Transcripts For BBCNEWS Victoria Derbyshire 20240713

Al blackman was known as marine a he served more than three years in prison for shooting the taliban fighter in the chest at close range, and is here to tell us how hes now helping other ex Service Personnel. Huddersfield University Students tell Prince Andrew to quit as their chancellor. And the hollywood actor whos made allegations of abuse against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, rose mcgowan, tells us she doesnt believe prince annrew. My my response to the interview Prince Andrew gave is one, like many, of shock and dismay, but also disbelief in my opinion. And facebook Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn defends the social media platforms decision not to ban political adverts. In elections, as you know, theres always been scrutiny about what politicians put out and discuss and debate. We think thats important, we think thats healthy. And we think freedom of expression is a very important part of what facebook is. In a democracy, we dont think its right that a private company should make the decisions as to what is and isnt the right thing that a politician should put out there. Hello, welcome to the programme. Were live until 11 this morning. Any moment now the green party will become the First Political party to launch their election manifesto well cross to it live so you can watch it as soon as it begins. First lets bring you a news summary which we may interrupt if the green launch begins with annita mcveigh. Actually, no. Thank you, victoria. I think, in fact, actually, no. Thank you, victoria. I think, infact, the actually, no. Thank you, victoria. I think, in fact, the launch is about to start, i am not sure if i should launch into the summary because i thinkjonathan launch into the summary because i think jonathan ba rtley launch into the summary because i thinkjonathan bartley it is about to begin speaking. It is so great to see you all here today at such a Pivotal Moment in politics. As greens, we know a Pivotal Moment when we see one. Ten years ago while other parties were bailing out the banks, we were building a bridge to the future. As the whole Financial System slid into the abyss, our very own Caroline Lucas was one of a small group of people who wrote a road map to something so much better. A Green New Deal. Applause but that was nearly a decade ago. We had the chance to make a radical breakfrom had the chance to make a radical break from the past and shape a fairer, more prosperous future together. But we all know what happened next. World leaders rushed to rescue a fading economic model. Those that cause the crisis were just let off the hook. We went back to business as usual. And then we turbo charge to business as usual. Inequality went through the roof, Living Standards fell through the floor, and we kept pushing our planet onwards towards Dangerous Levels of heating. Back then, our economy itself warned us that things had to change. Now our very planet is ringing the alarm. Hitting snooze for another 15 years simply is not an option. This is a different magnitude to the financial crash. You cant double down on business as usual, prey to the markets and expect the Climate Emergency to magically go into reverse. Everything needs to change. And so the Green New Deal is an idea whose time has come. Today we are so proud to put forward a manifesto which puts us on track to decarbonise every single sector of the economy by2030 every single sector of the economy by 2030 while delivering social justice across britain. Applause we are entirely honest. It is the most ambitious Green New Deal anywhere in the world. Accept no limitations. The conservatives say net zero by 2050. Not good enough. The lib dems say net zero by 2045. Not good enough. Labour members said net zero by 2030. Not good enough. Applause while the other parties are catching up, we while the other parties are catching up, we are while the other parties are catching up, we are racing ahead into the distance, reaching new horizons. We are the ground breakers, the innovators, the originators and the experts. We are the green party and we are ready to remain and transform everything. Thank you. Cheering and applause. That was the deputy leader of the green party just about to that was the deputy leader of the green partyjust about to speak, you heard jonathan ba rtley, green partyjust about to speak, you heard jonathan bartley, the co leader, talking about a plan to reach zero Carbon Emissions by 2030, it said every sector of the economy would be decarbonise. I am told the official manifesto went online at exactly 10am, i will be curious to hear the details. What impact it will have on peoples lifestyles, and the significant amount of money they are spending. And tomorrow nightjoin me on bbc one and the bbc news channel for the a bbc ask the leader debates with the green party and their co leaderjonathan bartley. We will be in birmingham with an audience of voters. Well collectively question mr bartley about his promises at this general election. Join me and our audience and the green party at 10 45 tomorrow night bbc one and the bbc news channel. This morning this programme can reveal the identity of a royal marine who was charged with the murder of a wounded taliban fighter in afghanistan in 2011. Until today hes only been known as marine e. Marine e is sam deen. A military court has lifted an anonymity order, and he can finally talk about what happened that day in afghanistan when headcam footage showed him offering to shoot the wounded fighter in the head. The murder charge against him was later dropped. He reveals to this programme that he tried to take his own life after hitting rock bottom. His colleague that day, marine a, alexander blackman, was given a life sentence for murder. His conviction was later reduced to manslaughter and he was released from prison in 2017. Well talk to him in a moment about how hes now helping other veterans working for the forces charity exfor. First this report from clairejones. Gunfire a story of men in war. I wanted to be the best that you physically could be. Thats why i wanted tojoin the marines. If things had been different, id have probably done the full service. I can look back, theres a lot to be proud of. You know, i did a lot things. Men who shared a moment that changed their lives forever. The way i left was, was. Arguably unique. You know, its hard. I didnt feel like i did anything