thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Human Rights Lawyers Call For Coronavirus Fines Review In Wake Of Dominic Cummings Saga

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Civil liberties groups and human rights lawyers are demanding an urgent review of all coronavirus police fines issued under emergency powers amid accusations of “double standards” following the controversy surrounding Dominic Cummings.
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Boris Johnson’s special adviser drove his wife and child 260 miles from London to Durham during lockdown after his wife developed Covid-19 symptoms and also made a 30 mile trip to Barnard Castle – but insisted he had done nothing wrong.
Durham Police later said Cummings “might have broken lockdown rules” but that it would have been a “minor breach” and they wouldn’t be taking any further action.
However, campaigners are angered by the move and say those who feel they were wrongfully fined will feel there is one rule for those in powerful positions and another for ordinary people.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top aide Dominic Cummings leaves his north London home as the row over his trip to Durham during lockdown continues. PA
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One man who was given a fine by police for visiting a beach with his family told HuffPost UK how he is unrepentant as he feels he did nothing wrong. He has vowed not to pay the £60, saying he believes police are “abusing their powers” and that “it is one rule for high up people and another for the little people on the street.”
Around 15,000 fixed penalty notices have been issued by police in England and Wales for alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules since the regulations came into force at the end of March.
There are separate rules for managing coronavirus in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England, the new lockdown rules from May 13 increased fines in England, meaning individuals can be fined on the spot up to £100 for a first offence, rising to £3,200 for repeat offences.
However, rights groups and lawyers are calling for a review of all fines amid concerns that “a significant number of fixed penalty notices have been wrongly issued”.
They are also arguing that the outcry surrounding Dominic Cummings shows there must be consistency in law for people in less powerful and privileged positions.
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Daniel Brooks, 49, who lives in Oban on the West Coast of Scotland, told HuffPost UK he was handcuffed and taken to a police station on May 2 after he and his family were discovered at a beach by police officers.
Daniel Brooks on a beach with his wife Deborah and their four children Daniel Brooks
In Scotland, although the once-a-day exercise limit has now been removed, the “stay at home” message remains.
Brooks, who is a conservationist, told HuffPost UK that he, his wife Deborah and their four children aged between one and 12 live in a block of flats without a garden and walked about an hour to get to a beach.
“It’s not healthy to be cooped up anywhere and we went to the beach to get some exercise and vitamin D,” he insisted. “It keeps you sane as when you feel locked in, your mental health starts to go and your relationships with your partner and children can suffer.
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“Social distancing is the responsible thing to do and if you are on the beach and still keeping away from people, I don’t think you are doing anything wrong.
“There was nobody else on the beach. We were the only people there.”
“It’s not healthy to be cooped up anywhere and we went to the beach to get some exercise and vitamin D. It keeps you sane as when you feel locked in, your mental health starts to go.” - Daniel Brooks
Brooks says that he and his family were having a “beautiful time” on the beach playing frisbee and splashing in the water when two police officers arrived at the scene.
He admitted that a couple of weeks earlier, the same officers had spotted them on the beach and told them to go home as they were flouting the lockdown rules.
“On that occasion, we had already been there a few hours and I didn’t want any conflict so we packed up and went home,” said Brooks. “But this time, I told them I did not think we were doing anything wrong.”
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Fun on the beach: Daniel Brooks with his one-year-old son Oak Daniel Brooks
Brooks added: “No crime has been committed – you are just breaking their rules which are not real law.
“I told them they were overstepping their authority and disturbing the peace.”
Brooks was asked for ID but did not have any. When he refused to give his full name to the police officers, they handcuffed him and took him to the police station.
On arrival, a superior officer gave him two choices – give them his details so they could fine him, or spend three days in jail.
Brooks reluctantly handed over his details and the hand cuffs were removed and he was driven back to the beach. He is refusing to pay the fine.
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“High up people and big corporations get away with things and commit horrendous crimes all the time. But when the little person on the street does something, they get everything thrown at them.” - Daniel Brooks
“They are totally abusing their powers.” he said. “High up people and big corporations get away with things and commit horrendous crimes all the time. But when the little person on the street does something, they get everything thrown at them.
“It is absolutely one rule for them and one rule for us.”
Brooks says not only does he not regret his actions in going to the beach, he and his family are continuing to go to beaches.
“I have no regrets about going to the beach. We did nothing wrong. We did not commit a crime. We did not hurt anyone or threaten anyone or put anyone at risk.
“We have been to the beach many times during lockdown and have always socially distanced and been to very secluded areas where there’s no one else out there.
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“I am a responsible man and do not need to be told what is right and wrong. I am very respectful of other people and making sure we keep our distance.”
Daniel Brooks daughter building sandcastles on a beach Daniel Brooks
A Police Scotland spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “We can confirm a 49-year-old man was issued with a fixed penalty notice in the Oban area on Saturday May 2 relating to a breach of the Covid-19 regulations.
“Our officers will continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation, encourage compliance and will use enforcement only when necessary.”
Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch and human rights barrister Kirsty Brimelow called for a CPS review of all prosecutions under emergency laws and they are now demanding a review of all police fines.
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The CPS confirmed that everyone charged by police under the new coronavirus laws was wrongfully accused.
In a joint letter, Fair Trials, Inquest, Liberty, Netpol, Police Action Lawyers Group and StopWatch, are urging the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Martin Hewitt to “instigate a national review of all Fixed Penalty Notices” since they believe they were “issued with less scrutiny” than the charges under review by the CPS.
The only way someone can contest a penalty is by risking a prosecution and going to a magistrates’ court, which could incur legal and financial risks.
Campaigners are cautioning that many people are paying fixed penalty notices even if they are inappropriately issued to avoid this risk.
They also believe the Cummings incident has highlighted a real disparity and many people now believe they should be shown similar leniency.
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Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, told HuffPost UK: “We’ve compiled evidence of heavy handed and sometimes unlawful policing under emergency laws. There have even been scores of unlawful prosecutions.
“This ‘Wild West’ policing is dangerous and risks being normalised at a time of crisis.
“It’s vital that police review all the fines they’ve issued. Our analysis indicates well over 1,000 of them may have been wrongly and unfairly issued.”
She added: “If the fact Dominic Cummings was socially distancing allowed him to travel 260 miles and throw in a day trip, a lot of people who were also socially distancing yet fined for less will feel that they deserve leniency.
“There should be no double standards under the law.”
“If the fact Dominic Cummings was socially distancing allowed him to travel 260 miles and throw in a day trip, a lot of people who were also socially distancing yet fined for less will feel that they deserve leniency.” - Silkie Carlo, Big Brother Watch
Human rights barrister Kirsty Brimelow told HuffPost UK Durham Police were correct to say Cummings would have been told to go home, not fined.
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“Enforcement should be used as a last resort,” she said. “However, this approach has not been applied to people up and down the country. Undoubtedly, people will continue to feel that it is one rule for those in powerful positions and another for those without that cover.
“Undoubtedly, people will continue to feel that it is one rule for those in powerful positions and another for those without.” - Kirsty Brimelow, human rights barrister
“This is damaging to both law and institutions. It will make policing by consent and cooperation more difficult. The government should set up a panel to review all fixed penalty notices issued.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council told HuffPost UK they had received the letter and are considering it. However, they have previously stated there are no plans to review fixed penalty notices.
Barrister Pippa Woodrow told HuffPost UK that in the case of Cummings, police appear to have assessed the public interest in punishing him – including the issuing of a fixed penalty notice – by reference to the public health danger he was causing.
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“That is a sensible approach which reflects the underlying basis for these draconian restrictions.” she said. “What is concerning is that it does not appear to have been applied to other people in less powerful and privileged positions.
“This provides yet more evidence for why it is vital that the government should agree all previous fixed penalty notices must be reviewed.
“The rule of law requires consistency. The quality of our justice system and law enforcement must not depend on how powerful your boss is.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--UK 'Winning The Battle' Against Coronavirus, Matt Hancock Says

