The well be hearing from a friend former 1st minister of. Police in the u. K. Urged the public to report violations of new coronavirus rules. For christmas. Police. Family immunity and it might come to. Kick back out into the street. Stuff for 10 pm here in moscow this saturday night hope youre having a good weekend wherever youre joining us from today welcome to our international we begin with breaking news from the french city of. A Greek Orthodox priest has been shot and injured side his church the gunman fled the scene on a large scale manhunt is underway lets go live to our correspondent now and from Charlotte Dubin skewes been following developments for the last number of hours for us charlotte a gun attack on a priest in the middle of the day in a busy city what more is emerging about what happened there. Well actually were getting in the last few minutes that a suspect has apparently been apprehended there just to be clear you know and this is a suspect we do not know that this is actually the perpetrator behind that attack that took place around 4 pm local time in france what happened that we know is that a Greek Orthodox priest was closing up the church for the evening when he was approached by a man he described to police as being of somebody who looked like they were from the mediterranean so perhaps darker skin was quite tall about 1. 9 meters tall so about 6 foot 2 and was wearing what appeared to be a black trench coat and a black hat now that individual apparently had sworn off shotgun and used that to fire at the orthodox priest now we have heard from eyewitnesses that they heard 2 gunshots fired and then they heard cries calling out now medics were able to attend the scene and to treat the priest for his injuries at the scene in the 7th month of leon and he was later conveyed to hospital we understand his condition is said to be serious but obviously he has been able to provide a brief description to the police of his attacker and hes also said that the attacker was and known to him prior to this incident you mentioned this took place in leon yes leon a busy city a big city in the center of france but obviously at the moment most people are. If you will not even curfew were under lockdown here in france the 2nd lockdown now in the last few months so police have been at the scene there was this manhunt thats being carried out as i mentioned an individual has been apprehended we understand that person was apprehended in the hour on the small of leone which is just to the north of where this incident took place the individual who was taken in by the Security Forces is said to have no fixed abode and was in our restaurant to combat restaurant but its not yet confirmed if this is the perpetrator of this attack on the priest now theres no details as to why this attack took place but this comes in the context when religious sites christian sites are considered to be a target of the moment for terror attacks just a few days ago we saw the unfolding brutal attack that happened in the south of france in the city of nice where 3 people lost their lives one woman almost entirely beheaded a man who worked for the basilica the not to dump a celica where this took place had his throat cut and another woman died of her wounds after raising the alarm lets just take her mind what unfolded in nice. Thing as. Much of this new tragedy to do you see victims of this mahmoud fascism repeated sting and. Through the siren of the police arrived. Everything that. They set up a security which is i went on with my scooter and i saw the guy coming take refuge at the cathedral afterwards i heard a lot of gunshots. Well since that attack in nice place on thursday the terror alert in france has been raised now to the maximum level we heard from president that extra Security Forces are being deployed to try and shore up areas such as schools and of course churches because as i mentioned there was a threat that specifically mentioned religious sites that threat came from the thought but agency which is close to the Terror Network of al qaeda that threat now been in place for a couple of days so france at a maximum terror alert threat with this increased security personnel and the french Prime Minister has been talking about that saying that people can count on the nation to allow them to practice religion in full safety now the reality is that while they may be these extra few 1000 security personnel now on the ground there to protect france they cant be everywhere all at once and i was just looking at some of the figures for how many churches there are here in france and according to the religious heritage observatory there are around 45000. 00 catholic churches in france thats not including the other churches such as the Greek Orthodox church which is the one that were talking about this evening just to bring you back on that a Greek Orthodox priest has been shot in leon we understand that a suspect has been arrested the priest is in hospital in a serious condition and for the moment the area is cool. And off with Police Telling people not to go near it bringing us the very latest details on this breaking news story in our Charlotte Dubin ski from the french capital. Of this shooting in leon comes 2 days after a knife attack in charlotte was going through 3 People Killed slade there a 3rd man has been arrested by french counterterrorism officers on suspicion of links to the perpetrator prosecutors are trying to establish whether the suspected killer was in contact with extremist islamic groups his family in tunisia theyve also come under scrutiny they deny any involvement in the murders. How do you get them i started crying when he told me that he traveled to france and i asked him about what drove him to go and he doesnt speak the language or even though anyone there asked his brothers to call him and his phone was switched off and we tried to call him repeatedly but his phone was switched off until the day came when suddenly we were raided by the police we were all taken for interrogation we do know what happened i lost my son and i lost my life and i demanded the misty geishas about who stands behind this incident