Live: Student March Nov 9th

17:08 Things seem to be quietening down – protesters are filtering away and disturbances have been kept to a minimum. It has been an overall peaceful protest, with only a few breaking away from the crowd’s designated route. 

17:00 It seems that the heavy police presence around London has certainly kept disturbances to a minimum. Of the 20 arrests so far, the charges range from violent disorder and affray to breaching the peace, with one arrest for possession of a weapon. 

16:45 Earlier today builders showed unanimity with the protesters on top of scaffolding. 

16:39 Reports that the atmosphere at London Wall seems to have developed into a rave – lots of loud music and protesters dancing and drinking. 

16:27 Picture of the taxi protest courtesy of @wilkinson_david 

16:25 Reports of around 20 arrests so far – there is currently a taxi protest around Trafalgar Square. 

16:16 There have been arrests at London Wall. Reports say that several protesters have been drinking. The energy of the marchers appears to have picked up and crowds are now much larger than they were earlier. 

15:43 All aproaches to Trafalgar Square open again. The break-away group is said to be around 100 people but there is no clear route for them as yet.

15:25 March has reached London Wall – reports of several shops boarded up. This is the final destination of the march and there is now expected to be an hour-long rally.

15:13 reports of some kind of explosion in the crowd, believed to be a firecracker or something similar. 

15:09 Met Police report that the head of the march has entered Holborn Viaduct. A number of arrests have been made so far. 

15:03 Police are removing protesters camped in Trafalgar Square.

14:54 @rj_gallagher has tweeted: “Police at Trafalgar now announcing protesters must “return to the route…or you will be arrested” 

14:39 The march has been split with the front part standing on Fetter Street but the majority being held back. @billykenber has tweeted “Small groups of masked youths in the crowd which is lingering at junction with Fetters Lane”. 

14:22 According to @BBCTravelReport, Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road have reopened.  

14:15 Met Police report that a small group of protesters have broken away from the main group and have broken Section 12 of the Public Order Act. The main front of the student march has now reached Aldwych. 

14:10 Huge police presence across the capital. Photo by @HeardInLondon

14:06Gower Street has reopened to southbound traffic.

13:57 Wilkinson_David, a CNN journalist, has tweeted: “Police bringing dogs to the front line of the student march on the Strand”.

13:44 @suziruk tweeted: “Big group have broken away from the march and are pitching tents to occupy Trafalgar Sq” – several other reports of a large group who appear to be straying from the designated route. Just checking this now.  

13:36 Reports that protest has been good natured so far – protesters heading towards Trafalgar Square. Large police presence there. 

13:27 Protesters have been given a 2 hour limit to disperse at the end of today or they will face arrest. 

13:22Police in Trafalgar Square arranging themselves to prevent pedestrians getting caught up in the protests.

@wimbledog tweeted: “Incredible – mounted riot police deployed outside… March has moved off towards Trafalgar Square”

13:14 So far everything has been very quiet – nowhere near the expected numbers for the student march as yet. Currently checking reports of protesters in Trafalgar Square.

13:04 Student protesters moving through Gower Street – around 2000 strong at the moment. The electricians march is filtering across Southwark Bridge. 

12:59 A bit of background on the neighbouring march: Electricians, plumbers and engineers from across the country have formed a protest at the site of construction work at Blackfriars Underground station, and are planning to later lobby MPs in parliament. They are demonstrating against pay-cuts which unions claim are being imposed by several construction firms.

12:53@billykenber has Tweeted: “Familiar chants as march sets off: “you say cut back, we say fight back” and lots directed at Nick Clegg” along with a photo of the protesters on Gower Street.

12:49 Protesters have been warned that if they deviate from the planned route, or if they hang around for too long after the rally at the end then they will face arrest.

12:44 rumours of water cannons being used today are false – the @metpoliceuk has just Tweeted saying: “There is no intention of water cannons being used today”.

12:34 @danderricott, a student at the University of Lincoln, has tweeted: “Coaches to #nov9 demo being stopped by police and given warning fliers” He also posted a picture (below)

Meanwhile, the Met Police have reported that there are 500+ in the electricians march heading towards Blackfriars 

12:27  Channel 4 News report prominent chanting of “You can stick your rubber bullets up your a***”

12:26 So far proceedings are quiet – nowhere near the 10,000 expected protesters.

