Air France is found guilty of discrimination and debarring a pro-Palestinian activist from the flight because she was not of Jewish origin.

The airline was ordered by the court to shred a sum of € 13,000  as fines for causing damages to the reputation of the appellant, a 30 year old nursing student.

This incident took place when Horia Ankour was going to join with other hooligans gathering for the “flytilla” campaign at Tel Aviv taking place in April. A number of pro-Palestinian campaigners were landing in Israel to accumulate at the West Bank for protests.

However Air France has made an excuse “she was on the objectionable person’s list handed by Israel that is why we assisted to debar her from the airplane”. Flytilla campaign in Israel at the west bank made the Israel government release such list to stop the entry of activists to their land. Israel is the only way to reach the West Bank because of the unavailability of the airport for the Palestinian people.

In late April, she was taking the Air France flight to make up to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for the ongoing Israeli campaign, that was organised by various organizations of civil society, for the issues concerned with the cross border policies and the foreign occupation permits. The Palestinian people all over the world were welcomed for this camaraderie revolt furnished by locals.

After the flight boarded, Ms Ankour was interrogated by an employee of Air France. He asked about her passport if it is of Israel or Jewish. The lady nodded for the two questions. After that, she was accompanied to get off the plane.

The verdict given by the French judiciaries included the charges of racism. In defence, Air France officials presented the point that at the last moment, they come to know that Ms Ankour is on the Israel Blacklist. They further added that they were abiding international rule of refusing their transport services for passengers who are suspected to get entry at the entrance point by the airlines.

After the verdict, this was cleared by the Air France officials that they will look further for higher judicial authorities. The reports from BBC reporter Hugh Schofield have revealed that the French associates were going through the law, but the inspection about the native origin proved as the fault in the proceedings. It became strong point for Ms Ankour and made her win the case with ease. The debarring of a passenger from the flight was wrong after questioning about their race resulted in such blame on the Air France Company.

About the author

I am a nice, understanding, caring, sincere, honest, trustworthy, friendly single male from Delhi, India. I'm an experienced writer. I have written many articles in different niches, a fiction book, and some poems.

View the Original article

Two days ago, a police officer Peter Bunyan, who worked for the Devon and Cornwall Police was charged for sexually exploiting vulnerable women on numerous occasions.

 
The officer who belongs to Carharrack a town near Camborne had been working for the Devon and Cornwall Police since 2003. Questions are being asked, whether there has been a slack on the police department’s part since apparently Mr. Bunyan’s past has been shady too. It is also being held that such repetitive negligence and criminal offences could not have gone unnoticed when they were being undertaken at a public office.

 
Peter Bunyan, 40, worked for the police department as a police community support officer who had earlier resigned from the post of a police officer in Hampshire force back in the 1990s. It is still being questioned as to whether his background was thoroughly verified before he was recruited at the Devon and Cornwall Police Department.
He faced a total of 12 counts of misconduct in public office especially for sexually targeting vulnerable women on repeated occasions. Though he is expected to be sacked today, he was acquitted of four of the alleged counts but pronounced guilty for the other eight.

 
The inquiry has held that he was found harassing and indulging in sexual activities with girls who had mental health problems. Especially a case where he encouraged a girl to send explicit pictures of her –the girl was proven to be mentally ill. Furthermore, the allegations included engaging in sexual intercourse with at least five women when he was on duty. A specific attention was sought for the fact that he would usually lower the volume of his radio before having sex with the girls; leading to further negligence. In one other occasions, he was found guilty of sending sexual text messages to a girl, illegally entering police records, passing on confidential private information to unauthorized people and obtaining a loan.

 
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) voiced, in the words of Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said that this man completely abused the position of trust he was in, and he is a disgrace to the police service. He has rightly been found guilty. His punishment was considered as a message that corrupt officers will be found out and severely punished.

 
The officer has been jailed for seven years at the Taunton crown court for crimes that were committed in the areas of Camborne and Redruth over the past five years.

About the author

Running an IT consultant company. Providing web development, social media marketing, SEO and content writing services.

