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‘Silence is pro-racist’: Anti-racism protests continue worldwide

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‘Silence is pro-racist’: Anti-racism protests continue worldwide

Protests have continued around the world as people took to the streets to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25. 

The death of Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer pressing on his neck for almost nine minutes, sparked worldwide protests against racism and police brutality. 

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Protesters in the English city of Bristol toppled a statue of a 17th-century slave trader.

Demonstrators attached ropes to the statue of Edward Colston before pulling it down to cheers and roars of approval from the crowd. Images on social media show the statue was eventually rolled into the city’s harbour. 



It was not the only statue targeted on Sunday. In Brussels, protesters clambered onto the statue of former King Leopold II and chanted “reparations”.

The word “shame” was also graffitied on the monument, reference perhaps to the fact that Leopold is said to have reigned over the mass death of 10 million Congolese.



In London, thousands of people congregated around the US embassy for the second day running.

While protests were mainly peaceful, there were some scuffles near the office of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and outside the Parliament gates.

Demonstrators clash with police in Whitehall during a Black Lives Matter protest in London against the death of George Floyd in police custody in the US [Dylan Martinez/Reuters]

In Hong Kong, about 20 people staged a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Sunday outside the US consulate in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

“It’s a global issue,” Quinland Anderson, a 28-year-old British citizen living in Hong Kong, told The Associated Press news agency.

“We have to remind ourselves despite all we see going on in the US and in the other parts of the world, Black lives do indeed matter.”

Several dozen demonstrators took part in a Black Lives Matter protest held in Tel Aviv’s central Rabin Square.

A rally in Rome’s sprawling People’s Square was noisy but peaceful, with the majority of protesters wearing masks to protect against coronavirus. Participants listened to speeches and held up handmade placards saying “Black Lives Matter” and “It’s a White Problem”.

Demonstrators raise their fists as they attend a protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, at Piazza del Popolo

Demonstrators raise their fists as they attend a protest against racial inequality at Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy [Remo Casilli/Reuters]

In Spain, several thousand people gathered on the streets of Barcelona and at the US embassy in Madrid.

Many in Madrid carried homemade signs reading “Black Lives Matter”, “Human rights for all” and “Silence is pro-racist”.

“We are not only doing this for our brother George Floyd,” said Thimbo Samb, a spokesman for the group that organised the events in Spain mainly through social media. “Here in Europe, in Spain, where we live, we work, we sleep and pay taxes, we also suffer racism.”


SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies



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George Floyd live updates: New York City lifts curfew; AG Barr denies systemic racism; Fox News apologizes for insensitive graphic

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George Floyd live updates: New York City lifts curfew; AG Barr denies systemic racism; Fox News apologizes for insensitive graphic

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Hundreds of people held a private memorial in honor of George Floyd in his North Carolina birth town.

Wochit

Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled New York’s curfew Sunday following a day when cities across the nation saw massive, peaceful demonstrations against racism and police brutality. 

“We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately,” de Blasio tweeted Sunday. “Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city.”

U.S. Attorney General William Barr denied that law enforcement is systematically racist. Speaking on “Face the Nation,” Barr, however, said he understands the distrust of the African-American community.  

On Sunday, President Donald Trump pulled the National Guard out of Washington, saying they were no longer needed. Thousands of protesters marched downtown in the city Saturday for the ninth – and by far the largest – day of demonstrations demanding justice for black victims of police misconduct.

The protests began after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, the African-American man who passed away after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The latest in a series of memorial services for Floyd is Monday in Houston. His remains will be buried there Tuesday.

Some recent developments:

Trump orders National Guard out of Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that he had ordered the National Guard out Washington, D.C., after mobilizing them in response to protests that at times triggered vandalism, looting and clashes with police. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser had objected to the deployment. Trump, however, called for a tough response to protests across the nation in order to “dominate the streets,” threatening to call in active-duty troops to quell unrest where local authorities were unable to do so.

Tensions on U.S. streets have eased somewhat in recent days, and protests Saturday were overwhelmingly peaceful. 

“Everything is under perfect control,” Trump tweeted. “They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!” 

Washington, D.C., authorities said the protesting crowds were the biggest to date.

