LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday told British forces in Cyprus that they should be “proud” of helping to crush Daesh in the Middle East – but at home the war on terror is far from over.
In London, Paris and Brussels, this year’s Christmas celebrations are tinged with public unease over the threat of more of the kind of attacks that have blighted European capitals throughout 2017.
Speaking at Britain’s RAF Akrotiri, May said the base was the “epicenter” of operations against Daesh.
Akrotiri has been used as a staging post for attacks against Daesh, now largely defeated after attempting to set up a caliphate across swathes of Iraq and Syria.
But while the spread of Daesh may have been thwarted abroad, a spate of attacks across Europe during 2017, means the fight goes on.
In the UK, the threat of terrorism and the fear of terrorism itself, remain very real.
The British government’s threat level is currently set at “severe” after briefly reaching “critical” in May and September this year.
According to a statement from Britain’s MI5 security service: “The UK is a high-priority target for Islamic extremists and they pose a significant threat to our country and to our interests and citizens abroad.”
MI5 also states: “The majority of terrorist attack plots in this country have been planned by British residents. British nationals who have fought for extremist groups overseas continue to return to the UK, increasing the risk of terrorist attacks.
“Using skills acquired overseas, they may organize attacks under direction from outside the UK, or on their own initiative, or they might radicalize others to do so.
“While the majority of returners will not mount attacks in the UK, the large numbers involved mean it is likely that at least some of them will attempt to do so.”
Thousands of Daesh fighters have already returned to their home countries, a recent report by The Soufan Center (TSC) found.
At least 425 Daesh members have so far returned to the UK – the largest contingent in Europe.
Following five major terror attacks in in the UK in 2017, including the deaths of 22 people at pop concert in Manchester in May, the British public has been on high alert for terror incidents.
On Thursday in London, road closures were set up around Hyde Park Corner after an abandoned vehicle was spotted near the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Bomb squad personnel were seen inspecting a car near the tube station which turned out to be a false alarm.
London’s Oxford Street in November witnessed similar scenes of panic that saw residents fleeing a supposed terrorist attack. The incident was quickly resolved, yet the panic that erupted is a reminder of terrorism’s lasting psychological impact.
Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing Unit (CTPU ) advises that “while still rare, terrorist attacks can happen at anytime and without warning.”
The anti-terrorism body’s official guidelines advise the general public to be vigilant and report any suspicious behavior to the police immediately.
May hails terror victory overseas amid festive season unease at home
May hails terror victory overseas amid festive season unease at home
Journalist Don Lemon charged with federal civil rights crimes after covering anti-ICE church protest
Journalist Don Lemon charged with federal civil rights crimes after covering anti-ICE church protest
- “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement earlier Friday
LOS ANGELES: Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.
Lemon was arrested overnight in Los Angeles, while another independent journalist and two protest participants were arrested in Minnesota. He struck a confident, defiant tone while speaking to reporters after a court appearance in California, declaring: “I will not be silenced.”
“I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” Lemon said. “In fact there is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”
The arrests brought sharp criticism from news media advocates and civil rights activists including the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said the Trump administration is taking a “sledgehammer” to “the knees of the First Amendment.”
A grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and others on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during the Jan. 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor.
In court in Los Angeles, Assistant US Attorney Alexander Robbins argued for a $100,000 bond, telling a judge that Lemon “knowingly joined a mob that stormed into a church.” He was released, however, without having to post money and was granted permission to travel to France in June while the case is pending.
Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Lemon plans to plead not guilty and fight the charges in Minnesota.
Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023 following a bumpy run as a morning host, has said he has no affiliation to the organization that went into the church and he was there as a solo journalist chronicling protesters.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement earlier Friday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi promoted the arrests on social media.
“Make no mistake. Under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” Bondi said in a video posted online. “And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”
‘Keep trying’
Since he left CNN, Lemon has joined the legion of journalists who have gone into business for himself, posting regularly on YouTube. He hasn’t hidden his disdain for President Donald Trump. Yet during his online show from the church, he said repeatedly: “I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist.” He described the scene before him, and interviewed churchgoers and demonstrators.
A magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge Lemon. Shortly after, he predicted on his show that the administration would try again.
“And guess what,” he said. “Here I am. Keep trying. That’s not going to stop me from being a journalist. That’s not going to diminish my voice. Go ahead, make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel, if you want. Just do it. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Georgia Fort livestreamed the moments before her arrest, telling viewers that agents were at her door and her First Amendment right as a journalist was being diminished.
A judge released Fort, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy on bond, rejecting the Justice Department’s attempt to keep them in custody. Not guilty pleas were entered. Fort’s supporters in the courtroom clapped and whooped.
“It’s a sinister turn of events in this country,” Fort’s attorney, Kevin Riach, said in court.
Discouraging scrutiny
Jane Kirtley, a media law and ethics expert at the University of Minnesota, said the federal laws cited by the government were not intended to apply to reporters gathering news.
The charges against Lemon and Fort, she said, are “pure intimidation and government overreach.”
Some experts and activists said the charges were not only an attack on press freedoms but also a strike against Black Americans who count on Black journalists to bear witness to injustice and oppression.
The National Association of Black Journalists said it was “outraged and deeply alarmed” by Lemon’s arrest. The group called it an effort to “criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement.”
Crews is a leader of Black Lives Matter Minnesota who has led many protests and actions for racial justice, particularly following George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis in 2020.
“All the greats have been to jail, MLK, Malcom X — people who stood up for justice get attacked,” Crews told The Associated Press. “We were just practicing our First Amendment rights.”
Protesters charged previously
A prominent civil rights attorney and two other people involved in the protest were arrested last week. Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations for disrupting the Cities Church service.
The Justice Department launched an investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Lundy works for the office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and is married to a St. Paul City Council member. Lemon briefly interviewed him as they gathered with protesters preparing to drive to the church on Jan. 18.
“I feel like it’s important that if you’re going to be representing people in office that you are out here with the people,” Lundy told Lemon, adding he believed in “direct action, certainly within the lines of the law.”
Church leaders praise arrests in protest
Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads ICE’s St. Paul field office.
“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known,” lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said.