and i want to know who recruited my son my son does not do such things he cant even harm a chicken i want the truth. We are his cousins we are enormously shocked we are good people we stand against terrorism and we denounce what happened once and what we know about him is that he is a more room well raised person and we do not believe that he has suspicious connections and this is so the person they are speaking about is the main suspect hes been identified as a 21 year old trinity and migrant he was not previously known to french intelligence what we do know is that he arrived in europe last month via asli where he claimed to be a refugee wherever there he was served an expulsion notice and then dropped off the authorities read our terrorist truck the Southern France or the in the early hours of thursday when they might wielding a knife attacked and killed 3 churchgoers are there not a silicon it came just 2 weeks after the beheading of a teacher in paris who had shown his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad we spoke with a priest who was inside the church in the us when the horror of their own for that. It was that i was in that church of the time of the attack it was almost 9 am i get a call from the police and was told that the terror attack has been committed in the north when numbers are closed down your church they set a few minutes later they called again saying that 2 people had been killed and fortunately later it was revealed that another person had died it all happened so quickly neither has it on the will i regret to say this but 1st and foremost i feel anger it is not very holy only that the Security Forces issued a warning in tuesday by the threat of terror attacks being high so we all knew about that before the attack but no checks have been make the Intelligence Services havent done enough people have died thats why i am angry. I feel confused its unfair because christians and their feet they have nothing to do with this what people dont know is that Charlie Hebdo has made more caricatures about christians and catholics the muslims the problem is not that these people are muslim the problem is that these people who commit these crimes are fanatics that is why its so dramatic. He will go. Lets bring it to poland where tens of thousands of people flooded the capital on friday night protest against the top courts ruling to ban almost all abortions have been ongoing for over a week but this was the largest rally yet in warsaw clashes broke out when they crowd was met by a nationalist counter protest. The constitutional tribunals decision clause abortions on the grounds of fetal defects which were the reason for 98 percent of terminations last year or abortions due to rape or incest are still legal the National Prosecutor earlier threatened criminal charges against those organizing the protest movement citing risks posed by the pandemic but protesters are ignoring their demands. It was time to reach a compromise has passed have seen their rights taken away and now they want them back there one more writes i am devastated im going to demonstrate as long as there is no new law or referendum the best solution would be early elections. We are in the middle of a pandemic this shows how much emotion is involved that we feel this is the time to come out in force seriously. Ok returning now to our top story of the attack on a Greek Orthodox priest in a southern french city in leone about 4 to 5 hours ago the reaction to it a manhunt is underway in that busy city and were getting details on that all the time about who may have carried it out but there is no clarification from authorities yet as to who that was without a mind lets know join our guests we speak to journalist and political commentator elizabeth joining us live from paris. Our elizabeth ive just been looking at the president s twitter feed he has just said and i quote secularism has never killed anyone but one end quote without elaborating further on that. Can we suggest from that he thinks that this shooting is an act of religious extremism. I think theres a doubt and certainly both the home secretary and the police on the ground have said we are reserving our thoughts the special investigative magistrate judge in charge of terrorism are there certain whether this is terrorism or the something unrelated but there possibility is there and also front to speed have been seen for all of it so has citizens killed in the past 2 weeks france is not being under attack of people who twist the words and say that secularism in france is is fundamentalist and extreme and it is the well whats causing death and you have no idea because youre not in front of the anger of the french being killed essentially is the rape victim thing you know she was wearing a skirt short skirt we are secularist and therefore beheading our citizens is all right all in this instance if this is terrorism shooting a priest on french territory. The interior minister said just yesterday a friend should brace for more attacks its difficult isnt it at this stage not to surmise that that this is following that part in what he was speaking about. Its possible but its not until a certain because the modus operandi was entirely different this is the 1st time doubt a shotgun is do you use its the 1st time that there was an ambush which i guess he targeted specifically that priest and not somebody else as opposed to random random people parishioners at the basilica and nice you can say that yes professor bad team was targeted but he was targeted on something specific and so it is entirely possible that as part of this and certainly the feeling in the streets is that yet somebody else has been killed who practices religion in which the question religion all in europe but you cant be sure and especially because france is delegates and now is not the time to sort of mix everything together certainly that procreation is in the mind of the president theres no doubt about it yeah and just on the president heard promised to urgently rub our security our churches across france after the tragedy in nice and yet this priest was shot in broad daylight right side his church. Its not just about security analysts but its the promise from the leading figure in the country to to people who go to churches that we will be safe especially coming up to one of the most holiest days in the calendar all saints day this is happening right before that. Yes and if this is a terrorist act its very obvious that while the despoiled you have to sort of rustle up 4000. 