Robert Hughes, 31, from Croydon, was left in a coma after the assault while he was on holiday in Crete in 2008
Hit with a bottle and left for dead outside a nightclub in Malia
Mr Hughes was left in a coma and had to undergo three life-saving brain operations after the attack
link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2237467/Robert-Hughes-attack-4-Britons-facing-lengthy-prison-sentence-Greek-jail.html
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Only serving police officers must answer Hillsborough investigation questions under new law
ONLY serving police officers - not those that have retired - will be compelled to give evidence to an investigation into the Hillsborough cover-up, it emerged yesterday.
A fast-track law will be passed by Christmas, enabling the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to begin quizzing witnesses early in the New Year, the Home Secretary said.
But ministers are believed to have decided it is better to act swiftly than to be dragged into a dispute about whether the powers can be extended to former officers, who are now civilians.
Whitehall sources said ex-officers would be expected to attend an interview as would any "conscientious member of the public" - given the huge importance of the investigation.
And they did not rule out toughening up the law further next year, if it emerged that further action was needed to ensure no-one involved in the cover-up escapes justice.
Announcing the Police (Complaints & Conduct) Bill - revealed by the ECHO yesterday - Theresa May said: "I made a commitment to ensure that the IPCC has the powers and resources it needs to carry out its investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.
"This commitment was made in the knowledge that the families of the victims and the survivors have waited 23 years for the truth about the disaster to be revealed.
"The IPCC has indicated that as part of its ongoing investigations, it will likely be in a position to call witnesses early in 2013."
The Bill will also allow the IPCC to probe any matter previously investigated by its predecessor, the Police Complaints Authority, the Home Secretary added.
Labour - which first pushed for the IPCC's powers to be strengthened - is believed to agree that it is better to get a simpler Bill through
parliament quickly.
However, it will continue to push for the appointment of a 'senior lead investigator' to pull together all the Hillsborough inquiries and ensure
they do not drag on for years.
The investigator would co-ordinate inquiries by the IPCC, by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and an expected probe by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The landmark findings of the Hillsborough Panel have left the IPCC carrying out the largest inquiry ever into police conduct in the UK.
It is examining the role played by up to 2,444 police officers, who served at 25 different forces - not including South Yorkshire Police.
The Bill published yesterday will cover officers who have moved to a different force since the 1989 tragedy, as well as current civilian
employees.
link
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/hillsborough/hillsborough-news/2012/11/22/only-serving-police-officers-must-answer-hillsborough-investigation-questions-under-new-law-100252-32288171/
A fast-track law will be passed by Christmas, enabling the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to begin quizzing witnesses early in the New Year, the Home Secretary said.
But ministers are believed to have decided it is better to act swiftly than to be dragged into a dispute about whether the powers can be extended to former officers, who are now civilians.
Whitehall sources said ex-officers would be expected to attend an interview as would any "conscientious member of the public" - given the huge importance of the investigation.
And they did not rule out toughening up the law further next year, if it emerged that further action was needed to ensure no-one involved in the cover-up escapes justice.
Announcing the Police (Complaints & Conduct) Bill - revealed by the ECHO yesterday - Theresa May said: "I made a commitment to ensure that the IPCC has the powers and resources it needs to carry out its investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.
"This commitment was made in the knowledge that the families of the victims and the survivors have waited 23 years for the truth about the disaster to be revealed.
"The IPCC has indicated that as part of its ongoing investigations, it will likely be in a position to call witnesses early in 2013."
The Bill will also allow the IPCC to probe any matter previously investigated by its predecessor, the Police Complaints Authority, the Home Secretary added.
Labour - which first pushed for the IPCC's powers to be strengthened - is believed to agree that it is better to get a simpler Bill through
parliament quickly.
However, it will continue to push for the appointment of a 'senior lead investigator' to pull together all the Hillsborough inquiries and ensure
they do not drag on for years.
The investigator would co-ordinate inquiries by the IPCC, by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and an expected probe by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The landmark findings of the Hillsborough Panel have left the IPCC carrying out the largest inquiry ever into police conduct in the UK.
