Yvette Cooper warns hostile states could be whipping up rioters

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2024

Yvette Cooper today warned hostile states may be ‘amplifying’ online misinformation blamed for whipping up riots in the wake of the Southport stabbing attack.

The Home Secretary did not rule out foreign interference as one of the factors behind the outbreak of violent disorder on Britain’s streets.

But, following a fresh night of chaos across the country, Ms Cooper insisted the Government’s immediate focus was on clamping down on local groups.

She also issued another demand for social media companies to remove criminal material and hate-filled misinformation from their sites.

The Home Secretary called for tech bosses to hold ‘a sense of responsibility towards communities’ amid the far right violence.

Yvette Cooper warned hostile states may be ‘amplifying’ online misinformation blamed for whipping up riots in the wake of the Southport stabbing attack

A car burns on Parliament Road in Middlesbrugh after it was set alight by far right thugs

A man dressed in England and Union Jack flags faces police officers in Middlesbrough

Lord Walney, the Government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, has said far right actors are ‘almost certainly’ being ‘aided and abetted’ by hostile states.

He claimed they had helped ‘in creating and planning disinformation to put out false narratives’.

James Cleverly, Ms Cooper’s predecessor as home secretary, has also said the riots have ‘all the hallmarks’ of something that has partly been stoked from abroad.

Appearing on Sky News this morning, Ms Cooper was asked if she had similarly determined whether foreign states could be involved in helping sow the chaos.

‘We know that there can be amplification of social media activity,’ she replied.

‘I think our focus right now is on local groups and organisations, including some of those who are fulled by far right extremists.

‘But also those who were just local looters who came to join in and committed crimes and that is our focus right now.

‘To make sure they pay the price for their crimes.’

She added: ‘There is also an issue about the online criminality that we’ve seen and social media has clearly put rocket boosters under some of the organisation, the inflaming of tensions, and also the misinformation that was spread as well.

‘So we do also expect to see action against those who were posting criminal material online as well, and also to make sure the social media companies take some responsibility for this.

‘Because they have terms and conditions they have to meet in terms of both misinformation and also criminal material that is available online.’

Pressed about what action social media firms should be taking, the Home Secretary said it was ‘not acceptable’ they had scaled down efforts to tackle misinformation following the conclusion of the general election campaign.

‘They did have arrangements in place around removing misinformation during the general election campaign,’ she said.

‘Some of that has stopped – that’s not acceptable, they have terms and conditions that they should be meeting.

‘Some of this is around criminal material that they should be removing.

‘But they also actually just have to have a sense of responsibility towards communities where we’ve seen the consequences in certain towns and cities.

‘So we will be pursuing this with the social media companies.’

Mr Cleverly said, when he was home secretary, he knew of a ‘very pernicious online culture’ had been ‘amplified’ from beyond Britain’s borders.

‘I was well aware of a very pernicious online culture perpertrated by the far right, amplified both within the UK and beyond our borders,’ he told the TV news channel.

‘This has all the hallmarks of something which has been stoked by that.’

Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

Published

12 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

Published

15 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

Published

3 days ago

February 4, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak