Nana Ato Dadzie, the attorney representing social media activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has vowed to track down the individual behind the false bribery allegations involving members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Appointments Committee.
Dadzie previously informed the committee that the accusation—claiming his client had published statements about NDC committee members accepting bribes to approve ministerial nominees—was entirely untrue.
The rumor, which has been circulating within political circles, suggested that members of the committee were soliciting payments in exchange for approving nominees.
During an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Wednesday, January 29, Nana Ato Dadzie stressed the necessity of investigating the matter thoroughly to uncover the facts and identify those responsible for spreading the false information.
“Obviously we need to pursue this matter… It is in our interest to actually find out who published that,” Dadzie said.
At the same time, Barker-Vormawor has extended an apology to Parliament’s Appointments Committee, stressing that his previous statements about bribery allegations were never meant to damage the standing of its members.
Speaking before the committee in Accra on Wednesday, January 29, Barker-Vormawor remarked:
“I am saying here clearly that my post was not intended to disparage members of the committee, and I have not intended to say that members of this committee have received or demanded bribes from various individuals. At no point was my statement intended to communicate the same, and for those reasons, I apologize.”
Barker-Vormawor demonstrated his intent to take down the post, reflecting his dedication to resolving the issue in a constructive manner.
“The reason why I have left the post on was because I saw that the words had been twisted, and it became imperative for me to maintain the post in its original form so that, if questioned on it, reference could be made for verification.”
Abbott said Daniel Perry will be pardoned and allowed to have his guns back. This came after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended it unanimously.
Perry was in prison for 25 years after being convicted of killing Garrett Foster in 2023. He was let out of prison shortly after receiving a pardon.
Perry, who is white, was driving for a ride-share company when his car came near a protest in Austin. The lawyers said he could have left the argument with Foster, who was a white Air Force veteran and didn’t use his gun according to witnesses.
A group of people found Perry guilty of killing someone, but Abbott said Perry was just protecting himself.
“Texas has a very strong law that allows people to defend themselves called ‘Stand Your Ground. ‘ It can’t be canceled by a jury or district attorney who has progressive beliefs,” Abbott mentioned.
Abbott, who is a Republican in his third term, usually only forgives small crimes. He chose not to forgive George Floyd for a drug arrest in 2004 after Floyd’s death. The killing of Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 led to protests across the country.
Abbott told the board to look over Perry’s case after the trial. He said he would pardon Perry if the board recommended it. Under Texas law, the governor can’t forgive someone for a crime unless the board, who the governor chooses, suggests it.
“Garza said that the board and the governor are more focused on politics than justice. ” “They should feel bad about what they did. ” They are breaking the law and showing that in this state, some people are treated better than others.
Abbott asked for a new look at Perry’s case because Tucker Carlson asked him to on TV. Carlson wanted the governor to help after the sergeant was found guilty in April 2023. Perry was given a punishment because prosecutors said he was racist and might hurt someone again, based on what he posted on social media and sent in text messages.
The sergeant’s lawyers said that Foster did lift the rifle and Perry had to shoot him. Perry didn’t speak in court and the jury took two days to decide that he was guilty.
Perry’s lawyer, Clint Broden, said Perry was only protecting himself when he was facing a group of angry people and someone with a dangerous gun.
Broden said that the events in the case were very sad and unfortunately, Garrett Foster died. “Mister Perry and his family are thankful to the Board of Pardons and Parole for looking at their case carefully. They are also grateful that the State of Texas has laws to let people defend themselves. ”
Foster’s girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, was with him when he was killed. She called the pardon a “lawless” act.
The governor has disrespected the life of a murdered Texan and US Air Force veteran and questioned the jury’s fair decision by granting a pardon. Mitchell said that he declared that people in Texas who have different political views from him and those in power can be killed without any consequences.
The shooting caused a lot of arguing in 2020 during the protests after Floyd’s death. Three years later, Perry’s conviction made a lot of conservative people very angry.
