George Floyd death: Australians defy virus in mass anti-racism rallies

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS FACE DUAL DISCRIMINATION AS ABORIGINAL PEOPLES AND AS BLACK FOLKS




Media captionProtesters in Australia are also highlighting the mistreatment of Aboriginal people

Tens of thousands of people have protested across Australia in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Rallies were held despite warnings from officials over the coronavirus.

A ban in Sydney was lifted only at the last minute and some organisers have been fined for breaking health rules.

The marches were inspired by the death of African American George Floyd in police custody but also highlighted the mistreatment and marginalisation of Australia's Aboriginal people.

Rallies were organised in Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and elsewhere.

They were held in high spirits with no reports of major unrest.

There were a few tense scenes later in the evening at Sydney's Central Station, with police using pepper spray, but there were only three arrests in the city overall, among a total of 20,000 protesters, police said.

Why Australians are seizing on US protests

Australia admits failings on indigenous equality

Although the rallies were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, many in Australia were also protesting against the treatment of its indigenous population by police.

Banners reading "I can't breathe" remembered the words of Floyd before his death, while another said: "Same story, different soil."
EPA Thousands protest in Sydney. Organisers urged attendees to try to observe social distancing

REUTERS There were massive crowds too in Brisbane

The Sydney protest had been ruled unlawful on Friday by the New South Wales Supreme Court under coronavirus social distancing rules.

NSW Police Minister David Elliott had said: "Freedom of speech isn't as free as we would like it to be at the moment. Rules at the moment are clear."

But organisers took the case to the state court of appeal and it overturned the ban on Saturday afternoon, just 15 minutes before the scheduled start.

The protest was authorised for 5,000 people. Health ministry directions would normally prohibit public gatherings of more than 10 people.Image copyright
GETTY 
Resounding success for indigenous Australia

Frances Mao, BBC News, Sydney

I've covered so many protests in my home city in the past decade. Outside of climate change rallies at the start of the year, I can't recall a larger turnout, particularly for a rally about race.

They turned up even when it was initially illegal and despite the health fears. They were angry, they were passionate, they knew there were risks but they donned masks and carried signs anyway.

This is a resounding success for indigenous Australia.

Back in January people were struggling to breathe due to smoke from the bushfires. Today they were chanting "I can't breathe" - the choked words of George Floyd, but also David Dungay- an Aboriginal man who was fatally pinned down by five police officers in 2015.

For many Australians, the US protests have ignited fierce introspection of their country's own record of black deaths in custody. Aboriginal people remain the most incarcerated in the world by percentage of population - they make up just 3% of the nation's people but almost 30% of those in jail.

This has been the rate for decades - in fact it's become worse - but only now does there appear to be a large demand in the mainstream for change.

Organisers across Australia encouraged those attending rallies to use hand sanitisers and observe social distancing.

Images showed that although the majority of demonstrators have been wearing face coverings, many of the protesters have been close together.

The chief health official in the state of Victoria said it was "not the time to be having large gatherings".

Victoria police said on Saturday they would be fining organisers A$1,652 ($1,150; £900) each for breaking health rules. It was unclear if Melbourne's attending protesters would be fined.

GETTY IMAGES

Protesters chanted: "Always was, always will be Aboriginal land" and "Too many coppers not enough justice".

Leon Saunders, 77, demonstrating in Sydney, said: "The raw deal Aborigines have been getting in this country for my lifetime and many lifetimes before that is just not right.

"We can look at America and say what terrible things are happening over there but, right here on our home soil, there are just as bad things happening and they need to be improved."

A 1991 inquiry reported on 99 deaths of Aboriginal people in police custody, but a Guardian study found that at least 432 had died in custody since then.

Another protester in Sydney, Sarah Keating, said: "I thought Australians were resting on their laurels - just because we're not as bad as America doesn't mean we're good enough... 432 Aboriginal deaths in custody is atrocious. That number should never have gotten that high. It should just be zero."

Media caption Donors pay debts of jailed Aboriginal women

No police officer has ever been held criminally responsible for an Aboriginal death in custody.

Many of the demonstrators in Brisbane were wrapped in indigenous flags.

German neo-Nazis trained at Russian camps: report

Militant right-wing extremists in Germany are receiving combat training in Russia, a German news magazine has reported. Officials say they cannot prevent them from going.

