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MAGAZETINI LEO JUMAPILI

Jo Cox murder suspect tells court his name is 'death to traitors, freedom for Britain'

Thomas Mair, 52, of Birstall, appears in Westminster magistrates court on multiple charges over killing of MP

Mair was charged by West Yorkshire police on Friday with the murder of the Labour MP. Photograph: SWNS TV

Thomas Mair has given his name as “death to traitors, freedom for Britain” during his appearance in court charged with the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.

 

Jo Cox. Photograph: DDP USA/Rex/Shutterstock

Mair, 52, from Birstall, was formally charged at Westminster magistrates court on Saturday with the murder of Joanne Cox, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon.

Asked to confirm his name, Mair said: “My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain.” The judge then asked the defendant’s lawyers to confirm that his name was Thomas Mair, which they did.

Mair was not required to enter a plea and his lawyer Keith Allen said there was no indication of what plea would be given. He also told the court that legal aid had been applied for.

The deputy chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ordered that Mair be remanded in custody until his next appearance, at the Old Bailey on Monday. He will be held at Belmarsh prison, and Arbuthnot suggested that a psychiatric report be prepared, saying: “Bearing in mind the name he has just given, he ought to be seen by a psychiatrist.

Cox was killed on Thursday lunchtime outside Birstall public library, where she had been planning to run a constituency surgery. The 41-year-old MP for Batley and Spen was declared dead at 1.48pm after being shot several times and stabbed.

Prosecutor David Cawthorne, from the counter-terrorism division of the Crown Prosecution Service, told the court that Cox had visited a primary school and care home on Thursday morning, before heading to the library with colleagues for a pre-arranged surgery with her constituents. She was stabbed and fell to the ground, where she was shot and stabbed further.

Bernard Kenny, 77, was waiting for his wife in his car outside the library, Cawthorne said. 

Kenny had recognised Cox and saw a man approach and stab her. He intervened and was stabbed in the abdomen and retreated into a nearby sandwich shop, the court heard.

No indication was given as to how Mair would plead and he was remanded in custody until a bail application hearing on Monday. The prosecution later confirmed that, because of the nature of the offence and the victim, the protocol was to hear the case in London.

FacebookTwitterPinterest A van believed to be carrying Thomas Mair arrives under police escort at Westminster magistrates court. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Vigils for Cox were held in her constituency and around the country on Friday as tributes were paid across the political spectrum.

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Her party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said the MP had been killed by a “well of hatred”, and the prime minister, David Cameron, insisted society must redouble its efforts to embrace the values of tolerance and community that Cox triumphed.

Parliament has been recalled on Monday to allow MPs to pay tribute, and the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Ukip have all said they would not contest Cox’s vacant seat of Batley and Spen at a byelection.

The EU referendum campaign was paused for a second day on Saturday, with both sides agreeing not to hold events until Sunday at the earliest.

An appeal in Cox’s name raised more than £260,000 in less than 24 hours to support charities working to counter loneliness, challenge extremism, and fund search and rescue workers in Syria. 

The US president, Barack Obama, phoned the late MP’s widower, Brendan, from Air Force One to offer his condolences. According to a White House spokesperson, Obama said: “The world is a better place because of her selfless service to others, and there can be no justification for this heinous crime, which robbed a family, a community, and a nation of a dedicated wife, mother and public servant.”

FacebookTwitterPinterest People and politicians gathered in Parliament Square stand in two minutes’ silence on Friday evening. Photograph: Natasha Quarmby/Rex/Shutterstock

Doreen Lawrence, the Labour peer whose son Stephen was killed in 1993, said there were no words that could express what it feels like to have a young person whose “life is still full of possibility, brutally snatched away from you”. Writing in the Guardian, she said the hopes and dreams of Cox’s family had been “shredded in one foul afternoon”.

Lady Lawrence warned that a message of hatred against foreigners or people with different religions had been getting louder in the UK and US, citing the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump. She criticised comments by Boris Johnson about Obama’s ancestry and said a poster unveiled by Nigel Farage on Thursday was reminiscent of Nazi propaganda.

The Vote Leave campaign has cancelled events, including a rally in Birmingham where Johnson was due to speak, while Britain Stronger In Europe said it was scrapping more than 2,000 events, including street stalls and a speech by Corbyn in Manchester. When the campaign did resume, it was unlikely to be fought at the same intensity as before, sources said.

In the light of the killing, some politicians have questioned the tone of the referendum debate. Writing in the Guardian, Gordon Brown said: “Unless we strive for a culture of respect to replace a culture which does too little to achallenge prejudice, we will be learning nothing from what happened to Jo.”

