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Artists Condemn UK Riots And Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Amidst Worst Unrest Since 2011

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Artists Condemn UK Riots And Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Amidst Worst Unrest Since 2011

The UK has witnessed its worst rioting since 2011, with violent clashes erupting in the aftermath of a mass stabbing that killed three young girls during a Taylor Swiftthemed event in Southport, near Liverpool. The anti-immigration protests, fueled by false rumors on social media, have been widely condemned by artists such as Massive Attack, Kneecap, Nova Twins, and Nadine Shah.

Rioters threw bricks and chanted anti-Islamic slurs, with skirmishes breaking out in cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Several mosques, including ones in Sunderland and Southport, have been attacked, leading to hundreds of Islamic centers upping their security amid safety fears.

The protests were fueled by false rumors on social media about the background of British-born 17-year-old suspect Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, who is accused of killing six, seven, and nine-year-old girls, and injuring another 10 people in the knife attack. The false claim, promoted by EDL founder Tommy Robinson, stated that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker who recently arrived in the UK by boat, when in fact he was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.

The far-right has taken advantage of the stabbing attack to tap into concerns about the scale of immigration in the UK. Anti-fascist demonstrators have held counter-rallies in many cities, including Leeds, where they shouted “Nazi scum off our streets”, as the far-right protesters chanted, “You’re not English any more”.

BJ Harrington of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said in a statement on Sunday that 147 people have been arrested since last night in connection with violence and that he expects the number to rise in the coming days.

In response to the riots, Massive Attack posted a statement on X written by the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank: “This violent racism has long been simmering under the surface. What is happening is the direct result of years of normalised racism and Islamophobia, enabled by politicians and the British media. As far-right mobs threaten mosques, intimidate and harass people, and throw Nazi salutes, we offer our utmost solidarity to people of colour, and Muslim communities in particular.”

The statement also pointed out that Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper “fail to centre Muslim people, or call out racism for what it is”, adding: “What we are seeing unfold is more than ‘thuggery’, it is violent racism.”

“This is an inevitable outcome of years of state-sponsored Islamophobia and racism, where Muslims, people of colour, and migrants are scapegoated as a distraction from decades of economic hardship and political failings.”

The Runnymede Trust demanded that political leadership “recognises that challenging the far right is not simply a question of tackling online misinformation, or increased police surveillance. Instead, we urgently need our leaders to challenge the conditions that embolden the far right. These scenes should be unimaginable in 2024.”

West Belfast rappers Kneecap responded to the recent anti-immigration demonstration in Belfast by posting a quote by civil rights activist Bernadette Devlin, captioning the photo: “And if you know your history…. smash all fascists”.

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Diaspora Watch – Vol. 88

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Diaspora Watch - Vol. 88

📢 Diaspora Watch Newspaper – 88th Edition is Out!

The publishers of Diaspora Watch Newspaper are pleased to announce the release of its 88th edition, a compelling compilation of in-depth analyses and global perspectives on pressing international developments shaping today’s world.

Diaspora Watch FREE Digital View: https://diasporawatch.com/3d-flip-book/diaspora-watch-vol-88/

On Demand Print: https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3307041?__r=1069759

SUBSCRIBE TO DIASPORA WATCH NOW ON THE LINK BELOW!!!
https://diasporawatch.com/subscribe-to-diaspora-watch-newspaper/

Explore key global developments shaping today’s world:

• U.S.–Iran tensions after Islamabad talks collapse
• Gulf crisis and Strait of Hormuz concerns
• UN push to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity
• Africa CDC warns of major health system inefficiencies
• China’s IT expansion and India’s COP33 withdrawal
• UK and European economic and diplomatic updates

✨ Plus: Spotlight on Nigerian-American entrepreneur John Imah, building a $1.5B AI fashion-tech company.

Stay informed. Stay global. 🌍

#DiasporaWatch #africa #Iran #USA

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2026 UTME: JAMB Calls For Calm As Exam Disruptions Persist.

As the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) exercise enters day 2, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has assured candidates whose examinations were disrupted that they would be rescheduled to write them at a later date.