JUST LIKE GERMAN NEO NAZI'S AND EX EAST GERMAN STASI TRAINED CROATIAN AND SERBIAN NATIONALISTS AT THE FALL OF YUGOSLAVIA

RUSSIAN NATIONALISTS ARE WHITE POWER NATIONALISTS, RUSSIAN CHAUVINISTIC NATIONALISTS. THEY ARE FIGHTING IN UKRAINE AND TOOK OVER CRIMEA

THEY ARE NOW A MERCENARY ARMY FOR PUTIN.

UKRAINIAN NATIONALISTS FIGHTING THEM ARE ALSO WHITE POWER ADVOCATES, ANTI-SEMITIC AND RACIST. NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM.

Right-wing extremists in Germany are participating in paramilitary training at a special camp near city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, German news magazine Focus reported Friday.

Members of the youth wing of Germany's extreme-right National Democratic Party (NPD) and the minor right-wing party The Third Way have completed the training, the report said, citing German intelligence sources.

The participants received training in how to use weapons and explosives. They were also trained in close combat, the magazine said.

Swedish and Finnish nationals are also among the trainees. Participants go on to join Russian militias active in eastern Ukraine.

Read more: Right-wing terror in Germany: A timeline

Watch video
https://www.dw.com/en/german-neo-nazis-trained-at-russian-camps-report/a-53692907
A look inside Russia's military summer camps

Run by 'terrorist' organization

The "Partizan" camp is run by followers of Russia's right-wing extremist Russian Imperial Movement (RIM). German intelligence believes RIM has two camps close to Saint Petersburg. The organization seeks the restoration of the Russian Empire.

The US recently added RIM to its list of global terrorist groups. The group had "provided paramilitary-style training to white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Europe," the US said.

Russia responded at the time saying that adding the group to the list did not help fight terrorism and that the US had not provided any details.

Moscow also considers the movement of the ultra-right-wing Christian Orthodox Russians to be extremist. However, the group is not banned in Russia.

German intelligence is aware that extremists from Germany are attending the camps. For legal reasons however, they cannot prohibit the travel to Russia, Focus reported.

Officials assume that Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the existence of the camps.

Watch video 03:42 https://p.dw.com/p/3dHyd
German authorities concerned about growth of vigilantes

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Date 05.06.2020
Author Kristie Pladson
Related Subjects Holocaust, Nazis, Vladimir Putin, Germany, NPD, Russia, Dmitry Medvedev
Keywords Russia, Germany, Nazi, neo-Nazi, NPD, The Third Way

Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3dHyd

YOUNG BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTERS: 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH'
THE MASS PROTESTS ARE DRIVEN BY MILLENIALS! NO LONGER
ACCEPTING WHITE SUPERMACY AND DEMANDING BLACK LIVES MATTER

Nathan (16), Sammy (17), Matthew (15), Noel (18)

These schoolboys are taking part in a "big movement," as Noel puts it, for the first time. Noel adds: "The last time we were just a bit too young. But now that we're old enough to understand what's happening, we're out here just doing what we can for the community." Sammy says: "We want to make America a better place for black people."

Protesters in Washington DC hold up signs reading Black Lives Matter and police the police (DW/C. Bleiker)

Celeste, 21

"Black lives matter," the student chants, adding "they really don't matter here." Celeste demands more stringent checks on police officers. Her complaint does not just refer to the killing of George Floyd, however: "Protesters have been treated terribly, it's police brutality."

A young woman sits on the street in front of a row of police (DW/C. Bleiker.)

Deborah, 18

"I want justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and everyone killed by police every day. There is no accountability, nothing happens," the schoolgirl says. But will she and her fellow protesters be able to bring about change? "We have to! We have no other choice."

Addie (23), Mary (24)

"We promote human rights across the globe, but I think that we're not capable of promoting human rights across the globe as a country when we have so many human rights violations of our own in our own country," says Addie, who works for a think tank. "It's not enough to be neutral," legal trainee Mary adds: "Silence is betrayal."

Mya, 21
"This form of oppression, the killing of black people, has been happening in our society for over 400 years. Enough is enough. We are tired," the student says. "But we were tired when Trayvon Martin happened, when Eric Garner happened. I'm 21, I'm finally at the age where I can get involved. I've got to make it count."

Kayla, 21
"History is repeating itself. So it's time for a change," the student says. "I feel like we deserve our say now. We've waited long enough. I don't feel like the military should be involved. If anything, the government should be doing something to make us feel more safe, not us having to go and do it ourselves."