– William Cummings

Stars lend voices, financial support to protest movement

Singing celebrities are not standing quietly on the sidelines as the nation rises up to confront inequality and police brutality. Paul McCartney released a statement in support of racial equality. K-pop superstars BTS have donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter, and Michael B. Jordan showed his support for the BLM movement at a recent protest in Los Angeles. Justin Bieber weighed in Saturday in support of the movement, saying he has been “inspired by… (and) benefited from black culture.”

“My style, how I sing, dance, perform, and my fashion have all been influenced by black culture,” Bieber posted on Twitter. “I am committed to using my platform from this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be a part of much needed change.”

– Kim Willis and Rasha Ali

Barr: Justice system not systematically racist; no need to tap Insurrection Act

Racism remains an issue in the U.S., but the nation’s justice system is not systematically racist, Attorney General William Barr said Sunday. Barr, speaking on “Face the Nation,” said that “instances” of bad cops do not mean the entire “organization is rotten.” He also said he understands the distrust in the African American community.

“I think we have to realize that for most of our history our institutions were explicitly racist,” Barr said. “Since the 1960s we have been in a phase of reforming our institutions and making sure they are in sync with our laws.”

Barr also acknowledged that invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy military troops on American streets was considered. He, President Donald Trump and other administration officials were “on the same page” in determining that military troops would be deployed only “as a last resort and that we didn’t think we would need them.”

NYC drops curfew, prepares to being reopening after COVID lockdown

New York City’s first curfew in more than a half century was lifted a day early Sunday, hours after thousands of protesters across the city peacefully marched and chanted for an end to racial injustice. Mayor Bill de Blasio was under intense pressure to end the nightly curfew, imposed after looting broke out early last week. The 8 p.m. curfew had been scheduled to continue until 5 a.m. Monday – also the day the city begins Phase One of its reopening from the coronavirus shutdowns. Construction and other manufacturing-type facilities will be operational for the first time since being shuttered March 22.

“Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart,” de Blasio tweeted. “Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other.”

At the same time, de Blasio took issue with police officers not wearing masks while doing crowd control during the protests. “It’s painful to people because it feels like they’re flouting the rules,” de Blasio said, adding that, “It frustrates me to no end.”

Statue of British slave trader toppled, tossed into harbor

The statue of a 17th-century merchant and slave trader in the British city of Bristol was toppled and dumped into a harbor by protesters Sunday as part of anti-racism demonstrations in the United Kingdom.

The BBC reported the statue of Edward Colston had been covered with canvas during the protest stemming from the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At one point demonstrators removed the covering, then tied ropes around the statue’s head to bring it down. Soon after stomping on the fallen monument, the crowd dragged it to nearby Bristol Harbor and tossed it in.

Colston, whose name is attached to streets and buildings in the city — located about 100 miles west of London — owned ships that sent an estimated 80,000 Africans to the Americas between 1672 and 1689.

Residents of smaller cities and towns join chorus for change

Protests in big cities such as New York, Washington and Los Angeles have grabbed the headlines, but residents of smaller cities are also making their voices heard. The conversations are typically driven by black citizens who say conditions are untenable.

During a peaceful protest in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a white man confronted a crowd of black men about their “Black Lives Matter” sign, telling them, “It should say ‘All Lives Matter!’” The Rev. Joseph Parks was nearby and stepped in, saying, “All of my bones matter. But if my wrist is broken, the only bone that matters at that moment is the one that’s broken.”

– Dustin Wyatt, Spartanburg Herald-Journal 

Top editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer out amid headline controversy

Stan Wischnowski, the top editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, has announced his resignation amid fallout from a controversial headline about the impact of the recent civil unrest. The headline, “Buildings Matter, Too,” appeared over a column in Tuesday’s newspaper exploring the damage and looting that accompanied some of the nationwide protests over police violence. Wischnowski and other editors later apologized for the headline, describing it as “deeply offensive.” Publisher Lisa Hughes issued a statement saying Wischnowski “decided to step down” as senior vice president and executive editor after 20 years with the Inquirer.

Member of Naval Academy alumni board member resigns after his slurs are broadcast

A member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees who lives near Jacksonville, Florida, has resigned after a private conversation that included racial slurs became public.

Scott Bethmann, 63, and his wife, Nancy, were watching the news when they started discussing the Black Lives Matter movement, making racist comments and using slurs in a video that was accidentally streamed on Facebook Live. “Somehow I clicked onto some live event,” Scott Bethmann can be heard saying in the video.