It is examining the role played by up to 2,444 police officers, who served at 25 different forces - not including South Yorkshire Police.
The Bill published yesterday will cover officers who have moved to a different force since the 1989 tragedy, as well as current civilian
employees.
link
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/hillsborough/hillsborough-news/2012/11/22/only-serving-police-officers-must-answer-hillsborough-investigation-questions-under-new-law-100252-32288171/
Stabbed Spurs fan recovering in Rome hospital
A Tottenham Hotspur fan is recovering in hospital after being stabbed when a gang of 50 Italian hooligans stormed a bar in Rome and attacked supporters of the English football team.
Spurs fans were drinking in the Drunken Ship pub before last night's Europa League game with Lazio when trouble flared.
Italian sources told the Press Association that Tottenham fan Ashley Mills, in his mid-twenties and believed to have been stabbed, was seriously injured during the attack and was being treated in hospital.
A spokeswoman for Rome police said Mr Mills had received injuries to his "skull and thigh", was "not in danger of death" and would be kept in hospital for observation.
Spurs fans were drinking in the Drunken Ship pub before last night's Europa League game with Lazio when trouble flared.
Italian sources told the Press Association that Tottenham fan Ashley Mills, in his mid-twenties and believed to have been stabbed, was seriously injured during the attack and was being treated in hospital.
A spokeswoman for Rome police said Mr Mills had received injuries to his "skull and thigh", was "not in danger of death" and would be kept in hospital for observation.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
13 year-old Millwall fan given ban for racial abuse
A 13 year-old boy has been banned from attending Millwall games "for the
foreseeable future" after admitting racially abusing the Bolton
Wanderers player Marvin Sordell during a match last month. In a statement, the club said the boy had now written a letter of apology to Sordell.
Dinamo Zagreb fans arrested ahead of PSG match in Paris
European football was plunged into a fresh hooligan problem
yesterday when police detained scores of Dinamo Zagreb fans in the
French capital ahead of the UEFA Champions League group game against
Paris Saint Germain.
Reports said police arrested up to 125 fans who defied a French Government ban and were involved in street fights with rival PSG supporters.
The French Interior Ministry had banned visiting Zagreb fans on Sunday (November 4) because of a serious chance of unrest – and their fears were realised.
If French prosecutors pursue a case against the Croatian fans, each could face up to six months in prison and €30,000 (£24,000/$39,000) in fines for ignoring the travel ban.
The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) backed the arrests.
"We support any action that leads to the prevention of violence or punishing of those who committed violent acts," at sports events, HNS spokesman Neven Cvijanović was quoted as saying.
This is not the first time Croatian football fans have been under the spotlight.
The national association was fined during the 2012 UEFA European Championship for unruly behaviour by hardcore supporters.
Reports said police arrested up to 125 fans who defied a French Government ban and were involved in street fights with rival PSG supporters.
The French Interior Ministry had banned visiting Zagreb fans on Sunday (November 4) because of a serious chance of unrest – and their fears were realised.
If French prosecutors pursue a case against the Croatian fans, each could face up to six months in prison and €30,000 (£24,000/$39,000) in fines for ignoring the travel ban.
The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) backed the arrests.
"We support any action that leads to the prevention of violence or punishing of those who committed violent acts," at sports events, HNS spokesman Neven Cvijanović was quoted as saying.
This is not the first time Croatian football fans have been under the spotlight.
The national association was fined during the 2012 UEFA European Championship for unruly behaviour by hardcore supporters.
Football fans need free speech, too A man has been jailed for singing a song that mocks a religious leader, yet liberty campaigners have said nothing.
Imagine the scene: a young man is led away in handcuffs to begin a
prison sentence as his mother is left crying in the courtroom. He is 19
years old, has a good job, has no previous convictions, and has never
been in trouble before. These facts cut no ice with the judge, however,
as the crime is judged so heinous that only a custodial sentence is
deemed appropriate. The young man in question was found guilty of
singing a song that mocked and ridiculed a religious leader and his
followers.