Bryan, 25
"I'm tired of the systematic racism, the oppression. I'm tired of seeing my people die. I'm just sick of it," says the student tearfully. Bryan, who also has a part-time job at the House of Representatives, adds: "The first thing is to get Trump out of office. There's no reason why a president should be promoting the violence and the destruction and the killings of his own citizens."

Author: Carla Bleiker (Washington, D.C.)

WHAT IS SURPRISING EVERYONE IS NOT ONLY ARE THESE MILLENNIAL PROTESTS THEY ARE WHITE FOLKS PROTESTING WHITE VIOLENCE AND WHITE SILENCE
A FIRST FOR THE BLACK POWER BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENTS

#GEORGEFLOYD

Mayor inaugurates 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' in DC with giant yellow letters

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared part of a street that runs near the White House "Black Lives Matter Plaza" on Friday, inaugurating the new plaza with giant yellow letters and a brand-new street sign.



The city of Washington capped nearly a week of demonstrations against police brutality Friday by painting the words Black Lives Matter in enormous bright yellow letters on the street leading to the White House, a highly visible display of the local government's embrace of a protest movement that has put it even further at odds with President Donald Trump.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said the painting by city workers and local artists that spans two blocks is intended to send a message of support and solidarity to Americans outraged over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

It comes as the mayor has sparred with Trump over the response to the protests and as D.C. prepared for a demonstration on Saturday that was expected to bring tens of thousands of people into a city still under coronavirus restrictions.

“We know what’s going on in our country. There is a lot of anger. There is a lot of distrust of police and the government," the mayor said at a news conference. “There are people who are craving to be heard and to be seen and to have their humanity recognized. We had the opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our city.”


The letters and an image of the city's flag stretch across the entire width of 16th Street to the north of Lafayette Square. The mural ends near St. John's Episcopal Church, where Trump staged a photo-op on Monday after officers in riot gear fired tear gas and charged demonstrators to make way for the president and his entourage.

A sign now identifies that section of 16th Street near the White House as “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”

Bowser has complained about the heavy-handed federal response to the protests and called for the removal of out-of-state National Guard troops.

She says the differences with the Trump administration highlight the need for the District of Columbia to be a state and have more control over its affairs. They may also reflect the fact that Trump is deeply unpopular in the district, where Hillary Clinton won about 90% of the vote in the 2016 presidential election.

While not addressing the painted mural, Trump continued his attacks on Bowser in tweets Friday.

“The incompetent Mayor of Washington, D.C., @MayorBowser, who's budget is totally out of control and is constantly coming back to us for ‘handouts,' is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from great embarrassment over the last number of nights," he tweeted. "If she doesn't treat these men and women well, then we'll bring in a different group of men and women!”

She shrugged off his criticism. “You know that thing about the pot and the kettle,” the mayor said at a news conference.

The local chapter of Black Lives Matter said it did not support painting the street and took a swipe at Bowser, who they see as insufficiently supportive of their efforts to combat abuses by the police.

“This is performative and a distraction from her active counter organizing to our demands to decrease the police budget and invest in the community,” it said on Twitter.

D.C. officials have longstanding grievances against the federal government.

Bowser and the D.C. Council have long resented Congress, which retains the right to alter and even reverse any city law. It was Congress, not Trump, that cost the District of Columbia more than $700 million in federal funding earlier this year by classifying it as a territory rather than a state in the first big coronavirus relief package.

But with Trump in office, Bowser’s relations with the White House seem to have eroded steadily over the past few years, finally developing into open public antipathy over the handling of the current protests.

Trump criticized Bowser and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department for taking a soft touch with the protesters. He warned after the first night of protests that the Secret Service was ready to unleash “the most vicious dogs and the most ominous weapons I have ever seen” if protesters had managed to breach the security fence around the White House.

Bowser called Trump’s remarks “gross” and said the reference to attack dogs conjures up the worst memories of the nation’s fight against segregation.


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The public feud has escalated from there, with Trump essentially usurping Bowser’s authority by ordering multiple federal agencies and the entire 1,700-member D.C. National Guard contingent into the streets.

On Thursday, as the protests remained peaceful, Bowser ended a curfew imposed after people damaged buildings and broke into businesses over the weekend and Monday.

In recent days, thousands of demonstrators have marched peacefully between the White House, Capitol and Lincoln Memorial. Volunteers make their way through the mostly masked crowds offering spritzes of hand sanitizer, free water and snacks.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said there had been no arrests on Thursday and Friday related to the demonstrations. Bowser said she would decide Saturday morning if they would reinstate the curfew for the weekend demonstrations.