— Emily Bloch, Florida Times-Union

Iowa football assistant placed on leave amid complaints of racism

Iowa football strength and condition coach Chris Doyle has been placed on administrative leave after dozens of social-media posts from black former athletes described a culture of systemic racism within the Hawkeyes’ football program. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz also announced the creation of an advisory committee to address “a call for a cultural shift.” Doyle has been Iowa’s strength and conditioning coach since Ferentz’s first year of 1999.

Ferentz said he has lifted his team’s longstanding ban on social media at the request of players who want to “participate in the national discussion” concerning injustice, racism and inequality.

– Chad Leistikow, Hawk Central

Fox News sorry for graphic linking deaths of black men to stock prices

Fox News apologized Saturday after showing a graphic depicting the impact of the killings of black men including George Floyd on stock prices. The graph aired on Friday during Fox’s live news coverage and showed positive stock market changes one week after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the police killings of Michael Brown and George Floyd, who were both unarmed when they lost their lives to white officers. 

“The infographic used on FOX News Channel’s Special Report to illustrate market reactions to historic periods of civil unrest should have never aired on television without full context. We apologize for the insensitivity of the image and take this issue seriously,” a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement. 

– Dalvin Brown

Marines ban display of Confederate flag

The Marines have banned display of the Confederate Battle Flag from military installations, saying it is divisive and has “too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups.” The directive orders commanders to ban the flag or its depiction within work places, common-access areas and public areas on their installations. Posters, bumper stickers, clothing and coffee mugs are specifically called out. The directive and a statement released by the Corps make reference to “current events” and specifically mentions a 2017 demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, that resulted in the death of a protester.

“Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness the use of the Confederate battle flag has had on our society,” the directive says.

Police, protesters square off in Portland

A clash between police in Portland, Oregon, and protesters at the Justice Center overnight resulted in more than 50 arrests. Police Chief Jami Resch said early Sunday that several thousand people marched peacefully, but that a smaller group of protesters attempted to cut through a security fence and threw balloons full of paint and full beverage cans. Two officers were injured by lit fireworks, she said. 

Protests have taken place daily in the city for more than a week, and police have come under scrutiny for their use of force against demonstrators. The advocacy group Don’t Shoot Portland has filed suit against the city, accusing police of “indiscriminate use” of tear gas. The city’s police oversight panel, the Citizen Review Committee, has issued a statement citing “a troubling pattern of police violence against protesters that interferes with public safety and freedom of speech.”

Survey: Americans’ perceptions of police drop significantly in one week

The perception of police among white Americans has dropped by double digits in just one week, as police have targeted peaceful protesters, bystanders and journalists amid nationwide demonstrations focusing on systemic racism facing black Americans. Perceptions also have declined across all racial groups following the death of George Floyd in police custody, according to a new survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project.

Among white Americans – a group where President Donald Trump saw broad support in the 2016 election – those who have a very favorable or somewhat favorable impression of police officers totaled 61% in the survey conducted May 28 to June 3. That’s down from 72% the previous week, according to an analysis from Nationscape Insights, Democracy Fund, UCLA and USA TODAY. Among black Americans, only 38% view the police very or somewhat favorably. That number dropped 9 percentage points from the previous week.

“These changes were striking,” said Robert Griffin, research director for the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. “At a time when so much in American politics feels deadlocked, this is the kind of major event that can reshape how Americans think.” 

– Rebecca Morin

More on protests, George Floyd:

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Protest in southwest Syria against faltering economy, corruption

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Protest in southwest Syria against faltering economy, corruption

Dozens of Syrians took to the streets in southwest Syria to protest deteriorating economic conditions and corruption in the country, according to reports by local media run by activists in the area.

The demonstrations in Suweida province on Sunday come as the Syrian pound continues to plummet.

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The currency hit a record low last week followed by another on Sunday. One Syrian pound currently stands at $0.002, according to currency conversion websites.

The protests also mark the first major gathering which called for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as the Druze-majority province remained loyal to Damascus throughout the Syrian uprising.

Widely shared videos showed mostly young men marching through a market in Suweida towards the municipality building. They chanted anti-government slogans, similar to those used when peaceful protests first erupted in 2011 before quickly turning bloody.

“Leave now Bashar” and “the people want the fall of the regime” were among the chants that could be heard.

Others videos showed people holding signs and chanting “Syria is free, out with Russia … out with Iran”.

