WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
While the young man in question has been deceased for several weeks now, the outrage over his cruel death still lingers on.
People from all over the country, and even world, has expressed their sorrow and fury over video that detailed the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers. All five officers involved in the beating – Tadarrius Bean, age 24, Demetrius Haley, age 30, Emmitt Martin III, age 30, Desmond Mills Jr., age 32, and Justin Smith, age 28 – have been fired and charged with murder.
The quintet was assigned to the city’s SCORPION unit. SCORPION – which was a questionable acronym for “Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods” – has now been disbanded. Also, other public personnel have been relieved of their duties in connection to Nichols’ death.
The dialogue of the officers in the video is too graphic to be printed here, but it was cruel and very disturbing. However, almost immediately after its release, protest sprouted up in cities all over America, including Newark, NJ.
On behalf of the entire Essex County Board of County Commissioners, Commissioner President Wayne L. Johnson issued the following statement on the recent release of video footage documenting the January 7th beating of Tyre Nichols.
“Again. The heart-wrenching video of a grown Black man using his last ounce of strength to call out in desperation to his mother.
“None but the most damaged among us can bear to watch or listen to the videotape of Tyre Nichols’ murder. The depravity of those members of the Memphis Police Department’s Scorpion Unit is beyond comprehension, beyond the limits of our imagination. And yet, it’s happened. Again.
“In the worst combination of conditions, driving while Black continues to be a death sentence in America. It is the result of the debauched corruption of ignorance, the most contorted manifestation of power, the outcome of centuries of American white supremacy, and the brutality so often embedded in law enforcement culture.
“The firing of five officers involved and the suspension of a sixth exemplified best practices for responding to abuse committed by police. But training must intensify to adjust the sensitivity of officers so they employ restraint when required and give constant evidence of their pledge to serve and protect.
“The Essex County Board of County Commissioners expresses its condolences to the family of Tyre Nichols, and particularly to his mother, for whom he called out during the attack. Each of us, no matter our profession or our power must do what we can to uphold the dignity of our fellow humans.”
Also giving commentary on the horrific act was Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Tyre Nichols should have made it home to his family. Yet, once again, America mourns the life of a son and father brutally cut short at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. The footage and images released tonight will forever be seared in our memories, and they open wounds that will never fully heal.
“The persistent issue of police misconduct and use of excessive force in America must end now.
“I join President Biden in his call for accountability and transparency. We must build trust – not fear – within our communities.
“Congress must act with urgency and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. To truly honor Tyre Nichols’ memory, and the memory of so many others before him, we must demand that our justice system lives up to its name.”
WORLD
MOSQUE BOMBED IN PAKISTAN
The UN chief and top officials have strongly condemned the suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Jan. 30, that left at least 59 dead and 150 injured.
News reports stated that a militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred at a crowded mosque. Reports showed that the bombing caused the roof to collapse on top of those inside.
“It is particularly abhorrent that the attack occurred at a place of worship,” the Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson. “Freedom of religion or belief, including the ability to worship in peace and security, is a universal human right.”
Extending his condolences to the victims’ families and wishes for a prompt recovery to those injured, Mr. Guterres reiterated the solidarity of the United Nations with the Government and people of Pakistan in their efforts to address terrorism and violent extremism.
Also condemning the attack, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Miguel Ángel Moratinos, emphasized in a statement that all forms of violence and acts of terror against civilians and religious sites on account of their religion or belief, are intolerable and unjustifiable and should be unequivocally condemned.
“Houses of worship are sacred places where worshippers should be able to practice and declare their faith safely and freely,” he said, also expressing deep concern at the overall rise in instances of discrimination, intolerance and all acts of violence directed against members of any religious or other communities.
This includes incidents motivated by Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and Christianophobia and prejudices against persons of other religions, beliefs, gender or race.
Calling for mutual respect of all religions and faiths and for fostering a culture of fraternity and peace, he asked governments and other stakeholders to support the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites, which has been developed by the Alliance, at the request of the Secretary-General.