DC: DISTRICTS SHOULD SPEAK ONE LANGUAGE IN TERMS OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Participants doing group discussion during the second Mbarali Sub-catchment multi-stakeholders workshop held at Makambako in Njombe region. (Photo: Friday Simbaya)

WANGING’OMBE District Commissioner (DC), Asumpta Mshama said Wanging’ombe, Mbarali and Makete districts should have one voice in terms of water resources management, hence restoring the perennial flows of Great Ruaha River (GRR).

Mshama made the announcement in her closing remarks on Tuesday during the Second Mbarali Sub-catchment Multi-Stakeholders Workshop held at Makambako in Njombe region.

She said that in order to promote inclusive partnership and accountability in natural resources management, no partners or district should left behind in implementing the Sustainable Water Access Use and Management (SWAUM) in the Great Ruaha River Catchment (GRRC).

“May I give my sincere thanks to the Rufiji Basin Water Board (RBWB) and WWF Tanzania for facilitating this workshop of Working and Learning together, how we fulfill project activities over the past two years, achievements, challenges and opportunities for developing of the implementing of the Sustainable Water Access Use and Management (SWAUM) in Mbarali Sub-catchment,” DC said.

WWF Tanzania through Ruaha Water Programme (RWP) and the Office of the Rufiji Basin Water for the past two years has implemented the project in small river basin area of Mbarali. 

The aim of the project being to involve stakeholders in the acquisition, exploitation and management of shared water resources of small river basin of Mbarali, and restoring the flow of water in the Great Ruaha River. 

Through this project stakeholders participated visually operations management of water resources and implement them under the supervision of the Office of the Rufiji basin water and WWF.

“I would like to commend the Office of the Rufiji Basin Water and WWF Tanzania for the work they do in caring for the environment and water resources, using the concept of stakeholder participation. Should I use this opportunity to invite other partners to support these efforts to restore the life of the Great Ruaha River which is the lifeline of citizens and the economy of the nation at large,” DC Mshama elaborated.

On his part, Ruaha Water Program Coordinator, Mturi James said through this project (SWAUM), stakeholders were able to generate and implement the following projects: Agricultural conservation and reforestation inUdumuka and Lugodalutali villages, establishing of tree seedling garden / nursery at Ifunda, Isalavanu, Saadani and Igomaa villages, protecting of water-sources at Kibada, Mapogoro, Nyamakuyu, in Igima Ward, and the implementation of participatory village land use plans at Nyakadete, Miyombweni, Mbweleli and Makatapola villages.

James mentioned other activities implemented by stakeholders’ like construction of water trough for livestock at Mwakaganga, drilling of water-wells at Nyakadeteand Nyamakuyu villages, measuring of water levels in Mbarali and Ndembera rivers, Construction of the weather station (Mafinga) and river water measuring station (Warumba),to facilitate and provide intensive agricultural training- Pawaga and Measuring the quality and safety of water in Ihanzutwa, Nyamakuyu, Nyakadete and Mihango villages and so on.

He said that the objective of meeting was to bring together stakeholders to learn from shared experience to water and land governance in Mbarali River Sub-catchment and to the Great Ruaha River.

According to Principle Forest Assistance (PFA) Makete District, Pius Kessy the WWF gave education to a team of facilitators in the district to cooperate with the council and stakeholders have sought to do the following: create a water users association for Matamba Ward (JUWAMA) based on groups such as women, pastoralists, farmers and domestic water users , identifying available water resources that contribute its waters in the Great Ruaha River and 318 water sources have been identified in the Matamba and Kinyika wards. 

Kessy said that citizens were persuaded to establish tree nurseries which were environmentally friendly to water, where they have established nurseries in three villages Nhungu, Mahanji and Mpangala and a total of 4,118 seedlings were planted.

He said that other activities implemented include establishing of beekeeping groups in Nhungu (190 beehives), Ngoje (30 beehives) and Mpangala (30 beehives) villages.

He said the new initiative of SWAUM although it was new to them, meant to manage the river and its catchment managed to address water governance failures in the GRRC.

The biggest challenge for Makete was of geographical nature, which becomes difficult to enforce laws and regulations of the distance of 60 meters from the riverbank.

The conflict of laws from various sectors working in areas, for instance, land people were demarcating plots up the valley, environmentalists withheld build on valley at same time agriculturists promote irrigation agriculture and conservationists say it is not allowed any activities in the areas of water sources and rivers within 60 meters.

However, during the meeting of the multi-stakeholders at Makambako- participants were determined that there are stakeholders who have not participated in the workshop which includes police, anti-corruption unit, the courts, lawyers and religious leaders should be involved next time.

Stakeholders were also determined to be necessary to mark and put some beacons showing 60 meters from the banks of rivers and water sources with the poster prohibiting any unenvironmental friendly activities near the river banks and water sources.

They also concluded that environmental education should be continue to farmers, livestock keepers and all stakeholders who use water resources and rivers, hence sustainable environmental conservation.