UK Police Officer Cleared Of Murder After Black Man Shot Dead

Published

8 months ago

October 21, 2024

Editor

Dozens of people gathered Monday near London’s Old Bailey court after the police marksman who fatally shot a black man as he tried to stop the car he was driving was cleared of murder.

Supporters chanted “Say his name -– Chris Kaba” and “No justice -– no peace” while others held up placards saying “Justice for Chris Kaba”.

Kaba was shot dead two years in an incident in south London.

Martyn Blake, 40, had been on trial for killing the 24-year-old in the Streatham area of the British capital in September 2022. He died of a single gunshot to the head.

The police officer was earlier briefly overcome by emotion as the jury returned a not guilty verdict after about three hours’ deliberation at the central London court.

Kaba’s family meanwhile sat in stony silence and gave no immediate reaction but said later they were “devastated” and promised to fight on for “justice”.

Temi Mwale and Kayza Rose, of the Justice For Chris Kaba Campaign, said the acquittal was “painful proof that our lives are not valued by this system.

“This outcome reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence,” they added in a statement.

Kaba’s death prompted protests from his family and friends, who have been supported by Inquest, which campaigns on state-related deaths, including at the hands of police.

“We know that Chris’ death is not an isolated case but part of systemic racism and stereotyping that equates black men with dangerousness,” said Inquest director Deborah Coles.

“For decades, black men have disproportionately been killed by the police.”

– ‘Split second decision’ –
The decision to charge Blake saw dozens of his firearms colleagues in the Metropolitan Police force stop work in protest and the army put on standby to replace them.

Officers would be put off volunteering for firearms training if they feared being embroiled in lengthy court cases when a fatal shooting took place, they argued.

Reacting to the verdict, Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said Blake had paid “a huge personal and professional sacrifice” since the shooting.

He said the officer had made “a split second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and to protect London”.

No officer was above the law, he said, but the system for holding police to account was “broken”.

“I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best, but most of all, I worry for the public,” he said.

“The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime that risks London becoming less safe,” he added.

Prosecutors had argued that the shooting was “not reasonably justified or justifiable”.

Police in England, Scotland and Wales are not routinely armed and only a small proportion are authorised to carry guns.

In the year to March 2023, official figures showed that there were 18,395 police firearms operations and police weapons were deliberately fired in 10 of these incidents, with three fatalities.

Blake shot Kaba through the front windscreen of an Audi Q8 car, which had been used as a getaway vehicle in a shooting the previous evening.

It had been blocked by other police vehicles when it was identified and the court was told that Kaba tried to ram his way free.

Blake told jurors he opened fire to stop the car, as he feared one of his colleagues could be killed.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, Deserves Not To Live – Israel’s Defence Minister

Published

4 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei

Israel’s Defence Minister on Thursday issued a direct threat against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing him of orchestrating attacks on Israel through proxy forces and calling for his elimination.

The minister’s remarks, reported by Al Jazeera, reflect growing tensions between the two countries following an Iranian missile strike on Beersheba, which reportedly caused damage to the Soroka Medical Center.

The minister stated that Khamenei has consistently sought Israel’s destruction, adding that preventing him from continuing his actions is now considered part of Israel’s broader campaign.

According to him, as reported by Al Jazeera, “A man like [Khamenei] has always aimed at destroying Israel through his agents.

“This man, who is willing to attack us, must not stay alive. This matter, the matter of stopping this man, eliminating him, is part of the campaign, and we now understand his role because before, he was talking about the destruction of Israel.”

In recent days, Israel has launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently addressed the Iranian people in a video message, expressing hope that military operations would help pave the way for Iranians to achieve freedom.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump also weighed in on Khamenei, stating in a social media post: “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now… Our patience is wearing thin.”

Earlier, Khamenei warned the US that any strikes on its territory would have “serious irreparable consequences”.

As reported by Al Jazeera, the death toll from Israel’s attacks on Iran has risen to more than 240, including 70 women and children. At least 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel.

Headline

Ukraine Worries Iran-Israel War Will Boost Russia’s Aggression

Published

5 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

Fighting between Iran and Israel could deflect global attention from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and even bolster Kremlin’s war effort, Ukrainian officials say.

Israel launched a massive bombing campaign on Iran last week that prompted Tehran — a close ally of Russia — to strike back with missiles and drones.

The conflict has pushed up the price of oil — a key revenue stream funding Russia’s invasion.

“For Ukraine, the challenge is the price of oil, because if prices remain high for a long time, the Russians will earn more,” a senior Ukrainian political source told AFP.

