It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, February 08, 2024
Unite hails offshore recognition agreement with Norwegian oil giant Equinor
UNITE welcomed a voluntary recognition deal with Norwegian oil giant Equinor today.
The agreement covers some 70 workers on its Mariner A and B platforms in the North Sea.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The deal with Equinor is the latest example that demonstrates why Unite is the UK’s leading offshore union because we are winning the fight to improve jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite industrial officer John Boland welcomed “another major step forward for Unite in the oil and gas industry.”
The union now has recognition with Equinor, Repsol Resources, Total Energies, and CNOOC oil and gas operators.
Last September, Britain’s oil and gas regulator granted Equinor permission to develop the Rosebank oil and gas field.
Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg joined a protest outside where Equinor and other oil executives were meeting for the Energy Intelligence Forum in a Mayfair hotel on October 17.
She and four other activists were acquitted of public order offences last Friday.
Anti-Zionism is now a protected belief in Britain; time for a reckoning for pro-Israel lobbyists?
February 7, 2024 A protestor holds an Israeli flag during a pro-Israel demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy on May 23, 2021 in London, England [Hollie Adams/Getty Images]
by Nasim Ahmed Nasimbythedocks Zionism is a form of racism; the ideology which underpins the occupation state of Israel calls for the ethnic cleansing and disenfranchisement of non-Jews in favour of Jews. Zionism seeks to transform historic Palestine into Greater Israel; its racist aspirations means that it is ideologically bound to lead to the practices of apartheid and genocide in pursuit of territorial control and expansion of Jewish domination.
All of the above statements are not only true, but now we know that holding such anti-Zionist beliefs are protected in the workplace by UK law thanks to Professor David Miller’s landmark legal victory this week. A Bristol-based Employment Tribunal, one of a group of agencies which the UK government describes as independent arbitrators of disputes over employment law, has ruled that “anti-Zionist beliefs qualified as a philosophical belief and as a protected characteristic.”
According to UK law, protected beliefs refer to certain philosophical, religious or political beliefs that are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. They cover beliefs related to religion or philosophical persuasion, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism and agnosticism. Political beliefs are also covered, such as belief in non-violent protest or support for a particular party or ideology. Beliefs around economic theory and animal testing, and beliefs about government policies also have the potential to qualify. Following Monday’s tribunal decision, anti-Zionism can now be added to the list of protected political beliefs.
Noting the significance of the victory, Miller said that it was unclear whether a belief in the idea that Zionism is a racist, imperialist and colonial ideology could be protected under the Equality Act 2010 as a philosophical belief. This case has proven that anti-Zionist beliefs are indeed protected under the law of the land in the UK.
The case is not only a vindication of Miller, who successfully sued the University of Bristol for wrongful dismissal, but the verdict has also exonerated those who have been warning for years about the weaponisation of anti-Semitism by the pro-Israel lobby against critics of the apartheid state.
The ordeal to which Miller was subjected has its roots in the decades long campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to conflate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, the anti-Jewish racism which has long been illegal, and rightly so. This goal was achieved by planting anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel at the centre of the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “working definition” of anti-Semitism. Seven of the eleven examples of anti-Semitism mentioned in the IHRA definition conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish racism.
Although the campaign to redefine anti-Semitism to include anti-Zionism has been decades in the making, it took a pernicious turn in 2014 when the pro-Israel Simon Wiesenthal Centre began to campaign on behalf of the IHRA definition. The latter was formulated in 2004 by anti-Semitism expert Kenneth Stern in collaboration with other academics for the American Jewish Committee, a Jewish advocacy organisation founded at the beginning of the 20th century and based in New York.
According to Stern, the aim in formulating the definition was to assist European organisations when monitoring anti-Semitic incidents, not to restrict political discourse regarding Zionism. At the time of its drafting, there was no intent for the IHRA definition to serve as the basis for a legal or punitive framework designed to suppress anti-Zionist perspectives. Rather, it was developed as a practical tool for cataloguing cases of discrimination and hatred directed against Jewish communities themselves.
While it was adopted by the European Union’s Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in 2005 to monitor anti-Semitism across Europe, the IHRA definition was dropped in 2014 by the centre’s successor body, the Fundamental Rights Agency, after facing complaints of misuse.
