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Dominic Raab confuses meaning of misogyny in BBC interview

Dominic Raab has rejected misogyny a hate crime in the wake of the Sarah Everard murder, but then appeared confused about its meaning as he suggested it could apply to abuse against either women or men

The justice secretary, who has said he is not a feminist and previously complained about the “raw deal” men are getting, said it was his “number one priority to make sure women feel confident in the justice system”.

However, pressed on BBC Breakfast about whether misogyny should be a hate crime, he appeared not to understand the term as he said “misogyny is absolutely wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman or a woman against a man”.

Misogyny is hatred aimed specifically against women, and some campaigners would like to see it criminalised.

Questioned about his confusion, Raab said: “What I meant was, if we are talking about things below the level of public order offences of harassment, intimidation, which are rightly criminalised – if we are talking about, effectively, insults with a sexist basis, I don’t think that criminalising those sorts of things will deal with the problem that we have got at the heart of the Sarah Everard case.”

He said the problem was with enforcement, rather than a lack of laws, supporting Boris Johnson’s views that a hate crime of misogyny was not necessary.

Raab also downplayed statistics that show less than 1.4% of alleged rapes are prosecuted, saying most crime data is examined at the point of charge.

“The conviction rate statistics are often, I’m afraid, rather skewed,” he said. “If you look at the normal way that people measure the conviction rate – as a proportion of the number of prosecutions that are launched – actually once you get to court, there is more or less around a 70% chance of conviction.

“The challenge we’ve got is the reporting of cases … through to the preparation of the file that goes to the CPS and then the decision to prosecute… the critical thing is getting the cases to trial with the evidence to secure that conviction.”

Asked about accusations that misogynistic attitudes are tolerated in policing, Raab said it was precisely why the government had ordered an inquiry into the circumstances of Sarah Everard’s murder by a serving police officer. He said some systemic changes would need to be put in place.

“I know many, many incredibly dedicated police officers, men and women, who are appalled by this and are determined to fix this problem. But we do need to look at culture in the police and the second phase of the review, the inquiry the home secretary announced, is target at that issue,” he said.

Speaking later on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Raab acknowledged that the long backlog of cases in the courts was due partly to cuts in the criminal justice system, adding that he hoped it could be cleared within six to 12 months.

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Tinubu approves ban on homosexuality in Nigeria’s military

Nigeria’s military personnel have been banned from engaging in homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, cross-dressing, and other acts deemed contrary to the ethics of the country’s armed forces.

The nation’s military personnel were also barred from body piercing, tattooing, disorderly behaviour and drunkenness on or off duty.

The fresh directive is contained in Section 26 of the revised Harmonised Armed Forces Terms and Conditions of Service signed by President Bola Tinubu on December 16, 2024, a copy sighted by DAILY POST’S correspondent at the weekend.

Also, the condition of service prohibited military personnel from joining secret cults and owning private businesses.

“An officer must not engage in homosexuality, lesbianism, or bestiality.

“He/she is not to belong to or engage in activities of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Trans, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual or Agender, Two-Spirit, LGBTQIA2S+, group and cross-dressing, amongst others.
“An officer must not engage in body piercing and tattooing of any part of his body. An officer shall not engage in any form of disorderly behaviour, brawl, or any action of public disgrace. An officer must not at any time be drunk, whether on or off duty.”

The condition of service also forbids the involvement of officers in amorous relationships with subordinates or their spouses.

The military personnel are obligated to pay financial dues, including vehicle licenses and insurance, on time, while they are prohibited from joining secret societies or political parties.

“An officer shall pay all just financial obligations in a proper and timely manner, especially those imposed by law and mutual contract. It is a very serious offence for an officer to be apprehended for failure to license or insure his vehicle and other legal financial obligations. In the same vein, the issuance of a dud cheque constitutes an offence.

“An officer shall not hold membership in any secret society or political party. He shall not participate, in any way, in activities concerned with such societies or parties, even in observatory capacities.

“For the avoidance of doubt, since cultural or purely traditional religious societies are not normally secret by membership or in the conduct of their affairs, they are ipso facto expelled from belonging to secret societies.”

“An officer shall not engage in private business. He shall not use or be allowed to use government property, his name, position, and connection in any way with commercial enterprises outside employment or activity with or without compensation, which interfere or has the tendency of interfering with his official duty or which may be reasonably expected to bring discredit to the Service,” the document stated.
Meanwhile, the document did not spell out punishments or disciplinary measures against any personnel who violates the rules.

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Kano Emirship tussle: Bayero rejects Appeal Court judgement, heads for Supreme Court

Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero has rejected the judgement of the Appeal Court which nullified a Federal High Court order that removed Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.

Bayero on Sunday said he is heading to Supreme Court to challenge the appeal court verdict.

Speaking to newsmen at the Nasarawa Palace of the 15th Emir Of Kano, the Sarkin Dawaki Babba, Aminu Babba DanAgundi, who filed the suit that was struck out by the Appeal Court, said, “Sanusi did not even understand that he has completely lost out in the whole of the cases at hand.

“That is why I expressed regrets over remarks by the 16th Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II, using the Mosque pillar to propagate something that was not true and did not happen at the Appeal Court.

“We initially went to Federal High Court seeking the nullification of the repeal law by the State Assembly, which we felt was done haphazardly.”

DanAgundi further warned Sanusi to stop parading himself as the Emir of Kano.

“The position of Muhammadu Sanusi II that he emerged victorious was wrong, the court said that the Federal High Court has no legal right to hear issues with regards to chieftaincy affairs. But what we went to court for was different.

“We were not arguing on the powers of State Assembly to enact of repeal laws, what we were asking was lack of fair hearing on the 15th Emir Aminu Ado Bayero, that he was removed without given him chance to protect himself.

“The State Assembly didn’t follow the right procedures in repealing the laws,” he added.

He asked the Police and the DSS to stop Sanusi from allegedly moving around with thugs, accusing the Emir of plotting to disrupt peace in Kano.

According to him, Sanusi will not claim victory until the Supreme Court judgement has been given.

“The Attorney General and Speaker of the Kano State Assembly went to court seeking to stop Bayero from parading himself as Emir, but the Appeal Court rejected that position and said that Bayero was not given fair hearing.

“By this it clearly shows that Bayero is still the Emir of Kano.”

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6.2 Magnitude Quake Strikes Mexico

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake rattled a region of southwest Mexico on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The tremor was centered eight kilometers (five miles) from Coalcoman de Vazquez Pallares, a municipality of around 20,000 people which is about 600 kilometers west of the capital Mexcio City.

The quake struck at a depth of 86.2 kilometers.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on social media platform X that the national emergency services had reported “there are no new developments and are initiating review protocols” in Coalcoman.

Mexico lies on five tectonic plates that make it one of the world’s most earthquake vulnerable countries, particularly on the Pacific coast.

In 1985 an 8.1 magnitude quake centered on the Pacific coast ravaged much of central and southern Mexico, killing thousands and causing severe damage in Mexico City.

A 7.1-magnitude quake on September 19, 2017 killed 369 people, most of them in the capital.

On the same day in 2022 central Mexico was hit by another quake, just hours after millions of people had taken part in a mock earthquake safety exercise.

AFP