Protests

Home secretary tells officers to make ‘full use’ of their powers after masked vigilantes cause weekend of chaosShabana Mahmood has urged police to curb the activities of far-right, anti-migrant groups which have “obvious malign intent” after a weekend of chaos caused by balaclava-wearing vigilantes.In a meeting on Thursday, the home secretary told senior officers to make “full use” of their powers, including bans on face coverings, after police were assaulted and ports were disrupted in Kent and Hampshire. Continue reading...

Whitehall officials also ask why laws meant to clamp down on the wearing of masks at demonstrations were not usedPolice have been told by the government they expect better intelligence gathering after masked far-right groups took to the streets at the weekend, the Guardian has learned, as the Kent force admitted mishandling warnings of potential trouble.Police in Kent on Saturday and then Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Sunday said they were taken by surprise when hundreds massed to oppose what they say is illegal immigration via small boats. Continue reading...

Alarm that Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania may fall next after party’s Saxony-Anhalt election victory‘It breaks my heart’: victory sparks dismay Europe live – latest updatesThousands of Germans have staged protests against the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) after the party’s watershed victory in a state election, warning it posed a danger in two more polls this month.Demonstrators at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate held a peaceful pro-democracy rally denouncing the anti-immigrant, pro-Russian AfD, which has called for mass deportations of asylum seekers and a rollback of state support for renewable energy and public broadcasting. Continue reading...

• Policing minister Sarah Jones told MPs that individuals responsible for "intimidating and thuggish" anti-migrant protests should expect to face legal consequences. • The minister's statement follows a series of unrests where protesters targeted migrant centers and public spaces. • This stance signals a strict law enforcement approach to public disorder to protect migrant communities and maintain urban stability.

Taraneh Rahimi was told prison guards would rape her sister, Romina, if she did not sign a confessionThe twins were 19 and still in high school when they were taken from their beds in the dead of night by masked men later identified as being sent by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.After four months of desperately seeking news from hospitals and state institutions, their mother, Marzieh Nourmohammadi, finally learned their fate. Taraneh and Romina Rahimi had been seized over their decision to join millions on the streets of Iranian cities during the January protests against the regime. The twins were unrecognisable by the time of their mother’s prison visit in May. Continue reading...

Farage, who had earlier suspended two close aides, had his keynote speech interrupted multiple times by protesters on FridayMorning, and welcome to our UK politics blog. Reform UK’s annual conference continues in Birmingham today, with speeches from Lee Anderson, Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick and others, before Nigel Farage takes to the stage for the closing remarks.The conference has been overshadowed by a scandal involving senior Reform figures caught in an undercover sting discussing potential foreign donations, prompting the suspension of two senior aides and renewed scrutiny of the party’s finances. Continue reading...

• A surge of protests in India has significantly disrupted the traditional media landscape, leading to a shift from legacy news outlets to independent digital platforms. • Independent journalists and "celebrity YouTubers" are increasingly replacing traditional anchors as audiences flee "godi media," a term used by journalist Ravish Kumar to describe outlets that dismiss political dissent. • The divide is highlighted by contrasting coverage of exam retests, where legacy houses like NDTV presented government-aligned views while independent creators focused on student grievances.