12:07  The Met have said there are 350+ protesters at Malet Street currently with additional people due to join them.

12:03 Police are expecting an hour long rally at London Wall from around 3.30pm-4.30pm. “Participants are expected to disperse by 17:30″. All roads on the route will be closed, with surrounding roads closed when necessary, including London, Southwark, Blackfriars, and Waterloo Bridges.

According to the Met Police, “there are currently 300 people at The Shard for the electricians march” which will be happening alongside the student march today.

They have also said that police are not expected to use batons today.

11:53 This is the planned route for the march – Starting at Malet street, the protesters will go along Gower Street, Bloomsbury Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road, Duncannon Street, The Strand, Fetter Lane, New Fetter Lane, Holborn Viaduct, Newgate Street, King Edward Street and finally ending up at London Wall. These roads will be closed so expect a lot of traffic diversions!

11:27Large crowds are gathering around Malet Street – some tents are visible. The march is expected to begin in about half an hour.

11:12 An estimated 10,000 students are expected to take part in today’s march against the recent education cuts. The Metropolitan Police have warned protesters that there will be around 4,000 police officers on duty; they have been granted the right to use rubber bullets if there are any disturbances in what is planned to be a peaceful march through London, starting at Malet Street (near Euston Station) and finishing at London Wall.

If you have and photos, videos or can tell us anything happening down there, you can tweet at us @TheWestLondoner, find us on Facebook or email me directly at xenia@thewestlondoner.com 

Mayor sacks aide over child porn charges

Walsh: Mayoral appointee of the London Fire Brigade; photo: london-fire.gov.uk/

Boris Johnson has sacked one of his aides after it emerged yesterday that he had been charged with a serious child pornography offence.

Simon Walsh, a barrister from the London fire authority – the cross-party body that controls the London fire brigade – was dismissed after the severity of the charges was realised.

According to Scotland Yard, Walsh is facing two charges: one of possessing an extreme pornographic image which was likely to have resulted in serious injury, and another of making an indecent photograph of a child on a computer, without the child present. Sources said that the Mayor had been concerned at Walsh’s apparent failure to reveal the extent of the charges.

Walsh, 49, of Southwark, is due to reappear at Uxbridge magistrates’ court on November 7, where the case is due to be committed to crown court. He denies the charges.

 

Cancer patient dies following attack in Hillingdon Hospital

A cancer patient has died after being attacked by an Iranian illegal immigrant as he lay in his hospital bed.

The illegal immigrant was removed to a nearby detention centre (file picture, courtesy Home Office).

Anthony Wilson, a 78-year-old man from Harefield near Uxbridge, had undergone an operation to remove part of his bowel just four days previously. He was asleep when he was assaulted by an Iranian man who had been brought into the hospital two days earlier complaining of breathing difficulties.

Three UK Border Agency guards, who had been brought in to sit with the Iranian during his hospital stay, had to intervene when the shocking and unprovoked attack on Mr Wilson took place.

The man was removed from Hillingdon Hospital immediately and returned to a nearby immigration removal centre, where he is currently awaiting deportation.

The attack occurred in front of other patients on the ward at approximately 8.20am on October 17. Police were called but the UKBA guards dealt with the incident swiftly.

Mr Wilson, who served in the Army as a teenager after the Second World War, was admitted to hospital on October 11. He had been battling bowel cancer for three months prior to being admitted.

Mr Wilson was pronounced dead at 4.20am on October 18, when police were again called to the hospital.

Following the attack, Mr Wilson’s brother, Jeffrey, 68, told the Mail on Sunday “I have lost my brother, who was my right-hand man. He used to do everything for me and I miss him.

“He went for the operation and got through it and did all right, but someone may have taken his life away from him so I want to know the truth of what happened.”

A post-mortem examination concluded that Mr Wilson had died from septicaemia, but an inquest will be held in order to determine whether or not the attack was a contributory factor.