The controversial definition’s revival in 2014 coincided with the rise of former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn MP. As leader of the opposition for almost five years, the Corbyn era was paralysed by a fratricidal row over anti-Semitism. The moral panic that ensued upon Corbyn’s election as leader is widely believed to have been caused by the way in which the IHRA definition was being deployed against critics of Israel. Anti-Zionist Jews were among many who were purged by the party under Corbyn’s successor, Keir Starmer, because of their views on Israel.
At the same time, the adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism began to have a detrimental impact on academic freedom and freedom of expression. Categorising anti-Zionism under the umbrella of anti-Semitism also had a chilling effect on free speech. Across institutions in the UK and other locales that had adopted the definition, students, professors and staff faced disciplinary action for espousing anti-Zionist views.
Media outlets persisted in publicising rising anti-Semitism rates, fanning public anxiety, while overlooking the fundamental flaws in the definition being utilised to track anti-Jewish prejudice in the first place. Stretching the description of anti-Semitism to cover various types of anti-Zionism fostered a narrative that was disconnected from reality. With this single definition, combatting anti-Semitism turned from fighting hatred into a McCarthyite witch-hunt.
Like many others, Prof. Miller was a victim of this toxic culture. Governments, political parties, employers and universities began to impose speech codes with the clear aim of policing the boundaries of free speech regarding Israel and Zionism. As an expert on the threat to democracy posed by corporate lobbying who exposed, among other things, the role of the global Zionist movement in fuelling anti-Muslim hatred, Miller became an obvious target. He was accused of breaching the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. The University of Bristol adopted in full the “working definition” in 2019, three years before firing Miller.
When Zionist organisations filed complaints against him that precipitated Miller’s 2022 sacking, Paddy Ireland, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law at the University of Bristol, dismissed their claims. According to official court records, Ireland refuted the applicability of the IHRA definition in evaluating Miller’s conduct. He stated that, “Notwithstanding its adoption by a number of bodies, it is a somewhat controversial definition; it is imprecise and can be used to conflate criticism of the policies of the Israeli government and of Zionism with anti-Semitism.”
Ireland went on to state that “It is not clear that the IHRA definition is compatible with the University’s legal obligations under the Education Act and Human Rights Act. For the purposes of dealing with this complaint, therefore, I have used a simpler and, I hope, less controversial definition of anti-Semitism as hostility towards Jews as Jews.”
Although Miller was cleared of any anti-Semitism, he was nevertheless sacked.
The university claimed that he “did not meet the standards of behaviour” expected of university staff. Miller rejected this and in his statement after the tribunal verdict said: “The University of Bristol maintained that I was sacked because Zionist students were offended by my various remarks. However, it was plain from the evidence provided by the university’s own witnesses, that I was sacked because of the anti-Zionist nature of my comments.”
Miller’s victory has sent shockwaves through the pro-Israel lobby in Britain. Already there are calls for some kind of reckoning to take place over the way in which anti-Semitism has been weaponised to purge members from the Labour Party for their avowedly anti-Zionist views. I think we can expect to see legal challenges to be launched on the back of Monday’s landmark tribunal decision.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
Nicaragua to take UK, Germany, Canada, Netherlands to ICJ over Gaza war
February 7, 2024 A view of the demolition as the Palestinians return to their neighbourhood to search for their belongings at the Shuja’iyya district after Israeli forces withdrew from the area in Gaza City, Gaza on February 6, 2024 [Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency
Nicaragua has warned Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada of its intention to take them to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for supplying weapons to Israel and thus contributing to the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The government of Nicaragua asserted that the four nations provided arms to Israel, contributing to or directly committing violations of the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip. It further conveyed a verbal warning to these countries, emphasising its decision to hold them accountable under international law.
Moreover, it urged the governments of the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada to cease immediately the supply of arms, ammunition and technology to Israel, “as it is plausible they might have been used to facilitate or commit violations of the Genocide Convention.”
Alongside other countries such as Turkey, Jordan, Venezuela, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Namibia, Nicaragua aligned itself with South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ in December-January. South Africa asked the court to grant emergency measures to end the bloodshed in Gaza, where at least 27,500 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October.
In its statement, Nicaragua argued further that “the risk” of a genocide occurring supported its appeal for a halt in arms shipments. “The obligation to prevent genocide arises and begins when there is a risk of it occurring; in fact, when it is plausible that it is occurring or might occur. This plausibility is now beyond doubt and dispute.”