However, Kyiv has welcomed Israeli attacks on a country that has directly aided and provided weapons to Moscow for its own strikes on Ukraine.

The campaign has left several high-ranking Iranian military officials dead and put pressure on Tehran’s military capacity that is likely to limit the practical support it can provide to Russia.

“The Iranian regime is Russia’s ally, so the more they lose, the better,” the Ukrainian source said.

“Overall, Israel is doing the whole world a favour. That is a fact,” the source added.

The possibility of weaker support and attention from Washington, however, concerns Kyiv.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, Israel’s closest ally, has made it clear that its security priorities are the Middle East and Asia, with Europe lower on the list.

– ‘Iran is our enemy’ –

This could mean further Russian advances on the battlefield or deadly aerial attacks will meet with a muted reaction from a White House that already sees the Ukraine conflict mainly as a European problem.

Kyiv’s efforts to lobby for more support from Washington have been complicated by tense relations between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader.

Zelensky recently conceded to journalists that war between Iran and Israel carried risks for Kyiv.

“No one is claiming to have a relationship more important than America and Israel, but we would like to see the aid to Ukraine would not be reduced because of this,” he said.

He referred to Israel’s war in Gaza that was sparked by a deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, as a precedent for this.

“It was a factor that slowed down assistance to Ukraine,” he added.

In an interview with US media, the Ukrainian leader said at the beginning of this month that Washington could send “20,000” missiles needed by for Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones to the Middle East instead.

Senior officials in Zelensky’s office told AFP after the outbreak of the war in Gaza that it had spurred Ukraine to focus on developing its own arms industry.

Russia has rained down thousands of drones and missiles on Ukraine since it launched its full-scale invasion early in 2022, including Iranian-made and -designed projectiles.

Israel has claimed to have attacked production sites in Iran, which has also launched silos of missiles at Israel that now cannot be sent to Russia for attacks on Ukraine.

“Let’s hope that the corresponding production or transfer (of weapons) to the Russians will decrease. This helps Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

The British defence ministry said Iran’s supply of weapons to Russia could slow as a result of Tehran’s war with Israel.

But it said global focus on the Middle East could overall help Moscow.

“Russia almost certainly perceives some benefit in the conflict as it distracts international focus from its war against Ukraine,” it said on social media.

Moscow also produces its own drones and missiles, and has received projectiles from North Korea.

Ukrainian military analyst and blogger Sergiy Sternenko was among voices to issue caution against celebrating the attacks on Iran.

“Do not rush to get too excited about the strikes on Iran. Of course, Iran is our enemy, and we wish these pigs the worst. But fighting in the Middle East will inevitably lead to higher oil prices,” he wrote.

AFP

Headline

Hezbollah Involvement In Iran-Israel War Would Be ‘Very Bad Decision’ – US Envoy Warns

Published

7 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday warned Lebanese group Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between its main backer Iran and Israel.

Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, is on his first visit to Beirut, where he met top Lebanese officials including parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah.

“I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump… that would be a very, very, very bad decision,” Barrack said after his meeting with Berri, responding to a question on what the US position would be on any involvement by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the war.

The group condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran when the conflict erupted on Friday, but did not announce its intention to intervene in support of Tehran.

Hezbollah suffered devastating losses in its war against Israel last year, which ended with a ceasefire agreement in November.

The war heavily weakened the group, which was once seen as the most powerful and influential component the so-called Iran-led “axis of resistance”.

Reacting to the Iran-Israel war, the Lebanese foreign ministry said last week that it was “continuing its contacts” to spare the country from being dragged into any conflict.

In a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency after his meeting with Barrack, President Joseph Aoun said that “communications are ongoing to achieve the goal of weapons monopoly at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels, and will intensify after stability returns… to the region”.

According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah must pull back its fighters north of the Litani river, roughly 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border with Israel, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the area.

Israel is required to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems “strategic”.

Lebanon has also recently amped up efforts to disarm Palestinian armed groups, which for decades had been in charge of Palestinian refugee camps in the country.

Barrack also said on Thursday that Washington was “committed to help… so what we have altogether is hope, and that chaos will subside soon, and that out of that will come the blossoming of peace and prosperity”.

Despite the ongoing ceasefire, Israel has repeatedly attacked Lebanon, saying it would continue to strike the country until Hezbollah was disarmed.

An Israeli strike on Kfar Juz, south Lebanon, killed two people on Wednesday, while another strike injured one person in Barish, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Israel said it killed two Hezbollah members in its attacks.