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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Coronavirus case and death rates have fallen to levels last seen at the beginning of the UK lockdown, Matt Hancock has announced.
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The health secretary declared that the UK is “getting this virus under control” and “winning the battle”.
But he pleaded with members of the public to get coronavirus tests if they have new symptoms, with ministers facing questions over the effectiveness of its contact tracing programme.
Hancock also revealed that tracers were getting in touch with fewer contacts of infected people than previously envisaged, but said this “implies that people are following the social distancing rules”.
There were 1,570 confirmed coronavirus cases on June 1, “the lowest number since March 25” - two days after lockdown began, Hancock said.
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This was out of 128,437 tests - many times more the number of tests carried out on March 25, meaning the proportion of people testing positive for Covid-19 has dropped substantially.
There were also 111 deaths in the UK with coronavirus confirmed in a test - the lowest level since lockdown began on March 23.
On the further easing of the lockdown which came into force on Monday, the health secretary said: “We’re getting this virus under control and this is why we can make the cautious, small, positive steps that we’ve been able to make today.”
He added: “The data shows that we are winning the battle against coronavirus.”
But he warned that “the disease is not done yet” and urged people to continue following the government guidelines to ensure the UK’s progress isn’t “thrown away”.
Samples are taken at a coronavirus testing facility in Temple Green Park in Leeds ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Hancock also pleaded with the public to continue getting tested if they have symptoms amid fears the government’s 25,000 contact tracers were under-employed.
“It is incredibly important for anybody who has symptoms of coronavirus - a cough or a fever or a change in your sense of taste and smell - that you get a test.
“Because it’s by people coming forward to get the test... that we are able to identify those who have got the virus, ensuring you get the best possible treatment and ensuring that we can then trace the virus and through that we can control the virus.”
Hancock also insisted it was a “good thing” that tracers did not have much to do at the moment.
He added: “The level of incidence of disease has come down and so actually we have more capacity than we need, this is a good thing.”
He went on: “I think to err on the side of having too many contact tracers is the right side to err on.
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“I’d rather have too many people trained and ready to go.
“We’ve got 7,500 clinicians in the system which means that for every new case we have on average six clinicians able to support them.
“The number of contacts that each indexed case has is a bit lower than we were expecting, which implies that people are following the social distancing rules and are not coming into contact with large numbers of people, and that of course reduces the demand on the contact tracers.”
Professor John Newton said it was working well, stressing: “We do have a lot of capacity.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--This Is How Absolutely Massive The George Floyd Protests Are Across The US

Protests over the murder of an unarmed black man at the hands of a white police officer have reached every single US state, in a level of nationwide demonstration not seen since the 1968 assassination of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
Curfews are in place across dozens of cities and National Guard troops have been deployed to back up an already heavily militarised police in at least 23 states.
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The arrest on Friday of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged with third-degree murder in Floyd’s case, has not quelled the demonstrations which look set to enter their seventh night in some areas.
Two major highways in Manhattan were closed after being flooded with protesters chanting “no justice, no peace” and “Black lives matter”.
HuffPost UK
Thousands marched peacefully in Phoenix, Albuquerque and other cities, with some calling for an end to the fires, vandalism and theft, saying it weakened calls for justice and reform.
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“They keep killing our people,” said Mahira Louis, 15, who marched with her mother and several hundred others in a peaceful protest through central Boston.
“I’m so sick and tired of it.”
Protests in other cities have been met with violence – with police using tear gas and rubber bullets against the crowds, some of whom have thrown rocks, bricks and glass bottles at officers.
At least 4,400 people have been arrested, according to a tally compiled by the Associated Press.
Demonstrators march in the streets of Manhattan on Sunday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Historical cases of US police brutality Disgust over generations of racism in a country founded by slaveholders has combined with a string of recent racially charged killings to stoke the anger currently seen on the streets of the US. Black Americans are three times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans. The officers responsible are rarely prosecuted. This article will highlight a handful of high-profile cases throughout.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sunday saw the sixth straight night of protests in the city in which Floyd was killed.
In an extraordinary move, the Pentagon said it put military units on a four-hour alert to be ready if requested by the Minnesota governor to help keep the peace.
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A member of the Minnesota National Guard assists firefighters putting out a structure fire on Saturday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
“We’re not done,” said Darnella Wade, an organiser for Black Lives Matter in neighbouring St Paul, where thousands gathered peacefully in front of the state capital as state patrolmen and National Guard soldiers lined up in front of about a dozen military-style armoured vehicles.
“They sent us the military, and we only asked them for arrests.”
Among those protesting in Minneapolis was Michael Brown Sr, the father of Michael Brown, whose killing by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, set off unrest in 2014.
“I understand what this family is feeling. I understand what this community is feeling,” he said.
Minneapolis 2016 – Jamar Clark In 2016 24-year-old Jamar Clark was shot dead by police who said he was not handcuffed and had tried to seize one of their weapons. But witnesses said he was handcuffed and did not struggle with officers before he was shot. No police officers were charged.
Washington
The entire Washington, DC National Guard – roughly 1,700 soldiers – was called in to help control the protests, according to two Defence Department officials.
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As the protests grew, president Donald Trump retweeted conservative commentator Buck Sexton who called for “overwhelming force” against violent demonstrators.
Police in riot gear keep protesters at bay in Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington on Sunday night. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Secret Service agents had rushed Trump to a White House bunker on Friday night as hundreds of protesters gathered outside, some throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades.
The president spent nearly an hour in the bunker designed for use in emergencies such as terrorist attacks, according to a Republican close to the White House.
Critics accuse Trump, who is seeking re-election in November, of further stoking conflict and racial tension rather than seeking to bring the country together and address the underlying issues.
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LAW & ORDER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
“He’s not helping. [...] He is not leading, he is causing further disruption,” Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN on Monday.
“Unless he is going to speak unity and respect and reconciliation and reform for our communities, then I don’t think that he should make a statement at all. It will only make matters worse.”
Atlanta was among a string of cities where protests turned violent.
An Atlanta Police car burns as people protest near CNN Center in Atlanta. Dustin Chambers / Reuters
New York
New York City has seen widespread protests. The number of demonstrators hurt has not been reported, but police said 30 officers suffered minor injuries and 350 people were arrested.
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A police officer pulls a driver from a vehicle during looting in the SoHo shopping district on Sunday evening. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mayor Bill de Blasio said police conduct was being investigated, with videos showing a police vehicle lurching into a crowd of protesters who were pelting it with debris in Brooklyn.
De Blasio said he had not seen a separate video showing an officer pulling down the mask of a black protester to spray something in his face.
New York City 2014 – Eric Garner Eric Garner’s dying words, “I can’t breathe,” uttered as a white police officer held him in a choke hold, became the rallying cry for many subsequent protests over his death. Last year attorney general William Barr ordered the case to be dropped and the police officer who administered the choke hold was fired but not charged.
California
In Los Angeles, numerous celebrities including Tessa Thompson joined demonstrations. She shared footage from a Los Angeles protest, which she said was “entirely peaceful” until the Los Angeles Police Department “arrived and escalated it”.
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Singer Ariana Grande, who had urged followers on Instagram to get involved, was spotted with a Black Lives Matter sign at protest in the city. On Sunday she tweeted that there were “hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage”.
Other celebrities seen at protests in various cities include Emily Ratajkowski, Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, John Cusack, J Cole, Paris Jackson, Lil Yachty and Machine Gun Kelly.
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There were clashes in other parts of California. In Santa Monica upscale stores were looted along the city’s popular Third Street Promenade before police moved in to make arrests.
The vandalism followed a largely peaceful march, Reuters reports.
California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles after overnight protests that evoked memories of the 1992 riots over the police beating of Rodney King.
Los Angeles 1991 – Rodney King Rodney King was savagely beaten by four police officers on the street in 1991, an event that a bystander managed to capture on camera. After a high-speed chase, King was eventually stopped and ordered out of the car and he was kicked and hit with batons for around 15 minutes. He had been suspected of drink-driving. A high-profile trial eventually saw all four officers acquitted, sparking of some of the worst rioting ever seen in an American city. Sixty-three people died and nearly 2,400 were injured.
Pennsylvania
Protesters reportedly threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police in Philadelphia.
Police are reflected as they stand guard in Philadelphia on Saturday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Kentucky
A protester was shot and killed in Louisville, Kentucky, overnight where police and National Guard troops are reported to have “returned fire” while trying to disperse a crowd.
“Officers and soldiers began to clear the lot and at some point were shot at,” Louisville Metro Police chief Steve Conrad said during a press briefing. “Both LMPD and National Guard members returned fire. We have one man dead at the scene.”
It has yet to be established if the man had in fact been armed.
A protester hides behind a board after police fired tear gas during a protest over the deaths of George Floyd on Saturday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ohio
A curfew is in place in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A street musician plays the drums in an intersection as demonstrators and officers from the Hamilton County Sheriffs Department and Cincinnati Police Department stand-off on Sunday. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cleveland 2014 – Tamir Rice Tamir RIce was just 12 years old when he was shot dead by a Cleveland, Ohio, police officer in 2014. He was holding a toy gun. No officers were ever charged.
Missouri
Hundreds of people came out to the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, with police deploying tear gas to disperse the crowds on Sunday evening. A curfew remains in place.
Police deployed tear gas at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City Star via Getty Images
Missouri 2014 – Michael Brown The shooting dead of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014 is recognised as one of the killings that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. Brown and a friend were stopped by police who suspected them of a robbery in which pack of cigarillos were taken from a shop. Accounts of the altercation that happened next vary but a white officer, Darren Wilson, shot the unarmed Brown six times. The town of Ferguson was subsequently the scene of extensive violent protests. Wilson was cleared of any crime.
North Carolina
A policeman fires a tear gas canister at protesters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jonathan Drake / Reuters
Texas
A protester, who was hit by an object fired by police, is aided by other protesters during a rally in Austin, Texas. Nuri Vallbona / Reuters
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Protests have also been reported in:
In the UK, Downing Street has raised concerns about the “very alarming” violence and the arrest of journalists covering the unrest sparked by the death of Floyd.
Boris Johnson’s administration said people must be allowed to protest peacefully and reporters should be free to do their job.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Trump Urges 'Weak' Governors To Crack Down On Anti-Racist Protests

