World
Grandmother arrested at abortion clinic warns of expanding free speech 'buffer zones'
A grandmother in the U.K. who was arrested for holding a sign outside an abortion clinic is sounding the alarm against further attacks on free speech as lawmakers move to expand so-called “buffer zones” outside such facilities.
Rose Docherty, 74, was arrested in Glasgow, Scotland near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in February for holding a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk if you want.”
Docherty was the first person to be arrested and charged under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act, which went into effect in September, the BBC reported.
The law prohibits any protests or vigils from taking place within 200m or 656ft of 30 clinics offering abortion services in Scotland, but the law specifies that the Safe Access Zone could be extended if considered appropriate.
Docherty’s arrest came just days after Vice President JD Vance highlighted the law as an example of free speech being under attack in the U.K.
Rose Docherty, 74, was arrested in Glasgow, Scotland near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in February for holding a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk if you want.” (Rose Docherty)
UK WOMAN THREATENED WITH FINE FOR PRAYING WITHIN ABORTION FACILITY’S ‘BUFFER ZONE:’ ‘ GROSSLY ORWELLIAN’
Now, Gillian Mackay, the Green Party parliamentarian responsible for introducing the buffer zones legislation, has now suggested that the Scottish government consider expanding the area of prohibition on “influence” outside hospitals, according to ADF International, a Christian legal advocacy group.
Docherty has rejected a formal warning from the Crown Office – arguing that it was “unjust” – and is waiting to find out what action may now be taken against her.
In her first broadcast interview since her arrest, she told the BBC she had “no reason to regret” the incident, noting it was an “alarming” and “surreal” experience.
She said she had read the law and believed her actions did not violate the legislation.
“I gave consideration to what I was doing…I looked at the law and saw what it said I couldn’t do, and thought, OK, well, this is what I can do…I can offer to listen, and if anyone wants to come and speak to me, they can do so, only if they want to come and speak with me,” she told BBC’s Scotcast.
She said she is prepared to go to prison over the offense.
Docherty has also said that the government essentially wants to stamp out any opposition to abortion.
“I believe it wouldn’t matter where we stood…it wouldn’t matter how far they pushed the ‘buffer zone,’” she told ADF International, a Christian legal advocacy group.
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, left, poses for a photograph with Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, right, in the lobby of the Scottish Parliament, in support of Mackay’s “buffer zones” bill on June 27, 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Ken Jack/Getty Images)
NEW ONLINE ‘MISINFORMATION’ BILL SLAMMED AS ‘BIGGEST ATTACK’ ON FREEDOMS IN AUSTRALIA
“It wouldn’t matter where we stood –201 meters, or 500 meters away – it seems the authorities would still try to crack down harshly and unfairly on individuals because the government simply disagree with their point of view. This is unjust – of course, there should be laws against harassment, and we all condemn such behavior. But merely offering conversations near a hospital is not a crime.”
Dr Greg Irwin, a doctor at the QEUH, was pictured confronting a group of protesters in February 2023, saying that they “cause emotional upset to patients, but also to staff members,” per the BBC. Groups have been protesting outside the hospital for 10 years, leading to the passing of the Safe Access Zones Act.
Mackay said patients and staff had told her that they still had to pass the protesters when attending the QEUH leading to distress.
“I think it’s appropriate that we take those concerns seriously and the government take a look at whether an extension is appropriate or not,” Mackay told the BBC.
The act allows ministers to extend the size of a buffer zone if it is decided that the existing zone is not adequate, a Scottish government spokesperson told the outlet.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England. (Alliance Defending Freedom UK)
Docherty isn’t the first person to be arrested outside abortion facilities.
For instance, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a prominent pro-life activist, was arrested twice in Birmingham for silently praying without any signs near an abortion facility within a buffer zone. She was arrested under a local law known as a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). She was later awarded $13,000 in compensation for wrongful arrests, according to Christian Today.
The U.K. has drawn international attention for its alleged clampdown on free speech. A number of people have been investigated and arrested for social media posts.
World
Google puts AI agents at heart of its enterprise money-making push
World
Landlords allegedly posting ‘Muslim-only’ apartment ads in violation of country’s equality act: report
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Some landlords in England are apparently advertising “Muslim-only” apartments online, according to a local media report.
An investigation by The Telegraph found that alleged listings posted in London on Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram feature phrases such as “only for Muslims,” “for 2 Muslim boys or 2 Muslim girls,” and “Muslims preferred.”
Other ads appeal to Punjabi and Gujarati speakers, while some job vacancies on the platforms are advertised for men only.