The ICJ ordered Israel on 26 January to “take all measures within its power” to prevent further bloodshed in Gaza in line with its Genocide Convention obligations. The court also ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective” measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, but fell short of ordering a ceasefire.
Palestinian Forum in Britain calls for 2024's second Global Day of Solidarity with Gaza
February 7, 2024 Poster by Palestinian Forum in Britain calling for 2024’s second Global Day of Solidarity with Gaza on 17 February, 2024 [Palestinian Forum in Britain/X]
Saturday 17 February is to be the Global Day of Solidarity with the people of Gaza, the Palestinian Forum in Britain announced yesterday.
“This international initiative aims to shed light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for the freedom and rights of Palestinians,” the PFB said in a statement.
“The call for the second time in less than two months for a global demonstration to stop the genocide in Gaza is extremely important for several reasons,” said Adnan Hmidan, vice president of the PFB. “The first of which is: emphasising the global popular rejection of this genocide. Second: Calling for accelerating the procedures of the International Court for a ceasefire and holding war criminals accountable. Third: Pressure on our governments to move immediately to stop the occupation from committing its crimes in violation of international conventions.”
The day of action will be marked across six continents, he explained, adding “that we will continue to demonstrate for Palestine until it returns free.”
The situation in Gaza has reached a critical point, with over 27,700 civilians killed and a continued blockade severely restricting access to essential goods, including food, medicine and clean water.
UK
Anti-Fascist Group Takes on London Conservative Mayoral Hopeful Susan Hall, Branding Contender a ‘Racist’
Hall previously liked a string of tweets praising ‘rivers of blood’ MP Enoch Powell and branding the capital “Londonistan” under Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan.
A leading anti-fascist organisation has launched a campaign to “take on” Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall AM at the London mayoral election this May.
HOPE not hate kicked off their on-the-ground activism against the Sadiq Khan-opponent on Wednesday by leafleting at stations around London, accusing the Conservative mayoral hopeful of racism, in no small part due to her controversial statements on social media.
A spokesperson for HOPE not hate said the group has “exposed her racist social media history”. That includes the Harrow-based politician having liked a tweet saying ‘It’s never too late to get London Back!’. The picture was an image of the late Conservative MP Enoch Powell with the quote “It’s never too late to save your country”. This was not a quote from ‘rivers of blood’ speech-giver Powell but a slogan that was once on the British National Party website.
The new Government-set priorities for the Electoral Commission make no mention of AI or misinformation – but plenty of mentions of almost non-existent voter fraud
Josiah Mortimer
She has also previously liked a tweet from a user suggesting Enoch Powell should have been Prime Minister, saying they’d like Enoch Powell to be an addition to a pack of Prime Minister playing cards.
Other examples pointed to by the group include quote-tweeting an article from “notorious right-wing misinformation site”The Gateway Pundit,alleging a conspiracy to steal the 2020 US presidential election from Trump.
And she replied to a tweet from far-right commentator Katie Hopkins calling Sadiq Khan “our nipple height mayor of Londonistan” with an endorsement, saying: “Thank you Katie!”. “Londonistan” is the term used to convey the idea that Muslims are taking over London.
Hall also liked a reply to a tweet about Sadiq Khan’s anti-violence against women and girls strategy that said “Well said Susan, that Labour Traitor RAT Likes that sort of thing” – being female genital mutilation and violence against women and girls. This is racially charged implying that Muslims support FGM and violence.
#VOTEWATCH24 CROWDFUNDER
Help us investigate disinformation and electoral exclusion as we head towards the 2024 General Election.
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Wherever there is voter suppression, misinformation, or dodgy funds, we’ll be here to call it out. Across Britain, months ahead of polling day, the work is about to begin.
But we need your support to make this crucial project a reality. If we don’t make this effort, no one else will. Can you help us cover the staff and infrastructure we need to make it possible?
Challenged about her social media activity on LBC last September – in particular the Enoch Powell meme and Katie Hopkins tweets – Hall told the LBC Radio phone-in she “can’t remember” doing so, adding: “I tweet, or I used to, all the time.”
“When I retweeted, oh no I think I liked it. I don’t know, this was a long time ago. That wasn’t in my mind, and I’m glad you given me the opportunity to say…”
Interviewer Nick Ferrari interjected: “I think you did, you retweeted it.” Hall replied: “I retweeted? I have no idea.”