Doctors had previously informed him of the various risks involved with the invasive surgery, especially because of his age and because he had been fitted with a pacemaker earlier this year. The former engineer decided to go ahead with the operation anyway and had made plans to recuperate at home by his brother’s side.

Jeffrey went on to say: ‘We lived together all our lives, we were best friends and I will miss him. Sometimes we fell out over different things at one time or another, as  brothers often do, but it was a good life together.’

It is as yet unclear whether the attack on Mr Wilson was a factor in his death; Jeffrey insists that his brother was strangled, but the investigation is ongoing.

Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust claims the assault “took only seconds and amounted to him [the immigrant] putting an arm round Mr Wilson’s neck.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said they attended the hospital and that the death is being treated as non-suspicious.

A spokesman for the UK Border Agency confirmed that they are in the process of removing the Iranian man: “We are reviewing this incident and, if necessary, will take appropriate action.”

Trick or Treat?

According to a recent survey commissioned by Santander Insurance, 1 in 5 people would support banning Trick or Treating following the riots which swept across London earlier this year. 

Around 22%  of people surveyed believe that the yearly custom should have an outright ban, while 50% said that parental accompaniment should be compulsory in order to control the behaviour of children.

Furthermore, 43% of people would support a ban on people wearing masks which obscure the face over Halloween, and over a third of people asked would support a ban on people wearing hooded tops.

Andy Smith, head of media relations at Santander, said: “The summer’s riots resulted in a huge amount of innocent people becoming victims of crime. Our research would suggest that there is genuine concern about any more criminal damage or anti-social behaviour taking place in the period that surrounds Halloween and bonfire night – a period which many people already find intimidating”.

Are these fears founded or is it a lot of fuss about nothing? We want to know what you think: 

Vatican investigates sexual abuse at Ealing Abbey

The Vatican has ordered an inquiry following allegations of sexual abuse at a school and abbey in Ealing.

The  school, which admits pupils aged 4 to 18, came under scrutiny in 2009 when reports emerged of sexual abuse, some of which go back as far as the 1960s.

Father David Pearce, the former headmaster of St Benedict’s School, was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of abusing five students.

A number of priests and lay teachers at the school in Eaton Rise, have been linked to the scandal, which has been subject of three previous inquiries.

They include Father Laurence Soper currently on the run after failing to appear at a police station for questioning in March. The 81-year-old taught at St Benedict’s between 1972 and 1984 and was abbot of the abbey, in Charlbury Grove, for nine years from 1991.

Following further abuse claims, a team sent in by the Vatican visited the connected Ealing Abbey where some monks, who have also been accused of abuse, still live.

The latest inquiry has been ordered by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It is led by Bishop Arnold, an auxiliary bishop of Westminster and Father Richard Yeo, president of the English Benedictine Congregation.

Supporters of the alleged victims have questioned the integrity of the Vatican’s internal inquiry, not least because its findings will remain secret. One campaigner went as far as to say that this latest inquiry is akin to ‘putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank’.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Carlile, has been conducting a separate inquiry into the abuse cases and is due to publish his findings later this month.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Westminster said: “The effective safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults is a priority for the Catholic Church, and Ealing Abbey’s safeguarding policies and procedures formed part of the remit of the apostolic visitation”.

He added: “The Vatican will decide what actions, if any, need to be taken”.

 

MPs split over EU vote

David Cameron faced what can arguably be seen as the biggest test of his leadership yesterday as a backbench motion calling for a referendum on Europe caused a massive rift within the House of Commons.

The decision of Cameron and Miliband not to allow a free vote within Parliament, opting for a three-line whip in the hope of controlling MPs votes, was met with fierce criticism from both The Commons and the general public.

After a five-hour debate on the pros and cons of EU membership and why the public should or should not be allowed to determine our future within Europe, 483 MPs voted to reject the motion, with only 111 voting in favour leaving a majority of 372 out of a total of 650 MPs in the House of Commons.

This result has sparked uncertainty over the future of several MPs within their parties. Grassroots reaction from Twitter and other social media sources suggest widespread public dissatisfaction with the result of the vote.