wrong. I didnt feel like any of us did anything wrong. I had a Mental Health diagnosis, but mine was situation and location specific. I tried to take an overdose and just. You know, it wasnt. It wasnt the best time. What happened that day is one of the biggest military controversies of our times. But the stories of some of the men involved have not been told. Now, one of those men is speaking for the first time about the day that changed his life forever. You cant really go through Something Like that and not be different at the end of it. In 2012, nine Royal Marines were arrested on suspicion of murder after an incident involving an insurgent in afghanistan. Five marines were charged and an anonymity order was granted to protect them. They became known as marine a, b, c, d and e. Marine es real name is sam dean. A military court has now lifted an anonymity order, so he can talk openly for the first time about that day in afghanistan. We all got basically scrambled out to intercept two taliban. We ended up storming a compound. They fled. And then they were basically trying to flank us, or they could have been trying to flank us. But these two insurgents had already been shooting at one of our checkpoints. They were actively going out, these two guys, to kill british troops. So the apache was called in. Gunfire 144 rounds, they let off, the apache, and didnt get a direct hit. He was just hitting the ground around him. Im dont think hes dead. It appeared one of the taliban was still alive. Theyve missed him. Missed him, did they . Inaudible i do remember being called over. Took him to the sideline, cos he was in the middle of the field, very exposed. Took him to the, you know, out of the way. I was there quite some time. And i wasjust like, what are we doing here . Lets just get out of here. Al blackman, marine a, was in command. I was involved from the very beginning, from when he called me over. I felt sort of influenced, i was influencing things. Anybody want to do first aid on this idiot, no . No. Put one in his head if you want. Take your pick laughter this video footage is from a helmet camera worn by one of the marines. What was it that you said on the video . I do remember exactly what i was saying. I was saying, yeah, letsjust put one in his head. Lets just do it. I said, ill shoot him. I was just saying that, just to. The guy was dying, the guy was in pain. Its just like, hes going to die. Then it happened. Gunshot there you go, shuffle off this mortal coil. Alshot him, said, right, thats done. Lets just go. Nothing he wouldnt do to us. I know, exactly. Obviously this doesnt go anywhere, fellas. Yeah, roger, mate. Ive just broken the geneva convention. Yeah, rog. You know, we made him decent, took his fingerprints to find out who he was. And then we left. Theres no other way that day could have ended without risking. You know, british casualties. It had to end, it had to be that way. He was going to die anyway. Sam left afghanistan and tried to put the incident out of his head. I was actually on a ship in gibraltar. I heard seven marines had been arrested for murder, like, from some footage thats being found on someones laptop. I didnt realise that i was actually one of those guys. It was a bit of a shock. I didnt feel like i did anything wrong. I didnt feel like any of us did anything wrong. Ijust i just thought it would be ijust thought it would be done and dusted. You know, it was like, how can you charge me . Youve just seen the video. Youve seen i didnt have any involvement other than saying what i said. How can you charge me with full on murder when i didnt kill anyone . The whole situation was. It was used as a scapegoat for the military. They had to be shown to do something. It should. If they were going to do that, they should bring up thousands of cases that happened in every single war. Four months later, sam was acquitted of the murder charge, but the acquittal wasnt the end of the story. Even though like, it was done and dusted for me, it wasnt in my head. I sort of went off the rails a bit and ijust broke down. I remember ijust broke down. And i was. I was like, crying. But no one knew what to do. And they were like, yeah, were flying you back to the uk. So, ijust had to sit around and. And then wait. And then they flew me back. And i wasjust. I was like, sort of stuck in limbo. Then, in 2015, sam left the Royal Marines. I wasjust like. Just went absolutely off the rails. A culmination of the stresses from the tour, the stresses from the trial, alljust bottled up and then itsjust, itsjust. Popped. And ijust, yeah, itsjust really affected my Mental Health, like years later, years down the line. Last year, sam attempted to end his life. I was having panic attacks as well. Ijust like, i dont want to live like this any more. And ijust, yeah, i tried to take an overdose and ijust. Yeah, it wasnt. It wasnt the best time. You go from being a royal marine whos in control, whos, you know, who knows what hes doing in life, to then leaving and just losing control of it. And its its embarrassing. Thats not embarrassing. In my head it was. Yeah, its just because you dont want people to think that youre struggling, do you . Especially cos it wasnt successful as well. But. And then youve just got to live with the after of that, and then people like knowing, oh, yeah. But. Yeah. Marine as identity was revealed in 2013 as alexander blackman. He was given a life sentence for murder. His conviction was later reduced to manslaughter, and he was released from prison in 2017. You had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Marines over many years, with many different experiences. What youve become known for is that one afternoon in one field in afghanistan. How does that make you feel . Its difficult, you know, its. But, you know, its the situation i found myself in. And thats the way life is. So, you know, im moving on from that and its not defining who i am. Sam has spoken very honestly about his Mental Health and how hes struggled to adapt to civilian life. Is that something that you can relate to . In certain aspects. I mean, erm, you know, i had a Mental Health diagnosis, but mine was, erm. Situations and location specific. As far as im aware, you know, i dont feel im suffering now. You know, ive had colleagues ive worked with whove, you know, unfortunately ta ken their lives recently, you know, since theyve left service cos theyre struggling with Mental Health issues and theyve kept it all bottled