She denied she was a supporter of the former Conservative provocoteur Enoch Powell, adding: “If you’re a serial tweeter, you tend to go through liking all sorts of things, and you sometimes read things and don’t see. If anybody is offended, then obviously, I would apologise.”
In October 2023, Hall was urged to apologise after that claiming Jewish communities in London were “frightened” by Sadiq Khan. The London Assembly member made the comments at a Conservative Friends of Israel at the Conservative party conference in Manchester.
Prior to selection the Conservative Assembly member liked a tweet saying that Sadiq Khan is “begging for Londoners to do a Tower Hamlets postal vote for May next year and we all know how that works. #fraud” – effectively accusing Sadiq Khan of electoral corruption and promoting the idea that Muslims in electoral politics subvert democratic principles.
Newly empowered overseas voters tell Byline Times they are ‘sick of racist rhetoric’ and Britain’s Brexit fallout.
Josiah Mortimer
And she has liked tweets targeting journalists, including on branding Sky’s Matthew Thompson, then at LBC, a “virus”.
Georgie Laming, Director of Campaigns at HOPE not hate said: “Susan Hall is clearly not fit to represent a diverse and multicultural city like London.
“Her social media activity is some of the most egregious we’ve seen from a Conservative candidate, and that’s why we’ll be taking her on this election.”
At the end of last year the campaign group polled over 1,000 Londoners and found that 64% believed Susan Hall’s social media conduct was “racist”. The group says it will be using “some of the most advanced voter analysis available” to identify areas in each constituency that might be most receptive to hard-right politics, and to target them with anti-Hall material.
Susan Hall’s team was contacted for comment.
World's largest offshore wind developer Orsted cuts back production targets as costs mount
Orsted's announcement illustrates the scale of difficulties facing the renewable energy industry, which can be seen in the UK by the failure of the recent offshore wind capacity auction.
The Walney extension offshore wind farm operated by Orsted off the coast of Blackpool. Pic: Reuters/Phil Noble
The world's largest offshore wind developer has scaled back development targets and announced hundreds of job cuts as the renewable industry struggles under the pressure of rising costs.
Orsted, the company developing the Norfolk coast windfarm, Hornsea 3, also suspended shareholder payments in an effort to strengthen its balance sheet.
In common with the industry more broadly, Orsted has been hit by high inflation, raised interest rates, project delays and supply chain difficulties in recent years.
Up to 800 jobs are to go as the company - which owns a big chunk of the UK offshore wind energy capacity - pulls out of the Spanish, Portuguese and Norwegian wind markets.
Wind power generation targets are being revised downwards at the Danish company. By the end of the decade it hopes to produce 35 to 38 gigawatts (GW), down from the previous target of 50 GW, as it hopes to reduce expenditure.
A gigawatt of energy can supply roughly a million homes with electricity.
The announcement follows a UK auction to provide renewable energy which received no bids.
Orsted shares fell 2% on Wednesday having fallen more than 30% in the past six months since September.
As a result, billions was wiped off the company valuation and its share price reached a five-year low.
AUSTRALIA
Right to disconnect: Bosses lose it over new IR laws letting staff happily IGNORE their bosses' calls when they ring after hours: 'Is this the way to way to drive our country forward?
Bosses are fuming at the Albanese government's new 'right to disconnect' rules that will see companies fined if they contact employees out of hours to do unpaid labour.
The provisions have been inserted in the government's 'Closing Loopholes' Bill in order to get the required support from the Greens, and so will be passed by parliament this week, after Senate crossbencher David Pocock also backed the new laws.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Andrew McKellar called the new laws 'ridiculous' and 'a triumph of stupidity over common sense', arguing that after-hours contact was best left to be decided by employers and employees.
'This is a bit of a thought bubble from the Greens,' Mr McKellar told Sky News host Christ Kenny on Wednesday night.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Andrew McKellar says the 'right to disconnect' provisions in Labor's new workplace laws 'are ridiculous'
''It's obvious this should be something that is able to be discussed between employers and employees.
'In many enterprise agreements now we are seeing that there are perfectly sensible provisions, arrangements for how these sorts of contact arrangements should be made.
'We've got to get the balance right but clearly there's no need for government to be imposing itself here with legislation with penalties.'
Mr McKellar argued the new provisions would particularly hamper small to medium-sized businesses.
