Katy Vaughan

Government loses bid to block appeal against Palestine Action ban Palestine Action's co-founder said the government's attempt to avoid judicial scrutiny had 'backfired spectacularly'.

UK government loses attempt to block judicial review of Palestine Action ban (nb the merits of the challenge are not decided yet)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

United Kingdom: Commissioner addresses human rights issues in policing of protests and the situation of trans people - Commissioner for Human Rights - www.coe.int Strasbourg 14/10/2025

Read my two letters to the #UK:
1. Protests: I call for a review of the legal framework and the reconsideration of provisions in the Crime & Policing Bill that could restrict freedom of assembly.
2. Trans people: I warn against exclusion&zero-sum approaches
👇#HumanRights
www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

UK fines 4chan over noncompliance with Online Safety Act Britain's communications regulator took another step in a process that could lead to internet service providers being required to block access to 4chan.

UK fines 4chan over noncompliance with Online Safety Act therecord.media/4chan-fined-...

Meta AI adviser spreads disinformation about shootings, vaccines and trans people Critics condemn Robby Starbuck, appointed in lawsuit settlement, for ‘peddling lies and pushing extremism’

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

"A prominent anti-DEI campaigner appointed by Meta in August as an adviser on AI bias has spent the weeks since his appointment spreading disinformation about shootings, transgender people, vaccines, crime, and protests."

Conor Gearty died a month ago yesterday. He was deeply committed to human rights law without idealising it. He recognised its power & value while acknowledging its limitations (& those of the people engaging with it). He was also an exceptional lawyer. This is a fitting final piece in the @lrb.co.uk

European far right follows Trump in calling for antifa to be declared terrorists Netherlands and Hungary move towards designation as draft resolution reportedly backed by 79 MEPs in 20 countries

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

If you want to start taking steps to enhance your digital security, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some simple concepts and tips. ssd.eff.org/en/playlist...

New paper out with the CoE exploring how and how quickly terrorists adopt new technologies. It identifies factors inhibiting or encouraging new tech adoption - with two case studies on virtual assets and drones - and analyses the impact of new tech on terrorism in Europe rm.coe.int/report-on-th...

Reason we had 60,000 people in hotels in mid-2024 was the combination of
* ban asylum claims & stop processing from Spring 2023
* promise rapid removals of everyone who arrived from March 7th 2033, but suspend most returns deals by ceasing processing
* have no way to remove 99% beyond Rwanda bluff

The instinct of this government is ever further restrictions on civil liberties. It is authoritarian at its core, and at this stage needs to be opposed by anyone who at all considers themselves a progressive.

The government want more coercive powers for the state against protests, and the main opposition party wants more coercive powers for the state against migrants.

Our political-media culture continues in a loop where the response to every perceived problem is yet more coercive powers for the state.

Until someone, and Greens are probably doing the best at attempting this right now, breaks the cycle and says "hang on, maybe we could implement something positive and make the case for it instead" we are going to end up with policies based purely on what "flagpatriot1234" likes on social media.

The UK Is Still Trying to Backdoor Encryption for Apple Users The Financial Times reports that the U.K. is once again demanding that Apple create a backdoor into its encrypted backup services. The only change since the last time they demanded this is that the

Apple must continue to refuse the demand to create a backdoor into iCloud. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Such an important and timely project!

#HillsboroughLaw #CentreForPeoplesJustice #CFPJ

It’s vital that we don’t allow the transphobic far-right to hijack the important issue of mass shootings by falsely accusing a marginalized group, accelerating the spread of hate and targeted violence, while doing nothing to resolve the actual issue at hand.

The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks this, lists five mass shootings by transgender or nonbinary people since January 2013. That’s less than 0.1% of the mass shootings in that period.

What is Antifa and why is Donald Trump targeting it? President Trump says he will designate Antifa as a terror group, but legal experts have questioned whether this is possible.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, President Trump says he intends to designate Antifa as a "domestic terrorist organisation".

We've tried to explain Antifa's views and activism, and examine if Trump has the legal power to designate the group.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This government would not abuse such powers, they (no doubt rightly) tell us - but the supply of "good chaps" may not be endless. Now more than ever, it is Parliament's job to ensure that oppressive powers are no broader than they need to be, and subject to proper safeguards. /5

Invitation to join a Critical Research Network on Pedagogies of Race and Empire For some time, several colleagues and I have been thinking of how to consolidate and build on the work that we have been doing individually in translating our anti-colonial and anti-racist research…

My latest blog post is a detailed invitation to join a research network devoted to critical pedagogies of race and imperialism in law. In it, I outline who its organisers are, the reasons why we have set up the network,and what we hope to achieve in it. All welcome!

folukeafrica.com/invitation-t...

The Metropolitan Police have released updated figures for yesterday's protest by people holding signs saying "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action"

857 people were arrested "for showing support for Palestine Action" and 33 for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers

At Least 300 Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested in London on Terrorism Charges

More than 400 people have been arrested at the Defend Our Juries protest against the ban of Palestine Action in Westminster

Police said the majority of arrests were for "supporting a proscribed organisation" but more than 25 people were arrested for assaulting police
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/w...

The resignation was probably inevitable. It's been done very efficiently and sensibly. She'll be back I hope.

She showed that a single mum from a council estate can become deputy prime minister, while vaping and going clubbing. She's a threat to their narrow-minded buttoned-up classist bullshit.

Rayner is absolute class. She's been a bit silly in organising her taxes, but that's not why they hate her. They hate her because she did not know her place.

Daniel Sohege, director of Stand for All, a human rights group, said there had been a “significant increase” in hate speech and threats, both online and in person, toward transgender and nonbinary people in Britain. “It is too easy for online hate to be brushed off as ‘just something someone posted,’ but we continue to see that it has real implications on the welfare of those individuals being targeted, and should be taken seriously as a threat against them,” they said.

It is a mistake to think that online comments and offline violence are separate issues. Spoke to the New York Times about how online threats against trans and non-binary individuals need to be taken more seriously as attacks against us increase

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/w...

The Supreme Court made it clear that non-refoulement of refugees and asylum seekers doesn't just flow from the ECHR and so leaving the ECHR wouldn't change this.

But that doesn't matter because it's not actually about the law. It's never about the law.

Anyone arguing that the Epping asylum hotel Court of Appeal case relates to the European Convention on Human Rights is wrong

The judgment mentions the ECHR once, to make clear it wasn't considered at all by the judges and that they wouldn't countenance a "hierarchy of rights"

It shows such a basic lack of political understanding that Labour didn't go straight on the attack over this.

Just because most people are worried about immigration being too high it doesn't mean they're psychopaths.

4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over its Age Verification Law The notorious troll sites filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court as part of a fight over the UK's Online Safety Act.

Breaking from 404 Media/Court Watch: notorious troll forums 4chan and Kiwi Farms are suing the UK over its age verification law

"American citizens do not surrender our constitutional rights just because Ofcom sends us an e-mail."

www.404media.co/4chan-and-ki...