(AP)


Protests against the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25 have erupted across the United States and around the world. But it is in South Carolina that George Floyd was born and where much of his family has lived for generations. His uncle Roger Floyd agreed to sit down with FRANCE 24 in a quiet hotel room away from the protests.

"It was just total disbelief to absorb that," Floyd said of his nephew's death. "And it was just so devastating."

George was "a good kid", he continued. Sometimes known as "Big Floyd", George had a "big heart". 

Despite his family's grief and shock, Floyd expressed hope that his nephew's death might lead to lasting change.

"We need to come together as a united front and demand change," he said. "And I think we are in a posture now to make that happen."

"Every day going forward, I am going to speak his name." 





Minneapolis bans police use of chokeholds following death of George Floyd

Issued on: 06/06/2020 - 10:46Modified: 06/06/2020 - 10:46

Demonstrators protest the death of George Floyd on June 5, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. © Scott Olson, Getty Images via AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES|
Video by:Andrew HILLIAR

Minneapolis agreed Friday to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force, in the first concrete steps to remake the city's police force since George Floyd's death.

The changes are part of a stipulation between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which launched a civil rights investigation this week in response to the death of Floyd. The City Council approved the agreement 12-0.

Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said the changes are necessary to stop ongoing harm to people of color “who have suffered generational pain and trauma as a result of systemic and institutional racism.”

“This is just a start," Lucero said. "There is a lot more work to do here, and that work must and will be done with speed and community engagement.”

Floyd's death is prompting reexamination of police techniques elsewhere. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.

The decision on whether to use the hold is up to each law enforcement agency, and Newsom said he will support legislation to outlaw the method. The San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department are among the agencies that announced this week that they would stop using the hold, known as a carotid hold or sleeper hold.

“We train techniques on strangleholds that put people’s lives at risk,” Newsom said. “That has no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing.”

The Minneapolis agreement requires court approval and would become enforceable in court, unlike the department's current policies, which already cite the duty of sworn employees to stop or try to stop inappropriate force or force no longer needed. The agreement would also require officers to immediately report to their superiors when they see use of any neck restraint or chokehold.

Floyd died after Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the handcuffed black man's neck, ignoring his “I can't breathe” cries and bystander shouts even after Floyd stopped moving. His death has set off protests around the world.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting. All have been fired.

Lucero said the changes go further than the department's current policies. Any officer who doesn't try to stop the improper use of force would face the same discipline as if they had used improper force.The agreement also would require authorization from the police chief or a deputy chief to use crowd control weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Such tactics have been used in Minneapolis and other cities in the past week to disperse protesters.

The stipulation also sets a process for the city and state to negotiate longer-term changes, such as changing state laws that make it difficult to fire problem officers.

Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a statement that he “will continue to work on efforts to improve public trust, public safety and transformational culture change” of the poliice force.

“I will be bringing forth substantive policy changes,” said Arradondo, whose statement did not provide details.

Meanwhile, a man who was with Floyd on the night he died told The New York Times that his longtime friend didn't resist arrest and instead tried to defuse the situation before he ended up handcuffed on the ground.

Maurice Lester Hall was a passenger in Floyd's car when police approached him May 25 as they responded to a call about someone using a forged bill at a shop. Hall told the newspaper that Floyd was trying to show he was not resisting.

“I could hear him pleading, ‘Please, officer, what’s all this for?’” Hall told the Times.


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Authorities say Hall, whose name is spelled Morries Lester Hall in court records, is a key witness in the state’s investigation into the four officers who apprehended Floyd. Hall's identity wasn't made public until the Times' report. Bruce Gordon, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said Hall initially gave a false name to officers at the scene.

Hall told ABC's “Good Morning America” that the situation escalated quickly and police grabbed Floyd, put him in a squad car, dragged him back out and then “jumped on the back of the neck.” He said Floyd was put in an ambulance and that he didn’t know his friend had died until the next day, when he saw bystander video on Facebook.

“I’m going to always remember seeing the fear in Floyd’s face because he’s such a king," Hall told the Times. “That’s what sticks with me, seeing a grown man cry, before seeing a grown man die.”

Hall’s attorney, Ashlee McFarlane, told The Associated Press that Hall would not be doing any more interviews. She declined further comment.