In neighbouring Deraa, where the Syrian uprising began some nine years ago, reports of similar protests emerged later on Sunday, though they were limited to Tafas, a town in the province’s north. 

‘Nothing to lose’ 

The country remains sanctioned by the European Union, which imposes trade and transport sanctions that have impeded the flow of much-needed humanitarian aid. 

Medicine is scarce and has become increasingly unattainable during the past couple of months amid reports of pharmacies shutting down. 

Most pharmacists “aren’t selling essential drugs due to accelerated loss of the buying power of the Syrian pound/lira,” Zaher Sahloul, senior adviser and past president of the Syrian American Medical Society, said in a Twitter post on Sunday. 

“The situation is desperate and adding to the public anger from their government. People expect the worse,” he added. 

According to Syrian journalist Asser Khattab, two smaller demonstrations took place in Suweida during the last month.

“Many Syrians have nothing to lose now that the value of their currency is in a freefall and inflation is ravaging the market,” the Paris-based journalist told Al Jazeera.

“Suweida is a special case where people have been more or less under less influence of the Syrian regime’s direct military and security reach which may have allowed people to feel less worried about the repercussions of going on a demonstration,” Khattab added. 

Khattab believes that living conditions are bound to get worse, and it is likely that more demonstrations will occur as Syrians “struggle to attain their daily bread”.

The 10-year war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population. 

Apart from the rebel-held northwestern region, President al-Assad has regained much of the country’s territory since 2015, when Russia intervened militarily to assist the government in pushing back opposition fighters.

In recent years, Russia and Turkey, which backs opposition factions, have become the main power-brokers in Syria.

Additional reporting by Farah Najjar. 



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NASCAR vows to do better job addressing racial injustice – Sportsnet.ca

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NASCAR vows to do better job addressing racial injustice – Sportsnet.ca

HAMPTON, Ga. — Bubba Wallace donned a black T-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” and NASCAR paused before Sunday’s Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway to acknowledge the country’s social unrest. The governing body vowed to to do a better job of addressing racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

During their warm-up laps, the 40 cars pulled to a stop in front of the empty grandstands and shut off their engines so NASCAR President Steve Phelps could deliver a message over their radio sets.

“Thank you for your time,” Phelps said. “Our country is in pain and people are justifiably angry, demanding to be heard. The Black community and all people of colour have suffered in our country, and it has taken far too long for us to hear their demands for change. Our sport must do better. Our country must do better.”

A Black NASCAR official took a knee along pit road, mimicking a gesture used by protesters in tribute to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

All 40 crews stood on the wall in front of their pit boxes.

“The time is now to listen, to understand and to stand against racism and racial injustice,” Phelps said. “We ask our drivers … and all our fans to join us in this mission, to take a moment of reflection, to acknowledge that we must do better as a sport, and join us as we now pause and take a moment to listen.”

Wallace, the only African American driver in NASCAR’s top series, has been the sport’s most outspoken voice since Floyd died while in the custody of Minneapolis police, sparking massive protests in all 50 states and around the world demanding an end to law enforcement brutality against people of colour.

Wallace’s T-shirt carried Floyd’s pleading words when an officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, pinned a knee on his neck for more than eight minutes while he was handcuffed. Chauvin and three other officers have been fired and charged in the incident, which followed the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

Protesters have cited all three African American victims in their demands for social justice.

After Phelps spoke to the NASCAR drivers, they observed a 30-second moment of silence. Then, as the cars refired their engines and slowly pulled away for the green flag, the Fox broadcast cut to a video made by a number of Cup drivers, including Wallace and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, as well as retired star Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Several drivers also posted the video on their Twitter accounts, vowing to “listen and learn” from the protests that have rocked the nation. The vowed to “no longer be silent” and pledged to “work together to make real change.”

With its roots in the South and one-time embrace of Confederate symbols, NASCAR has a checkered racial history. The organization has launched diversity programs but still struggles to shake its reputation as a largely white sport.

During a shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR driver Kyle Larson was fired after casually uttering a racial slur while competing in a video racing game.

“We need step up more than we ever have before,” said former Cup star Jeff Gordon, now a Fox broadcaster. “We are listening, we are learning and we are ready to change.”



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Banking to be a ‘strategic sector’, govt discussing privatising some PSBs

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Banking to be a ‘strategic sector’, govt discussing privatising some PSBs

The Centre is likely to designate the banking/financial sector strategic under the new privatisation policy, the contours of which are nearing finalisation. A top government official said discussions had also been held on privatising some state-owned banks that are not on the consolidation list so far.

