Next month marks 12 years since the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was seized by General Ratko Mladić. What followed was the worst atrocity on European soil since World War Two – almost 9,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered because of their religion and between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped.

Last year, along with the other main party leaders, I launched the education resources for the charity Remembering Srebrenica Scotland. They were setup to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide and to help teach us lessons of tolerance by remembering the past. By sharing the stories of the Mothers of Srebrenica and other survivors of genocide I believe we can inspire people in Scotland to tackle hatred when they see it and therefore make our communities safer and more cohesive.

This week I’ve been in Srebrenica with Remembering Srebrenica Scotland hearing those harrowing stories first hand. From meeting survivors to seeing bullet holes in almost every building you don’t have to look hard to see the marks of the horrors.

Next month, Remembering Srebrenica’s National Commemoration in Scotland will take place in Glasgow at the Mitchell Library. On Friday the 14th July, you can go along and hear the powerful testimony of the founder of the Association of Women Victims of War, Bakira Hasečić. But no matter where you are next month, I hope you will join me in reflecting on this horrific genocide, and how we can work to prevent anything like this ever happening again.

(This article originally appeared in Kez's Daily Record Column on 13 June 2017)

(Pictures by John Young / www.YoungMedia.co.uk)

Richard
Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on the Howard League for Penal Reform’s
response to a joint inspection report of Medway secure training centre, said:  

“This damning report is a sharp reminder
that the prisons crisis remains unchecked. 

“The new Justice Secretary must act quickly and
explain how he is going to fix prisons and secure training centres which are
violent and unsafe.  

“The public is less safe as a result of seven
years of Tory prison mismanagement.

“The next Labour Government will recruit 3,000
extra prison officers to improve safety and end the understaffing.”

13 Jun 2017

The new group of Scottish Conservative MPs have today issued a joint statement urging Nicola Sturgeon to face reality on a second independence referendum.

The 13 MPs told her to admit the bid to break up Britain had failed, and instead focus on the day job of running the country.

The joint statement from Scottish Conservative MPs stated:

“Since June last year, Nicola Sturgeon has focused solely on independence and how she can force a second referendum on Scotland.

“During that time, we have seen the damage it has caused. It has created uncertainty, damaged prospects for Scottish business and held our economy back.

“It has been the first and only priority for her government – with a high price paid by people across our country.

“Because of the SNP obsession on independence, our school system is letting down a generation of children, and our NHS is struggling.

“Most recently, she chose to put independence ‘at the heart’ of the general election.

“The prospect of a second referendum alarmed the majority of Scots who do not want to face another painful period of upheaval and division.

“She asked them to vote on it – and the SNP lost 21 seats and half a million votes. It was a damning verdict.

“Unless we present a united front to the EU, Nicola Sturgeon will disrupt our negotiations. And unless she gets back to the day job, Scotland will continue to pay a high price.

“So she needs to end her denial, listen to what the people of Scotland have said and face up to the reality.

“She needs to look the Scottish people in the eye and tell them she has given up on a second independence referendum.

“Unless and until she does, she is putting her party ahead of her country – and we will not stand for it.”

The CMA has accepted proposals by David Lloyd to resolve concerns over its proposed purchase of Virgin Active gyms in Brighton and Brentwood.

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to today’s inflation figures, said:

“Today’s further rise in inflation is deeply worrying, and once again shows how the Tories’ seven years of failed economic policy means working people are losing out, with wages lagging behind prices since the Tories came to power.
“Young people in particular, are suffering from a widening pay gap between the under and over-24s – increased by age distinctions in the Tories’ so-called National Living Wage.

“And after seven wasted years of Tory economic failure with real wages falling behind prices, and living standards being squeezed, working people in our country simply cannot afford more of the same from Theresa May and her party.

“Only a Labour government will ensure working people’s living standards are protected with a real Living Wage of £10 per hour, and immediate end to austerity spending cuts. At a time when the government is in total disarray, if they will not act then they need to stand aside and let a Labour government build an economy that works for the many, not the few.”