MIDDLE EAST
SYNAGOGUE ATTACK CONDEMNED
The UN Secretary-General on Jan. 27 strongly condemned Friday’s terrorist attack by a Palestinian man outside a synagogue in a Jerusalem neighborhood which has left at least seven Israelis dead, and three others injured.
According to news reports, the incident happened in the Neve Yaakov district in the middle of the evening local time. Israeli police said the attacker, identified as a Palestinian from the Shu’fat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem, had been “neutralized” at the scene.
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, António Guterres extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed, and wished a prompt recovery for those injured.
“It is particularly abhorrent that the attack occurred at a place of worship, and on the very day we commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” the statement said.
“There is never any excuse for acts of terrorism. They must be clearly condemned and rejected by all.”
The incident followed on from a worrying escalation in violence in recent months, and the deaths of nine Palestinians, militants and well as several civilians, at a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin on Jan. 26, following an Israeli raid targeting what they said was an active group of Islamic Jihad militants.
Palestinian militants in Gaza launched rockets into Israel in response, which Israeli forces met with air strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
“The Secretary-General is deeply worried about the current escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory,” said the statement. “This is the moment to exercise utmost restraint.”
Meanwhile, UNAOC High-Representative Moratinos, who is tasked with building bridges between faiths and fighting antisemitism, also issued a statement strongly condemning what he described as an “horrific terrorist attack” on Jewish worshippers, after Sabbath prayers.
“The High-Representative stresses that such a heinous crime is unjustifiable whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed,” the statement added.
EUROPE
ANOTHER FLAWED CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
If you thought the U.S. was alone in having different standards for different skin colors in the legal system, think again.
Racism in the United Kingdom is “structural, institutional and systemic,” independent UN human rights experts said on Jan. 27, warning that people of African descent in the country continue to encounter discrimination and erosion of their fundamental rights.
“We have serious concerns about impunity and the failure to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, deaths in police custody, ‘joint enterprise’ convictions, and the dehumanizing nature,” of the so-called ‘stop and search’ policing strategy, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said in a statement at the end of an official visit to the UK.
The Human Rights Council-appointed experts said they had gathered evidence of the all-too-real trauma felt by people of African descent who were suffering racial discrimination and injustice: “A woman of African descent we met during our visit lamented, ‘will this ever end?’” they said.
A decade of economic austerity measures in the UK following the global crash of 2007-8, had exacerbated racism, racial discrimination and other intolerance which people of African descent encounter, thereby eroding their rights, the experts observed.
“From the perspective of people of African descent, racism in the UK is structural, institutional and systemic,” the experts said.
The lived experience dealing with State and public institutions, the private sector and society, was that it perpetuates racial hierarchies, the experts concluded.
“Racialized acts targeting people of African descent have remained steadfast, and the experience is similar across different parts of the UK,” the experts said. “They are victimized and have no assurance of effective redress from authorities or the justice system.”
Welcoming emerging efforts towards reparation for the legacies of the trade and trafficking in enslaved Africans, the Working Group encouraged all stakeholders including the Government, to do more to ensure rehabilitation, restoration, and reconciliation.
“Streamlining accessible, independent and effective complaint mechanisms to address racism, ensuring police accountability, fair trial guarantees for all persons, and redress to all persons affected by the Windrush scandal, are imperative”, said Catherine Namakula, Chair of the Working Group.
“Austerity to the peril of fundamental rights, is a costly undertaking for the UK,” she said.
The Windrush scandal erupted more than five years ago involving those born in the Caribbean who were brought to the UK as children, being asked by the UK Home Office – despite living in the country for 50 years – to prove their status as citizens, some having never been formally naturalized, or having never applied for a passport.
Dozens were deported or told they would be removed from the UK, despite being legal British subjects in their country of origin, and hundreds suffered hardships, threats and other deprivations of their rights, leading to the resignation of the then Home Secretary, in 2018.