According to the new privatisation policy, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package, the government will come up with a list of strategic sectors. In each strategic sector, no more than four state-owned companies will exist. …





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New York Times Opinion Chief James Bennet Resigns After ‘Send In The Troops’ Op-Ed

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New York Times Opinion Chief James Bennet Resigns After ‘Send In The Troops’ Op-Ed

New York Times editorial page editor James Bennet has resigned effective Sunday, after the paper published a widely excoriated op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that advocated for military action against the ongoing anti-racism protests around the country in response to the police killing of George Floyd.

Bennet’s resignation is effective immediately, a spokesperson for the Times announced Sunday.

His deputy, Katie Kingsbury, will become acting editorial page editor through the November election.

After initially defending the decision to run the column, Bennet admitted on Friday that he had not read it prior to publication. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.



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Naval Academy alumni board member resigns after accidentally broadcasting racial slurs

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Naval Academy alumni board member resigns after accidentally broadcasting racial slurs

Emily Bloch, Florida Times-Union
Published 2:37 p.m. ET June 7, 2020 | Updated 4:31 p.m. ET June 7, 2020

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A quiet Friday night on the couch between a now-former Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees member and his wife went awry when a private conversation was broadcast to hundreds.

While Scott Bethmann, 63, and his wife, Nancy, were watching the news, they started discussing the Black Lives Matter movement, making racist comments and using slurs in a video that was accidentally streamed on Facebook Live.

Bethmann resigned from his position with the alumni association. He had served on the board of a chapter in Jacksonville.

“Somehow I clicked onto some live event,” Bethmann says in the video, which went viral.

In video reviewed by the Florida Times-Union of the USA TODAY Network, Bethmann  talks about how large companies such as Citi Bank came out with statements denouncing racism and showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I’ve got the emails about how we’re supporting and we need to fix this problem, [expletive] you,” he says in the video. “So all the white people have to say something nice to the black [expletive] that works in the office. But the black [expletive] don’t get fired. It’s [expletive]. Management’s going to fire the white people.”

The pair discussed how minority groups, particularly women, in the military were going to “steal our intellectual property.”

By the end of the 33-minute accidental stream, which mostly shows a black screen, Bethmann realized he was live and pointing the camera at his cream colored couch. He starts reading comments aloud and asks, “What are they talking about?” before muttering, “Oops” and cutting the feed.

His Facebook page has been taken down entirely.

Screen recordings of the video were taken Friday night before Bethmann’s page was scrubbed.

Naval Academy responds

“Scott has resigned as a local board member locally and nationally,” said Caleb Cronic, the USNA Alumni Association Jacksonville chapter president.

Cronic confirmed Bethmann was disenrolled as a member of the alumni association.

“These attributed statements do not represent the mission and values of the Alumni Association, the Naval Academy or the U.S. Navy,” Retired Adm. Samuel Locklear said in a statement. “As volunteer leaders in our communities, we must be inspirations and examples for all citizens. As Chairman of our Alumni Association, I have accepted the resignation of this alumnus effective today, and asked the Jacksonville, FL, chapter to take appropriate action to appoint a new Chapter Trustee.”

Locklear said the alumni association represents “more than 65,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.”

“We support the Naval Academy mission. As alumni, we seek to uphold the Naval Academy core leadership values of honor, courage and commitment,” he said. “As an alumni organization, we seek to be an inspiration for all young people who want to become future Navy and Marine Corps officers. We will continue to honor that inspirational role. We are all in this together. We must face the challenges of today and all future challenges of tomorrow … together.”

“As individuals, as Sailors, and as a Navy, we cannot tolerate racism of any kind,” Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of Naval Operations, said in a statement emailed to the Times-Union. “We must actively speak out against it. And when it rears its ugly head, we must take decisive action.”

After the Times-Union’s initial story was published, a spokesman with the Atlantic Beach Country Club confirmed Bethmann’s status as a member would be rescinded.

“Be assured we find these comments extremely offensive, inflammatory and antithetical to what this Club stands for and represents,” a statement from the country club said. “As such, we have voted today to immediately expel this member and his family from the Club.”

The statement said the club’s directors “condemn any racist, bigoted and demeaning behavior” and are committed to protecting “an inclusionary staff and membership where respect and dignity are openly represented.”