Public Communication Advisor of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin stated this during the The Senate Committee on Tertiary Education monitoring of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Abuja on Friday.

Benjamin was responding to questions raised by disgruntled parents and candidates whose examinations were disrupted at the Good Success Computer Based Test (CBT) Center, Utako

On his part, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Dandutse agreed that JAMB and CBT centers were faced with a lot of challenges but promised
to resolve them.

“From what we have seen, we have seen progress and we have seen a lot of challenges faced by the centres.

“And this one is not only in Abuja, it’s throughout the country. As a matter of fact, we sincerely appreciate what we have seen so far. Because the other issue is a technical issue, it happened yesterday and it also happened today, which was explained by the supervisor. But the truth of the matter, it has been a constraint to JAMB because these issues need to be addressed even before the exam takes place.

“As senators who are solely responsible for oversight and investigating the matters arising to this JAMB exam, I think we are going to look into how best JAMB will improve in most of the activities.

“We have already instructed them and told them to, as a matter of urgency, to take a definitive action so that the student will write the exam. And at the same time, we are going to review all the activities in JAMB so that we can make sure that these things do not happened again.

“So definitely we are going to address it and we are going to make sure that all the CBT centers are well functional and efficient. Because there is no moral justification for somebody to come from far away and will be living in trauma without writing the exam”, he said.

JAMB Spokesperson however maintained that the glitches were expected:

“Naturally, you should have one or two challenges here and there. It is not unusual and I don’t think there is anybody that will condone the exam using one thousand centers and then you expect that you won’t have any problem. But the most important thing is that if this problem do occur, are you prepared to handle them? And that is what we have just done there.

“That all those candidates will be rescheduled to another date, another center where they will sit the examination. It is natural to have a problem.

“As Nigerians, as citizens, that at least they are paying us with public funds, we are using public funds, they will expect 100%. But we know as operators that it is not easy, it is not possible for you to give 100%.

“But by the time you score 90%, at least you should have a term of. But for the candidate that have gone there, used the whole hours and sat inside the hall and then they didn’t take the exam, it is expected that they should vent their frustration. But it is natural”, he said.

Benjamin however, reassured that the Board would do the needful:

“We are assuring all Nigerians that every candidate who have registered for this exam will be given the opportunity to sit this exam. If your center fails today, you will be rescheduled again to take the exam. For any reason, even when you are rescheduled, and for any reason again, you are unable to sit the examination, you will be rescheduled again.

“That is why when we finish the exam, we have what we call the mop-up. The mop-up is to ensure that candidates whose center failed and they could not take the exam, we mop them up, give them a particular date for them to sit the examination. Because it’s a contract we have entered with them, they must sit the examination.

“But we’ll continue to do our best to ensure that we have minimal failure of these centers. And that is what we are doing. Out of 957 that we are using for this examination, I’m not sure we’ve had up to 10 or 8 centers that have failed”, he added.

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ENTERTAINMENT – Diaspora Watch

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ENTERTAINMENT - Diaspora Watch

Late Afrobeat Pioneer, Fela Earns Historic Global Recognition.

Late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has been inducted into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the first Nigerian artist to receive the honor.

Naija News reports that the announcement marks another major global recognition for the iconic musician, decades after his passing.

Fela was inducted under the “Early Influence” category, alongside renowned global music figures such as Queen Latifah, Celia Cruz, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons.

The list of inductees was unveiled in the United States during a live broadcast of the popular television show, American Idol.

Also recognized is Nigerian-born British singer, Sade Adu, who will be inducted in the “Performer” category.

She joins a lineup of global stars including Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.

Despite stiff competition, several high-profile nominees failed to make the final list. These include Shakira, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, and Pink.

Organizers disclosed that over 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals participated in the voting process.

The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.

Fela’s latest recognition comes just months after he made history in January as the first African musician to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The honor, coming nearly 30 years after his death, further cements his legacy as a global music icon and pioneer of Afrobeat.

It also follows the introduction of the Best African Performance category at the Grammy Awards two years ago, reflecting growing global recognition for African music.

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