up. Since leaving prison, why have you wanted to help veterans . I think, you know, the difficulties that they face in, you know, not all of them, but some of them can face when they transition, can seem insurmountable. And so i see the opportunity to help others and give Something Back as very appealing. To help with sams Mental Health, he has challenged himself to climb the seven summits, the highest mountains across the seven continents of the world. Week by week, day by day, im changing. I just feel stronger, confident. Like, i wouldnt, i dont feel like i could be in a situation im in last year. When i wanted to start climbing, that sort of gave me the taste i needed, itjust took my mind off Everything Else and im like, thats going to get me back to where i need to be, like, to feel. You know, like im achieving something. And ifeel, like, you keep, you know, dreaming big thats when you like, it gets better, doesnt it . Claire jones with that exclusive film. Lets talk live to alexander blackman, and simon adams, whos ceo of the Community Interest company exfor , that aims to help military personnel transition into civilian life. Good morning to you both and thank you very much for coming on the programme. Al blackman, what is it like for you hearing sam deen, whose identity we can finally reveal, speak in the way he has . It is very saddening. I think back when we were first arrested in the whole process began, obviously apart from the effect on myself, one of the things that affected me the most was the damaging effect at the time and ongoing that it had on the young men under my command on that day. It has been one of the hardest things for me to get over. Do you believe that he, sam deen, should never have been charged with murder . Well, yes. The fa ct charged with murder . Well, yes. The fact that he had the charges dropped before we went to trial was proof of that. 0bviously things need to be investigated and how that is determined is up to the investigators, but i think the fact he had all the charges dropped was enough that he had no criminal involvement or charges to face. You are the first person in modern history to be convicted for murder for events on the battlefield, how do you reflect on that now . It is difficult. I have tried to move on, asi difficult. I have tried to move on, as i said in the video there it has happened, i am trying not to let that be the one thing that defines the rest of my life, so while it is a big, Pivotal Moment that has changed my life and many of the guys who were involved on the day, you know, it cant be that one thing that i dwell on for the rest of my life. Ive got to move forward positively. Are you remorseful . I think you had to be, i had said previously i am sorry for my actions on that day, especially the impact it had another Seven Members of the armed forces. I had some messages from viewers, malcolm on Facebook Says it has got to the point that soldiers had to ask, if i deploy, will i be accused of something . If i am deployed, will i have to take out legal insurance if i keylor injure someone legal insurance if i keylor injure someone while defending myself and my comrades . Will i be threatened with imprisonment imprisonment because the enemys word is taken for granted and because the enemys word is taken forgranted and mine because the enemys word is taken for granted and mine has to be proved . For granted and mine has to be proved . Sandra says for granted and mine has to be proved . Sandra says charges should never have been brought against the men in the third space. This tweet says dont think anyone who hasnt experienced the hell of afghanistan is able to appreciate what it is like. We cant overlay at the culture of a good infrastructure, law, food, fair play, benefits, morals, respect on a lawless, brutal, archaic, dangerous country, do notjudge. Jim on twitter says easy for us to say what was the right thing to do. Under pressure at will, who knows . But the rules of engagement separators from the enemy, we must abide by it. I am a huge supporter of our military but more so of the rule of law. Sam deen talked very openly about his Mental Health, which he can take back to his experiences in the Royal Marines. You now do lots of work helping veterans. When it comes to their Mental Health, why is that significant and important to you . After my own Mental Health diagnosis, which helped me understand more why i did what i did on the day, and having so many friends who have been diagnosed since, or previous to that, you see what a devastating impact it is and how it can go unrecognised. It is not a physical injury, you are not missing a limb, you can appear normal but struggled terribly. It needs to be addressed and more effort put into. Simon, we are in the middle of a general election campaign, Mental Health of veterans, is it high enough up the agenda for politicians . A bloke i personally believe it has been mentioned by a member of mps, believe it has been mentioned by a member of mp5, i think now griffiths wasted on social media. That part and parcel of the difficulty is making chiriches the right people delivering the right support at the right time and making sure it is timely and appropriate for the individual. The exfor organisation that you run, what is its aim . Its aim is really in the name. We all refer to ourselves as ex forces when we leave services, it is a place for whether veterans can be more than four forces, where veterans can provide support to other veterans on a peer to peer basis, it can also be being a collaborator, bringing organisations together. Some people may not know there is 1800 plus Armed Forces Charities. That is astonishing, 1800 Armed Forces Charities in this country. Is that too many . I would not necessarily say so, everybody is doing what they feel is right at the right time in relation to people wanting to give, support and help and i would never detract from that say we need less, but what we need is the larger organisations and charities coming together and to turn around and say lets collaborate more, lets be cohesive, lets work together. When you left the Royal Marines, what did you left the Royal Marines, what did you do . To be honest, from minute jot when i left the camp and gave over my id card, i went to my car, i chose to to an area where you can park andl chose to to an area where you can park and i sat in my car for probably three intimate hours thinking, 0k, what are the next steps for me . Did you cry . Absolutely. Anybody that knows me, the fact i wanted tojoin the armed forces from such a young age, probably eight years of age i made the decision tojoin, it probably eight years of age i made the decision to join, it was probably eight years of age i made the decision tojoin, it was my whole life, my whole career, my whole life, my whole career, my whole aim and goal was to get into a specialist unit. To come to that point where your life has seemingly become not necessarily null and void, but you dont know your next steps, you have lost pretty much everything you worked for. That is where exfor comes in, you help not just for the Royal Marines that military Service Personnel across the board with a transition. That sounds like quite a nice word, but what were talking about is, on occasion, people leaving the military without a job, no home, nowhere to go to, no back up, no support and, if they are lucky, a pension which they cannot claim until they are 60 . Under the armed forces does a very good job in looking after you while you are serving, it is often described as a big blanket, they provide you with great medical, dental, you never have to worry about where a meal is coming from, where you will sleep, suddenly that is gone. The guys who perhaps leave early and have not had a previous civilian job or experience of looking after themselves and the world, it is quite a shock when they get out and you have to get housing, get another job. Your transition was very different, because you face this murder charge, reduced to manslaughter, you spent time in prison. When you left, what was it like for you . It was a shock, i had not expected to leave the Royal Marines until reaching my end service date. You factor in transition through the penal system, it was quite difficult. I think i have made a reasonably good go of it. I put most of my success in transition down to the support of my wife, claire, and family. If you havent got a Strong Family support network behind you when you leave, it can be just another barrier against you. What were you going to say, sorry . Upload i was going to elaborate on the aims and goals of where exfor is. Our elaborate on the aims and goals of where exfor is. 0uraim is elaborate on the aims and goals of where exfor is. Our aim is to become an overarching organisation. We are primarily staffed by veterans and being able to providee transitional employer to service leaders. I have such of the Senior Member of the ministry of defence and one of the comments i made to him asi and one of the comments i made to him as i would like to be able to come to him in three years and said i want to employ as many veterans coming through from the process of medical discharge, to bring them into an employer that is long term sustainable, able to give them a job, able to engage with nhs services are Mental Health services, able to engage with appropriate charities as and when its needed and almost changing the focus of the charities from being externally focused too internally focused, to supporting veterans, and subsequently having a positive impact on the social and economic level within the uk. Impact on the social and economic levelwithin the uk. One impact on the social and economic level within the uk. One final quick thought, this government has set up the office for veterans affairs. We do not know who will win the vet who will win the general election, would you like to see a commitment to continue with that office . Anything positive for veterans is good, and a commitment that that Government Office stays intact and will be staffed or given someone to ta ke will be staffed or given someone to take the lead, whoever becomes the next government, which be positive, could only be seen as positive. Simon . I wholeheartedly believe that there should be a government Administrative Organisation that works within the internal heart of government, supporting veterans are managing the cohesion on that side of things, but there also needs to be an external agency, and a single overarching that actually interact not only with government but with all the other organisations to bring about the cohesion and collaboration needed. Alan says what a moving piece this morning, well done to sam deen for putting himself round. As a vetera n deen for putting himself round. As a veteran that has also hit rock bottom, his comments about being embarrassed about his struggles resonated with me. Well turn to al blackman for helping him. Well done. Bill says, as an army veteran i know the Royal Marines, including elfed al i know the Royal Marines, including elfed al blackman, had overwhelming support. I know he was still serving. Those ultimately responsible are the politicians. This text says perhaps this may come asa this text says perhaps this may come as a shock to some people that the armed forces are there to fight wars and potentially kill people, they did their duty and should be on edge, not criticised. 0ne did their duty and should be on edge, not criticised. One more tweet, message to all politicians, please do not train combat soldiers to kill and expect them not to finish off thejob in to kill and expect them not to finish off the job in dangerous territory. They are soldiers or medics, you should not expect them to be both and it is time people faced up to that. Thank you both very much for coming on the programme. Simon adam, ceo of the not for Profit Community organisation exfor , and former moreno blackman. And thank you to sam deen as well, who spoke so powerfully about his own Mental Health issues on the programme this morning for the first time, as we we re morning for the first time, as we were able to reveal his identity, with his permission. And if youve been affected by issues in this discussion, there is a range of organisations and websites that can offer you advice and support. You can find them listed on the bbcs actionline website at bbc. Co. Uk actionline. Still to come. A Vice President of facebook defends the social media platforms decision not to ban political adverts. We feel, in elections as you know, there has always been scrutiny about what politicians put out, discussed and debated. We think thats important, we think thats healthy, and we think freedom of expression is a very important part of what facebook is. In a democracy, we dont think its right that a private company should make the decisions as to what is and isnt the right thing that a politician should