There were many confrontations between placard carrying anti-monarchists and flag waving royalists. The anti-monarchists were chanting, "Not my king", while the royalists were chanting, "God save the King".
naptu2: As usual, Liverpool fans booed God Save The King. Someone in the replies asked, since it is OK to boo God Save The King, is it also OK to boo commemoration of the 96?
(96 Liverpool fans died in the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster. The police initially blamed Liverpool fans, but investigative panels and the courts found that the police were to blame. Fans of other clubs say that Liverpool fans do not want to take responsibility and they sometimes boo commemorations of the disaster. This booing upsets both Liverpool fans and the football authorities. That disaster and the fact that police blamed them, is the main reason why Liverpool fans always boo the national anthem).
Fans loudly booed 'God Save The King' before the game at Anfield against Brentford.
The Premier League asked all clubs playing at home this weekend to play the anthem to mark the #coronation of the King
naptu2: I saw an interview with a woman earlier and she said that she used her umbrella to block the "Not My King" signs when the royal coach was passing.
Here's a video of police confiscating banners of people that were protesting with Not My King signs during the royal procession.
Police made tough calls on Coronation arrests, says minister
The police had to make "tough choices" while handling protests during the Coronation, a minister has said, following criticism over arrests.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer told BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the police were right to factor in the scale and global-nature of the event.
MPs, human rights groups and a former chief constable have criticised the police's tactics.
Police said on Sunday that 64 people were arrested during the Coronation.
The Metropolitan Police had previously said 52 arrests were made on Saturday. In its latest update, it said four people had been charged, while another person arrested remains in custody for non-payment of fines.
Fifty-seven people have been released on bail while two others will face no further police action.
Among those held on Saturday was the head of the anti-monarchy group Republic, Graham Smith. He was released after 16 hours in custody and said there was "no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK".
Other concerns have been raised over reports three volunteers with a Westminster-based women's safety programme had been arrested while handing out rape alarms.
The Met said it received intelligence protesters were planning to use rape alarms to disrupt coronation proceedings.
Ms Frazer said the right to protest was "really important" and people should be heard but there had been a recent change in protesters' tactics.
Protesters have been stopping people going about their day-to-day lives, she said, and there was a need to redress that balance.
Officers would have made operational decisions on a case-by-case basis, she said, taking into account the scale of the Coronation celebrations.
"We were on the global stage, there were 200 foreign dignitaries in the UK, in London at an event, millions of people watching and hundreds of thousands of people at the scene," she added.
Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC he was reassured the Met were aware of a gap in public confidence over policing and the force was "explaining and justifying" why they made some of the arrests.
He said Labour would "wait and see" whether the force got the balance right, adding "accountability" over policing decisions was important.
Mr Streeting said if they did not get it right, it was important to "hold your hands up".
Metropolitan Police Commander Karen Findlay defended her officers' response, saying they had a duty to intervene "when protest becomes criminal and may cause serious disruption".
She added the Coronation was a "once-in-a-generation event" which was a key consideration in their assessment.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the rain in central London on Saturday, with chants including "down with the Crown", "don't talk to the police" and "get a real job".
But Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said some of the arrests "raise questions" over the Met's actions, adding he has "sought urgent clarity" whilst investigations are ongoing.
Other protests were organised in Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh. No arrests were reported outside London.
While campaigners insisted their protests were peaceful, the police said they had intelligence that groups were "determined to disrupt" the occasion.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey said he was not sure about the exact circumstances of the arrest, and called for more detail from the police.
Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, he criticised the government for "passing legislation to clamp down on protest that breached British traditions of civil liberties".
Several Labour MPs have also been critical of the Met's response. Senior backbencher Sir Chris Bryant said on Twitter that "freedom of speech is the silver thread that runs through a parliamentary constitutional monarchy".
In a statement on Sunday, Republic chief Mr Smith said the arrests had "destroyed whatever trust might have existed between peaceful protesters and the Metropolitan police".
"What is the point in being open and candid with the police, working with their liaison officers and meeting senior commanders, if all their promises and undertakings turn out to be a lie?"
Mr Smith was arrested early on Saturday - before the Coronation began - at a protest in Trafalgar Square.
The Met said it had confiscated "lock-on devices" which protesters can use to secure themselves to things like railings.
It has now become illegal to prepare to lock-on following changes to the law passed this week.
But Matt Turnbull, another member of Republic who was arrested, said the straps were being used to hold the placards and had been "misconstrued" as lock-on devices.
A former police chief has said she is "very disappointed" by the arrest of protesters and strongly criticised the new powers.
Sue Sim, a former chief constable with Northumbria Police and a specialist in public order policing, said she was "very disappointed" by the arrest of protesters and called the new powers "draconian".
"I think when you're talking about terrorism, where people's lives are at risk that's a very different thing. But where you are talking about peaceful protest the whole thing for me is, what type of society do we want? We do not want a totalitarian police state," she told BBC Radio 4's World This Weekend.
Concerns about the police's approach were also raised by Westminster City Council over reports that volunteers with its Night Star women's safety programme had been detained and questioned after being stopped by officers while handing out rape alarms.
Councillor Aicha Less said the authority was working with the Met to establish what happened and was in touch with volunteers to make sure they were being supported.
The Met said it had received intelligence about plans to use rape alarms to disrupt the Coronation procession by scaring military horses, causing "significant risk to the safety of the public and the riders".
The force said three people were arrested in the Soho area of London over suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance.