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President Donald Trump called governors “weak” during a call on Monday, urging a tougher crackdown on anti-racist protests, it is claimed.
“Most of you are weak,” Trump told governors on a video call that also included law enforcement and national security officials, according to the Associated Press. “You have to arrest people.”
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And, according to CBS, he added: “You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you. You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate.”
Trump’s remarks came after days of protests prompted by the killing of George Floyd, who was pinned to the ground by Minneapolis police for nearly nine minutes; for much of that time, he was unresponsive. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who along with three others was fired over the incident, was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
While many demonstrators peacefully gathered, at points the protests turned violent, with some who attended the protests vandalising and stealing from businesses. Many states activated the National Guard to help with law enforcement, and many police responded to protesters with authoritarian tactics.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Equalities Watchdog Defends Impartiality After Jeremy Corbyn Questions Anti-Semitism Investigation

Hollie Adams - PA Images via Getty Images
The equalities watchdog has said it takes its independence “very seriously” after Jeremy Corbyn appeared to question the impartiality of its investigation of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.
In an interview with Middle East Eye on Monday, Corbyn said the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) was “part of the government machine”.
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The former Labour leader added accusations he had tolerated anti-Semitism in the party were “wrong and extremely unfair”.
The EHRC is conducting an inquiry into accusations the party discriminated against Jewish people.
Asked if he believed the EHRC’s inquiry would be influenced by what he saw as its lack of independence, Corbyn said: “Let’s see what happens.”
He added: “I think it’s quite significant that the Conservative government has underfunded the Equality and Human Rights Commission… and for some reason, which I don’t fully understand… decided to take away its independent status and make it part of the government machine.”
Labour MP Margaret Hodge said on Twitter that Corbyn’s comments were “a ridiculous & dangerous conspiracy theory”.
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The EHRC is a non-departmental public body. A spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “We are an independent regulator and take our impartiality very seriously.”
Corbyn’s four-and-a-half years as Labour leader were dogged by complaints of racism against Jews by some party members.
During the 2019 general election campaign, Britain’s chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis suggested Corbyn’s failure to tackle the issue made him unfit for high office.
After taking over as leader in April, Keir Starmer apologised to the Jewish community for anti-Semitism in the party and promised to “tear out this poison by its roots”.
Starmer has also set up an inquiry into a leaked internal report on how the party handled the accusations.
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The document found “no evidence” of anti-Semitism being handled differently from other complaints and that “factional opposition” towards Corbyn hindered efforts to tackle the crisis.
The leak of the document reignited Labour’s bitter civil war between left-wing supporters of Corbyn and the party’s centrists.
Allies of Corbyn said the document showed that elements of the party undermined his leadership.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Piers Morgan Admits Symptoms He Feared Were Coronavirus May Have Been Hay Fever

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Piers Morgan has admitted that what he recently thought were symptoms of coronavirus may have actually just been a severe case of hay fever.
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Last month, Piers missed a week’s worth of episodes of Good Morning Britain, claiming he had been showing symptoms of Covid-19.
As an essential worker, the divisive presenter was allowed to take a coronavirus test, which ultimately came back negative, and he’s now revealed he thinks the false alarm may have actually been due to hay fever.
Piers Morgan Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Over the weekend, Piers told his Twitter followers that his allergies were worse than usual, writing: “Worst hay fever I’ve ever had. Know pollen count’s very high, but anyone else getting it so bad?
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“Any theories as to why? Is reduced pollution during lockdown a factor?”
Fellow broadcaster Deborah Haynes then revealed that her own increased hay fever symptoms had led her to constantly reasusure anyone she’s around she’s not experiencing “anything Covid-y”, to which Piers responded: “Exactly! I genuinely thought I had it several weeks ago, now I’m sure it was bad hay fever.
“Lot of similar symptoms apart from the fever, ironically.”
Worst hay fever I've ever had.
Know pollen count's very high, but anyone else getting it so bad?
Any theories as to why?
Is reduced pollution during lockdown a factor? — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 31, 2020
I was wondering the same thing, plus whether anyone else is having to reassure strangers the pollen-fuelled-sneeze volley with streaming red eyes is chronic hay fever and not anything COVID-y...! — Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) May 31, 2020
Exactly! I genuinely thought I had it several weeks ago, now I’m sure it was bad hay fever. Lot of similar symptoms apart from the fever, ironically. — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 31, 2020
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Piers’ Covid-19 test proved to be a contentious issue when he revealed online that he’d taken one, reopening his long-standing feud with Lord Sugar.
“If this was Hugh Grant, Meghan or another of his enemies... he would be howling from the rooftops,” the Apprentice star claimed on Twitter.
Although Piers did not respond directly to Lord Sugar, he did write back to one Twitter user, who questioned whether or not as the host of GMB he was an “essential worker”.
When the woman in question pointed out that her daughter is a nurse, Piers responded: “Your daughter is an infinitely more essential worker than me.
“I was drawing no equivalence, just explaining the Govt’s designated all journalists & broadcasters covering the coronavirus crisis as essential workers too, which is why we can get a test if we show symptoms.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Watch Live: Matt Hancock Gives Latest Coronavirus Update

Watch Live: Matt Hancock Gives Latest Coronavirus Update
Health secretary Matt Hancock leads daily Downing Street press briefing alongside national testing coordinator Professor John Newton. It comes as restrictions begin to ease and children return to schools in England.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--A Minute Of Kindness: Little Boy Teaches How To Grow Your Own Veg On YouTube

A Minute Of Kindness: Little Boy Teaches How To Grow Your Own Veg On YouTube
This young gardener has been planting flowers, fruit and vegetables with his mother on lockdown. He also started a YouTube channel to teach people some tips for growing their own.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Delayed Report Into Impact Of Coronavirus On BAME Communities Due 'Shortly'

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A delayed report into the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities due to have been released by the end of last month will be published “shortly”, Public Health England (PHE) has said.
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In early May, PHE announced it would investigate how factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, age and gender affected people’s vulnerability to the virus.
Analysis by University College London found people from England’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities are two-to-three times more likely to die from Covd-19 than the general population.
Responding to a question from HuffPost UK at Wednesday’s Downing Street press conference, England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said PHE had assured him the report was “on schedule”.
“I regard this as very pressing and very important,” he said. “I believe the report is going to be very comprehensive when it comes out.”
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Van-Tam said the review would involve “enormous complexity” as it would have to “unpick” various factors, including age and underlying health conditions from ethnicity.
Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam has said the report is of "pressing" importance. PA Video - PA Images via Getty Images
But PHE was not not able to give a date for when the report would be released.
“We are finalising the report and it will be published shortly,” a spokesperson said.
“We’ve been peer reviewing and taking final comments from stakeholders prior to publication.”
A study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) last week also found minority ethnic nurses were more likely to have problems accessing protective equipment (PPE).
The RCN conducted a poll on more than 5,000 nurses about the provision of PPE, including more than 700 from BAME backgrounds.
It showed while 29% of white British nurses felt pressure to care for confirmed or possible Covid-19 patients without adequate PPE – this rose to 56% for BAME nurses.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Grimes Has A Surprisingly Simple Nickname For Baby X Æ A-Xii

Canadian singer Grimes made headlines earlier this month when she gave birth to her first child with billionaire Elon Musk. The couple revealed that they’d given the baby the name X Æ A-12, which raised more than a few eyebrows.
After clarifying how to pronounce little X Æ A-12’s name and then tweaking it to fit with California naming laws (the 12 was changed to the Roman numeral Xii), Grimes has now revealed what she has nicknamed her son, and it’s surprisingly much less complicated than you might think.
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ROBYN BECK via Getty Images
Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, told Bloomberg that she’d taken to calling the baby “Little X.”
Little X was born on May 4, and Grimes explained his unusual name’s meaning on Twitter a day later.
The 32-year-old wrote the X stood for “the unknown variable,” “Æ” is her “elven spelling of Ai (love &/or artificial intelligence) and “A-12” stood for the precursor to her and Musk’s favourite aircraft.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--UK Records 111 More Coronavirus-Related Deaths In 24 Hours As Lockdown Eases Further