Twitter user Edward Butler-Ellis, who tweets under the username @EdwardBE1 and describes himself as an ‘avid Conservative campaigner’ said: “how is the #eureferendum a distraction for parliament? The EU is the single largest influence over the UK, don’t insult us. #referendumNOW

charlotteahenry, a self-described liberal, said: “Fuming about today’s self indulgent antics in Parliament, given what’s going on in the real world. Do MPs still wonder why nobody cares?”

Meanwhile, Labour supporter Shereef Abdallah (@Sheik74Shereef ) said: “Cameron is sleep walking to disaster. Even after the Euro vote, what happens if UK has d.dip recession ? Govt won’t survive till 2015.”

The list of rebels is as follows:

Conservative

Stuart Andrew

Steve Baker

John Baron

Andrew Bingham

Brian Binley

Bob Blackman

Peter Bone

Graham Brady

Andrew Bridgen

Steve Brine

Fiona Bruce

Dan Byles

Douglas Carswell

Bill Cash

Christopher Chope

James Clappison

Tracey Crouch

David T.C. Davies

Philip Davies

David Davis

Nick du Bois

Caroline Dinenage

Nadine Dorries

Richard Drax

Mark Field

Lorraine Fullbrook

Zac Goldsmith

James Gray

Chris Heaton-Harris

Gordon Henderson

George Hollingbery

Philip Hollobone

Stewart Jackson

Bernard Jenkin

Marcus Jones

Chris Kelly

Andrea Leadsom

Jeremy Lefroy

Edward Leigh

Dr. Julian Lewis

Karen Lumley

Jason McCartney

Karl McCartney

Stephen McPartland

Anne Main

Patrick Mercer

Nigel Mills

Anne-Marie Morris

James Morris

Stephen Mosely

Sheryll Murray

Caroline Nokes

David Nuttall

Matthew Offord

Neil Parish

Priti Patel

Andrew Percy

Mark Pritchard

Mark Reckless

John Redwood

Jacob Rees-Mogg

Simon Reevell

Laurence Robertson

Andrew Rosindell

Richard Shepherd

Henry Smith

John Stevenson

Bob Stewart

Gary Streeter

Julian Sturdy

Sir Peter Tapsell

Justin Tomlinson

Andrew Turner

Martin Vickers

Charles Walker

Robin Walker

Heather Wheeler

Craig Whittaker

John Whittingdale

Dr. Sarah Wollaston

Labour

Ronnie Campbell

Rosie Cooper

Jeremy Corbyn

Jon Cruddas

John Cryer

Ian Davidson

Natascha Engel

Frank Field

Roger Godsiff

Kate Hoey

Kelvin Hopkins

Steve McCabe

John McDonnell

Austin Mitchell

Dennis Skinner

Andrew Smith

Graham Stringer

Gisela Stuart

Mike Wood

Lib Dem

Adrian Sanders

Democratic Unionist Party

Gregory Campbell

Nigel Dodds

Jeffrey Donaldson

Dr. William McCrea

Ian Paisley Jr.

Jim Shannon

David Simpson

Sammy Wilson

Green

Caroline Lucas

Independent

Lady Hermon

POSITIVE ABSTENTIONS (Went through both Aye & No lobbies) 2

Ian Stewart (Conservative)

Mike Weatherley (Conservative)

Brunel graduate’s bracelets for Brittle Bones

A Brunel University graduate who set up an online jewellery shop to help pay off her student debts has been donating part of her earnings to the Brittle Bone Society.

Founded in Dundee in 1968, the Brittle Bone Society is the only UK wide organisation providing support to people affected by the bone condition Osteogenesis Imperfecta or Brittle Bones.  They are a membership-based organisation offering help and support to members. 

Tasha Shackell, 22, who graduated from the Uxbridge-based university in July, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. She regularly raises money for the Society through fundraisers such as book stalls, christmas markets and carnivals. When she set up her own online shop, she saw an opportunity to help the society even more:

“I started off doing card and jewellery making in my spare time as a hobby but then my friends recommended I sell my products as they are of a high quality, so I started selling products last summer and still do today. I love making these creations and would love to share my jewellery and cards with other people”.