Before the judge made a decision in the case, Carlson talked on TV about the shooting. He said it was self-defence and he also said some bad things about Abbott for not going on his show. The day after, Abbott said he thought Perry should not be punished and asked Texas’ parole board to quickly review the conviction.
Before Perry was punished by the court, it revealed many text messages and social media posts showing his unfriendly views towards Black Lives Matter protests. Perry made a comment on Facebook a month before the shooting. He said, “I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo. ”
Perry was in the Army for over ten years. During the trial, a psychologist said he thinks Perry has post-traumatic stress disorder because of his time in Afghanistan and being bullied as a kid. During the shooting, Perry was working at Fort Cavazos, which later became Fort Hood. It is about 70 miles north of Austin.
Kanye Westbriefly addressed backlash he received Monday for wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt to his YZY SZN 9 runway show in Paris, referring to “Black Lives Matter” as a scam.
“EVERYONE KNOWS BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM,” the artist, 45, posted to his Instagram Stories early Tuesday morning. “NOW IT’S OVER. YOU’RE WELCOME.”
As an organization, Black Lives Matter has been under heavy scrutiny due to allegations of misappropriating donated funds,with Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation leader Shalomyah Bowers being accused of stealing $10 million in donations just last month.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation also faced criticism after the cash purchase of a $6 million home in Los Angles in 2020.
Kanye West Wears ‘White Lives Matters’ shirt to YZY SZN 9 show
While the organization has faced scrutiny, BLM as a movement continues to garner support from many seeking social justice. Ye’s “White Lives Matter” shirt set off a wave of disappointed responses from several public figures, including journalist Van Jones, who shared an image of Ye in the shirt to Instagram captioned, “Ya’ll.”
Within his comment section, he elaborated, responding to a follower who asked, “do white lives not matter?”
“We don’t need a reminder of the worth of white lives,” he replied, via Yahoo. “America is a shrine to the worth of white people. This message is reactionary to a message affirming Black lives, which have never been worth anything in America.
“In its intent, it’s a white supremacist notion,” he asserted, adding that and West is “apparently centering that notion. The notion that it always has to be about white people in America is incredibly frustrating, emotionally draining and a whole problem.”
Lathan was joined by Jemele Hill, Jaden Smith, Marc Lamont Hill and others in his critique.
Prominent Black Lives Matters activists and celebrities have written to Nigeria’s president demanding justice over the treatment of people during protests against police brutality.
The group, which includes singer Alicia Keys and campaigner Greta Thunberg, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to free jailed protesters.
They also called for a “transparent investigation” into the alleged killing of protesters by armed forces.
“We cannot stay silent,” they said.
Witnesses say they saw soldiers open fire on protesters at a toll gate in the wealthy Lagos suburb of Lekki on 20 October. It followed weeks of protests, which began against the now-disbanded, much-hated police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars), but then morphed into greater calls for better governance.
“In the midst of a global pandemic, your people sought to bring peace and justice to their land, and they made Africa and its diaspora proud in doing so,” the letter to President Buhari said.
“Yet their peaceful requests were met with state-sanctioned violence and suppression, as your administration meted out unwarranted force against its own unarmed citizens.”
The letter was organised by #BlackLivesMatter movement co-founder Opal Tometi, and timed to coincide with International Human Rights Day.
Other signatories included actors Kerry Washington, Danny Glover and Mark Ruffalo, as well as writers Afua Hirsch, Reni Eddo-Lodge and Naomi Klein.
“As people who have supported the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and throughout the diaspora, we cannot be silent when similar atrocities take place in African countries,” the letter said.
“We demand respect for the Nigerian people, especially as they engage in their constitutional right to protest grave injustices.”
“We demand respect for the Nigerian people, especially as they engage in their constitutional right to protest grave injustices.”
For Black Lives Matter, highlighting injustices on the African continent is part of its wider mission to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state.