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The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 39,045 – an increase of 111 over 24 hours.
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Since the end of April, the government’s daily announcement has included people in care homes and the community, rather than just in hospital, who have died.
But only those who had tested positive for Covid-19 are included, meaning anyone who died with a suspected case won’t be recorded.
The figures cover the period up to 5pm on Sunday and may be artificially lowered due to the weekend slump – deaths at weekends take longer to filter through to statisticians due to reduced staffing at various levels.
It comes after the number of people who have died in hospitals across the UK, as well as care homes in Wales, rose by 108 in England, one in Scotland, five in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. That adds up to 115 because the different nations record figures for slightly different daily windows and with slightly different verification processes.
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Meanwhile, in the 24 hours up to 9am on Monday, 128,437 tests were carried out – the number of people who received them has again not been disclosed – and the government claims it has a capacity of 206,444 tests a day.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-01--Britain's Record On Racism Is No Less Bloody Than America's

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It has become as familiar as school shootings—news from across the Atlantic of a Black person pulled over by police, sometimes by white vigilantes, and swiftly killed, no questions asked, few answers given.
As protests unfold, extending into occasional violence, outrage is expressed in the global media until the news cycle inevitably moves on. Until the next such event. Of course, it is the case that more such incidents are now filmed where they once remained undocumented, making it harder to turn our faces away. So it was with the horrifying nine minutes that led to the seeming daylight murder of George Floyd as he begged to be allowed to breathe.
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Shortly before this clip went viral, so had another one of a white woman in New York’s Central Park calling the police to falsely report an “African-American man” threatening her.
“A failure to engage honestly with history is, unfortunately, something that Britain shares with the United States.”
Here in Britain, it is customary to treat these occurrences as horrifying but bizarre features of life in the United States of America, along with a president who posts incendiary tweets. It’s just not the kind of thing we associate with Keep Calm and Carry On Britain. As Black Lives Matter protests took place yesterday in Manchester and London’s Trafalgar Square, some didn’t understand why these should take place in Britain, while others insisted: ”It’s showing there are people in the UK who care passionately about the situation in the US.”
One Asian DJ now tweeting his anguish at the “terrible events in America”, had asked, after riots broke out in Britain in 2011 pursuant to Mark Duggan’s death in police custody: “Is it time for the army to be called in?”
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It is not at all unusual in Britain, particularly in relatively progressive, white milieus, to believe that there is something uniquely malign about racism in the United States, that, for instance, it “obviously has a much deeper and darker history of black discrimination compared to the UK”.
“Britain too has signally failed to engage with the history of its empire and the racism, both deep and extensive.”
Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Now, it is true that the long history of anti-Black racism in the United States, which allows us to draw tragically straight lines from tree lynchings to the countless horrific moments when men like Eric Garner and George Floyd were killed by state agents, is a specific one. America is a country that was founded on the dispossession of indigenous peoples and the enslavement of Africans. It has not only failed to undertake a serious reckoning with the lethal afterlife of these events but continues to keep the metaphorical boot on Black lives, incarcerating and executing Black men disproportionately, while large swathes of the African-American community live in a state of continued economic and social disenfranchisement. In the riots we now witness, the justifiable anger of a racialized underclass is writ large. This is a community who, along with Indigenous Americans, are owed massive historical reparations and structural change. Instead, they have a president who routinely downplays white supremacist violence.
“State violence and civic racism are endemic in contemporary Britain too.”
A failure to engage honestly with history is, unfortunately, something that Britain shares with the United States. Yes, the politics of race in Britain has a different back story to that in America but it is no less lethal and corrosive. Britain too has signally failed to engage with the history of its empire and the racism, both deep and extensive, which it propagated and which continues to shape British society and race relations today.
Britain has no less bloodied a record when it comes to race than the USA: its own colonial centuries were shaped by enslavement and indenture, which contributed to the wealth and infrastructure of this country, the huge impoverishment of Asian and African colonies which plagues them to this day, and the dispossession of indigenous people from communal lands, as well as ferocious racial hierarchies that manifested themselves both within and outside of Britain.
When met with resistance, as British colonialism inevitably was, there was violent policing and punitive action as well as massacres, extra-judicial executions, hard labour, and internment camps. Indeed, it was in the crucible of empire and resistance to it that some of Britain’s harshest policing, surveillance, and disciplining techniques were finessed. The blood from Britain’s imperial misdeeds, as historian John Newsinger’s important book puts it, has never dried.
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And that is why both state violence and civic racism are endemic in contemporary Britain too. Britain has its own shameful list of Black and Minority Ethnic people who have died in police custody. Mark Duggan, Rashan Charles, Sean Rigg, Sarah Reed, Faruk Ali and Anthony Grainger are but a few of the more recent names on that very long list.
Who can forget Jimmy Mubenga’s pleading for his breath too as G4S security guards put him on a deportation flight? Remember Jean Charles de Menezes being gunned down in broad daylight? Grenfell and the Windrush deportation scandals alone are recent instances of huge state discrimination against Britain’s non-white and immigrant communities. In recent months, Black and Minority Ethnic people have been disproportionately stopped and searched during the lockdown, as well as fined more often than others who broke the rules.
Following Floyd’s death, the National Black Police Association UK has issued a robust statement which draws attention to similar “simmering” racial tensions here, and notes baldly that Black Britons are “grappling with the harsh reality that decades of structural and institutional racism has made us fodder not only to the disproportionate use of force in policing but also to Covid-19.” Racism, it notes, is itself the public health crisis today. In order to change this, however, at the very moment that we express horror at events in the United States, Britain must turn the lens of historical reckoning and racial honesty upon itself.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Weekend No.10 Coronavirus Press Conferences To End Because Of Low TV Ratings

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Downing Street press conferences on the Covid-19 crisis will no longer take place at weekends because of low TV ratings, No.10 has revealed.
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In the first big sign that Boris Johnson is winding down the constant updates, they will take place on weekdays only as the government moves into a “different phase” of the fight against the virus, his spokesperson said.
The PM will lead the televised briefings once a week, but could decide to appear more regularly, and ministers and government medical and scientific advisers will still attend.
Asked to give a reason for the change, the spokesman said: “It is just a fact that the numbers of people viewing at weekends do tend to be significantly lower.”
“The PM will do a press conference every week, it’s possible he could do more.
“We are absolutely committed to keeping people updated, we will be continuing to do this through regular press conferences. media interviews and parliamentary updates.”
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The daily No.10 briefings have become a regular fixture in the UK’s response to the pandemic, with members of the public allowed daily questions as well as journalists.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus (COVID-19). PA
Some of the weekend press conferences have been used for less high profile cabinet ministers, although it was on a Saturday that communities secretary Robert Jenrick famously announced an emergency 24-hour plan to import PPE from Turkey. The import was eventually subject to delays and red tape.
However, some of the Sunday briefings have proved popular and when Johnson made his address to the nation on his easing of lockdown last month, more than 27.5 million people tuned in.
The broadcast on the new ‘road map’ out of the crisis was one of the most-watched television broadcasts in British history, surpassing the audience figures for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
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Put to him that the shift appeared to be a stepping down of the government’s messaging, the prime minister’s spokesman replied: “We have moved into a new phase of the pandemic response.
“We have obviously taken some cautious steps with easing the social distancing measures, more schools are now open to more pupils, and you are seeing more easing in the rules around social contact.
“So we are moving into a different phase of the response but in terms of the pandemic it continues to be the absolute priority for every department across Whitehall.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Leaked Labour Report: Black Voters Left 'Politically Homeless' After Quitting The Party

Leaked Labour Report: Black Voters Left 'Politically Homeless' After Quitting The Party
An internal report compiled to investigate accusations of antisemitism within the Labour party has sparked allegations of insidious, institutional, anti black racism. The revelations have since caused a number of black voters to leave the party, with one former member saying "I'm not going to continue paying my direct debit or putting money into a party, which doesn't have the best interest of black people at its heart.” Here we speak to former labour voters, a criminal justice advocate and Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Clara Amfo Moves Radio 1 Listeners To Tears With Powerful Speech About George Floyd