'The world of work is changing. We've seen huge transformation coming out of the pandemic and the response to that,' he said.
'We need to look at, how we're going to innovate in this space. But then to be trying to tie businesses, small businesses, medium-sized businesses in knots, over how they manage these things...'
Perth Lord Mayor and aspiring state Liberal candidate Basil Zempilas also weighed into the debate. +3 View gallery
Perth Lord Mayor and aspiring state Liberal candidate Basil Zempilas made it clear he is also not a fan of the new laws
'Is this the way to drive our country forward?,' he tweeted as a comment about the new laws being spruiked by Greens leader Adam Bandt.
'Is this the spirit with which we built our great nation? Is this the attitude which has meant good people can work hard and get ahead? I think not.'
Mr Bandt set out his arguments for the 'right to disconnect' on X (formerly Twitter).
'Your boss shouldn’t be able to unreasonably contact you 24/7 if you're not paid for it,' he tweeted.
'We know it’s bad for stress, health, & relationships - which is why France and over 20 other countries have legislated to protect work-life balance.
'We’re about to do the same.
'Australians work an average of 6 weeks unpaid overtime each year, equal to over $92 billion in unpaid wages across the economy. That time is yours. Not your boss's.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also defended the right to disconnect provisions on Wednesday.
'Someone who isn't being paid 24 hours a day shouldn't be penalised if they're not online and available 24 hours a day,' Mr Albanese said.
While workers currently face being disciplined or fired for ignoring their bosses, the new law will protect their jobs if they are unresponsive outside of working hours. Under the proposed new laws, employers that demand their workers do unpaid overtime could be fined
Employers that breach the rule will face fines.
Similar laws giving employees a right to switch off their devices are already in place in France, Spain, Ireland and other countries in the European Union.
However, Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black argued that in Australia such legislation could cause difficulties for employers with staff working in different time zones.
'This could be devastating for businesses across Australia and cause chaos for Western Australian businesses particularly if employees could only have communication with east coast colleagues in the narrow window between east coast business hours and those in the west,' Mr Black told the Australian Financial Review.
'Imagine if employees in Sydney or Melbourne were banned from emailing an employee in Perth until midday to align with WA time, or if a Perth manager would be breaching the law in providing an update to his or her east coast colleagues after 2pm.'
Employee Matters workplace expert Natasha Hawker claimed there is no groundswell of sentiment among workers for these kind of laws.
'So many Australian workers at the moment are really happy about working from home and they realise that flexibility works both ways. And so therefore, they're quite happy to have that,' Mr Hawker told Sunrise.
Ms Hawker also warned about the extra administration it would force onto businesses due to a 'double up', with legislation already introduced last year forcing every business to survey their employees.
She said if out-of-work hours contact was a problem 'that would come out of the survey if this was an issue and then you would deal with it then and most employers haven't actually done that survey yet', adding that already put employers 'at risk of fines'.
The expert added that since Covid '(the power in the workplace has) changed'.
'We're in the tightest applicant market we've been in for many years,' she said.
'So employees that don't get what they want, actually vote with their feet and they leave and we are still finding it incredibly difficult to recruit at the moment for top talent.'
Because of the tight hiring market, Ms Hawker said businesses that contact employees out of hours too often could find that 'it may work against them in the end'.
Ultimately, she said 'this is just another piece of legislation that they're going to have to get their head around and comply with if it, if it passes'.
UK
‘We’re punished for being different’: Black girls excluded from school at double rate of white pupils
Girls from Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller backgrounds are excluded at even higher rates – three times the rate as white girls
THE BIG ISSUE 8 Feb 2024 Black girls are among those most impacted by exclusions. Image: Pexels
Violet felt misunderstood and invisible when she was at school, as though teachers did not care or believe in her. She was permanently excluded aged 16, just before her GCSEs.
Racial injustice could have been to blame. New research from the charity Agenda Alliance has revealed that girls from a Black Caribbean background are excluded from school at double the rate of white girls.
A freedom of information request to the Department for Education found that in the 2021/2022 academic year, white girls were excluded at a rate of 0.06. That equates to six exclusions for every 10,000 pupils.
Black Caribbean girls were excluded at a rate of 0.12, while it was even higher for girls of a mixed white and Black Caribbean background at 0.14.
“Things were bad at school and sometimes things were bad at home but nobody ever gave me support,” Violet says. “When I was permanently excluded – just before my GCSEs – I didn’t know who I was going to be or what I’d do.
