Weekend roundup for 3 April
A selection of interesting bits to get you through the weekend
Depressing & Upsetting Met Police Story Number One
After the report vindicating the Met’s actions at the Sarah Everard Vigil comes the news that a serving Met police officer has been found guilty of belonging to a neo-Nazi terror group.
22-year-old PC Ben Hannam, has become the first serving British police officer to be convicted of a terrorism offence. How did he manage to hide this from his employer? The BBC explains:
On his application form to join the Metropolitan Police, Ben Hannam was asked if he had ever been in the far-right British National Party or any organisations whose aims "may contradict the duty to promote race equality".
He ticked "no".
The BBC also has the detail that one of his grandparents was gay, while his “step-grandparent is Jewish”.
Depressing & Upsetting Met Police Story Number Two
Meanwhile The Met is also investigating allegations that a serving officer raped two of his female colleagues three years ago.
Despite the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority awarding the victims compensation and concluding that the women were victims of sexual and serious physical abuse, the officer was not arrested or suspended.
It also appears that he was leaked details of the investigation which allowed him to prepare his defence at the time of the original allegations.
The BBC has done some amazing work on this story. You can read the whole thing here.
Depressing & Upsetting Met Police Story Number Three (last one, we promise)
In the same week that we found out that there is definitely no evidence of institutional racism in UK, it’s worth reading the story of Jay Eniola, the 24-year-old black man who, in November of last year, was stopped by armed officers who “pointed their guns at him as they approached to search his car after a member of the public incorrectly reported seeing a gun in his boot”.
Jay is a recording artist. The ‘gun’ was a microphone stand.
Jay has since applied for an injunction against the Met that “would prevent them from stopping him or his car except for when legally justified”.
The injunction has, of course, been denied.
Diana Woz Here
Princess Diana to be honoured with blue plaque at London flat screams the Metro headline. Accept… National Heritage haven’t revealed where the plaque will be located yet. Just that it will “mark one of the buildings associated with her life before marriage”. So, yes, probably her flat in Earl's Court which was described so memorably by Helena Bonham-Carter’s Princess Margaret as being the home of “prostitutes and Australians.”
It’s hard to be cynical about the Diana plaque as it comes as part of a push to have more plaques dedicated to women (only around 14 % cent of the existing 950 plaques celebrate women). But the inclusion of Diana has rather overshadowed some of the more, dare we say it, interesting recipients.
Helena Normanton was the first woman to take advantage of the Sex Disqualification Act and join an institution of the legal profession. She was also the first married woman to hold a British passport in her maiden name. Plus, she wrote true crime to supplement her income.
It’s also worth having a read about Caroline Norton whose abusive marriage and ensuing fight for custody of her children led to the first ever pieces of feminist legislation.
Short Bits:
🚨 A bit of good news: Piers Corbyn has been charged with breaking the Health Protection Regulations by attending two anti-lockdown protests. At the most recent rally he claimed Coronavirus is a “false flag operation” designed to control the population.
📢 Also arrested: Five members of Extinction Rebellion who sprayed fake oil over the front of the Bank of England. The ‘April Fool’ was part of the group’s “wave of action against #fossilbanks funding destruction in a #ClimateCrisis” There’s some footage of the protest on Extinction Rebellion’s YouTube channel.
🤘 Virtual Inebriation: For those people mourning the loss of the Crobar in Soho last year (past visitors include Dave Grohl, Alice Cooper and... erm, Justin Bieber) , the good news is that it has since raised £70,000 “with the aim of relaunching in a new central London location” and they have now launched the ‘world’s first virtual pub’. We’re interested to see how they recreate that sticky carpet feel and unique toilet scent.
🏓 One place that won’t be reopening: Pong London in Islington. The Beer Pong bar has been shut down “for breaches of Covid restrictions on New Year's Eve”.
📷 The Guardian has a great photo essay documenting the ‘roller skating boom’ that’s currently gripping London.
📰 Long read of the week: Alex Petridis writes about Britfunk, a scene “born out of London and the south-east’s vibrant mid-70s soul clubs” which overcame racism “to reinvigorate UK pop.”
Tweet of the week
That’s it for this week. We won’t be publishing on Monday as it’s a Bank Holiday. So see you on Wednesday.