
Richard Hermer's campaign against Britain
Five years ago, the man who is now Lord Hermer gave an interview to the Times. The then QC was asked how he'd want to be remembered. The answer he gave was curious. 'The world will be a better place,' he said, 'when privileged men like me stop seeking a place in history.' I'm not sure who Lord Hermer thinks should be seeking a place in history, though I assume he was just paying lip service to the spirit of 2020 and wanted to be read to mean that in future most of the running should be done by underprivileged transsexuals.
While I cannot agree on the substance, I can agree on one specific. The world would certainly be a much better place if people like Lord Hermer stopped seeking historic roles. For although he is now the Attorney General of England and Wales, there is little to suggest that his noble lordship has any love for this country. Indeed, he appears to have spent his career defending anyone who literally wants to attack us.
In their recent efforts to explain the Attorney General's unfortunate list of past clients, Hermer's defenders claim that as a barrister he had to obey the 'cab-rank' rules of the job. It was for this reason, they say, that Hermer spent his career defending such clients as Gerry Adams and almost every variety of Islamic terrorist. Yet the claim is demonstrably daft. To have represented one al-Qaeda terrorist might be a duty, but to represent at least five would seem to be a habit. Never mind that your other clients include the families of Isis members and so on.

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ITV News
8 hours ago
- ITV News
Politicians condemn attack on Belfast Islamic Centre while people prayed
Politicians have condemned an attack on the Islamic Centre in Belfast while people were praying on Friday evening. A local MLA said a device was thrown inside the building during evening prayer and forced it to be evacuated. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he was 'deeply concerned by the shameful attack'. 'Hatred of this sort has no place in Northern Ireland. If anyone has any information about this, please contact the PSNI,' he said. Police said they attended a security alert on University Road in south Belfast on Friday night. A number of cordons were put in place and members of the public were asked to avoid the area. A 34-year-old man was arrested and was taken into police custody. Alliance MLA for South Belfast Paula Bradshaw condemned the attack, which she said did 'not reflect the diversity of south Belfast in 2025'. 'This attack was again designed to cause fear among people inside the centre, who were at prayer at the time. 'Nevertheless, I am thankful for the intervention of a nearby passer-by and for the work of the police. Those were much more reflective of the true spirit of Belfast, where most people rejoice in diversity. 'I would like to express my solidarity with all those who were evacuated and my thanks to all those who worked to ensure their safety.' Sinn Fein MLA Deirdre Hargey said 'no-one should ever feel unsafe in their place of worship'. 'Acts like these, fuelled by hate, spread fear and division, and target people who have come to our communities to build a life and call this place home. 'It's vital that all political leaders speak out and stand united against this disgusting behaviour.' Green Party Councillor Aine Groogan condemned the attack as a 'cowardly and vicious act'. 'I am horrified to hear about the attack on the Islamic Centre during evening prayers,' she said. 'I want to pay tribute to the courageous passer-by who intervened and prevented what could have been a far more tragic outcome. 'It is terrifying to consider what might have happened and I sincerely hope that all those present are recovering from this traumatic ordeal.' She added: 'This attack is yet another reminder of the very real danger faced by our Islamic community. The recent rise in racist hate and violence on our streets is a shameful stain on our society. 'We must all take responsibility for actively challenging racism, misinformation and bigotry wherever it appears before someone is seriously hurt. 'I urge those politicians who continue to hide behind the notion of so-called 'legitimate concerns' around migration to reflect on the consequences of their words. 'Such narratives are as disingenuous as they are dangerous. They help foster a culture in which hate can thrive. Frankly, they should know better.'


Belfast Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Anger as bomb squad called to Belfast Islamic Centre after suspect device is hurled inside in ‘vile attack'
Latest | A man linked to a security alert at the Belfast Islamic Centre claimed he was "trying to save the world'. A device was thrown inside the building and a window was smashed during last night's incident. It happened between 10pm and 10.30pm at the Islamic centre on the University Road area of south Belfast. Staff at the centre told the Belfast Telegraph the centre had to be evacuated, disrupting evening prayers. A video from the first floor of the centre, seen by this newspaper, shows a man reaching into the building. One witness said he saw flames as the suspect allegedly attempted to set fire to the site. "I saw the flames in his hand from above but couldn't capture it in the video," they said. A pedestrian walking by stopped the suspect from doing any damage. A clip of the incident shows the young man grabbing the suspect and pulling him away. The suspect can be heard telling the pedestrian that he was "trying to save the world" as he was being dragged away. "He was the first to stop him," the witness continued. "Only then did we reach there." Officers subsequently arrested the man and cordoned off the site to conduct further investigations. A spokesperson for the Islamic Centre today said they strongly condemned the 'vile attack'. 'During evening prayers last night, one of the windows was broken and a device was thrown inside the building. 'Everyone was evacuated from the building and the police were quick to respond. 'We were unable to continue night prayers as the whole area was cordoned off and nobody was allowed near the building. 'A bomb squad eventually removed the device in the early hours of this morning. 'We have had incidents in the past but nothing of this kind.' "I think he'd be very well qualified": Leo Varadkar on Colum Eastwood Irish presidential run Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw condemned the attack. 'This is just the latest example of an attack motivated by hate which does not reflect the diversity of South Belfast in 2025,' the South Belfast Assembly member said. 'This attack was again designed to cause fear among people inside the centre, who were at prayer at the time. 'Nevertheless, I am thankful for the intervention of a nearby passer-by and for the work of the police. Those were much more reflective of the true spirit of Belfast, where most people rejoice in diversity. 'I would like to express my solidarity with all those who were evacuated, and my thanks to all those who worked to ensure their safety.' A PSNI spokesperson said early this morning: 'Police are currently at the scene of a security alert at University Road in south Belfast. A number of cordons are in place in the vicinity. 'A 34-year-old man has been arrested and is currently in custody. 'Members of the public are asked to avoid the area at this time.'

The National
a day ago
- The National
Owen Jones: How does opposing Israeli violence make me an extremist?
I'm not referring here to our inability to 'learn the lessons', as the stock phrase goes, of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and indeed Gaza. Even such phraseology suggests these are policy mistakes, or unfortunate messes, rather than grave crimes. No, what we need to learn is that the real dangerous extremists in society are those who incite mass violence with catastrophic human consequences, and stop letting them get away with it. Iraq really should have finished off the warmongers, and yet here we are, having to listen to diatribes in support of bombing Iran where the so-called 'case' for dropping bombs on fellow human beings is even weaker. Indeed, the US administration this time is even more extreme and clearly deceitful. Nobody thinks Iran has nuclear weapons. Benjamin Netanyahu has been publicly claiming that the country will imminently develop them for the last three decades. Donald Trump's own Director of National Intelligence declared that the US intelligence perspective was that 'Iran is not building a nuclear weapon' just three months ago. Smoke rises after an attack on Iran (Image: Majid Asgaripour, via REUTERS) In a rational world, anyone advocating for British involvement in bombing Iran would be dismissed as a dangerous lunatic. Our media outlets would note that Iraq was plunged into a sectarian bloodbath and a playground for al-Qaeda, before that was supplanted by the even more extreme Daesh. We would recall the hideous war crimes committed by the US there, not least in Fallujah. We would be forced to recall how the triumphalism about Afghanistan gave way to a bloodbath, before the Taliban once again regained power in a stronger position than ever. We would be forced to listen to the hubris that accompanied intervention in Libya, which became regime change in total defiance of the original mandate, and led to the country becoming a violent failed state. Our media outlets would note that the Israeli prime minister is a wanted man evading justice, subject to an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity issued by the International Criminal Court, an institution our country is a founding member of. They would note the consensus among genocide scholars – including those in Israel itself – that genocide has been committed in Gaza. The heinous crimes in the illegally occupied and colonised West Bank would be noted, as well as the mass slaughter of civilians in Lebanon. That Israel is invading, occupying and attacking Syria as a matter of course would be noted, alongside statements by Israeli ministers openly calling for the establishment of a "Greater Israel" illegally annexing land which does not belong to it. Pressure from the British media – in this context – would go on like this: 'Will the Prime Minister rule out intervening in Iran given the catastrophes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, the first two causing the needless deaths of hundreds of British service personnel, the wider chaos and destruction aside?' our journalists would demand. 'Will Britain rule out allying with Israel in a war of aggression ruled illegal by experts, given its prime minister is subject to an arrest warrant for war crimes?' they would ask. 'Is the Prime Minister not concerned about Israel's possession of nuclear weapons, given its illegal occupation of land that doesn't belong to it, its openly expansionist commitments, and given it is so credibly accused of grave war crimes and indeed genocide?' But there is no such pressure, at all. Instead, British media outlets simply bang the drum for war, giving credibility to claims Iran will imminently acquire nuclear weapons and that it poses a unique threat. They present Israel as the victim, even though the country launched an unprovoked war of aggression. Those who oppose this insanity are – as before – portrayed as dupes of a foreign tyranny. The real pressure on Starmer is over whether he will join forces with the US to drop bombs on Iran. READ MORE: SNP councillor forces Labour to take action against Israeli arms sales What we've failed to do is to destroy the careers and reputations of genuinely dangerous extremists who have power and influence. If you agitate on behalf of a proscribed organisation such as Hamas, you face being jailed on the grounds you are inciting support for its demonstrable violence. Yet if you use your platform to incite support for what is, in practise, infinitely more lethal violence, you are treated as respectable and indeed mainstream. It is those who oppose Western violence – despite the incontrovertible evidence of bloody disaster – who are instead smeared as dangerous extremists. When are we going to finally have a reckoning which deals with these people? They should become public pariahs, shamed forever for having helped create catastrophes which left millions dead, maimed, displaced, traumatised. READ MORE: JK Rowling called The National 'anti-woman' – here's my response Right now, the British Government is moving to proscribe Palestine Action, essentially making them a terrorist organisation, because they spraypainted planes at an RAF Airbase in protest at British complicity in genocide. This is an example of the world turned on its head: That those who are doing all they can to stop UK involvement with objectively obscene violations of international law are officially treated as the real criminals. Well, history will be a savage judge. We have failed, in the here and now, to crush the extremists responsible for death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. If we want to prevent a future of violent barbarism, that failure has to end.