Clara Amfo gave a powerful and heart-wrenching speech about “insidious” racism and how the last week’s news cycle has affected her mental health during her Radio 1 show on Tuesday morning.
Speaking candidly live on air, Clara said she had been so affected by the death of George Floyd that she had been forced to miss work a day earlier, stating that her mental health was in “a really, really bad way”.
“As you would have noted, I wasn’t in work yesterday and I want to talk to you directly about why that was,” she began.
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“Now, before I get into it, I just want to say that I am fully aware that we are in the middle of this devastating pandemic, and I am fully aware that I am not a medical professional or a frontline worker. I am just a woman who does a radio show, but my job is very public-facing, so I want to talk to you.
“If you have small children or would rather not hear what I’m about to say, because I am going to discuss race and violence, please check out something else on the Sounds app for the next few minutes. If not, then I really welcome you to stay with me.”
Clara Amfo at the Brit Awards earlier this year Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images
She continued: “As you know, at Radio 1, we talk a lot about mental health. And mine was in a really, really bad way yesterday. In fact, it has been for the past few days in particular, in relation to the death of George Floyd. George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, who died whilst being held under arrest.
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“Now, I didn’t have the mental strength to face you guys yesterday, to ask ‘hi, how was your weekend?’ like I usually do with my happy intention, because I know that my weekend was terrible.”
Pausing to gather herself, Clara said: “I was sat on my sofa crying, angry, confused, and also knowing stuck at the news… stuck at the news of yet another brutalised Black body.
“Knowing how the world enjoys Blackness, and seeing what happened to George, we, Black people, get the feeling that people want our culture, but they do not want us. In other words, you want my talent, but you don’t want me.
“There is a false idea that racism – and in this case anti-Blackness – is just name-calling and physical violence, when it is more insidious than that.
“One of my favourite thinkers is a woman called Amanda Seales, and she says this and I feel it deeply, when she says ‘you cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues’. And I say that with my chest.”
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Powerful piece of radio broadcasting from @claraamfo this morning (1/2) pic.twitter.com/NgV2ta65WM — David ✨ (@d_cshn) June 2, 2020
Clara went on to urge her listeners to listen to Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show that night, where she would be celebrating “Black artists that have enriched the music landscape”. She also gave a shout-out to 1Xtra presenters Seani B and Ace – “my friends, my brothers, my colleagues” – who she said “will be speaking about their experiences as Black men in this country” during their usual show that day.
“I want to say to our Black listeners, I hope you feel seen and heard today,” Clara concluded. “And to those of you that already let me know that you are doing the work, to be committed to doing better, I see you, so let’s do this. Let’s all be anti-racist.”
The presenter ended her speech by playing Alright by Kendrick Lamar, which became associated with the Black Lives Matter movement after its release, and opens with the poignant line: “All my life I had to fight.”
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Almost immediately, Clara won a wave of praise on social media, including from many of her BBC Radio colleagues:
@claraamfo you beautiful woman you are so brave on @BBCR1 right now — Annie Mac (@AnnieMac) June 2, 2020
I love you from my soul my spirit my heart, I honestly have no other words other than that right now. — Yasmin Evans (@YasminEvans) June 2, 2020
So incredibly proud of my sisters @claraamfo and @YasminEvans today. Using their national platforms to uplift and empower with openness and integrity. — Dotty (@AmplifyDot) June 2, 2020
That was one of the most incredible, powerful, moving bits of radio ever. @claraamfo You are incredible and strong and brilliant ♥ — Chris Stark (@Chris_Stark) June 2, 2020
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“People want our culture but they don’t want us” - listening to Clara Amfo right now on Radio 1 — Xiomara, You Did Look Like You Were Possessed. (@daraabolaji) June 2, 2020
Please listen to this clip from Clara Amfo on her Radio 1 show earlier.
Important and powerful radio. pic.twitter.com/KXtnXhHqVG — Steve Holden (@SteveH1982) June 2, 2020
"You cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues" https://t.co/PLqTpt7uBk — Kamilah McInnis (@KamilahMcInnis) June 2, 2020
clara not being able to get thru this without choking up... 😢 let’s pls tell the bbc how good and vital we thought this was bc i GUARANTEE racists are fixing their fingers to complain about it https://t.co/lH3JYpJf2q — G (@oneofthosefaces) June 2, 2020
So much love for Clara Amfo on @BBCR1 right now. Crying listening to your moving speech ❤ — Jen Litt (@Jennicat1) June 2, 2020
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@BBCR1 support you completely Clara Amfo .. sitting here crying with you. Thank you for being strong enough to share. — Haven_71 (@lolakahha) June 2, 2020
Big love to you @claraamfo! Im crying! So brave for what you just said! As a white woman I would like to stand along side you in solidarity against racism and hate in general! I hear you and and respect you 10 fold!! Well done @BBCR1 for standing with Clara aswell! 💜💜💜 — Lynsey Jayne Boston (@LynsBoston) June 2, 2020
.@claraamfo just gave a powerful piece of public service broadcasting on radio 1. thank you for using your voice, for your searing honesty, for your talents, for you. thank you sister for being a guiding light in our industry.💕
listen back - 11:10.https://t.co/3pcCOJOj85 — David Chipakupaku 🐝 (@David_Chippa) June 2, 2020
wow wow wow wow wow @claraamfo speaking on radio 1 just now. THAT is public service broadcasting. if you can, go back and listen https://t.co/0k4Oa4EYqK — 🐽alim kheraj (@alimkheraj) June 2, 2020
@claraamfo using her @BBCR1 show to speak about #mentalhealth, racism in the UK and blackness in the wake of #GeorgeFloyd is exactly the content I needed today. Thank you so so much Clara. Thank you pic.twitter.com/Vt8ByuVqth — Abimbola Johnson (@BarristerAbi) June 2, 2020
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Clara Amfo’s speech on Radio 1 is absolutely heartbreaking 💔😭. Black lives MATTER ❤ — Abbie Bourne (@abbiebourne) June 2, 2020
Big love to @claraamfo for this clearly painful message. I see you and pledge to do better #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/ZcyfP0WGGS — Mike J-C 🏳🌈 (@MikeJ_C) June 2, 2020
Bravo @BBCR1 for allowing @claraamfo to speak her truth on daytime radio.
And sending love to Clara always. I see you (and hear you monday-Thursday 11-1) xxx — Juno Dawson (@junodawson) June 2, 2020
Powerful radio from @claraamfo today on BBC Radio 1 – listen back to her important words from 11:09 onwards https://t.co/c4MFTJWKFr — El Hunt (@El_Hunt_) June 2, 2020
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Seth Rogen Wins Praise For No-Nonsense Response To 'All Lives Matter' Comments

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Seth Rogen has won praise after shutting down racism in the comments of an Instagram post he shared in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The actor showed his support for the cause on Monday, as protests against police brutality and deeply embedded racism continued to go on all over the US, following the tragic death of George Floyd last week.
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“If this is a remotely controversial statement to you, feel free to unfollow me,” Seth wrote, alongside a Black Lives Matter graphic.
And it seems that a surprising number of his followers took issue with his message, and rather than following his wishes and simply unfollowing him, felt the need to let him know about in the comments.
“I think you meant to say All Lives Matter,” one wrote, while another added: “Wow Seth looks like racism.”
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Standing by his original post, Seth has since been sharing a string of blunt responses, largely revolving around the words “fuck” and “off”.
Seth Rogen Roy Rochlin via Getty Images
In response to one Instagram follower who questioned “why do all these brutality videos only show the end? They don’t show wtf these people [were] doing to get in trouble in the first place?”, Seth replied: “Fuck off. You don’t deserve my movies anymore. Stop watching my shit.”
His no-nonsense replies have already won the actor a wave of praise:
seth rogen explaining it in the simplest way possible pic.twitter.com/UQ24CA1eZf — hannah (@hsawyerrrr) June 1, 2020
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Seth Rogen telling people to fuck off on Instagram as been the highlight of my day so far. pic.twitter.com/PqPBOainw8 — Avante (@AvantePlays) June 1, 2020
Seth Rogen telling people to F off on instagram 😂 pic.twitter.com/T57xyhmPOj — #BlackLivesMatter (@AtmeNSFW) June 2, 2020
Damn Seth Rogen going off on Instagram LMAO “I like fuck you” 😂 pic.twitter.com/CP6W1NYPNb — sami 🦥 (@ssushami) June 2, 2020
Not Seth Rogen cursing out All lives matter people on Instagram. 😂😂👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/JNc7WgcpVu — G (@Pierogikingrico) June 2, 2020
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I just followed @sethrogen because he is currently doing the lords work telling racists to f off on instagram ♥♥♥ — WorkShopCraft (@workshopcraft) June 2, 2020
Similarly, teen singer Billie Eilish made headlines with a statement on Instagram over the weekend, lambasting those who have co-opted the Black Lives Matter movement with an All Lives Matter message.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Tiger King's Joe Exotic Loses Zoo To Carole Baskin Following Legal Battle

