Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

Weeks of disorder in Leicester because of an India-Pakistan cricket game. 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/19/fifteen-arrested-to-deter-further-disorder-in-leicester-say-police

The national press have not covered this well (not least because they just don't seem to be there) - it's difficult to understand what's been going on from the Guardian or BBC.

Via Sunder Katwala it looks a bit more organised with stirrers from Muslim and Hindu communities whipping things up and organising them. It seems like it started with Hindu marches shouting sectarian slogans (and reports of people travelling from London to join).

Then there were Muslim counter-protests (again reports of people travelling from other bits of the country to join in), with the police separating them - including pulling down the flag of a Hindu temple.

Plus what looks like usual types who take advantage of anything like this - so gangs, extremists etc. But from what I read it was going on before the game that just added a bit more fuel to the fire

Edit: In defence of the Guardian great thread below by their reporter who says they've only done the barebones of the story right now but are hoping to get much more out later this week:
https://twitter.com/ainajkhan/status/1571636803852967939?s=20&t=ohvyvNfJ-9gEEssM-r92mw

[Sheilbh]

Again, strikingly gracious from Sinn Fein - though (again) note the people of "British identity" from "our community". For all the current issues it is a sign of how things have come that there's two members of Sinn Fein at a royal funeral, plus the Taoiseach and President. At the last royal funeral the President actually wanted to attend but was vetoed by de Valera who thought it would be wholly inappropriate:

Michelle O'Neill
@moneillsf
Today I respectfully join leaders from Britain, Ireland & the international community at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as she is laid to rest. It is a sad day for her family who mourn her loss, and all those of a British identity from across our community who grieve also.

[Valmy]

Then there were Muslim counter-protests (again reports of people travelling from other bits of the country to join in), with the police separating them - including pulling down the flag of a Hindu temple.

Was it because the flag had a symbol that was unfortunately co-opted by controversial German political party?

[Sheilbh]

Was it because the flag had a symbol that was unfortunately co-opted by controversial German political party?

No - just a saffron flag.

[Valmy]

Why would they take that down?

[Sheilbh]

Why would they take that down?

Because there's been escalating sectarian protests and counter-protests - that was one of the escalations.

[Tamas]

Why would they take that down?

Because there's been escalating sectarian protests and counter-protests - that was one of the escalations.

Looks like there is indeed some national-level interest in sectarian violence:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/19/half-those-arrested-over-clashes-in-leicester-from-outside-county

It is rather depressing that as the whole Catholic vs. Protestant thing is dying out even in Northern Ireland, we are starting the whole Muslim vs. Hindu thing.

[Sheilbh]

Looks like there is indeed some national-level interest in sectarian violence:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/19/half-those-arrested-over-clashes-in-leicester-from-outside-county

That's good - I think one of those reporters did the Twitter thread I linked to earlier saying she would be doing more reporting this week.

It is rather depressing that as the whole Catholic vs. Protestant thing is dying out even in Northern Ireland, we are starting the whole Muslim vs. Hindu thing.

I don't know if I'd say it's dying out, sadly - though it has moved from violence which is great. But it was also present in Glasgow and (less so because it didn't get entangled with football) Liverpool - I remember growing up and you'd see Orange marches.

But I think that is the comparison and especially as Indian politics has taken a turn with Hindutva I think that'll have an effect on diaspora communities - which will then spread with WhatsApp and social media and rumouors. Interesting that it seems to have been mainly Muslims but also Sikhs v Hindus which I think probably reflects a bit of the Hindu chauvinism that's being pushed by Modi.

There's also a real echo of it in seeing local and national faith leaders calling for calm v hot-headed young men (often on their way to being radicalised) covering their faces, provoking the other side etc.

Edit: Incidentally this is why I worry about a Leicester by-election. I think Claudia Webbe should step down given her conviction for harassment. But there were lots of reports that George Galloway had set his sights on that seat for his next campaign and I think that would just be throwing fuel onto flames at the minute because he woud run a loathsome, sectarian campaign

[Gups]

Edit: Incidentally this is why I worry about a Leicester by-election. I think Claudia Webbe should step down given her conviction for harassment. But there were lots of reports that George Galloway had set his sights on that seat for his next campaign and I think that would just be throwing fuel onto flames at the minute because he woud run a loathsome, sectarian campaign

The Muslim population of Leicester is pretty small, less than 5% I think so not massively fertile ground for him.

[The Larch]

It seems that the Met's heavy handed methods of dealing with protestors have fans after all... Brazilian far righters.

Met handcuff peaceful anti-Bolsonaro protester to delight of Brazil's far right
Police accused of unnecessary force as president's son shares video of detention to show Britons 'don't like communists either'

The Metropolitan police have been accused of using unnecessary force and handing a propaganda coup to Brazil's far right after a peaceful demonstrator was detained and handcuffed during a protest outside the Brazilian ambassador's London residence.

Ali Rocha, a 50-year-old Brazilian and British citizen, and her flatmate were intercepted by officers on Sunday lunchtime as they joined a protest against Brazil's radical rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, who was in the UK for the Queen's funeral.

Rocha, who was carrying three placards denouncing Bolsonaro's assault on the Amazon and a backpack containing a loudhailer, was not arrested or charged with any offence.