So where might this shocking story originate? Was it Iran? Saudi Arabia? Afghanistan? Perhaps it was Russia, a variation of the Pussy Riot saga, without the worldwide publicity? No, the country in question is Scotland and the young man is a Rangers fan. He joined in with hundreds of his fellow football fans in singing ‘offensive songs’ which referred to the pope and the Vatican and called Celtic fans ‘Fenian bastards’.
Such songs are part and parcel of the time-honoured tradition of Rangers supporters. And I have yet to meet a Celtic fan who has been caused any harm or suffering by such colourful lyrics. Yet in sentencing Connor McGhie to three months in a young offenders’ institution, the judge stated that ‘the extent of the hatred [McGhie] showed took my breath away’. He went on: ‘Anybody who participates in this disgusting language must be stopped.’
Several things strike me about this court case. For a start, if Rangers fans singing rude songs about their arch rivals Celtic shocks this judge to the core, I can only assume he does not get out very much or knows little of life in Scotland. Not that his ignorance of football culture is a surprise - the chattering classes have always viewed football-related banter with contempt. But what is new about the current climate is that in Scotland, the middle-class distaste for the behaviour of football fans has become enshrined in law.
This new illiberal climate has created a situation where football supporters are increasingly viewed as a public-order incident waiting to happen. Tragically, young fans like Connor McGhie are now fair game because those in powerful positions don’t like what they sing. They have been demonised and criminalised for many years, a trend which reached its logical conclusion last year with the introduction by the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communication Act, which made it a criminal offence to shout or sing offensive slogans. The consequence is that to be a Celtic or Rangers fan today is to be watched over, regulated, censored and generally treated like a threat to society. There is no discrimination towards different groups of fans – all are treated equally badly. It was this time last year that I wrote on spiked about a dawn raid on the home of a 17-year-old Celtic fan, who was remanded in custody for allegedly singing a republican song the police objected to. In short, the civil liberties of Celtic and Rangers fans alike are now fair game to be trampled on.
What is also noticeable about the imprisonment of McGhie for singing songs is the response of civil-liberties activists and religious-freedom campaigners. Or rather, the lack of response. There has been complete silence. Where are all those who protested vehemently against the detention of Pussy Riot for making similarly profane statements in a Russian cathedral? Where are all those newspaper editorials howling in rage against the incarceration of this young Rangers fan? Perhaps if he stormed into St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow, the spiritual headquarters of the Catholic Church in Scotland, and hurled obscenities at worshippers, he would attract more support.
The other thing that strikes me is how anti-Catholic prejudice seems to be tolerated when it comes from our ‘national treasures’, like Stephen Fry or Richard Dawkins, but not when it comes out of the mouths of football fans. When the pope visited Britain two years ago, liberal campaigners lined up to accuse him of everything from hatred of women to paedophilia. To my knowledge, none of these words were deemed offensive enough to the UK’s Catholic community to prompt arrests or detentions, yet when a Rangers fan shouts of his hatred for the pope, that fan is locked up.
Tolerance, it seems, exists for those safely ensconced in polite society but not for Rangers or Celtic supporters, the great majority of whom are just ordinary working-class guys who love their team and enjoy expressing their passion for 90 minutes a week. True, they are not observing polite dinner-party etiquette when at a football match, and those of a more delicate nature should perhaps avoid Celtic or Rangers games. But part of the ritual of supporting a team is to wind up your rivals and, for some, this involves being raucous and boorish and hurling the occasional insult.
At the time of writing, Connor McGhie has been released on bail pending an appeal. Young men like him need and deserve the support of people who claim to care about free speech and civil liberties. This support should not be reserved for nice, respectable people, and withheld from those deemed less respectable. Despite my fanatical support for Celtic and my deep loathing for Rangers, there are things that cut through football rivalry. The right to shout the slogans we choose during the game is one of them.