put out there. Students at Huddersfield University are calling on the university to drop Prince Andrew as their chancellor after his interview with bbc newsnight. The university sent us this statement this morning it is interesting because yesterday they sent a statement effectively backing Prince Andrew continuing as chancellor. Meanwhile, the Outward Bound trust have called a Board Meeting for this week to review Prince Andrews patronage of their charity. In a moment, well hear from hollywood actor and activist rose mcgowan, whose allegations about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein sparked the Metoo Movement. She watched the bbc newsnight interview in which Prince Andrew categorically denies having sex with a 17 year old and denies he knew anything about whatJeffrey Epstein was up to. She tells us she didnt believe Prince Andrew and felt sick to the stomach watching him. But first, lets talk to students margaux haime and tristan smith, who began the campaign for Prince Andrew to resign as chancellor. Tristan is a student member of the labour party. Why do you want Prince Andrew to be sacked as chancellor . The behaviour we have seen, disregarding the allegations even, the fact we know he continued the friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after the conviction and stayed at his house, which he admitted in the interview, i do not think it is very good conduct. It should not be representative of us. He needs to have taken a stand to show integrity and i have not seen that yet. It is not the role model student should have, not the sort of person who should be in that position. Essentially, of authority, and of recognition and respect. It seems reasonable i think that we would value students going out into the world with integrity, morals, upstanding reputations, and that not being reflected in the chancellors behaviour and statements, which i found to be upsetting and which i do not see much accountability and much sympathy for victims, regardless of what may or may not have happened. If Prince Andrew does not take the decision to resign, can the authorities remove him . |j decision to resign, can the authorities remove him . I am not entirely sure. It would be down to the university, i believe, and this motion is passed through the stu d e nts motion is passed through the Students Union which on the whole listens to student voices more although i am pleased to hear the university is now interested in listening to and working with stu d e nts listening to and working with students on the opinions we put forward. That is interesting, a change of tone from the statement they said yesterday and the one they said this morning. This morning the University Says they are aware of the Students Union meeting and the motion passed and they say they listen to students views and concerns and will consult with them. Yesterday they told us, as chancellor Prince Andrew has taken an interest in the work of the university and represented it on numerous occasions. In relation to the allegations the palace has issued a denial and this was reiterated in the interview and we have nothing to add. So they seem to shift position. What do they need to do . I think the University Needs to reconsider its position and i think the best thing in the situation would be if he voluntarily resigned, which would be the best thing to do, i think. I think regardless of what has happened or not happened, it is about the alleged allegations, which goes against the principles we hold in education and universities, because the system is built on trust and we need to be able to trust in our system, to make the right decisions, because in an educational environment, this is a serious allegation and normally we would put somebody inactive, which is a safeguarding issue and it seems that is not happening, regardless of what has happened, because it is a very serious and important allegation that has been made. It feels like the university is not acting on this, whereas every other person, i feel we would have if it was a memberof feel we would have if it was a member of staff, student, anyone of us, would have immediately been actioned. It is the system we need to follow, the normal system or democratic system that protects us and safeguards us. Let me bring you back in, you know that prince denied having sex with Virginia Roberts. Your point is the fact he was friends with jeffrey your point is the fact he was friends withJeffrey Epstein, particularly after he was released from prison, that is enough for him to resign . I think so. It is a system of association. I will go into a workplace in the future and the legacy and reputation of the university will inevitably follow me. The people and places you choose to align yourself with do affect your reputation and that is a way that everything in life does work. It is difficult to say i am distancing myself from this, it does not reflect on me, yet to have the continued relationship. It is important for people to make a stand when something is not acceptable and to fully distance themselves from it rather than just saying that is not me but continuing a level of relationship. If Prince Andrew was watching now, talk to him, what do you say . Whatever you have or have not done, accountability is important, listening to people when they have valid concerns is important and trying to dismiss an issue without recognition for the people that may even unintentionally been hurt or affected is not something i would like to see from my chancellor. I would like integrity, the ability to make a stand regardless of what the consequences may be. I would like compassion, i would like them to be the valley as my students up holes and as someone who represents my institution it lets me down they are not expressing those values right now. The Students Union has tried to re m ove now. The Students Union has tried to remove Prince Andrew as chancellor before, in september, before he did the interview. You have been joined by before he did the interview. You have beenjoined by readers of huddersfields local paper, the examiner, who are urging the university to remove him from position of chancellor. Does that help you . It is good local support is shown because it shows it is not only us as students who feel it is the association or the university associated, but the town itself. Huddersfield is a good place to be, i enjoy it. Usually, if Something Like this happened we would have acted