Despite multiple attempts – including one when the phone was answered and immediately hung up – Bethmann could not be reached for comment.

After the Times-Union and First Coast News published stories about the incident, Bethmann and his wife released a statement via their spokeswoman, Ryan Wiggins.

“This is the only statement that will be released from the family,” Wiggins said in an email. She provided a photo of the couple for publication.

Below is the family’s full statement:

“There are no words that can appropriately express how mortified and apologetic my wife and I are about the insensitive things we said that were captured on social media. There is never a time when it is appropriate to use derogatory terms when speaking about our fellow man. I know that an apology from us rings hollow on many ears in our community, especially in the current environment. We intend on using this experience as an opportunity to grow, listen, learn, and reflect. We are deeply sorry for the impact our actions have had on the Naval Academy, my fellow servicemen and women, our former colleagues, friends, family, and the community as a whole. We are committed to educating ourselves more on the racial inequalities in this country and being better people.”

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‘Everything is under perfect control’: Trump says he ordered National Guard to leave DC

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‘It was profoundly sad work, and challenging’

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‘It was profoundly sad work, and challenging’

As it emerged that some of those who died at home alone of Covid-19 lay undiscovered for up to two weeks, one of the doctors who certified the deaths of people who died at home in London for the capital’s Pandemic Multi Agency Response Teams [PMART] explained the sad, challenging and mentally demanding nature of the work.

I was one of 30 doctors who at NHS England’s request volunteered to certify deaths of people who had died “in the community” – at home – rather than in a care home or hospital.

We were sent the deceased’s name, location of death and brief details of their medical history, which the ambulance service person or police officer had gathered. We then spoke to their GP, or hospital doctor, or relatives, to glean more information about them and what might have led to their death.

For about 10 days at the peak of the pandemic in April, PMART doctors issued about 60 to 80 death certificates a day for people who had died at home, and in the end we had issued one for about 700 people in all. We each certified about 20, 30 or 40 deaths. Of the ones I did, everyone who died was over 40, and most were over 70. Many had other diseases like diabetes, obesity, breathing problems or high blood pressure and a few had a history of drug or alcohol misuse. It was profoundly sad work, and challenging, but at the same time not grim work.

Most of us did a few cases in which people had died at home alone and lain undiscovered for some days. The longest time someone had gone before being discovered that I had was a week. Those cases were sad, especially given someone’s body had started to decompose. That made it impossible to say definitively if someone had died of Covid or something else, like a heart attack. However, we assumed that many were due to Covid, often exacerbated by underlying health problems.

So that I could do this work I struck a balance between caring and enabling myself to function. I approached it as a duty to carry out as a medical professional, rather than as a friend or relative, to minimise me getting distressed as a result of feeling empathy for the deceased and their family, as that would inhibit your ability to do your job. And it helped that we did this work remotely, often from our own homes. We then passed on our findings to either the local coroner or local registrar of deaths. I suspect we will hear more about these tragic deaths of people alone at home when coroners’ inquests begin.

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Just in: COVID-19 cases in SA at 48 285, death toll at 998

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Just in: COVID-19 cases in SA at 48 285, death toll at 998

On the eve of schools reopening, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced that the confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa have risen to 48 285.  

This translates to an increase of 2 312 as the total number of confirmed cases stood at 45 973 on Saturday 6 June. 

Mkhize announced an updated death toll of 998. This is an increase of 46 from Saturday’s toll of 952 with Mpumalanga reporting its first coronavirus death. This means that every single province in South Africa now has at least one fatality from the deadly respiratory illness.

A total of 920 064 tests have been conducted to date with 28 395 tests done in the last 24 hours. There have been 24 364 recoveries which translates to a recovery rate of 50.5%.

Latest COVID-19 cases by province as of Sunday 7 June

The following confirmed COVID-19 cases have been recorded in each province as of Sunday: 

  • Eastern Cape – 5 974 cases
  • Free State – 361 cases; 
  • Gauteng – 5 946 cases; 
  • KwaZulu-Natal – 3 108 cases; 
  • Limpopo – 227 cases; 
  • Mpumalanga – 189 cases; 
  • North West – 523 cases; 
  • Northern Cape – 114 cases; and 
  • Western Cape – 31 824 cases
  • Unallocated – 19 cases.

The Western Cape is still the COVID-19 epicentre with the most positive cases in the country. 