“I think there’s stigma around Black British girls. We’re treated differently with perceptions about us. We’re often punished just for being different. We get told off for the way uniforms look on our bodies, but they’re just not made for our body types and don’t fit us in the same way as white girls.
“Also, sometimes Black girls just have an opinion and it’s then taken as aggressive, or we’re just labelled ‘rude’. I could do the same thing as a white girl and I would get in 10 times more trouble.”
Research from charity Voyage Youth, which tackles racial imbalance in London, has found that around 70% of students had never been consulted on policies that affect them in school.
School rules can be “overly oppressive of self-expression”, with beauty products and hair styling often come up as valid reasons for punishing young people. Voyage Youth has seen that exclusions are often fuelled by “huge misunderstandings and misconceptions about young people of colour”.
Paul Anderson, the charity’s founder, explains that one of the key issues is ‘adultification’. He says: “Young people are mistreated as they are seen as mature, aggressive and more physical so their behaviours and actions are seen as intentional and not accidental.
“Many young people express they are not understood and valued by some teachers as many working in inner cities have no understanding of young peoples lived experiences, cultures, races and religions. This creates a disassociation and distance and can lead to teachers making recommendation to exclude due to a lack of understanding about diverse lives.”
Family background also plays a role – if parents are not present at school events, teachers might be able to “exploit this gap” and young people feel particularly targeted.
Anderson adds: “We are also concerned about new covert policies schools are also adopting such as managed moves. This is when one school partners with another to swap young people that are on the peripheries of exclusion. This helps them overcome being exposed as excludees.”
The situation is even worse for girls from Gypsy, Roma and Irish traveller girls, who are excluded at triple the rate of their white peers.
Pauline Anderson, the chair of trustees at the Traveller Movement, says: “Schools are legally required to have behaviour policies in place that address race-based bullying, yet these educational institutions are continuing to fail to protect our children.
“We need to see a zero-tolerance policy for racist bullying in schools from both pupils and staff. For our young girls, the combined discrimination of racism and ableism as well as sexism has a detrimental impact on them.”
Agenda Alliance is calling for schools to adopt improved behavioural policies, addressing how gender and racial stereotypes are disproportionately impacting girls.
The charity wants all specialist staff working with children at risk of exclusion to have better training that is aware of how culture, gender, age and experiences of trauma might impact behaviour.
Agenda Alliance also warns thatresponses to high rates of absenteeism “must avoid unnecessarily punitive approaches”, and instead work to address the root causes of girls’ absence from school alongside girls and specialist organisations that support them.
Indy Cross, chief executive of the Agenda Alliance. Image: Supplied
Indy Cross, Chief Executive of Agenda Alliance, says: “These are extremely worrying findings. We are calling for zero tolerance to harmful behaviour policies which blight girls’ futures. We know schools do a tough job and that teachers are hard pressed. But by the government’s own measure, girls at the sharpest end of disadvantage are being set up to fail.
“Racial and gender stereotypes have no place in today’s education for young women. Enough is enough. No more excuses that poverty also inevitably jeopardises education. We can – and must – do better than this.”
Alba Kapoor, Head of Policy at the Runnymede Trust adds: “These disturbing statistics reflect the racism that continues to pervade every aspect of our school system. That girls from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds are being disproportionately punished and marginalised as a result, is something that needs to urgently be addressed.”
“That’s why we are calling on schools to implement a temporary halt on school exclusions, and to instead prioritise non-punitive, proactive approaches which actually address harm. This would of course need meaningful investment in education from the government.
“It will take whole-school approaches to root out racism, and embed anti-racism throughout school cultures, policies and curricula. This means improving racial literacy amongst teachers, broadening the curriculum to help students learn about race, migration and Empire, and doing away with discriminatory policies which disproportionately target Black and minority ethnic children.”
Fatima Ahmed, helpline coordinator at Southall Black Sisters, says: “In my experience, young black girls who have approached our services often struggle to remain focused or remain in schools at all due to their multi-faceted and consistent experiences of racial injustice. For example, those who experience violence at home or in any other setting are less likely to directly approach their schools for support, which is why they may approach a local domestic abuse agency to advocate on their behalf.