Hoping to pursue a career in psychology, Tasha makes most of her cards and jewellery to order, so it is custom made to the exact specification of her clients: “I had the idea that I would donate some of my earnings from my crafts to the charity so a percentage of anything my customers buy goes to a great cause!”.Tasha is hoping to continue making jewellery and supporting other people with Osteogenisis Imperfecta through her donations. You can visit her website by clicking here.

Hillingdon mum launches pre-natal advice pack

A new scheme was launched at the end of June to offer free advice and information to pregnant women around West London.

The Acorn Pack, a collection of local, relevant and ethical information for expectant mothers, is the creation of Jane Woodley, a mother-of-two from Hillingdon.

Jane started the company having realised that many women had regrets about their birth and early parenting experiences. Having been through the experience twice herself, she felt that there needed to be more accessible, realistic and supportive information available to all new parents.

The concept of the Acorn Pack started during Jane’s first pregnancy – although she did not realise it at the time. Her experience with the lack of helpful information on breastfeeding is what initially led her to start researching pre-natal experiences:

“I was fascinated to speak to other women about their birth and breastfeeding experiences.  I did a lot of listening to other women from all over the country talk about their experiences and started to piece together a picture of what breastfeeding support was like in the real world, not in the poster campaign world”.

After months of speaking with healthcare professionals, other expectant mothers, committees and companies, Jane felt she had enough information to put together something which would really benefit mums-to-be:

“My aims were clear.  I wanted to pull together the best and brightest from the world of pregnancy, birth and beyond, to stimulate debate, to empower women to expect a good standard of care, not to get through pregnancy and birth and early motherhood and think, ‘Wow.  I only wish I’d known – I’d have done things differently’”.

Working in partnership with the London Borough of Hillingdon and Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Jane managed to secure start-up funding from Public Health to launch the Acorn Pack Antenatal.

The Acorn Pack carries advertising relevant to new families and is seeking responsible corporate partners to grow Acorn Pack Antenatal and to develop Acorn Pack Postnatal.

Acorn Packs are available from:

• Barra Hall Children’s Centre, Hayes
• Coteford Children’s Centre, Eastcote
• Harefield Children’s Centre, Harefield
• Hillside Children’s Centre, Northwood
• Oak Farm Children’s Centre, Oak Farm
• Yiewsley Cornerstone Children’s Centre, Yiewsley

To find out more information and to read Jane’s whole story, you can visit the Acorn Pack website here.

Teens bailed after Southall nightclub stabbing

Three teenagers, two aged 18 and one aged 17, have been released on bail after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed in a nightclub in Southall on Thursday night.

The victim, who has not been named, was attending an under 21s night at the Tudor Rose, a Caribbean club, when he was attacked at around 23:30.

He was taken to hospital with a minor stab wound to the chest and was released the following day.

The victim’s mother claimed to be disgusted by the club’s lax security in a situation which could have turned fatal.

In a statement, she said: “My son went to a club in Southall and they allowed people to go in there with a weapon.

“He’s never, ever been in any trouble with the police – he’s a law abiding citizen, people can vouch for that. The doctors said luckily he moved in a certain way so it’s just a superficial stab wound, but I could’ve lost my son last night.

“He was a bit shaken up but he’s OK now, you’ve just got to move on. I can’t stop him going out but I won’t let him go there again.

“Councillors have been trying to shut the place down. The owners keep calling it racism, but I’m a black woman, it’s about protecting peoples’ children”.

The teens, who were arrested following the incident, have been bailed and are due to appear in court on November 18.

 

Ealing Shooting: Update

Metropolitan Police are now appealing for any witnesses after a shooting outside the Black George Pub in West Ealing in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police and ambulances were called to the scene just before 5am to find a 21 year old man with a severe graze to his left shoulder. He was taken to Ealing Hospital for treatment but was released shortly afterwards.

A second man, aged 25, who had left the scene before the police got there, arrived at Kings College Hospital with a gun shot injury to his foot. He is said to be in a stable condition and his injuries are not life threatening.

The police are now appealing to anyone who was in the West Ealing area at that time on Sunday morning, and are particularly keen to hear from any witnesses who may have seen a dark coloured Vauxhall Astra driving off at speed from the location.

If you have any information, please contact Trident on 0208 733 4774 or, alternately, if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.