Antigovernment protesters attacked the great-nephew of the wife of President Emmanuel Macron’s great-nephew in his flat above the Jean Trogneux chocolate shop in Amiens, where Brigitte Macron grew up, leaving him with several broken ribs and other injuries. The attack was quickly condemned by senior French politicians. The three adult suspects - aged between 20 and 34 - have been detained and will stand trial on assault charges. The youngest of the suspects is believed to have a mental disability, while the eldest is living under the control of a legal guardian. Several figures, including Leftwing LFI-NUPES MP François Ruffin, expressed the view that Macron shared responsibility for violence towards politicians. France has experienced its largest protests in many years since the start of 2020, staged in response to Macron's plans to raise the retirement age from 62 years old to 64.
Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has been hit by heavy air strikes again, with fighting in the areas around a military camp. The last two weeks have seen nearly a million displaced and disrupted food supplies. On Wednesday, the UN launched its $3bn aid appeal due to over half of the country’s 46 million population requireded humanitarian assistance. Moreover, the situation has been hampered by the deaths of some humanitarian workers early in the conflict and repeated cases of looting, with medical aid group MSF reporting its warehouse in Khartoum has been raided.
Israeli nationalists are scheduled to march through the Muslim quarter of East Jerusalem's Old City, marking "Jerusalem Day," which memorialises Israel's capture of the city in 1967. The day culminates in a flag-waving march through the city, and in recent years has increasingly become a show of force for Jewish nationalists. Palestinians see the event as a provocation, fearing that the march signifies an attempt to undermine their ties to the city. In previous years the procession has included racist incitement and violence, causing Palestinian shopkeepers to shut down their businesses. The event has also led to violence in the past, and this year Palestinians have organised their own flag marches in the West Bank and Gaza, some set to take place near the Israel-Gaza separation fence.
San Francisco has become the first city in the US to appoint a "drag laureate" to represent its LGBTQ+ community. D'Arcy Drollinger, nightclub co-owner and drag performer, will become the first holder of the 18-month position, which carries a salary of $55,000. Her remit includes serving as a spokesperson, producing and participating in drag events and preserving the community's history. Last year, the Proud Boys sparked a hate crimes investigation when they protested against Drag Story Hour, which sees drag queens reading to children.
San Francisco has made history by creating the first “drag laureate” position. The role, which will span 18 months and carry a $55,000 stipend, will be held by D’Arcy Drollinger, a well-known drag performer and nightclub owner. She will serve as an ambassador for the LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco, representing the city at a time when many rights are coming under threat across the US. Her duties will include participating in and producing drag events, serving as a spokesperson for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, and ensuring that the city’s drag history is “honoured and preserved”.
The position is inaugurated three weeks before Pride Month begins. Drollinger said that while there are still many “anti-drag folks out there,” she was honoured to take up the position and hoped to help “make San Francisco sparkle.” The American Civil Liberties Union is currently tracking 474 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the US. Tennessee has the first anti-drag law, which essentially bans drag from public property or in the presence of minors; a federal judge temporarily blocked the measure hours before it was set to go into effect in late March.
West Hollywood and New York are also considering their own drag laureate positions. West Hollywood is expected to name its drag laureate in the coming weeks and will pay $15,000 annually for the two-year term that begins on 16 July, International Drag Day.
Violence against women and girls accounts for at least 15.8% of all UK recorded crime, contributing significantly to the demand on law enforcement resources, according to the first national threat assessment of VAWG crimes shared with all National Police Chiefs by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The estimates include data on domestic abuse, sexual offences, voice crimes and human trafficking. The assessment aims to provide police forces with the knowledge to better understand the complex levers responsible for VAWG, effectively utilising the finite resources of the police to tackle the soaring rates of these violent and sexual offences.
Liberal gun control bill headed to Senate following passage by House of Commons
CBC
23-05-18 20:53
Canada's bill to institute gun control has passed and is now headed to the Senate. The new legislation imposes restrictions on handguns, increases the penalties for firearm trafficking, and aims to curb the production of homemade "ghost guns". A ban on assault-style weapons is included, with plans to have it become effective after the bill is passed into law. The bill met with opposition from Conservative MPs who stated that the bill focused too heavily on punishing lawful gun owners instead of targeting criminal actors.
San Francisco has named the US’s first drag laureate amid growing anti-trans gender-pride legislation. The 18-month role was created by San Francisco Mayor London Breed to represent the city’s LGBTQ+ community and put government resources into supporting drag culture. D'Arcy Drollinger, a well-known drag performer and nightclub owner, will be paid a $55,000 stipend. The responsibilities of the role will involve producing and participating in drag events, helping to preserve the city's drag history, and acting as a spokesperson for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. West Hollywood's own drag laureate will also be appointed later this month.
Author Salman Rushdie has made his first public appearance since being attacked with a knife last year, which left him with partial blindness. Rushdie lost sight in one eye after he was stabbed 10 times while on stage at a US arts centre last August. The attack echoed the fatwa calling for his assassination issued by then-Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, following publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses in 1988. Rushdie’s public appearance came at a ceremony hosted by PEN, an organisation which champions free speech.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has allowed police to search his home after allegations arose that he was harbouring suspects alleged to have participated in violence during anti-government protests. He faces about 100 legal cases and appeared before a court seeking protection from arrest in multiple terrorism cases. Responding to days of violence against public property and military installations by his supporters, Khan condemned the action saying, "there is no Pakistani who will not condemn the violence". Prolonged political upheaval has deepened the economic crisis in Pakistan.
