinic in the port town.

Metwally met Ms Wilson, now 33, in about 2013 when she was a student nurse. The jury heard she had a history of depression and her health deteriorated so she stopped working as a nurse.

Mr Elvidge said “Dr Metwally gave people the impression that he was supportive of Kelly Wilson and yet he was willing to fuel her appetite for drugs which went well beyond what her general practitioner was prepared to supply.

“Put another way, he knowingly fed her addiction.

“More than that he habitually administered potentially lethal anaesthetic drugs to perform Muslim exorcism rituals known as Ruqya on Ms Wilson.

“That administration and the use of restraints were his own dangerous perversions of such rituals.

“The prosecution say Dr Metwally is a charlatan and he abused his position as a doctor to gain her confidence and encouraged her to become intoxicated using dangerous substances that rendered her into such a state that she forfeited all control over her body to him.”

The jury heard how Metwally held a “vast stock of drugs” at his Laceby Road home, including ampoules of ketamine, propofol, fentanyl and Diazemuls.

An imam told the jury the Ruqya is a valid practice but would never involve drugs or sedation.

He said the case was “quite disturbing” and watching the video clips made him feel “really upset”.

Metwally was found guilty of the intravenous administration of anaesthetic drugs to sedate Ms Wilson which endangered her life; the supply of various controlled drugs or medicines and the possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.

He also admitted a charge of fraud during his trial.

Judge Richardson remanded Metwally in custody until he is sentenced on September 20 and told him a prison term “of some substance” is inevitable.

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Categories: Djinn, Hossam Metwally, Islamic exorcisms, Jinn, News, Ruqya, Sheffield

Racist dog walker targeted Muslim joggers in Hounslow

Two Muslim women were out jogging in a park in Feltham when a racist woman targeted them with abuse and set their dog towards them.

Sahar, who contacted Tell MAMA and wanted to go public about this anti-Muslim and Islamophobic attack, describing the fear felt and for her friend, who wears the hijab and a shalwar kameez, was told, “I’m tired of you f**king Indians and being afraid of dogs,” adding that the racist woman had attempted to assault her friend. Her friend was left shaken in the immediacy of the attack but felt better after that.

During the attempted assault and abuse, the racist woman dropped her phone, and in these moments, they were able to record her as she continued to be abusive until they contacted the police, as the perpetrator soon went quiet.

The attack occurred on the evening of July 20 at around 8:30 pm.

The Metropolitan Police closed the subsequent investigation after neither woman wanted to go to court but requested that the perpetrator receive a warning.

Both women, who are Pakistani, described the perpetrator as a white woman in her mid-to-late fifties.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, Sahar said: “We might be Asian, but we have our rights, some of us are too scared to come forward, and we were too scared to take the matter to court. We were already having a bad day and wanted to go for a walk, and this incident made it worse. We all have our trauma, and maybe some of us have been bitten by a dog when we were younger? We all have our mental health issues, you don’t know what we are facing at home, and these people just come and make it worse. Some of us can fight this mental health, but most of us cannot. I can no longer go for a walk in the park I used to walk every day in. It is going to stay there forever in our heads. Whenever we see a woman who looks like her [the perpetrator], we will think she is going to come and attack us.”

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.

 

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Categories: London, Metropolitan Police, News

Derbyshire Teenager Threatened to Plan Attack in Dover Against Muslim Refugees

A 15-year-old boy set up an extremist right-wing group after spending a “concerning amount of time online” during the first national lockdown, a court has heard.

The teenager, from south Derbyshire, ran the openly racist channel, which had 38 subscribers, on the encrypted Telegram app from August 5 last year, when he was 14.

He vetted others into private chat groups where they talked about “doing something” against ethnic minorities, and discussed weapons, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

The boy downloaded a video of the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, in which gunman Brenton Tarrant shot and killed 51 people, and saved an image of a “leader board” of right-wing terrorists, including the number of people they had killed.

In one post, he wrote in capital letters: “I am planning a(n) attack against the Dover coast where every Muslim and refugee has been given safe(t)y if your interested tell me now.”

The youngster, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty in June to possessing a terrorist publication called the Anarchy Cookbook Version 2000, disseminating a terrorist publication, and encouraging terrorism, in August and September last year.

A 16-year-old boy, from Kent, who was a member of the Telegram chat group, admitted disseminating a terrorist publication called the White Resistance Manual by sending an electronic link in August which allowed others to access it.

During a sentencing hearing on Monday, prosecutor Alistair Richardson said: “Both defendants’ messaging, and analysis of their devices, demonstrates a deep-rooted, extreme right-wing, racist ideology of an abhorrent, entrenched and concerning nature.”

The 15-year-old received a caution in September 2019 for sending pictures of bombs to a fellow school pupil over Snapchat.

He has previous convictions for hate crimes, after threatening to blow up a mosque on January 20 last year, and assaulting an emergency worker, by headbutting a police officer who came to his home.

The court heard he also made a string of phone calls to mosques across London and was twice referred to the Government’s Prevent de-radicalisation programme.

Mark Luckett, defending, said his client has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adding: “It is clear at some point he had been manipulated.

“The offences occurred during the first national lockdown. (He) appears to have spent a concerning amount of time online during which has unfortunately led him down a very dark rabbit hole.”

The lawyer said the boy “lacks maturity”, his “primary focus was on computer games”, and he “didn’t understand what he was doing”.

He told the court the boy was “encouraged by the number of responses he has from other members of the group”, who referred to him as “the commander”.

Addressing Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, the 15-year-old said he wants to go to university to study veterinary medicine or zoology.

“I don’t hold those views and I don’t know how I got to hold those views. That’s not the person I am,” he said.

“I spent a lot of time in my bedroom doing nothing. I think I need to be a normal child again.”

The 16-year-old said: “I’m really sorry. I will never touch that aspect of belief in my life and I will stop anyone I can from even trying to touch it.”

Mr Goldspring adjourned sentencing to September 9, remanding the 15-year-old into youth custody and granting the older boy conditional bail.

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Categories: Attack, Derbyshire teenager, Dover, Far Right groups, News, refugee