Many of the signatories to the letter are members of the African diaspora, including Opal Tometi, whose parents are Nigerian. She told the BBC she has friends and family in Nigeria, so this feels personal. She believes the international community needs to continue to apply pressure on the Nigerian government to deliver justice for victims of brutality by the armed forces.
However despite the big name endorsements, it’s unlikely the letter will lead to a change of tack from the Nigerian government.
In the immediate aftermath of the Lekki tollgate shooting, public figures, including former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and President-elect Joe Biden, called on the Nigerian government to hold those accountable responsible.
But the comments were brushed off by the authorities; and just this week President Buhari reiterated that any form of violent protest would not be tolerated.
On Monday there was a heavy police presence around the tollgate following calls for a second phase of protests to begin. It seems the authorities are determined to stop a repeat of the scenes of widespread street protests across Nigeria in October.
However stopping the #EndSARS social media campaign will not be so easy. Young Nigerians have seen how much influence they can yield – this letter is evidence of that.
Just last night at the Mobos, Afro pop singer Tiwa Savage referred to the Lekki tollgate shooting in her performance, singing “who gave the order?” Young Nigerians have vowed not to give up until the question is answered.
As well as demanding the release of all jailed protesters, activists and journalists, the signatories demand that all soldiers and security officials responsible for the shootings at Lekki Toll Gate are held to account, and that the ban on peaceful protests is lifted.
Amnesty International says 12 people were killed in the shooting, although the Nigerian army insists its soldiers were firing blank bullets.
A judicial panel has been set up in Lagos to investigate both events at Lekki and the activities of Sars. While it promises neutrality and justice, some protesters say they fear government retribution if they speak out.
Since the protests, a number of activists say they have been targeted by the authorities. Some have had their bank accounts frozen by the Nigerian Central Bank and some have been detained without charge, before being eventually released.
Italy born Ghanaian forward Emmanuel Gyasi took a knee after scoring in Spezia’s home defeat to Pisa in solidarity to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 26-year old joined a list of sporting super stars to show their support to the minority Black community that are facing racial injustice across the globe.
The recent protest and show of support comes after the killing of an unarmed Black man in the United States by a white police officer.
Gyasi who is in the form of his life sent a strong message after netting his seventh goal of the campaign, despite Spezia losing 2-1.
The winger scored his side’s only goal in the 26th minute after picking up a beautiful pass from Antonini Ragusa to put Spezia in the lead.
But the lead lasted only 12 minutes after Michele Marconi leveled for Pisa before the break.
Pisa added a second deep in the second half through forward Michele Marconi, who scored a brace on the night.
The defeat sees Spezia drop to fourth on the table, but still have a chance of gaining promotion or finishing in a play offs spot.
The 26-year old Palermo born Ghanaian striker has been in outstanding form for the club as they push for promotion to serie A.
His performances has seen him attract interest from several clubs ahead of the summer transfer window, making him the most sought after serie B player.
US animated comedy series The Simpsons will no longer use white actors for the voices of characters from other ethnic backgrounds, the show’s producers say.
The show, broadcast on Fox Network, has faced years of criticism over white actor Hank Azaria’s voiceover of Indian-American character Apu.
Mr Azaria said earlier this year that he was stepping down from the role.
The entertainment industry has come under growing pressure to provide more opportunities for non-white performers.
Friday’s announcement comes in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, which were sparked by the death of African-American George Floyd in US police custody on 25 May.
“Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters,” the producers said in a short statement.
In January, Mr Azaria said he would no longer be performing the voice of Indian convenience store owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, a role he had played since the character was created in 1990.
“We all made the decision together… We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing,” he said at the time.
The show had been accused of using the character in a way that reinforced racial stereotypes.
Mr Azaria – who provides the voice of other characters, including black police officer Lou and the Mexican-American Bumblebee Man – said he found it “very upsetting to me personally and professionally” that anyone felt marginalised because of Apu.