Some listings specify “Hindu only,” in addition to posts that likely use religious subtext by stating: “The house should be alcohol and smoke-free.”
IS MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST PUSH FOR RENT CONTROLS ABOUT TO WRECK THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING MARKET?
On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy,” “one double room is available for Muslims,” and “suitable for Punjabi boy.” A Meta spokesman told Fox News Digital that Facebook then removed the company’s page “for violating the platform’s policies on discriminatory practices.”
Apartment buildings in Westminster, London, U.K. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
The ads run afoul of Britain’s Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief, race and other protected characteristics.
“These adverts are disgusting and anti-British. It goes without saying that there would be a national outrage if the tables were turned,” Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s economic spokesman, told The Telegraph. “All forms of racism are unacceptable, and no religious group should get a special exemption to discriminate in this way.”
Houses and properties line Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, London, U.K. Some landlords in the city are illegally advertising for “Muslim only” tenants across the city, an investigation by The Telegraph has found. (Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images)
One landlord told The Telegraph to “go away” when asked about an ad for a “Muslims only” room for $1,150, and whether it was available to renters of other faiths.
A spokesperson for Gumtree told the newspaper that the company has clear policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination.
On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy,” (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“We take reports of inappropriate listings very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The ads referenced appear to relate to private rooms within shared homes, where existing occupants may express preferences about who they live with. This is different from renting out an entire property, which is subject to stricter rules under the Equality Act.”
Telegram did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
World
Is Europe too late to the metal recycling game?
Europe’s critical raw materials crisis has a partial answer sitting in the waste stream — but the continent has been too slow to see it.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Dorota Włoch, CEO of Eneris Surowce, was direct: recycling is no longer optional.
Unlike plastics, metals can be recovered and reused indefinitely, making urban mining — the recovery of raw materials from existing products and waste — increasingly valuable, particularly for batteries.
“From recycling, we recover metallic aluminium and so-called black mass, which is a concentrate of metals, mainly cobalt-nickel. These are some of the most valuable battery metals. And batteries are crucial today, not only in the automotive sector, but also in storing energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar,” she said.
‘Europe is 25 years late’
Włoch put the scale of the problem plainly. “Deposits are critical — any machine can be bought, but natural resources are not. They are non-transferable and non-renewable. If we use them, they simply disappear,” she said.
Europe’s belated recognition of that reality has cost it dearly.
“The regulation of critical raw materials came 25 years after other regions of the world had invested heavily in deposits. Europe was too passive. Today we are catching up, but the regulations are often so demanding that countries like Poland have difficulty implementing them.”
Who benefits most from extraction?
Poland holds significant reserves of raw materials critical to the modern economy, such as copper, coking coal, nickel, platinum group metals, helium, rhenium, lead and silver.
But the minerals needed most for the energy transition, such as lithium, cobalt and graphite, exist only in limited quantities, forcing imports.
Arkadiusz Kustra, dean of the faculty of civil engineering and resource management at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, told a panel at the European Economic Congress that awareness of the full supply chain, and who profits from it, was now essential.
He pointed to Serbia as a case study.
“Serbia has lithium deposits and is already in talks with Mercedes or Stellantis,” he said. Belgrade is using that leverage to attract investment in battery factories and car plants, keeping more of the value chain at home.
The goal, Kustra argued, should be regional supply chains that retain added value locally.
“You can earn the least at the beginning and the most from the end customer,” he said.
The bigger obstacle is Chinese dominance.
“Margins in critical raw materials largely go to the Chinese, who control more than 90% of processing and trading, even though they do not own most of the deposits,” he said.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo — among the world’s most resource-rich countries — Chinese entities control around 90% of deposits.
The panel also pointed to growing interest in new supply partnerships, with Poland eyeing assets in the Congo region and the Americas.
-
Oregon1 minute agoThere’s Good News: A beaver birthday celebration at the Oregon Zoo!
-
Pennsylvania7 minutes ago93 animals living in ‘deplorable conditions’ rescued from Pennsylvania home
-
Rhode Island13 minutes agoRhode Island’s TF Green airport to add flights to Cabo Verde in May – The Boston Globe
-
South Dakota25 minutes agoSDDOT reminds public not to put election signs on state highway rights-of-way
-
Tennessee31 minutes agoWhat TV channel is Alabama baseball vs Tennessee today? Streaming, start times
-
Texas37 minutes agoFirst round of Texas Education Freedom Accounts awarded to priority students
-
Utah43 minutes agoSuazo Business Center, traditionally focused on Latinos, gets $600K grant to expand services
-
Vermont49 minutes agoLetter to the Editor: A different path for Vermont’s environmental future