Need for more ‘COVID-19 beds’ in Western Cape

Mkhize was in the province with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday 5 June to assess the progress in setting up COVID-19 interventions.

“There is a lot of integration of strategies and approaches into the issues that have been raised. We have focused on our hotspot strategy; the issue of sub-division of districts into sub-districts for more intensive interventions,” Mkhize said.

“We have already sent the team of Cuban specialists to come assist in the Western Cape. We have about 28 of them in this province. There have been other additional reinforcements.”

Mkhize handed over 20 ventilators to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, in Johannesburg. The ventilators form part of the first batch of 50 donated by the United States (US), which has has pledged 1 000 ventilators in total, valued at about R500 000 each.

“We have already decided to take a portion of this first batch [of ventilators] to the Western Cape,” said Mkhize. 

Mkhize said there is still a need for more dedicated COVID-19 beds in the Western Cape.

“We need to push to up to 30 000 beds. The focus has got to be on those who have turned positive in the past two weeks; that’s where the large source of infection is coming from,” he said.

“We are not only dealing with positive cases; we are also dealing with the contacts. This is the area where we believe we are going to make a concerted effort to break the cycle of infection.”

Eastern Cape a grave concern

The rapid increase of cases in the Eastern Cape, which has overtaken Gauteng as the province with the second-highest number of infections, has been a source of concern to the Health Department.

According to Mkhize, the proximity between the Eastern Cape and Western Cape has resulted in an COVID-19 “ecosystem” being formed.

“We note the same pattern that drove up the outbreak in Western Cape is building up in the Eastern Cape. The two provinces now consist of 78% of all positive cases,” Mkhize said.

He said “additional attention” was being directed to Eastern Cape to “ensure the province can adequately respond to limit escalation of infection”.



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Dominic Cummings: call for new investigation into Durham trip

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Dominic Cummings: call for new investigation into Durham trip

A campaign for a new investigation into Dominic Cummings over alleged breaches of the lockdown rules has been launched by lawyers with the backing of health workers and some families of coronavirus victims.

The law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, which specialises in human rights and civil liberties, said the move was part of a “citizens’ bid” for a thorough investigation into Cummings over his lockdown trips to Durham and Barnard Castle.

One of the firm’s partners, Mike Schwarz, says a three-day investigation by Durham police last month was flawed after it found that no further action was required.

He is heading a legal team that is calling for a specialist unit from the Metropolitan police to investigate all of Cummings’ behaviour during the lockdown. It will also press for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider a public prosecution. If these routes fail the campaign is considering a private prosecution against Boris Johnson’s chief adviser.

Schwarz said: “The focus has been so heavily centred on Durham, but the Met have yet to examine properly, if at all, the original breach and all his surrounding activity, in London and beyond his journey to and stay in the north-east.”

He added: “The broad consensus of public opinion is that he broke the law on public health, and the entire weight of the state has been deployed to prevent proper investigation and proper due process.”

The initial three-day investigation by Durham police into Cummings’ behaviour found that he might have breached health protection regulations when he took a 52-mile round trip to the town of Barnard Castle, County Durham, with his wife and son on her birthday.

But it said Cummings’ 516-mile round trip from London to Durham and back had not broken health protection regulations. The force decided to take no further action after making no finding in relation to “stay at home” government guidance.

Schwarz argued that under the coronavirus regulations Cummings had failed to leave home for a good reason. He said the campaign would encourage Durham police to explain their investigation. “It seems clear even from what they have said that they were rushed, the wrong criteria were applied, there was an incomplete examination of evidence and actions taken.”

He also believes other aspects of Cummings’ behaviour warrant investigation, including his decision to return to work on 27 March after tending to his wife who was showing symptoms of coronavirus

Schwarz said Durham police’s investigation had taken no account of the damage to public trust in the government’s health message caused by Cummings’ actions.

He said: “I have no desire to cast doubt on the integrity of Durham police but it is clear they were operating in a highly charged political environment, and we want to know exactly what they did to establish what Cummings did in Durham, given the many inconsistencies in his own account.”

Those backing the campaign include: Andy Toogood, a mental health nurse from Hull; Dr Caroline Dickinson, a London GP; and Seamus McNally from Newmarket, whose family was unable to say goodbye to his father-in-law before he died of coronavirus.

The campaign includes the barrister Matthew Ryder, who is a member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group.

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