Fox Network’s statement on Friday did not say whether Apu or other characters would continue to feature in the show.
Other white US actors to announce that they will no longer be providing voiceovers for people of colour include Mike Henry and Kristen Bell.
Mr Henry provided the voice of black character Cleveland Brown in the animated series Family Guy for 20 years.
“I love this character, but persons of colour should play characters of colour,” he tweeted on Friday.
Ms Bell, who provided the voice of Molly, a mixed-race child, in the cartoon series Central Park, said doing so displayed “a lack of awareness”.
“Casting a mixed-race character [with a] white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed-race and Black American experience,” she added.
A bronze statue of former US President Theodore Roosevelt is to be removed amid an ongoing backlash against symbols of racial bias and imperialism.
The statue outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York shows Roosevelt on horseback flanked by a Native American man and an African man.
A great-grandson of the president agreed with the removal, saying it did not reflect Roosevelt’s legacy.
But President Donald Trump tweeted: “Ridiculous, don’t do it!”
There has been a heated debate in the United States over the appropriateness of certain statues and commemorations since the death in police custody of African American George Floyd.
Symbols linked to the US Confederacy, which supported slavery, have been particularly targeted in the US.
Monuments to Christopher Columbus, the 15th Century explorer whose voyages on behalf of Spain opened the way for the European colonisation of the Americas, have also been criticised in the US as symbols of imperialism.
But the anti-statue campaign, arising from the Black Lives Matter movement, has spread globally, with monuments targeted in a number of countries.
What’s behind the museum’s decision?
The statue has stood outside the museum’s Central Park West entrance since 1940.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday: “The museum has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior.”
He said he backed the decision, adding it was “the right time to remove this problematic statue”.
Protesters across America have toppled statues associated with slavery
The museum’s president, Ellen Futter, said the world had become focused on “statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism”.
She said the decision was based on the composition of the statue and not on Roosevelt, whom the museum would continue to honour.
A great-grandson of the former president, Theodore Roosevelt IV, told the New York Times: “The composition of the equestrian statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy. It is time to move the statue and move forward.”
Activists opposed to symbols of colonial expansion and racial discrimination have wanted the statue removed for many years.
President Trump did not agree, tweeting his opposition early on Monday:
At a rally last week, the president condemned “the unhinged left-wing mob trying to vandalise our history, desecrate our monuments”.
It has not yet been announced what will happen to the statue.
Who was Theodore Roosevelt?
The Republican was one of the more flamboyant and commemorated of the country’s presidents, serving two terms from 1901 to 1909, and is often ranked in the top five in terms of achievement.
But there is no doubt his legacy is complex – a man who won widespread praise for proposals that led towards a welfare state, while also having a deeply troubling advocacy of eugenics.
“Teddy”, as he is known, is one of the four faces on the famous Mount Rushmore monument, where he joins Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
Roosevelt wedges his moustache in between Jefferson and Lincoln
The legacies of Jefferson and Washington, both slave owners, have been heavily questioned in the recent anti-racism campaign, and even Lincoln’s position on slavery is regarded as complicated.
Roosevelt was a lifelong and prodigious hunter, but also strongly acknowledged the need for conservation and indeed came to symbolise the birth of the movement.
He was also a big believer in expanding US power abroad, with strong interventionist policies.
With memorable quotes like “‘speak softly and carry a big stick”, it was perhaps not surprising that he took a leading role in the movie Night at the Museum, in the hands of Robin Williams.
Premier League players’ names will be replaced on the back of their shirts with ‘Black Lives Matter’ for the first 12 matches of the restarted season.
The Premier League will also support any player who chooses to ‘take a knee’ before or during matches.
Players in Germany have made gestures of solidarity with people protesting about the death of George Floyd.
“We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice,” read a statement.
In a joint message from all 20 clubs, players added that they were committed to “a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for all, regardless of their color or creed”.
