Germany, Portugal say time not ripe to recognize Palestinian state

LONDON: Dozens of graves, including those of babies and young children, were desecrated in a suspected Islamophobic hate crime in the British town of Watford, near London, prompting widespread condemnation and sorrow from the local community.

The vandalism, which affected up to 85 graves, is under investigation by Hertfordshire Police. Officers have yet to make any arrests, The Independent newspaper reported on Monday.

The damage was discovered over the weekend by a grieving family visiting the cemetery following a recent burial. The distressing scene sparked an immediate outpouring of grief and support.

A spokesperson for Wadi Funeralcare described the vandalism as “unspeakable acts of disrespect,” and added: “Their pain and anguish was deeply felt by all of us. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals and organizations who responded swiftly and stood in solidarity with the affected families and our wider community.”

The spokesperson said the incident had “deeply shaken” the Muslim community but the swift response and shared outrage reinforced the “strength we have when we stand together.”

The leader of the local Brent Council, Muhammed Butt, urged members of the public to come forward with any information that could help police, and expressed his sympathy for the bereaved families.

“I cannot imagine how they must be feeling at this moment,” he said. “It looks as though Muslim graves have been targeted in what appears to be an Islamophobic hate crime.

“There is absolutely no place for hate or discrimination of any kind anywhere, but particularly in London, a city where everyone is welcome and our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.”

Brent Council will replace the damaged name plaques and work to restore the cemetery to its proper state, he added.

“We will return Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery to a peaceful, quiet place of remembrance as quickly as possible once the police have finished their investigation,” said Butt.

Hertfordshire Police confirmed that officers were still at the site carrying out inquiries. Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson, from the Local Policing Command, said the force was treating the incident with the utmost seriousness.

“This is an abhorrent incident and one that will understandably spark an emotive reaction in the community,” he said.

“We are continuing to work closely with our local community leaders and our partners at Brent Council, which owns the site, to identify those families who have been affected but we appreciate that this will take some time.

“At this stage, we are keeping an open mind as to the nature of this incident and in the coming days we will continue to engage with our Muslim communities to provide support and reassurance.

“We’re also working with specialist officers in the constabulary to ensure we remain sensitive and respectful to the needs of the communities involved.”

LONDON: Outdated laws unfit for the social media age hampered police from countering false claims that helped fuel anti-immigrant violence in Britain last summer, an investigation by lawmakers said Monday.
Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee said limits on disclosing details of criminal investigations “created an information vacuum that allowed disinformation to flourish” after three children were stabbed to death at a summer dance party in July.
The attack in the northwest England town of Southport shocked the country and triggered days of disorder after far-right activists seized on incorrect reports that the attacker was a Muslim migrant who had recently arrived in the UK
Over several nights, crowds attacked housing for asylum-seekers, as well as mosques, libraries and community centers, in the worst street violence Britain had seen since riots in 2011.
Attacker Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 when he carried out the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, is the British-born son of Rwandan Christian parents. He is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 52 years for killing Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, and wounding eight other children and two adults.
Longstanding contempt-of-court rules, intended to ensure fair trials, hampered police in correcting online misinformation, and a ban on naming suspects under 18 meant the attacker’s identity was withheld from the public for several days.
A tweet falsely identifying the attacker, posted on the day of the stabbings, was retweeted thousands of times and viewed by millions of people, the lawmakers said. Police did not state that the information was false until the next day, and even then did not release the attacker’s name.
Conservative lawmaker Karen Bradley, who heads the Home Affairs Committee, said “bad actors sought to exploit the unspeakable tragedy that unfolded in Southport.”
“By failing to disclose information to the public, false claims filled the gap and flourished online, further undermining confidence in the police and public authorities,” she said. “The criminal justice system will need to ensure its approach to communication is fit for the social media age.”
The committee of lawmakers from both government and opposition parties also said police struggled to monitor the sheer volume of content on social media. It called for government support “to monitor and respond to social media at a national level.”
The government said it agreed that “social media has put well-established principles around how we communicate after attacks like this under strain, and we must be able to tackle misinformation head on.” It has asked the Law Commission to carry out a review into contempt of court rules.
The government also has set up a public inquiry into how the system failed to stop the killer, who had been referred to the authorities multiple times over his obsession with violence.
The lawmakers’ committee, which heard from police, prosecutors and experts during its inquiry, also said there was no evidence to support allegations of “two-tier policing” in Britain. Politicians and activists on the political right have argued that those arrested over the summer disorder were treated more harshly than climate change activists or Black Lives Matter protesters.
More than 1,000 people have faced criminal charges over the violence, which saw 69 police officers treated in hospitals.
“Those participating in disorder were not policed more strongly because of their supposed political views but because they were throwing missiles, assaulting police officers and committing arson,” the lawmakers said. “It was disgraceful to see the police officers who bore the brunt of this violence being undermined by baseless claims of ‘two-tier policing.’”