on it and it is good to show there is a wider support for this motion, regardless of whether these things have truly happened or not, it is good because it shows values that we as a society and community uphold and we as a local Community Value and it is important to have this bond between students and locals because it shows that we take this matter seriously and this is notjust this matter seriously and this is not just what i this matter seriously and this is notjust what i guess in social media you would call snowflakes. It isa media you would call snowflakes. It is a broader value in society and it shows the values triston talks about, integrity, upholding the standards of the community and Even National values we uphold, that is amazing actually. Thank you both. Really appreciate your time. We can hear now from hollywood actor rose mcgowan whose allegations against move mogul Harvey Weinstein started the Metoo Movement. I asked her for her response to Prince Andrews interview in which he categorically denies having sex with a 17 year old and also that he knew anything about epsteins actions. My response to the interview Prince Andrew gave is one, like many, of shock and dismay, but also disbelief in my opinion but also disbelief in my opinion its not a truthful interview and its also certainly not the mark of someone who is an empathetic character and cares about victims in any way. What did you think of Prince Andrews denial of having sex with the teenager Virginia Roberts because he was at a branch of Pizza Express at the time of the alleged incident . To that i would say i believe Pizza Express closes fairly early so there is enough time to get to a nightclub called tramp. What shocked you the most . What shocked be the most was his outrageous privilege. Of course we know about it. Its privileged to deny, privileged to be a man in that kind of world and have so many people doing everything for you that you see nothing wrong with what ever your actions are. All those people who we are your friends. He said in the interview people behave differently around him. So subtly differently around him. So thats why, he said, he didnt notice anything suspicious. You were one of those who sparked the Metoo Movement with your allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Again, allegations he denies, but you will know what alleged victims ofJeffrey Epstein will be feeling after this interview with Prince Andrew. Tell us. I know any time you have to hear the word consensual, anytime you see someone whitewashing the truth, it does something horrible to you. It makes you feel invalidated. We feel like you dont exist and nobody is listening to you. So i can imagine those poor women watching are feeling sick to their stomachs, as i was on their behalf. Plenty of people have made jokes about what a pr disaster it was. They have joked about his remarks to do with sweating, the Pizza Express alibi and so on. Do you think people like Virginia Roberts and others will be disappointed that some of the conversation has been about Prince Andrews performance a lot of the conversation, rather than if he has actually got something serious to answer for . I think that is a completely true statement. I definitely feel like they have been ignored in this process. Its easy to go for the pr angle, its easy to go for the pizza for the Pizza Express and sweating and things like that, but i wish a lot more in the interview had been asked about the victims. We cant forget there is human tragedy behind this. This isntjust a joke about two creepy older men. It has serious repercussions, serious ramifications and serious pain that is involved in this story. What do you feel should happen now . Legally . I think Prince Andrew needs to talk to the fbi and the investigators. I think thats all he really can do at this point because i dont think theres anything left on the pr front for him to do. And he should voluntarily go to the us and submit to questioning by the authorities . I think he should. I think it would be, as he said, the honourable thing to do. Rose mcgowan talking earlier. As many as 200 protesters remain barricaded inside a Hong Kong University surrounded by police, as the standoff continues for a third day. Those inside Polytechnic University are said to be running low on supplies. Theyve been inside the campus since last week, initially stopping police from entering by lighting fires and throwing petrol bombs. Police say adults who leave will be arrested, leaving some too scared to leave. Heres our correspondent Rupert Wingfield hayes. So this is a street in the middle of kowloon, the heart of hong kongs tourist district with big five star hotels all around me here. And you can see this is the result of what happened here last night. These piles of bricks, these are paving stones, all of the sidewalks, the pavements around here, have been ripped up by protesters last night. Early this morning, the streets were absolutely strewn with all sorts of debris. They have now been cleaned back so the traffic can move again. There is some sort of return to normality here but it is still a very tense situation. Because of the violence last night and because of the tense stand off that is still going on at the hong kong Polytechnic University, which is about a kilometre down the road here, they still have, we think, around 100 or so students holed up inside there. 0vernight, around 600 of the protesters there have given themselves up to police. Of those, around 200 were minors under the age of 18. Now, the government has said they have been allowed to go home. That was one of the conditions for trying to defuse the situation at the university, that anybody under the age of 18 who gave themselves up, their details will be taken but they would be allowed to go home. All of the others over the age of 18 have been taken into detention, and the police this morning here in hong kong say over the past two or three days, at the hong kong Polytechnic University, they have made 1100 arrests. It has been a very, very violent, distressing few days here in hong kong. The question now arises is will the local elections that are due to take place next sunday, will they be able to go ahead . So far, chief executive carrie lam has said they will go ahead but she has said she will review that on a day by day basis. Of course, her government is expected to do very badly in those elections. It is very, very unpopular. And so the fear of some people