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Joe Exotic has been forced to hand his beloved zoo over to his Tiger King co-star and long-standing rival Carole Baskin.
The GW Exotic Animal Memorial Park in Oklahoma had been left by Exotic to his former business partner – and fellow Tiger King star – Jeff Lowe and his mother.
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However, a judge has now ruled that this transfer was, in fact, fraudulent, and handed the land over to Baskin, one of the key figures in the smash hit Netflix documentary.
The ruling forms part of a $1 million settlement Exotic was ordered to pay Baskin due to copyright infringement.
Joe Exotic as seen in Tiger King Courtesy of NETFLIX
Following the judge’s decision, Jeff Lowe now has four months to vacate the premises, after which Baskin – who already oversees an animal sanctuary in Florida – will take over as owner.
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Baskin has been a vocal critic of Joe Exotic both on and off screen, accusing him of abusing the animals that he looks after.
Exotic – real name Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage – was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2019, after being found guilty of trying to hire a hitman to murder Carole Baskin, as well as several animal cruelty charges.
Carole Baskin (and a lion, obviously) Netflix
Tiger King debuted on Netflix earlier this year, and proved to be a huge hit for the streaming giant, helped in part by the fact its arrival on the platform coincided with the beginning of lockdown.
A reunion special, The Tiger King And I, followed a month later, although Baskin declined to take part, as she was unhappy with how she was depicted on screen.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--This Is The Difference Between 1m And 2m When Social Distancing

We can catch the virus by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching our eyes, nose or mouth. We can also become infected if we breathe in droplets from someone with the virus who coughs out or exhales even smaller droplets (known as aerosols).
Experts agree the larger droplets from a sneeze or cough will fall to the ground within six feet, which is why the 2m social distancing rule is in place. But it’s unclear how far aerosols could travel. What we do know is that aerosols can travel easily in the air due to how small they are, potentially carrying viral content quite some distance from where they originated.
Dr. Donald Milton, who studies bioaerosols at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, suggested to the New York Times that even without the launching power of a sneeze, “air currents could carry a flow of aerosol sized virus particles exhaled by an infected person 20 feet or more away”.
Whether they could actually infect someone at such distances is another story.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Matt Hancock’s ‘Misleading’ Testing Figures Slammed By UK Stats Watchdog

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The UK’s statistics watchdog has warned Matt Hancock that government figures used on Covid-19 testing are neither “complete” nor “comprehensible”.
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In a fresh rebuke to the health secretary, the UK Statistics Authority has written to him to express a raft of concerns about “misleading” data presentation.
It singles out the heavily criticised decision of the government to classify tests posted out as the equivalent to tests actually carried out.
The move, seen as a dodge by critics, meant that Hancock was able to meet his 100,000 daily testing target by the end of April.
HuffPost UK revealed last week that the UK Statistics Authority had remaining concerns despite a letter from Hancock attempting to respond to a previous warning about his use of statistics.
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Now its chairman Sir David Norgrove has written again directly to the health secretary to make plain his continuing worries about the use of statistics.
In his letter released on Tuesday, Norgrove said “the figures are still far from complete and comprehensible” despite attempts by Hancock to address his concerns.
“The testing statistics still fall well short of its expectations. It is not surprising that given their inadequacy, data on testing are so widely criticised and often mistrusted,” Norgrove said.
Sir David Norgrove has today replied to @MattHancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the Government’s COVID-19 testing data https://t.co/jOvTnLMSXK pic.twitter.com/jSUjcZoZrV — UK Statistics Authority (@UKStatsAuth) June 2, 2020
He said the current statistics on testing fail to help the public understand the pandemic properly or to help manage the new NHS Test and Trace system. Statistics on testing perhaps serve two main purposes.
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“The aim seems to be to show the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding. It is also hard to believe the statistics work to support the testing programme itself. The statistics and analysis serve neither purpose well,” he said.
Among the raft of issues he raises are the controversial decision to classify test swabs sent in the post as tests actually completed.
The most recent figures show that of the 115,725 tests counted as done, some 42,139 were in fact merely swabs put in the post.
“The headline total of tests adds together tests carried out with tests posted out. This distinction is too often elided during the presentation at the daily press conference, where the relevant figure may misleadingly be described simply as the number of tests carried out,” Norgrove writes.
“There are no data on how many of the tests posted out are in fact then successfully completed. The slides used in the daily press conference do not show the date when the tests were carried out.”
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Norgrove had already told Hancock on May 11 that he had concerns about the “trustworthiness” of the way the government was presenting and counting its numbers of tests for the virus.
Letters to ministers from the watchdog are extremely rare and to have two within a few weeks underlines how seriously it takes the issue.
In the latest missive, Norgrove further says it is “not clear from the published data how often” people are tested more than once for the virus. “More generally the testing figures are presented in a way that is difficult to understand,” he writes.
He also advises that test results should have a breakdown of various characteristics of those tested.
That should “include key types of employment (e.g. medical staff, care staff), age, sex and location (by geography and place, such as care homes). How many people in what circumstances are infected? Where do they live?”
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With the government relying on its new NHS Test and Trace scheme as a way out of the lockdown measures, the watchdog is scathing about the figures being relied upon
“For Test and Trace it is important that a statement of the key metrics to measure its success should be developed systematically, and published, to avoid the situation that has arisen in relation to the testing programme.
“The statistics will need to be capable of being related to the wider testing data and readily understood by the public, through for example population adjusted maps of hotspots.”
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “Following the Cummings scandal it’s vital ministers rebuild trust in their strategy especially as we want the public to adhere to social distancing to keep everyone safe.
“This intervention from the UK statistics authority is damning. For test and trace to be effective we all need confidence in the data.”
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Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran pounced on the watchdog’s latest letter, saying it highlighted a “shocking misuse and spinning of statistics”.
“The number of tests posted out is not the same as the number of people actually tested. Everyone sees through this and all it does, in the end, is erode trust in politics and politicians.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State has spoken to Sir David and reiterated the Department’s commitment to continuing to work closely with the UKSA to address their concerns.
“We have sought to work closely with the UKSA throughout our response to coronavirus to ensure statistics, which are prepared in very challenging circumstances, are presented in the best way possible.
“Our approach throughout has been to increase transparency around the government’s response to coronavirus.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Ministers Under Pressure To Publish Delayed BAME Coronavirus Review

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The government is under pressure to “stop the excuses” and publish the findings of an inquiry into the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities.
Public Health England (PHE) was asked in early May to investigate how factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, age and gender affected people’s vulnerability to the virus.
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The report was due to be released by the end of last month. PHE yesterday said the report would be released “shortly” but would not give a date.
Last night Sky News cited “government sources” suggesting the report had been held back due to the “close proximity to the current situation in America”.
The killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis has triggered widespread protests across the United States.
HuffPost UK understands that health ministers only received the document on Monday and there is an expectation at the department that it will be published this week, contrary to briefings to Sky News from No.10 sources.
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Analysis by University College London found people from England’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities are two-to-three times more likely to die from Covd-19 than the general population.
Keir Starmer said this morning ministers must “stop the excuses” publish the review.
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The Labour leader tweeted: “BAME communities have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19. We need the findings of this review published and action taken now.”
Rehana Azam, the national secretary of the GMB union which represents many NHS staff, said any delay to the report ” heightens distrust”.
“We can’t afford this at a time when stark evidence shows the pandemic disproportionately impacts BAME workers,” she said.
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“People are dying and ministers have been too slow to protect lives.”
Donna Kinnair, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The Public Health England review must be published as a matter of urgency.
“Every day we go without knowing why BAME health and care staff are disproportionately affected by Covid-19 is another day these workers are needlessly put at extra risk.
“Our own data shows us that 43% of BAME nursing staff feel they cannot access proper eye and face protection. UK governments must move quickly to develop clear, cross-governmental strategy and costed action plans to tackle racial disparities across society.”
Last Wednesday England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, said PHE had assured him the report was “on schedule”.
“I regard this as very pressing and very important,” he told HuffPost UK at the Downing Street press conference. “I believe the report is going to be very comprehensive when it comes out.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--John Boyega Dismisses Claim He's Using His Platform To 'Spout Hate Against White People': 'Keep Your

John Boyega Dismisses Claim He's Using His Platform To 'Spout Hate Against White People': 'Keep Your Dutty Mouth Shut'