(AP)

ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE JUNE 5

Bramhall's World: Nov. 3, 2020

Bill Bramhall’s editorial cartoon for June 5, 2020. (Bill Bramhall/New York Daily News)

GLOBAL SOLIDARITY WITH GEORGE FLOYD

MASS MARCHES AGAINST RACISM ANTI BLACK VIOLENCE

UNLESS YOU ARE AFRICAN THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA FACE

THE CONTINUED OPPRESSION OF SLAVERY AS THEIR HISTORY

South Korean activists gather to mourn

 the death of George Floyd and show 

solidarity with the Black Lives Matter 

movement near the U.S. embassy on June 

5, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea.

 (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Anger in US over police violence resonates across globe

US protesters angry over the killing of George Floyd are being joined by people around the world who are taking to the streets in solidarity — and in protest at racism and police violence in their own countries.

Iran, two worlds apart: Exploring an Iranian society more divided than ever

Issued on: 05/06/2020 -

REPORTERS © FRANCE 24
By:Mayssa AWAD|Romeo LANGLOIS|James ANDRE

Every day in the Iranian capital Tehran, thousands of supporters of the most conservative branch of the Iranian regime visit mausoleums honouring Shiite martyrs or other places linked to the Islamic Revolution. But on the streets, a younger generation is scorning the country's strict rules. Young women and men alike are yearning for change and a better relationship with the West. Our reporters went to meet this optimistic Iranian youth, which is becoming emancipated and dreaming of a future of freedom, in radical contrast to the most conservative Iranians.

>> Watch our interview with Iranian activist Shaparak Shajarizadeh: 'In Iran there are no differences between fundamentalists and reformists'

Russia contains huge Arctic oil spill, ministry says

Issued on: 05/06/2020

A European Space Agency photo shows part of a satellite image captured on June 1, 2020 by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission of the extent of an oil spill after some 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into the Ambarnaya river within the Arctic Circle. © EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY / AFP

Russia has managed to contain a massive diesel spill into a river in the Arctic, a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry told AFP on Friday.

"We have stopped the spread of the petroleum products," the spokeswoman for the taskforce in charge of the accident clean-up said.

"They are contained in all directions, they are not going anywhere now."

Environmentalists said the oil spill, which took place last Friday, was the worst such accident ever in the Arctic region.

The accident happened when a diesel reservoir collapsed at a power station outside the northern Siberian city of Norilsk.

It caused 15,000 tonnes of fuel to leak into a river and 6,000 tonnes into the soil, according to Russia's state environmental watchdog.

The power plant is owned by a subsidiary of Russian metals giant Norilsk Nickel.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered a state of emergency to deal with the disaster and Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev flew in to manage the clean-up operation that currently involves around 100 people.

Zinichev was set to report back to Putin later Friday.

Greenpeace: Spill compares to Exxon Valdez

Greenpeace Russia said it was the "first accident of such a scale in the Arctic" and comparable to the Exxon Valdez disaster off the coast of Alaska in 1989.

The Ambarnaya River, which is affected by the spill, feeds into Lake Pyasino, a major body of water and the source of the Pyasina River that is vitally important to the entire Taimyr peninsula.


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The clean-up operation placed oil containment booms in the Ambarnaya River to stop the diesel fuel going into the lake and was using special devices to skim off the fuel.

The emergencies ministry spokeswoman said that "we managed to stop (the spread) thanks to the booms".

The ministry said Friday it had removed more than 200 tonnes of the fuel.

The spill also polluted 180,000 square metres of land before hitting the river, regional prosecutors said.

(AFP)

Atmospheric CO2 levels hit new record high despite Covid-19 lockdowns
Issued on: 05/06/2020

Heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has hit a record high despite lower emissions during the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

The world hit another new record high for heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, despite reduced emissions because of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists announced Thursday.

Measurements of carbon dioxide, the chief human-caused greenhouse gas, averaged 417.1 parts per million at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, for the month of May, when carbon levels in the air peak, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. That's 2.4 parts per million higher than a year ago.

Even though emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels dropped by as much as 17% in April, it was a brief decline. Carbon dioxide can stay in the air for centuries, so the short-term reductions of new carbon pollution for a few months didn't have much of a big picture effect, said NOAA senior scientist Pieter Tans.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory reached a monthly peak exceeding 417 parts per million (ppm) in May 2020, the highest monthly total ever recorded, scientists from Scripps and @NOAA reported today. https://t.co/bMW45C29ET pic.twitter.com/rY57eA6HqO— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) June 4, 2020

“It illustrates how difficult it is — what a huge job it is — to bring emissions down,” Tans said. “We are really committing the Earth to an enormous amount of warming for a very large time."