One man was also further arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. All three have since been released.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the force were "aware of and understand there is public concern over these arrests" and added the matter was still under investigation.
LoneWolf200: Those stars appearance is not complete without Phil collins & Rod stewart, obvious they didnt like their own, a prophet is not valued in his own town
Phil Collins retired last year due to health issues. He played at the 2002 concert at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's golden jubilee.
I listened to an interview that he gave about it. He played drums for almost all the stars and he said that he preferred just playing drums. They asked him to sing and he did, but he said what he enjoyed most was playing drums for others.
Osinbajo Commends NAF’s Confidence, Charges Force To Collaborate More With Academia, Others To Enhance Capacity
By Muideen Olaniyi Sun, 7 May 2023 0:22:40 WAT
In a bid to further enhance its capacity to tackle contemporary challenges, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has charged the Nigerian Air Force to expand its collaborations with the academia, think-tanks and further earn the confidence of the nation and the respect of the international community.
This is in addition to what the Force is already doing leveraging internal capacity to innovate and deploy emerging technologies for its operations.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this while speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the Ceremonial Parade and Induction Ceremony organised as part of activities marking the 59th Anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force in Enugu over the weekend.
“I am aware, from discussions with the Chief of Air Staff that collaborations with our universities and research institutes are growing. There is a great amount of potential waiting to be unleashed from these partnerships.
“I, therefore, charge you to continue to work to earn the confidence of the nation and the respect of the international community, as you protect lives and property, neutralizing all existing and emerging national security threats.
“I would like to urge greater cooperation and mutual trust between the various arms of the Armed Forces, even while maintaining the healthy spirit of competition that underpins innovation and increased efficiency,” the VP added.
Continuing, he said, “of course, this must be situated within the general context of a greater emphasis on local capacity-building by the Nigerian Armed Forces, with developments like the establishment of a Nigerian Army University and the revitalization of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) serving as testaments to this renewed emphasis.”
Commending the management team of the Air Force for its recent accomplishments, Prof. Osinbajo praised the farsightedness of the Chief of Air Staff which “was instrumental to the renewed focus and self-reliance in the Nigerian Air Force.”
According to him “we are seeing an Air Force that is increasingly confident about its ability and capacity to innovate and to deploy locally developed technology.
“This is manifesting in various ways, from the locally-developed operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, TSAIGUMI, which the President formally inducted into service in February 2018, to the collaborative work being done at the Air Force Research and Development Centre in Kaduna to produce the first-ever made-in-Nigeria aircraft.”
Speaking further about boosting the operational capacity of NAF and other Forces, the VP noted that “it is an irreducible minimum and should always be the main responsibility of all legitimate governments.”
According to him, “the resolve of our Armed Forces and the invaluable contributions of other security agencies in fully containing the security challenges in some parts of the nation are noted and commended.
“The contributions of the Nigerian Air Force in addressing the security challenges of armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping in the North West and North Central, in conjunction with other security agencies, have equally started to yield positive results.”
Prof. Osinbajo then highlighted the Federal Government’s commitment to prioritising professionalism in the military since the assumption of the Buhari administration in 2015.
His words: “As a country, we are particularly proud that in less than 4 years, we were able to revitalize our Armed Forces. In keeping with his promise that as Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, he would prioritize the restoration of professionalism in the military to enable them effectively discharge their responsibilities, President Buhari ensured that substantial investments were made in acquiring new platforms and other support equipment for the military and other security agencies, as well as reactivating and upgrading existing platforms.”
From Enugu, the Vice President proceeded to Bayelsa State where he joined other dignitaries to attend the funeral service for Pa Abraham Diri, the father of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, held at the St. Peters Anglican Church Sampou, Bayelsa State.
The Vice President was received on arrival at the Yenagoa Airport by the Deputy Governor, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and other State Government Officials.
In his remarks, the VP noted that the celebration of the life and times of Pa Diri by Nigerians from different walks of life was a testimony to the fact there is profit in all honest and diligent labour.
According to him, the late Pa Diri ” was an exemplary teacher, public servant, lay reader in the church and community leader, when he was teaching here in Sampou and I also believe in Ekeremor LGA, and other places in Delta State where he taught and impacted lives and brought up the children of so many, nurturing the promises and aspirations of thousands of young men and women.
“He certainly didn’t know that the day would come, I’m sure if he would have been asked how did he think his death would be celebrated, he would have thought it would be a very humble one.
“At least many years ago, certainly, he would never have imagined that the whole of Nigeria would be gathered here to celebrate him.
“But that is a lesson that we learn from scripture, the bible says that in all labour there is profit, Proverbs 14:23. All the labours, decent, honest, doing the right things, as a teacher and a mentor to many, the reward came.
“Not just in his son becoming the governor but look at the array of individuals today who celebrate this humble teacher. So, we bless the Lord for his life. Bless the Lord for the testimony of such a great life,” he continued.
Prof. Osinbajo gave thanks to God “for the examples of people like Pa Diri who did the right things, served their communities well, built men and women of substance.”
He condoled the Diri family on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Dignitaries at the event included the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, Ahmed Wase, Governors Darius Ishaku of Taraba State; Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State; Ademola Adeleke of Osun State; former Governors Sen. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and Peter Obi of Anambra, and former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
There were also members of the National Assembly and members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and the State Executive Council, among others.
Sports › Re: Nigeria Female National Teams' Thread by naptu2: 5:14am On May 09, 2023