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John Boyega fans have shown their support for the star after he fired back at one Twitter user following the death of George Floyd.
The Star Wars actor has been vocal on social media about the racism faced by Black people, particularly following the tragic death of the 46-year-old in the US last week.
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But while John has received huge support for his posts, one of his followers accused the British star of “jumping on the bandwagon”.
“You are not even American,” they wrote. “As disgusting, sad and bad as it was with #GeorgeFloyd you just using excuse to spout hate against White people.”
John Boyega David M. Benett via Getty Images
John wrote back around an hour later: “Yet I have family and friends there who could be any one of the victims of things don’t change. Yet I work there 6 months of the year and I don’t want to work in fear.”
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“You don’t know a thing about me,” John added. “So keep your dutty mouth shut.”
Yet I have family and friends there who could be any one of the victims of things don’t change. Yet I work there 6 months of the year and I don’t want to work in fear. You don’t know a thing about me. So keep your dutty mouth shut. — John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) June 1, 2020
His response was met with praise by many of his fans on Twitter:
I stand by you brother — Johnny Ortiz (@major_payne31) June 1, 2020
Thank you. Keep fighting for change. — Ricardo Lundi (@ricardodpm) June 2, 2020
🤣🤣 do you know who you’re talking to?!?!?! You’re talking to a man who made a Star Wars film and people were mad about it! Why? Because of the color of his skin! You don’t think he has a right to say something about this!?!?! Just amazing 🤯🤦🏻♀🤦🏻♀🤦🏻♀🤦🏻♀ — Natally Perez (@natlovesyou1217) June 2, 2020
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Last week, John made headlines when he tweeted that he “fucking hates racists”, and received an alarming amount of criticism from his followers, from those lambasting his choice of language or pointing out that racism affects many communities.
Doubling down on his original comments, John then went live on Instagram, stating: “A Black man was just murdered in cold blood in the streets Stateside. Again. While saying that he can’t breathe.
“That’s a continuous cycle going on and although I don’t live in the States, brother, I’m Black. Fuck that. So I’ll say it again, fuck you racist white people. I said what I said. And if you don’t fucking like it, go suck a dick. Seriously.
“It’s not about career, it’s not about money, ’cause a lot of people like to bring that up… all those things were just a part of my dream. A part of working. That’s got nothing to do with how you treat people. It’s a madness.”
John Boyega on Instagram live and dragging the hell out of white racists. this is what I live for! pic.twitter.com/nQytbhnzM7 — c (@chuuzus) May 27, 2020
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Since Floyd’s death, mass protests have broken out all over the world against police brutality, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A number of stars have spoken out in support of the protests, including Beyoncé and Adele, the latter of whom shared a post on Instagram earlier this week.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Trump’s Bible Photo Op, As Teargas Fired At George Floyd Protesters, Angers Bishops

Trump’s Bible Photo Op, As Teargas Fired At George Floyd Protesters, Angers Bishops
Minutes after telling reporters he would deploy the military if state officials could not contain protests against police brutality across the nation, Donald Trump walked across the street from the White House to St John’s Episcopal Church. Bishops across the US condemned the president for using the Bible as a “photo op” for “partisan political purposes” after threatening military action against George Floyd protestors. A crowd of peaceful protestors outside the White House gates were dispersed with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets to make way for him.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Lea Michele Accused Of Making Glee Co-Star Samantha Ware’s Time On Show ‘A Living Hell’

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Lea Michele has been accused of making her Glee co-star Samantha Ware’s life on the show “a living hell”.
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Samantha made further claims against her fellow actor, who played Rachel Berry in the musical TV series, in response to a tweet Lea had posted about the death of George Floyd with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
(l-r) Lea Michele and Samantha Ware Rex
“George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter,” Lea tweeted on Saturday.
George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter — Lea Michele (@LeaMichele) May 29, 2020
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Two days later, Samantha quoted the tweet, accusing Lea of “traumatic microaggressions” that made her “question a career in Hollywood”.
LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD “SHIT IN MY WIG!” AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD... https://t.co/RkcaMBmtDA — SAMEYAAAAAA (@Sammie_Ware) June 2, 2020
Other Glee cast members, including Alex Newell, Amber Riley and Dabier Snell, reacted to the accusations on Twitter...
GIRL YOU WOULDNT LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS CAUSE “I DIDNT BELONG THERE” FUCK YOU LEA https://t.co/s4NoLdtqRs — Dabier (@OfficialDabier) June 2, 2020
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Samantha had a recurring role as Jane Hayward in the sixth season of Glee in 2015, appearing in 11 episodes. The Fox series was her first TV role, before going on to appear in What/If, Chicago Med and God Friended Me.
Lea was one of the main cast members throughout all six seasons of the Ryan Murphy smash. She has yet to respond to the accusations.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Pink Fires Back At Critics Of Her Black Lives Matter Instagram Post

“Will you shut the fuck up?” Billie wrote. “No one is saying your life doesn’t matter. No one is saying your life is not hard. No one is saying literally anything at all about you … All you MFs do is find a way to make everything about yourself. This is not about you. You are not in need. You are not in danger.”
After Pink reshared part of the note, her comments were flooded with both messages of support and criticisms, and in response to many of the hateful comments, she pushed back with some meaningful retorts.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--John Legend And Ariana Grande Among Celebrities Tearing Into Donald Trump Following Latest Speech

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A number of stars have come together to lambast Donald Trump, following his latest press conference amid the ongoing protests about police brutality.
On Monday night, the US president gave a speech from the White House Rose Garden, threatening to deploy the US military in response to the demonstrations that have been taking place nationwide.
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Referring to himself as the “president of law and order”, Trump said: “Today I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets.
“Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled. If a city or state refuses to take the actions to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”
Donald Trump gives his speech Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Following his speech, Trump posed for pictures outside of St. John’s Episcopal Church, known as the “Church Of Presidents”, which was damaged during a protest this week.
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Trump has been heavily criticised for his speech by a number of celebrities, including John Legend, who claimed the president used law enforcement to clear peaceful protesters for the photo op.
John Legend performing at an Elizabeth Warren rally earlier this year Spencer Platt via Getty Images
“#BunkerBoy Trump had to prove he could walk in broad daylight today so he sicced the police on peaceful protesters so he could stand there and awkwardly hold the Bible,” the singer tweeted. “Dear God. We need to end this nightmare of a presidency.”
#BunkerBoy Trump had to prove he could walk in broad daylight today so he sicced the police on peaceful protesters so he could stand there and awkwardly hold the Bible. Dear God. We need to end this nightmare of a presidency. https://t.co/umEY90OTcy — John Legend (@johnlegend) June 2, 2020
Another of Trump’s most vocal critics, rapper Cardi B, accused him of wasting an opportunity with his speech to call for peace.
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She wrote: “Believe it or not the president have a lot of power in his tongue. Today he held a press conference.
“Instead of comforting us letting us know that justice will be made and THAT YES !Black lives matter! He goes and threaten the people makin the people more angry !
“When the media said they were WHITE SUPRIMACIST looting trying to blend with the people.It didn’t take Trump 24 hours to go on twitter and debunk that lie but it’s been 6 days and he’s yet to speak on what’s next on police brutality for this county.”
Believe it or not the president have a lot of power in his https://t.co/uTtBbt91Qq he held a press conference.Instead of comforting us letting us know that justice will be made and THAT YES !Black lives matter! He goes and threaten the people makin the people more angry ! — iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 2, 2020
When the media said they were WHITE SUPRIMACIST looting trying to blend with the https://t.co/nxvtai4feq didn’t take Trump 24 hours to go on twitter and debunk that lie but it’s been 6 days and he’s yet to speak on what’s next on police brutality for this county. — iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 2, 2020
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Ariana Grande tweeted that she was “speechless”, urging her fans to use their vote to get Trump and “corrupt officials… that are encouraging systematic racism and discrimination” out of office.
speechless...
nine states have primary elections on june 2nd.
if u live in one of these states, please take things one step further by voting out the corrupt officials (not just the president) that are encouraging systematic racism and discrimination. https://t.co/FtxrFwOxIN pic.twitter.com/BvakqJFfg4 — Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 2, 2020
.... as u fill out your ballot, please research / make informed choices. pay attention to how the candidates running have responded in this moment.
let’s do everything we can big or small to make the changes necessary to fix the system.
pls stay safe.https://t.co/PNRm3VyUZh — Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 2, 2020
Other stars including Oscar-winning director Spike Lee, actor Samuel L Jackson and singer-songwriter Pink also took to social media to voice their anger about Trump’s speech:
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Did we just get Martial Lawed??! So, he just Declared War on The Public??!! It’s not 1807 this is not Rebellion!!, but I think it’s about get all kinds of fucked up here!! — Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 1, 2020
Can’t believe what I just watched. — Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 1, 2020
So basically...he pepper sprayed American people so he could take a photo at a church?? Is that what is happening? — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) June 1, 2020
Wait...it gets worse. He was so upset that people called him a coward for retreating to his bunker that he had to teargas & rubber bullet some peaceful protestors so he could mosey over to a church for a photo-op while our country is leading the world in deaths during a pandemic. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) June 2, 2020
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BREAKING:
“American President Threatens Military Action Against Americans” pic.twitter.com/A8l5qyfGOG — Michael Moore (@MMFlint) June 1, 2020
Trump’s speech came days after reports that he’d been rushed to an underground bunker in the White House after protests broke out in Washington DC towards the end of last week.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Bishops 'Shaken' and 'Outraged' After Trump Poses With Bible During George Floyd Protests