So where might this shocking story originate? Was it Iran? Saudi Arabia? Afghanistan? Perhaps it was Russia, a variation of the Pussy Riot saga, without the worldwide publicity? No, the country in question is Scotland and the young man is a Rangers fan. He joined in with hundreds of his fellow football fans in singing ‘offensive songs’ which referred to the pope and the Vatican and called Celtic fans ‘Fenian bastards’.
Such songs are part and parcel of the time-honoured tradition of Rangers supporters. And I have yet to meet a Celtic fan who has been caused any harm or suffering by such colourful lyrics. Yet in sentencing Connor McGhie to three months in a young offenders’ institution, the judge stated that ‘the extent of the hatred [McGhie] showed took my breath away’. He went on: ‘Anybody who participates in this disgusting language must be stopped.’
Several things strike me about this court case. For a start, if Rangers fans singing rude songs about their arch rivals Celtic shocks this judge to the core, I can only assume he does not get out very much or knows little of life in Scotland. Not that his ignorance of football culture is a surprise - the chattering classes have always viewed football-related banter with contempt. But what is new about the current climate is that in Scotland, the middle-class distaste for the behaviour of football fans has become enshrined in law.
This new illiberal climate has created a situation where football supporters are increasingly viewed as a public-order incident waiting to happen. Tragically, young fans like Connor McGhie are now fair game because those in powerful positions don’t like what they sing. They have been demonised and criminalised for many years, a trend which reached its logical conclusion last year with the introduction by the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communication Act, which made it a criminal offence to shout or sing offensive slogans. The consequence is that to be a Celtic or Rangers fan today is to be watched over, regulated, censored and generally treated like a threat to society. There is no discrimination towards different groups of fans – all are treated equally badly. It was this time last year that I wrote on spiked about a dawn raid on the home of a 17-year-old Celtic fan, who was remanded in custody for allegedly singing a republican song the police objected to. In short, the civil liberties of Celtic and Rangers fans alike are now fair game to be trampled on.
What is also noticeable about the imprisonment of McGhie for singing songs is the response of civil-liberties activists and religious-freedom campaigners. Or rather, the lack of response. There has been complete silence. Where are all those who protested vehemently against the detention of Pussy Riot for making similarly profane statements in a Russian cathedral? Where are all those newspaper editorials howling in rage against the incarceration of this young Rangers fan? Perhaps if he stormed into St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow, the spiritual headquarters of the Catholic Church in Scotland, and hurled obscenities at worshippers, he would attract more support.
The other thing that strikes me is how anti-Catholic prejudice seems to be tolerated when it comes from our ‘national treasures’, like Stephen Fry or Richard Dawkins, but not when it comes out of the mouths of football fans. When the pope visited Britain two years ago, liberal campaigners lined up to accuse him of everything from hatred of women to paedophilia. To my knowledge, none of these words were deemed offensive enough to the UK’s Catholic community to prompt arrests or detentions, yet when a Rangers fan shouts of his hatred for the pope, that fan is locked up.
Tolerance, it seems, exists for those safely ensconced in polite society but not for Rangers or Celtic supporters, the great majority of whom are just ordinary working-class guys who love their team and enjoy expressing their passion for 90 minutes a week. True, they are not observing polite dinner-party etiquette when at a football match, and those of a more delicate nature should perhaps avoid Celtic or Rangers games. But part of the ritual of supporting a team is to wind up your rivals and, for some, this involves being raucous and boorish and hurling the occasional insult.
At the time of writing, Connor McGhie has been released on bail pending an appeal. Young men like him need and deserve the support of people who claim to care about free speech and civil liberties. This support should not be reserved for nice, respectable people, and withheld from those deemed less respectable. Despite my fanatical support for Celtic and my deep loathing for Rangers, there are things that cut through football rivalry. The right to shout the slogans we choose during the game is one of them.
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Police arrest 100 after Dinamo yobs defy travel ban to brawl in centre of Paris
Dinamo Zagreb fans brawled with Paris
Saint-German supporters in the centre of Paris despite a
government ban on Croatian fans attending Tuesday's Champions League clash.At least 28 people were arrested and one was seriously injured after rival supporters fought a running battle near the Bastille.
link
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