Met handcuff peaceful anti-Bolsonaro protester to delight of Brazil's far right
Police accused of unnecessary force as president's son shares video of detention to show Britons 'don't like communists either'

A screen grab of Ali Rocha being detained by Metropolitan police at a demonstration outside the Brazilian embassy in London.
A screengrab of Ali Rocha being detained by Metropolitan police at a demonstration outside the Brazilian embassy in London. Photograph: Twitter
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and Vivian Ho in London
Tue 20 Sep 2022 10.00 BST
The Metropolitan police have been accused of using unnecessary force and handing a propaganda coup to Brazil's far right after a peaceful demonstrator was detained and handcuffed during a protest outside the Brazilian ambassador's London residence.

Ali Rocha, a 50-year-old Brazilian and British citizen, and her flatmate were intercepted by officers on Sunday lunchtime as they joined a protest against Brazil's radical rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, who was in the UK for the Queen's funeral.

Rocha, who was carrying three placards denouncing Bolsonaro's assault on the Amazon and a backpack containing a loudhailer, was not arrested or charged with any offence.

Advertisement

But she said she was handcuffed for about 20 minutes before being released and escorted past a group of Bolsonaro supporters who had also gathered outside the ambassador's Mayfair home.

"I was very shocked and shaken and now I'm just angry and disgusted," said Rocha, a Brazil-born producer and journalist who is a British citizen.

Footage of the incident has been distorted and used to smear the left on social media by members of Brazil's far right.

Bolsonaro's politician son Eduardo Bolsonaro shared images of Rocha's detention with his more than 6.5m followers on Twitter and Instagram, falsely claiming she had been arrested by police. "Woman in [leftwing] T-shirt was arrested while trying to disrupt pro-Bolsonaro protest," he wrote beneath the minute-long clip.

As Rocha is handcuffed, a narrator in the footage celebrates the police action, saying: "They don't like communists here [in the UK] either. Look, they're handcuffing her. She's been handcuffed and she's going to jail."

A Metropolitan police spokesperson confirmed that shortly after 1.10pm on Sunday police stopped two women "who they had reason to suspect may have been in possession of items to commit criminal damage".

"Both women were searched. One of the women was initially placed in handcuffs to safely facilitate the search after she repeatedly ignored instructions not to place her hands in her pockets. The handcuffs were subsequently removed," the spokesperson added.

"No items of concern were found on the two women who were stopped and they were allowed to continue on their way without any further action."

The spokesperson declined to comment on how footage of the incident was being used as far-right propaganda, because of the political nature of the issue.

The incident comes after civil liberties campaigners voiced alarm over the police response to anti-monarchy protesters in the lead-up to the Queen's funeral.

Rocha, the co-founder of a campaign group called Brazil Matters, said she had wanted to protest Bolsonaro's "absurd and disrespectful" attempt to exploit the Queen's funeral for political purposes.

Brazil is two weeks away from a presidential election in which Bolsonaro looks likely to lose power. Reports in the Brazilian media suggested he thought rubbing shoulders with world leaders in London might boost his flagging campaign.

"We didn't want him to come to London unchallenged," Rocha said.

"We wanted to protest about his policies of death, his destruction of the Amazon, the genocide of black and Indigenous peoples and the general disrespect to human rights."

Rocha, who was a friend of Dom Phillips, the British journalist murdered in the Amazon in June with Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, said she was approached by police shortly after reaching the street on which Bolsonaro was staying.

"They came straight at me ... [One male officer] grabbed me by the arm and just started taking me to this corner and while he was talking to me he was holding both my wrists really strong. He was hurting my wrists. I was asking him: 'Why are you holding me? Let me go.'"

"He kept saying: 'We've received some intel that someone in a red T-shirt was going to commit criminal damage ... so I'm going to search you and you are detained," added Rocha, who was wearing a red T-shirt at the time.

Soon after the officer "got the handcuffs out and turned me around and handcuffed me with my hands behind my back".

"I was in a state of shock ... we knew the police were on high alert because of the funeral and all the state leaders that were here but we never expected anything like that."

Footage of the incident seen by the Guardian shows a male officer searching Rocha's pockets before handcuffing her and saying: "I told you, 'Don't go reaching towards your pockets again – and you reached' ... It's not my fault you chose not to listen."

"I felt very disrespected. I've never been handcuffed before. I've never been detained before," said Rocha. "Why was I treated this way? So violently, so aggressively."

[Tamas]

Lol told ya' all: apparently one of the thing in Truss' emergency budget coming up this Friday is a cut to stamp duty.

We had property prices freezing for a couple of months m, that always prompts the government to action.

[viper37]

Weeks of disorder in Leicester because of an India-Pakistan cricket game. 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/19/fifteen-arrested-to-deter-further-disorder-in-leicester-say-police

People over there always riot over their sports.

[Sheilbh]

Lol told ya' all: apparently one of the thing in Truss' emergency budget coming up this Friday is a cut to stamp duty.

We had property prices freezing for a couple of months m, that always prompts the government to action.

I, for one, am delighted we finally have a government brave enough to tackle the lack of demand for housing in this country.

[Sheilbh]

Positive move on Ukraine - government has said they will match or exceed 2022's total support to Ukraine in 2023 (based on cost - not just sending the same stuff again ).

[Tamas]

Positive move on Ukraine - government has said they will match or exceed 2022's total support to Ukraine in 2023 (based on cost - not just sending the same stuff again ).

It will turn out the real historical significance of Thatcher defending the Falklands will be that it happened at all. Can you imagine if she decided against it? Truss and her ilk would never do any military-related ever, to avoid risking becoming heretics.

It would also have turned Josq a rabid jingoist.