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Bishops across the US condemned Donald Trump for using the Bible as a “photo op” for “partisan political purposes” after threatening military action against protestors.
Minutes after telling reporters he would deploy the military if state officials could not contain protests against police brutality across the nation, the president walked across the street from the White House to St John’s Episcopal Church.
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A crowd of peaceful protestors outside the White House gates were dispersed with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets to make way for him.
Trump then held up a Bible that read “God is Love” as he posed for cameras outside the historic church used by American presidents for more than a century.
“We have the greatest country in the world,” he said.
He was surrounded by aides including national security adviser Robert O’Brien, attorney general Bill Barr, senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, chief of staff Mark Meadows, defence secretary Mark Esper and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
Donald Trump holds a Bible as he visits outside St. John's Church across Lafayette Park from the White House. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington said she was “outraged” that Trump had visited her church without advance notice.
“I am going to do everything in my power to disassociate our church from what the president did tonight,” she told HuffPost.
She emphasised in a separate statement that the diocese wanted to “distance ourselves” from Trump’s “incendiary language”. “We follow someone who lived a life of nonviolence and sacrificial love,” she said.
“We align ourselves with those seeking justice for the death of George Floyd and countless others. And I just can’t believe what my eyes have seen.”
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Primate of the Episcopal church, tweeted: “This evening, the President of the United States stood in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, lifted up a bible, and had pictures of himself taken,”
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“In so doing, he used a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes. This was done in a time of deep hurt and pain in our country, and his action did nothing to help us or to heal us.”
For the sake of George Floyd, for all who have wrongly suffered, and for the sake of us all, we need leaders to help us to be “one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.” — Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (@PB_Curry) June 2, 2020
Bishop Greg Brewer, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, said he was “shaken” by the event, saying: “As a bishop in the Episcopal Church, and an American citizen, I am shaken watching protestors in Lafayette Park gassed and cleared so that the President of the United States can do a photo op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church holding a Bible.
“This is blasphemy in real time,” he added.
Other religious figures across the country also denounced Trump’s appearance.
Father James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest and author, said: “Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--'Teetering On A Dictatorship': CNN Anchor Don Lemon Asks If Trump Is 'Declaring War On Americans'

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CNN anchor Don Lemon asked Monday if Donald Trump is “declaring war on Americans” after the president’s surreal Rose Garden address promising a crackdown on nationwide anti-racism demonstrations, even as police could be heard deploying tear gas on protesters outside the White House.
“Open your eyes, America. Open your eyes. We are teetering on a dictatorship. This is chaos,” Lemon said. “Is the president declaring war on Americans?”
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“What is happening here?” he added, as footage showed police and military troops facing protesters near the White House. “He’s saying he wants to protect peaceful protesters. At the same time, sending law enforcement and military into the streets to push peaceful protesters back, to be aggressive with peaceful protesters. He is doing the exact opposite of what he said in that speech.”
#BREAKING video -> CNN's @DonLemon declares: "Open your eyes, America. Open your eyes. We are teetering on a dictatorship. We are teetering -- this is chaos. Has the President -- I'm listening -- is the President declaring war on Americans? What is happening here? pic.twitter.com/ipKjqa8Xta — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 1, 2020
Calling himself “your law-and-order president,” Trump announced in his Rose Garden address that he would mobilise “all available” civilian and military resources to “stop the rioting and looting, to end the destruction and arson, and to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans, including your Second Amendment rights.”
He made no note of the heavy-handed actions police used against protesters in the last several days and made no effort to call for national unity.
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Earlier, CNN showed footage of protesters outside the White House demonstrating peacefully, then being met with flash-bang grenades and tear gas as authorities attempted to divert them ahead of Trump’s address.
“I think the president is playing a very, very dangerous game here,” Lemon continued. “There are a lot of Americans who are out on these streets who are upset, who are frustrated, who are angry.”
He added that he was “not condoning violence at all” and hoped that protests would continue to be peaceful, adding: “But I hope that they stand up and fight for their rights to peacefully protest in this country.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Barack Obama Writes Essay On Effecting Real Change After George Floyd's Killing

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After releasing a statement on the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, former President Barack Obama on Monday wrote a more lengthy statement on the role of protest in catalysing political change.
“The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics,” he wrote on Medium. “We have to do both. We have to mobilise to raise awareness, and we have to organise and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform.”
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Obama first spoke out Friday, urging Americans “to work together to create ‘a new normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”
Over the weekend, protests grew in cities across the country, with police mobilising and often violently intervening and arresting scores of protesters and journalists, spawning renewed calls for the demilitarisation of and systemic reform of police.
“The point of protest is to raise public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable; in fact, throughout American history, it’s only in response to protest that the political system has even paid attention to marginalised communities,” Obama wrote Monday. “But eventually, aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands.”
Obama, who began his career as a community organiser in Chicago, recommended that protesters and organisers calling for police reform make specific demands in order to more readily hold leaders accountable, and tailor those demands to local institutions.
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“The more specific we can make demands for criminal justice and police reform, the harder it will be for elected officials to just offer lip service to the cause and then fall back into business as usual once protests have gone away,” he wrote.
He also emphasised voting not only on the national level but in state and local races where elected leaders are directly responsible for police policies, such as mayors, county executives, state attorneys general, district and state’s attorneys, and in some communities, police review boards.
“I recognise that these past few months have been hard and dispiriting — that the fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and hardship of a pandemic have been compounded by tragic reminders that prejudice and inequality still shape so much of American life,” Obama wrote. “But watching the heightened activism of young people in recent weeks, of every race and every station, makes me hopeful. If, going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Facebook Workers Stage 'Virtual Walkout' To Protest Inaction On Trump Posts

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Facebook employees staged a “virtual walkout” Monday in protest of the social media company’s failure to address President Donald Trump’s use of its platform to spread incendiary content.
It’s unclear how many of the company’s 48,000 global employees are participating in the walkout by taking the day off. Many of Facebook’s employees were already working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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A number of the virtual protesters said they planned to use their time to attend the physical demonstrations against police brutality around the country.
i'm taking PTO from @instagram by @facebook today for #BlackLivesMatter. i'm deeply disappointed & ashamed in how the company is showing up the world rn. fb fam - if u feel similarly, join me & let's organize. put your ~$~zuck bucks~$ where ur tweets are. support Black-led orgs!! pic.twitter.com/TXnD5qPNer — #BLACKLIVESMATTER 🖤 (@ktzhu) June 1, 2020
In a statement to HuffPost, the company acknowledged that some of its employees were indeed engaged in the protest and encouraged them to voice their dissent.
“We recognise the pain many of our people are feeling right now, especially our Black community,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership. As we face additional difficult decisions around content ahead, we’ll continue seeking their honest feedback.”
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Today I am participating in a virtual walkout over Facebook’s recent decisions not to moderate posts that we believe violate our platform standards. — Margo Very Stern (@wordstern) June 1, 2020
As protests rocked the country following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Trump published a series of inflammatory messages on his social media pages, including one stating that “looting” would lead to “shooting.” The phrase was a clear reference to the words of Walter Headley Jr, a Miami police chief who greeted the civil rights protests of the 1960s with violence.
Twitter affixed a warning label to the posts, noting that they violated the platform’s rules against “glorifying violence.” The company didn’t take the tweets down, however, finding that it was “in the public’s interest” for the president’s posts to remain accessible.
In contrast, Facebook took no action at all. CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his decision as a matter of permitting free speech.
“I know many people are upset that we’ve left the President’s posts up,” he wrote, “but our position is that we should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies.”
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Numerous Facebook employees spoke out online against the inaction.
“I don’t know what to do, but I know doing nothing is not acceptable,” wrote Jason Stirman, a Facebook product designer, on Twitter. “I’m a FB employee that completely disagrees with Mark’s decision to do nothing about Trump’s recent posts, which clearly incite violence. I’m not alone inside of FB. There isn’t a neutral position on racism.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-02--Adele Urges George Floyd Protestors Not To Get ‘Disheartened, Hijacked Or Manipulated’

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Adele has become the latest celebrity to condemn police violence against Black people following the death of George Floyd.
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Adele Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Sharing a picture of George on Instagram, Adele called for the movement against police violence not to get “disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now”.
“George Floyd’s murder has sent shockwaves around the world, there are countless others that haven’t,” she wrote.
“Protests and marches are happening all over the globe simultaneously and only gaining momentum.
“So be righteously angered but be focused! Keep listening, keep asking and keep learning!”
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She continued: “It’s important we don’t get disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now. This is about systematic racism, this is about police violence and it’s about inequality. And this isn’t only about America! Racism is alive and well everywhere.
“I wholeheartedly stand in solidarity with the fight for freedom, liberation and justice.”
The US has been home to the worst clashes, with demonstrators battling police in cities across the country. Looting has broken out while curfews have been imposed in a bid to quell the trouble.
British star John Boyega said he does not want to “work in fear” when he is in the US as he addressed the unrest.
The Star Wars actor said he has “family and friends there who could be any one of the victims of things that don’t change”.
Emily Ratajkowski, Halsey and Anna Kendrick were among the stars joining the protests in Los Angeles, while Ariana Grande has also spoken out.
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