weve talked to here is that she may try or her government may try to use whats gone on here as an excuse to delay or put those elections off. A facebook Vice President has defended its decision not to ban political adverts. Nicola mendelsohn has told this programme she doesnt think its the job of facebook to police the accuracy of political ads. We spoke to her about that, but, first, she talked to us about the launch of a new Cancer Foundation shes behind, after he own terminal diagnosis for a blood cancer called follicular lymphoma. Well, since i saw you last year, i actually, unfortunately had to have treatment. So i had to have chemotherapy and immunotherapy for six months. But im really happy to say that at the end of it in december, i was given the all clear, so to speak, even though this is an incurable cancer. So i was given no evidence of disease, which was the best news i could have ever possibly wished for. Well, just explain that. People might not understand it. It is a cancer that is incurable at the moment. But youre in remission . I know, it is a hard thing to get your head round. So follicular lymphoma is a slow growing blood cancer. And there are treatments out there which can put it into remission. But actually it can come back, and it can come back at any time. Weve got no idea of knowing if im going to get it to come back tomorrow, or it could be five years or ten years. Theres just not enough really basic science known about the disease at the moment. How do you deal with that then . Well, it can be hard. You can have days where you think about it a lot, and then some days you kind of go, oh, i didnt think about it at all. And its three years now since my initial diagnosis. But there isnt a day that, you know, i really dont think about it. Sure. I mean, youve gone back to work. You work a lot. You have a very busyjob. Its a high powered job. How do you manage the cancer and the work and your family . So, i actually didnt leave work. I was very lucky in that the chemo that i had, actually i wasnt too bad on it. And many people that have this type of treatment are also able to work. Now, i was kinder to myself. So i travel every week normally. But during the period i was having treatment, i didnt travel. So i stayed in london. I stayed put and i looked after my body. And i think now one of the things that ive tried to continue to do is to make sure ive kept up the exercise, that i do eat a good diet. And im quite good at compartmentalising things. Im very organised because i do have a busyjob and i have a, you know, a big family, four kids. So i have to be, otherwise the whole thing wouldnt work. But i am lucky also, because i do have a lot of support that is able to help me through some of the decisions i have to make. And how do your children cope about the fact that you might be taken from them earlier than they would wish . Try not to think about that. I think they dont try and think about that either. They. They say that they see how i am. They look at me, and i do ask them im asking them all the time you know, how are you about it . And they go, well, youre all right, mum. If youre working, if youre kind of living what seems like our normal life, then were 0k. So they take their lead from you and your attitude . Yeah, they do. You will have been asked this many times. I probably asked you last time. I want to ask you again. How has this diagnosis changed your perspective on your life . For some people, they make lots of big changes with a cancer diagnosis. I didnt, i havent. And im very lucky in that respect that i have, you know, i love my life. I love the job that i do. I love my family. And im blessed. I am blessed in that respect. The main changes that actually i made were around diet and exercise, which i really was not very good at it. So those are the main things for me. This week, youre launching a foundation dedicated to helping people with follicular lymphoma. What is the aim of that . Yes, so the aim of the foundation is actually to help people around the world, the hundreds of thousands of People Living with follicular lymphoma, to live well with it. But ultimately, one day to get well with it. I dont want the charity to exist. I want us to find a cure. And so we need to raise lots of money in order that we can actually give the scientists, the researchers, the tools they need in order to do thejob of finding a cure. You work for facebook. Youve also, as a human being with cancer, youve found comfort via a facebook group, havent you . Tell us about that. Yeah, its been amazing. So the group is called living with follicular lymphoma. It was set up by an amazing lady called niki, who comes from australia. And its the largest collection now of People Living with follicular lymphoma. Theres 6,000 of us. And its amazingly supportive. Its there when you just want to have a rant. Its there for practical advice. Its the people that really understand you better than anybody else. And the people in the group are so kind to one another and supportive. Weve had people really at a loose end, and other people finding where they are and going and sitting with them, having treatment with them and just being there to be that rock and support. Really, its one of the most important groups for me. Do you think there will be a cure for follicular lymphoma in your lifetime . Yes. Do you . Youre emphatic. I do. I think the science is there. I just dont think that this disease is something its an invisible disease. No ones ever heard of it. And i think where science is progressing to now, i do think that with the awareness, with the fame and with the monies raised, i absolutely do believe there will be a cure. From a Public Service information point of view, just tell our audience what the symptoms were, because you said it was invisible . Yes. So theres a number of symptoms that you can have with a blood cancer. I only had one, which was i had one small lump that i had in my groin, really small. I mean, like this, like a pea sized, really small. Sudden loss of weight is one, night sweats, feeling very tired and fatigued. Those are the sorts of symptoms that you can get. Now, for women especially, often can get passed off as probably the menopause, probably doing too much. Maybe have a bit of a lie down. But actually, in many ways, thats the worst thing. You need to know whats going on, so that you can get the best treatment possible. I want to ask you a couple of questions about facebook. You