View the Original article

A former Marine who said he set fire to an Ohio mosque because he wanted to avenge the killings of American troops asked Tuesday to withdraw his guilty plea to federal hate crime charges.

In his request, Randy Linn said he was under duress and depressed when he entered his plea last month in the fire at a suburban Toledo mosque. "I made the wrong decision," he wrote.

A deal between prosecutors and Linn had called for him to be sentenced to 20 years next April after he pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging and destroying religious property and two gun-related charges.

Associated Press, 22 January 2013

View the Original article

A man who was arrested during an English Defence League march in Norwich and charged with using threatening words or behaviour has been fined.

Matthew Berryman, 28, of Astell Road, Norwich, appeared at Norwich Magistrates' Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to the offence on November 10. He was ordered to pay a £150 fine, a £20 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

Norwich Evening News, 27 November 2012

View the Original article

A man has pleaded guilty to subjecting a police officer to a torrent of racist abuse.

David Hammond, 41, of South Street, Hemsworth, admitted shouting, swearing and using racist insults against PC Junaid Farooq. He appeared before Pontefract Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The court heard that PC Farooq, of the South East neighbourhood policing team, had been called to a domestic incident between Hammond and his partner on Friday, September 14. Officers cautioned Hammond for swearing at the police but he refused to calm down. He was arrested and taken away by police when he began to hurl racist and religious insults at PC Farooq.

Prosecuting Diane Gomersall said: "He shouted 'all you Muslims just fly planes into buildings.' He then said 'where are you from? I am English from Vikings, where are you from?'" She said that Hammond continued abusing PC Farooq on the way to the police station and in front of the custody sergeant. Mrs Gomersall said: "PC Farooq is an officer of eight years experience and he said it was the worst racist and religious abuse he has suffered."

Hammond was ordered to pay a £180 fine and £100 in compensation to Mr Farooq.

Hemsworth & South Elmsall Express, 3 October 2012

View the Original article

A commissionaire who allegedly posted comments online suggesting the Masjid Al-Iman Mosque on Quadra Street be blasted with a rocket launcher appeared in Victoria provincial court on Wednesday.

Daniel Kevin Speed is charged with causing fear of injury or damage. His defence lawyer, Bill Heflin, said Speed was expected to plead not guilty at his next court appearance on Oct. 3.

The charge reads: "Azhar Omarjee has reasonable grounds to fear and does fear that Daniel Kevin Speed will cause damage to the property of Masjid-al-Iman Mosque - based on an incident that occurred on or about the 17th day of August." Omarjee is the chairman of the B.C. Muslim Association Victoria branch.

The comments were posted on I Love Downtown Victoria's Facebook page.

Times Colonist, 20 September 2012

View the Original article

Paul Ross of Durham EDL – claimed 'sickening' religious chant was just a 'bit of banter'Six men with links to a controversial right-wing pressure group have been convicted of chanting a sickening torrent of religious abuse.

The men, who are associated with the English Defence League (EDL), shouted a highly inflammatory religious chant at Middlesbrough railway station. They were convicted of religiously aggravated disorder yesterday after a two-day trial at Teesside Magistrates' Court.

The men – who represented themselves during the trial – shouted the abuse at the station on Saturday, December 10, 2011. The group was in Middlesbrough to watch Boro play Brighton, but when they decided it was too cold they visited several pubs in the town instead. They then went on to the railway station, the court heard.

PC Andrew Ward, of British Transport Police, told how he approached the "drunk", "noisy" group three times telling them to calm down. He said the group was singing EDL chants and when the men started singing a highly inflammatory religious chant he decided to eject them from the station.

He added that as the group left, one of the men, Christopher Caswell, 32, became aggressive and raised his fist. The officer responded by spraying him with CS spray and called for police back-up.

As PC Ward walked from the court after giving evidence there was hissing from the public gallery.

When asked to describe an Islamic person in police interview, 22-year-old Jak Beasley said: "Scum".

All men denied two charges of religiously aggravated harassment and using threatening words or behaviour to cause harassment alarm or distress.