“There is no one proven way to challenge racial injustice in schools as, often, it depends on the school’s geographical location and willingness of institutions to prioritize the experiences of young black girls subject to racial injustice. One suggestion would be to take a synergistic approach by bringing together teachers, counsellors, and safeguarding professionals to create tools to tackle structural racism and embed racial injustice awareness into every subject possible.”
Violet was referred to the charity Milk Honey Bees who offered support and empowered her to be herself. The charity supports Black girls who have been excluded and those who are at risk of exclusion and sees stories like Violet’s far too often.
Ebinehita Iyere, founder and managing director of Milk Honey Bees, says: “In my experience as a practitioner, racial biases are applied resulting in harsher punishment for things such as uniform or lateness.
“As an organisation, we are calling for support from policymakers, schools, funders and our wider community to understand and foster positive relationships between teachers and Black girls to stop them being marginalised by the education system.
“Only a joined up therapeutic approach will work. Creating safe spaces for Black girls to heal from their traumatic schooling experiences must be a priority, in order to prevent further risk of exclusion.”
With the right support, Violet found hope for her future. She says: “I got referred to Milk Honey Bees who worked with me and reassured me that it’s okay to be myself, without judging me from stuff on my form but going off my relationship with them. Now I see there’s a lot more I can offer in the world but, at school when I was excluded, I felt like if my school has given up on me, why should I believe in myself?”
UK living standards slowly rising, but poorest are thousands of pounds worse off | ITV News
Research shows living standards as a whole are set to rise this year, but there's a lot of ground to make up from before the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
US, UK ship investors hit by soaring Red Sea insurance - sources
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS
LONDON - War underwriters have raised the premiums they charge to U.S., British and Israeli firms by as high as 50% for ships transiting the Red Sea and some providers are avoiding such business due to targeting of the vessels by Yemen's Houthis, sources said.
Attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza grinds on.
Many companies have opted to re-route ships around southern Africa although some vessels are still sailing via the Red Sea.
Ships with a link to the U.S., Britain or Israel are now paying 25-50% more in war risk premium than other ships to navigate the Red Sea, said David Smith, head of hull and marine liabilities at insurance broker McGill and Partners.
Two insurance industry sources said ships with U.S., UK or Israeli links would be quoted a higher rate, even above 50%.
"The ships that have so far had problems, almost all of them have got some element of Israeli or U.S. or UK ownership in there somewhere," said Marcus Baker, global head of marine and cargo with insurance broker Marsh.
Baker said there was "exclusionary language" being introduced for cover involving UK, U.S. and Israeli interests.
"We are seeing this, but it's not everywhere because there are certainly markets out there that are not putting that language on."
The two sources said some underwriters were avoiding covering such business for now.
In one of the most serious incidents, a tanker operated by a UK-based company whose cargo was owned by global commodities trader Trafigura was hit by a missile that caused a fire onboard which was put out. COSTLY
Insurance industry sources said that war risk premiums being quoted for Red Sea voyages had hovered around 1% of the value of a ship in the past 10 days, up from around 0.7% previously with various discounts applied by underwriters.
This translates into hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional costs for a seven-day voyage.
"The apparent safe passage offered by Houthis to vessels flagged or owned by Russia, China - including Hong Kong - and Iran is designed to provide a degree of assurance to commercial markets associated with those countries," said Munro Anderson, head of operations at marine war risk and insurance specialist Vessel Protect, part of Pen Underwriting.
Ships are also adding messages to their public ship tracking profiles indicating they have Chinese crew onboard or have no links to UK, U.S. or Israeli companies, shipping data showed.
Israeli container line Zim has said it has been diverting its vessels away from the Red Sea.
British maritime risk advisory and security company Dryad Global has advised its clients to avoid the region until further notice.
"I am surprised that U.S. and U.K.-flagged or operated ships are still transiting within the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They represent the highest risk categories of vessels for the potential of an attack within this region," said Dryad Global's CEO Corey Ranslem.
"Ships from Iran, Russia and China are the only flagged and operated vessels that could potentially safely transit through this region. The Iranian-backed Houthis will not attack ships with those flags or associations as both Russia and China are sympathetic to Iran."
There are growing concerns of a spillover which could hit other ships.
"The threat level to ships with Israeli, United Kingdom and United States interests remains high," a Feb 5 advisory note issued by major shipping associations said.
"However, all owners, operators, and crews should be cognisant their vessel could be misidentified and understand their risk of collateral damage." REUTERS