are Vice President for facebook, for europe, the middle east and africa. Youll know that twitter announced recently that they were ending political ads altogether, saying that the political message reach should be earned, not bought. Political ads are a very small percentage of your revenue, but why arent you banning them . So, elections are very important, and the preservation of the integrity of elections are very important to us at facebook. We feel that in elections, as you know, theres always been scrutiny about what politicians put out and discussed and debated. We think thats important. We think thats healthy. And we think freedom of expression is a very important part of what facebook is. In a democracy, we dont think its right that a private company should make the decisions as to what is and isnt the right thing that a politician should put out there. I think the point is, is about whether its accurate or whether its misleading. And the argument against you is, oh, so a politician or a Political Party can Say Something inaccurate, as long as theyre paying for it . Well, no, actually, ithink its about the fact that, first of all, i want to be really clear that there are rules out there, so if theres anything that would cause harm, or if there was anything that maybe in any wayjeopardised the election, that would come down. But no, we think it is right that we allow our platform. And this is a hard conversation, this is not an easy conversation. But we do think its right that we allow our platform to be a place that people can see what is out there, and especially on political advertising. What we make sure happens now is that if any Political Party is advertising with us, they have to register with us. Then it has to say, when the ads come up, who its by. Which doesnt always happen. Ive got one example to show you. And this was sent by some viewers, actually to us highlighting this particular ad. This is one from the fairtax campaign. Just have a look at this. And it doesnt say who its paid for who has paid for it, i beg your pardon. So when the bbc got in touch with facebook, then facebook realised there was an issue, the advert was taken down. A few days later, it was back with the message paid for by alexander crowley. You can see that in the second picture there. And he is a former aide to borisjohnson, who left downing street in late september. Hes behind that campaign. So some adverts have slipped through . So, first off, im really glad to show that, that you shared that, because you can actually see how it should be working and how it goes out there. But the point was, it wasnt working to start with until viewers contacted us and we then contacted facebook. So we are relying on the integrity of politicians and campaigners to actually register with us and do that. If they dont do that with us, then, like you or members of the public, can absolutely report it. Well take it down if its breaching our rules. But the thing about what happens then is, once its registered so this ad and other ads as well, will now sit inside our ads library. Anybody can go and check out this ads library, because the advertising thats running politically will be there for seven years. So you can actually see whos being targeted, how much money was being paid and whether they were doing different messages to different groups of people. And weve already seen in this election theres been a number of stories that have been reported about it. Indeed, like this one youve just shown. One final question. Nick clegg, former lib dem leader, former deputy pm, now works for facebook, told the bbc injune there is, no evidence that there was a significant attempt by russia to influence our Eu Referendum in this country. But, actually, you have no way of knowing that, do you . No, thats not true. We do have a way of knowing it. We can go and have a look. And one of the things that we have been doing since we saw interference in the United States elections in 2016, is that weve adapted and really, if you like, programmed the artificial intelligence, or deep machine learning, to be able to understand and to look for if there is potential foreign interference, not just at elections, at any time. And weve been very transparent about this. We put it out when we see it. And as nick said emphatically, there wasnt. And ill say it again there was no interference in that election from russian activists or bad actors. Thank you very much for talking to us. Good luck with the foundation. Thank you. Thanks for coming back on the programme. Thank you. Abby said she is a social media and paid advertising specialist and she says she can onlyjust tell the difference between that and fake news sometimes. I want to read a message from tony carol for sam, the man we reveal today, who used to be known as marine e. She said sam, respect, stay focused and strong. Its a long road but it is possible to start again at 43. See you tomorrow night on bbc one and the bbc news channel for the green party debate. Good morning, for many it was a cold and frosty start to the day and for sam, a foggy start and we still have fog in central and south eastern areas. That was Greater London a short while ago. The fog is tending to lift. We have cloud across central areas and sunshine in the far east as scotland and eastern england. It has not been as cold in western parts but here we have thicker cloud and rain moving through northern ireland, pembrokeshire and cornwall. Temperatures here 10 12. Still cold in eastern areas. Through tonight, we will keep coldness in North Eastern areas but frost more limited tonight compared to last night and temperatures for most staying above freezing, particularly in western parts. Throughout wednesday, rain across western areas. For most, dry with more cloud and some bright or sunny spells. Youre watching bbc newsroom live, its11am and these are the main stories this morning. Prince andrew faces new calls to talk to us investigators about his friendship with sex offenderJeffrey Epstein from a woman who claims to be one of epsteins victims. It is upsetting to me to think that anyone who was closely associated withJeffrey Epstein might argue that they didnt suspect that he might have been sexually abusing children. In hong kong, up to 200 Anti Government protesters are still thought to be barricaded inside a university, which has been under siege by police since sunday. The green party of england and wales launch their manifesto pledging