They said they were associated to the EDL in some way and said some EDL chants as well as the national anthem had been sung. But they all strongly denied singing the highly inflammatory chant in question. Paul Ross, 47, who told the court he runs the South-west Durham Division of the EDL, said the group was just having a "bit of banter".

Throughout the court proceedings, the defendants were repeatedly told by the chairman of the bench, Elizabeth Hutchinson, to remain quiet and to stop treating the proceedings as a "big joke".

EDL supporters gathered in and around the court yesterday along with a strong police presence.

Following the verdict, onlookers in the public gallery shouted the conviction was a "stitch up", while the defendants shook their heads and continued to express their innocence.

Beasley, of Teal Street, Bishop Auckland, Caswell, of West Auckland Road, Darlington, and Ross, of Auckland Wind, Shildon, along with Shaun Bunting, 33, of Fenhall Green, Newton Aycliffe, Ross Williams, 23, of Ebberston Court, Spennymoor, and Dean Spence, 22, of Yew Close, Spennymoor, will be sentenced on September 14.

Evening Gazette, 25 August 2012

The EDL's response ("The NE EDL refuse to be silenced, we WILL speak out against Islam no matter what the police and authorities do to us, no matter how much they hound us we will never be silenced and will protest whenever and wherever we want") can be consulted here. They are calling for a national demonstration in the North East to protest against the convictions.

One EDL supporter produces a familiar argument in defence of his right to abuse Muslims: "Religion is a choice, to what race you're born is not – that's why to criticise someone because of their race is wrong but to criticise someone's choice and religion is my right to freedom of speech."

Perhaps he should try and explain that distinction to Paul Ross.

View the Original article

Former soldier Simon Parkes stuck a pig's head to the gates of a Cheltenham mosque in an act of revenge.

Wearing a balaclava, the 45-year-old also sprayed an insult aimed at Muslims along Masjidul Falah Mosque in the High Street. He claimed he was angry after seeing extremists burning poppies in London during a Remembrance Sunday service.

Parkes, of Crown Close, Bishop's Cleeve, admitted causing religiously aggravated criminal damage and causing religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress when he appeared before Cheltenham magistrates. The crime was committed on November 13, 2010.

Parkes, who had served in Northern Ireland before being demobbed in 1993, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, his solicitor Andrew Twomlow said.

CCTV footage showed Parkes park a hired car in Granville Street before walking to the mosque with the pig's head and spray paint.

Sharon Jomaal, prosecuting, said: "He left a severed pig's head with Allah written along the side which was attached the front gate." She said he also wrote a racist slur in red spray paint along the front of the mosque. Parkes later posted a picture of himself at the scene on Facebook.

Magistrates committed the case to Crown Court for August 30. He was released on conditional bail.

Gloucestershire Echo, 10 August 2012

See also Stroud News & Journal, 10 August 2012

View the Original article

The leader of a racist BNP protest has been found guilty of disturbing public order outside a former councillor's house.

Kieren Trent pleaded not guilty to four counts of public disorder when he appeared at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court for his part in causing former Councillor Mike Galloway "undue distress and alarm" as he and a group of others protested outside Mr Galloway's home in Wolverton. [See here and here.]

Mr Galloway, former cabinet member for planning at the council, was at his Wolverton home on Sunday, April 24 2011, when the gang arrived with racist banners and a megaphone.

The protest, led by Trent, was against the decision to give the go-ahead for a mosque to be sited at the former Plough pub in Bletchley. Two weeks prior to the protest, Milton Keynes Council had approved the plans.

The Citizen reported in April last year that six people were part of the protest outside Mr Galloway’s house, though only two were arrested when police were called to the scene.

At the time, Trent was the leader of the BNP's youth section, known as "the Resistance".

The court heard Trent had approached Mr Galloway in Wolverton earlier in the day with a video camera to document the impromptu meeting before the protest.

Trent claimed in court he was no longer a member of the British National Party.

On Tuesday, District Judge Vickers found Trent guilty of breaching public order, and he will be sentenced on Wednesday, August 1.

Milton Keynes Citizen, 5 July 2012

View the Original article