A Black Lives Matter badge will feature on all playing shirts for the rest of the season alongside a badge thanking NHS staff for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.
BBC Sport has learned that Watford captain Troy Deeney played a pivotal role in the discussions between club captains and the Premier League, alongside Leicester City’s Wes Morgan.
Deeney’s girlfriend, Alisha Hosannah, has designed the Black Lives Matter badge that will be used on the players’ shirts.
Several Premier League squads have already ‘taken a knee’ in training-ground images shared on social media, and anti-racism charity Kick It Out had asked that players feel free to do so on the pitch.
The Football Association has said it will take a “common sense approach” to such protests.
Four players, including Borussia Dortmund’s England forward Jadon Sancho, were initially investigated by the Bundesliga authorities for making clear their support for anti-racism demonstrations in the wake of the death of 46-year-old Floyd in police custody in the United States last month.
None was subsequently punished and the German Football Association said it would continue to allow such displays of support over the coming weeks.
The Premier League resumes behind closed doors on 17 June after a three-month suspension caused by the pandemic.
‘It’s a great start, but I then want to see something tangible’
Former England, Newcastle and Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who made 280 Premier League appearances between 2002 and 2013, hopes the campaign for change continues beyond those first 12 games.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “It’s brilliant that all the clubs and the players have come together and said that this is what they want. I think it’s a great message because the Premier League is one of the most powerful businesses in the world.
“I’m all for it in terms of the representation and for each club and player to be doing it. But I think the question on most people’s lips is: what next?
“What about the week after? Does it just fade out and it’s ‘OK, we did our little bit and it’s gone now’. Or are we actually going to see some real change within our game, our own house?
“There’s been huge conversations about the lack of opportunities for black coaches. We need to quash all of that by starting to implement [diversity] at the hiring level of management, at the top clubs and within the FA.”
Following his arrest on Friday, June 6, 2020, after he led a protest at the Black Star Square over the gruesome murder of African-American, George Floyd, the leader of Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah is opening up about his arrest.
After the George Floyd incident in the United States, the world over has been taken by a storm of protests seeking to highlight the level of racism and injustice Africans are suffering especially in the United States.
The Friday vigil at the Black Star Square was supposed to be the very first of the now global protest organised in Ghana.
However a few minutes after the vigil started with chants by the protesters, a group of security officers made up of the police and military stormed the venue to break up the vigil.
In videos seen on social media, some of the military officers were seen assaulting the leader of the vigil and other participants. Ernesto Yeboah was said to have been subsequently arrested by the police and sent to the Ministries Police Station and then relocated to the Accra District Police Station.
He was granted bail after passing the night in police cells the next morning.
Watch Ernesto Yeboah Speak to Class FM about his arrest on the Executive Breakfast Show below:
Ernesto Yeboah, the leader of Economic Fighters League, has described his arrest last Friday night as a “kidnap†by the security forces.
According to him, the police was not able to tell exactly what his crime was; rather they were insisting that his arrest for organising a vigil for George Floyd was an “order from aboveâ€.
“I was kidnapped from the space [Independence Square] because there was no warrant of arrest, there was no reason for my being taken away…†Ernesto Yeboah told Joy News in an interview.
He said he only obliged to follow the police because of the hype his followers and other Ghanaians gave the vigil, therefore, he thought it better to acquiesce to the police to avoid the whole program being disrupted.
“I joined them [police] to the Ministries Police Station, and then in about 30 minutes, I was relocated to the Accra District Police Station,†he narrated.
Ernesto Yeboah was arrested on Friday, June 6, 2020.
He was leading a vigil against police brutalities in the USA, especially after the killing of the African-American, George Floyd, which sparked global protests.
The sun has never set on the protests which have gone on for some 10 days – the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, and many other places have witnessed largely peaceful protests at such time intervals that ensure round-the-clock protests.