British author Salman Rushdie appeared in public for the first time since a knife attack last year at a New York gala. The award-winning novelist, who lost sight in one eye following the attack, attended the award ceremony hosted by PEN America to accept an honorary award in recognition of his work. Rushdie's work has become synonymous with free speech after a fatwa calling for his death was issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, following the publication of The Satanic Verses. Stating that 'terrorism should not terrorise us and violence must not deter us', Rushdie was awarded a standing ovation by guests during his emotional speech. Rushdie has also suffered from post-traumatic stress since the attack, during which he was stabbed 10 times at a US arts centre in upstate New York in August 2020.
A production called The Riot at Christie Pits is shining a light on a racially motivated riot that occurred in Toronto’s Christie Pits Park on Aug. 16, 1933. The plot focuses on a group known as the Pit Gang shouting “Heil Hitler” and displaying a swastika banner in front of Jewish players who made up most of the team on the field at the time. A fight broke out between Anglo-Saxon Canadians and Jewish and Italian immigrants, lasting six hours. The riot was the largest of its kind in Canada and is now being taught to students with performances taking place in and around Christie Pits Park, located next to Toronto’s Koreatown. Feedback from students and teachers has been positive. The production was funded by the province, and was created in partnership with the Ontario Jewish Archives, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Toronto District School Board’s Jewish and Italian Heritage committees.
‘Pierre Poilievre has decided to pander … leaving those of us disgusted by Justin Trudeau without a clear option.’ Conservative contrarians, plus other letters to the editor for May 19
Canadians must seek to protect their country from the violence and division that has become rife in America, according to a letter in the Globe and Mail. The missive’s writer, expat Don Gayton, wrote that Canada should attempt to understand the causes of the problems in the US so that the twin issues of violence and division do not come north over the border. In related comments, other respondents noted the gun laws which enable violence south of the border but are not in place in Canada, a division of political opinion which has no bearing on geography and a surge in anger in the right-wing conservative movement.
Transgender people in El Salvador continue to face discrimination and violence due to their gender identity, exacerbated by weak legal protection, a lack of social acceptance and the influence of Catholicism and evangelicalism. El Salvador’s supreme court ruled in 2022 that people should be able to alter the gender markers on their official documentation, but the government failed to meet a 2021 deadline to enact reform to facilitate that process. LGBTQ rights are said to be under threat in the country following a swing to the right in elections, with activists reporting increased homophobia and transphobia. Transgender citizens face practical challenges in their daily life due to misgendering or a lack of official documents that match their gender identity. Hospitals, banks and insurers are among those who refuse to respect the gender identities of transgender citizens. Violence against trans women in particular has increased in El Salvador in recent years, with police officers among those said to be operating with impunity.
Danyal Khan has been charged with second-degree murder following the death of a 40-year-old father in Vaughan. Richard Sasaki, a local resident, died in hospital after being stabbed in an altercation between two men near Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. Police initially stated that the suspect "may have been in the area for some time prior to the altercation and may have been interacting with others in the area”. Toronto Police asked anyone with any information about the attack to contact them, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously.
Tens of thousands of people marched through Belgrade in an anti-government protest last Friday following two mass shootings that killed 18 people. The opposition parties that organised the demonstration claim that authorities have allowed unchecked growth of a culture of violence in Serbian media. Protesters called for the resignation of the President, Interior Minister and head of Serbia's security agency as they have failed to act against criminal elements in society and promote violence in Serbian media. On the other hand, the government denies the opposition parties' allegations and accuses them of organizing the protests for political gain. Last week, both President Vucic and opposition protesters went to locations outside the capital and held rival rallies.
Human Rights Watch has reported its concerns about mass arrests by the Pakistani police resulting from protests over the arrest of Imran Khan. More than 4,000 people have been detained, including opposition political party members. Many have been charged with rioting, although authorities have arrested members of opposition political parties who were not involved in violent protests, and all those detained for peaceful protest should be released. Violence began after the police arrested former prime minister Khan on 9 May 2023, on corruption charges. Since then hundreds of members of Khan’s political party have been arrested.
Violence on Toronto’s transit system has surged as a result of the pandemic, but the situation has begun to improve as rider numbers recover, with last year overall safer than 2020 and 2021, according to The Globe and Mail. Nearly 50,000 incidents have been recorded between 2002 and 2022. University of Toronto criminologist Jamie Duncan obtained the data via a request made under freedom of information laws. The statistics reveal rises in robberies, sexual assaults and weapon-related incidents, alongside the hike in assaults, but the number of less violent crimes of this type was lower than releases in earlier years.
Human Rights Watch has reported its concerns about mass arrests by the Pakistani police resulting from protests over the arrest of Imran Khan. More than 4,000 people have been detained, including opposition political party members. Many have been charged with rioting, although authorities have arrested members of opposition political parties who were not involved in violent protests, and all those detained for peaceful protest should be released. Violence began after the police arrested former prime minister Khan on 9 May 2023, on corruption charges. Since then hundreds of members of Khan’s political party have been arrested.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, an Israeli extremist Cabinet minister, visited a Jerusalem holy site on Sunday, the second known time he has made such a visit. The move is likely to be condemned by both the Palestinians and elsewhere in the Muslim world. Ben-Gur praised the police presence at the site, saying it “proves who is in charge in Jerusalem.” Palestinian nationalists view such visits as provocative, pre-emptive moves by Israel to control the compound. Israel considers Jerusalem its undivided capital but annexed the predominantly Palestinian area in a move not recognised by most of the international community.