Records with direct measurements go back to 1958. And carbon dioxide levels are now nearly 100 parts per million higher than then. That's a 31% increase in 62 years.


“The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is relentless, and this means the costs of climate change to humans and the planet continue to rise relentlessly as well," said University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck.


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Carbon levels in the air were higher in the distant past before humans, Tans said.

Carbon dioxide levels peak in May because starting in late May, growing plants suck up more of heat-trapping gas, causing carbon amounts in the air to drop, Tans said.

(AP)

The Lancet pulls study flagging hydroxychloroquine risks

The Lancet on Thursday retracted a study that raised safety fears over the use of a drug favored by President Donald Trump to treat COVID-19, after the paper's authors said they could no longer vouch for its underlying data.

It was soon followed by the withdrawal of another coronavirus paper in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that was not linked to hydroxychloroquine but relied upon the same healthcare company's patient database.

The unfolding research scandal threatens to undermine confidence in two of the world's top medical journals in the midst of a pandemic.

But it is the retraction of The Lancet study that may supercharge what has become a highly politicized debate about hydroxychloroquine, an old malaria and rheumatoid arthritis drug now backed by many US conservatives against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In their paper published on May 22, the authors claimed to have retrospectively analyzed some 96,000 patient records, finding that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, a related compound, were ineffective against COVID-19 and even increased the risk of death.

Heart arrhythmia was flagged as a particular concern.

This finding led the World Health Organization to temporarily suspend clinical trials into the medicines, though the paper soon triggered widespread concern among scientists over a lack of information about the countries and hospitals that contributed data.

Mandeep Mehra, a professor at Harvard University who led the work, along with Frank Ruschitzka of the University Hospital Zurich and Amit Patel of the University of Utah, said in a statement Thursday they had tried to launch a third-party peer review.

But Surgisphere, a little-known healthcare analytics firm based in Chicago that provided the data, refused to cooperate.

"Due to this unfortunate development, the authors request that the paper be retracted," the three said.

"We deeply apologize to you, the editors, and the journal readership for any embarrassment or inconvenience that this may have caused."

The Lancet, a British journal, offered its own statement, saying, "There are many outstanding questions about Surgisphere and the data that were allegedly included in this study."

Vascular surgeon Sapan Desai, Surgisphere's chief executive and the paper's other author, did not join the retraction and declined to comment to AFP.

Despite the finding apparently vindicating hydroxychloroquine's safety, there is not yet any proof from a randomized clinical trial (RCT) that the medicine is effective against COVID-19.

One such trial that was published Wednesday found the drug was not significantly better than a placebo in preventing the disease among people who had been recently exposed to the virus.

But scientists broadly agree that more RCTs -- considered the gold standard for clinical investigation -- are needed, and hydroxychloroquine should not be discounted yet.

Research scandal

The paper in the NEJM, meanwhile, investigated whether people who take commonly used blood pressure medicines became more or less likely to get COVID-19.

It was released on the same day as two other studies investigating the same topic, with all three finding that these medicines do not heighten susceptibility to infection, nor increase the risk of becoming seriously ill.

No questions have been raised about the integrity of the other two papers.

In their retraction statement, the NEJM paper's authors also wrote that the data was not made available to a third-party auditor.

Sci-fi author and adult model

Researchers began to closely scrutinize The Lancet paper shortly after its publication, highlighting numerous red flags ranging from the huge number of patients to the unusually complete information on their demographics.

Internet sleuthing by the Guardian revealed that Surgisphere had a scant online presence, with only a handful of staff listed on LinkedIn including a science fiction author and an adult model.

The firm was involved in yet another attention-grabbing study that found the anti-parasite drug ivermectin could be useful against COVID-19.

Though this paper had not been peer-reviewed or appeared in a journal, it caused a run on the drug in Latin America where it is widely available.

While Desai and Surgisphere have been the focus of most scrutiny, the lead author of all of these papers was Mehra, who is also the medical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Heart and Vascular Center in Boston.

The lead author is considered responsible for performing due diligence on data and vouching for its integrity.

Chris Chambers, a professor of psychology at Cardiff University, added the affair "raises serious questions about the standard of editing at the Lancet and NEJM -- ostensibly two of the world's most prestigious medical journals."

(AFP)