The Independence Square event was Ghana’s first, but unfortunately, the viral videos of soldiers hitting unarmed civilians is Ghana’s attitude to the trending human rights and equality protests.
Economic Fighters League is demanding explanations from the Ghana government over circumstances that led to the disruption of its Black Lives Matter vigil at the Black Stars Square on Sartuday.
The vigil was organized in Ghana as a sequel to the global agitation following the tragic death of George Floyd in the US and also to condemn all forms of oppression.
It was organized by the Economic Fighters League on Saturday evening went on peacefully for about an hour when some armed police and military officers stormed the venue and disrupted the exercise.
The security officers had claimed that the vigil was illegal although the organizers insisted that they notified the police in line with the Public Order Act.
Leader of the group, Ernesto Yeboah was subsequently arrested and detained; a development patrons of the vigil were unhappy with.
In a statement chronicling the turn of events, the group asked three questions and demanded answers from the Government of Ghana.
The group also appealed to the United Nations (UN), Human Rights Watch and the international media to pressurize authorities to explain why the vigil was disrupted.
“We urge the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and the world media, to ask the Ghanaian authorities three things. Why display so much hypocrisy, after holding a state-sponsored “funeral†for Floyd, just 30 hours earlier? Why risk the lives of many, by instigating the breaking of social distancing protocol, at a peaceful vigil? Why was the notice to gather, ignored? Who gave the order from above?â€
 Leader releasedÂ
Meanwhile, the leader of the Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah has been released from police custody.
A day after his arrest, Mr. Yeboah is seen in a video announcing his release stressing that his continuous arrest will not discourage him from seeking freedom for Africans and the continent.
“The handcuffs are off. But as I keep saying, do not be afraid of the handcuff. It is with the handcuff that we will seek our freedom. It is with the handcuff that Africa shall unite. It is with the handcuff that we shall access economic freedom in our lifetime,†he said.
Australian police on Friday moved to ban a Black Lives Matter protest planned in Sydney, citing the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Around 10,000 people are expected to march in Sydney on Saturday to express solidarity with US protestors and demand an end to frequent Aboriginal deaths in custody in Australia.
On the eve of the protest, the police — backed by prominent local conservatives — launched legal action to ban the rally on health grounds.
Australia has detected a sustained drop in the number of COVID-19 cases, but social distancing rules remain in force and mass gatherings are not permitted.
The New South Wales Supreme Court was asked to declare the protest illegal.
“We have commenced legal action on the basis that we don’t believe the protest can be conducted in a safe way,” NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said.
Civil rights protests shaking the United States have resonated with many in Australia — a country that also wrestles with the legacy of a racist past.
Several protests have already taken place across Australia and the planned march in Sydney is one among several due to take place on Saturday.
Organisers hope to highlight the high levels of imprisonment for First Nations Australians and the large number of indigenous deaths in custody — more than 400 in the last three decades.
The legal action was a U-turn for the police — who initially granted the Sydney event the green light — and follows heavy criticism of the protest in the country’s conservative media.
Organisers were determined to go ahead, using a groundswell of public opinion to press for long-stalled reforms.
“Tomorrow, we are going to march if they like it or not, because this is our land and nothing is going to stop any of us,” said Latona Dungay, whose son David died in prison in 2015.
Green party parliamentarian David Shoebridge attacked the move as heavyhanded, calling for police to take a more nuanced approach.
“This is not what’s needed. This needs cooperation and understanding, not force,” Shoebridge said.
Protesters in Melbourne were similarly warned they could face fines for attending a rally in the city, with authorities urging people to stay home.
Earlier on Friday, hundreds of protesters gathered in the nation’s capital Canberra even as Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged people to stay home.
“Let’s find a better way and another way to express these sentiments rather than putting your own health at risk,” Morrison said.
He admitted there was more to be done to address indigenous inequality but continued to reject parallels with the United States.
“Australia is not other places, so let’s deal with this as Australians and not appropriate what’s happening in other countries to our country at this time.”