00 extra soldiers too but ramp up to 7000. 00 the lot of the shipyard which is specifically the antiterrorist lot of soldiers in the streets and that means that if this is a terrorist act and connected to the others they decided to this in a hurry just but just before the plot was fully fully fully implemented everywhere i will say and this is a horrible and sad thing to say that we can think in france that off a ducks churches would be targets that we felt that because catheter cism is the mainstream religion in france and historically catholics were in the 1st line and jews because palestine and i mean in the sick mind of these people naturally and protested temples have not been targeted and we thought you know possibly wrongly and certainly wrongly in this case that all the ducks churches would not be targeted but we keep making wrong assumptions about the the virus of terrorism a little like you know the coroner virus or maybe just the intellect of those attacking it as well not differentiating are not knowing the difference between churches it is entirely different and its also well known that its the author docs church and the church of the 11 and that was in the 1st line has been for centuries against that fraction of this land that wants to kill and. Its possible that we i have no idea whether we dropped the ball or whether this is unrelated or thank you for coming on the Program Short notice as well as but noted journalist and political commentator and sharing your thoughts very much a developing story were keeping on top of here at r. T. International. Still to come we are getting some unique insights into the life of the late sean connery was passed away at the age of 93 weapons for an interview with a friend of his. Join me every thursday on the alex simon show and ill be speaking to guest in the world of politics. Im showbusiness ill see you then. A reflection of reality. In a world transformed. What will make you feel safe. Isolation could be achieved. Are you going the right way or are you being so. What is true what is. In the world corrupted you need to descend. To join us in the death. Or inmate in the shallows. Come back to the program legend of the screen sean connery house passed away at the age of 90 the man variously described as the definitive ball and then the worlds greatest skull it died peacefully in his sleep his home in the us the scottish actor rose to global stardom in his rule. In the 1962 blockbuster dr no that kick started a hollywood career spanning 5 decades from Indiana Jones on the last crusade to the hunt for red october and much more besides. Jason called it a loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he was. Until i did to welcome to the program alex and former 1st minister all of scotland alex youve said youve had the rare privilege of being Sean Connerys friend for many years can you tell us about him. Well it was a market of mine im in obviously Everybody Knows these films you for youve mentioned many of them they were spectacular films he was an oscar winner as you say was that the from the james bond and perhaps one of the last of the the hollywood greats they are not bad i suppose some are allowed to stop to play delivering milk in front and bridge in edinburgh someone who came from Humble Beginnings and went a long way in life and hes touched the hearts of many many people round the court will be in mourning today was sean connery greatest modern scholars hes got plenty of competition well i think he was they always say i was his friend the. Bias the knight direction but you have so many great qualities because apart from his fame and his outstanding career it was also a. Steady and loyal friend he was a wonderfully funny humanists and steadfast individual he was a great human being and oversell misson is that as well as the public persona you have a terrific sense of humor them unless youd sample Sean Connerys touch of irony then you hadnt heard of the humor well deployed and he was a dying to have monotheism on the strong convictions and he was on the stand brief so a great actor certainly but also a fantastic human being when the ironic strict help was seen in many of the james bond movies wasnt and of course many people associate him with that was he anything like double 7 in real life. What parts of i mean obviously double or 7 the little he has that ironic streak and there being double or 7 middle member cleveland sean cole me playing there james bond this yes of course that was the jokes but you always knew he would kill you know sean cole in life was a way thats all he was a gentleman in every sense of the werent and that had very compassionate human being enormous i got to know him through call it takes i went to ask him when the s. N. P. Were very small insignificant party if the worlds most famous store would give us some support and that was in 1901 then and he did that then he helped propel the s. N. P. Forward but the point about that story is not the Party Politics because sean was not a Party Politician he disbelieved in scotland the point of vote is he knew when he did that he returned he would set himself up for attack by people who would otherwise have been falling all over them but he did it nonetheless because he can be believed in scotland and scotlands potential famously scotland for never tattooed on his thought out that the more importantly it was imprinted on his soul and what he speak to you about i thought directly scottish independence. Oh yes ive been there and we. Were in there which was shown in conversations real room 5 in wave of and films than politics certainly football is never far from the conversations on the seans of baiting concern with scotland and its people he he he believes that scotland could do better and they believe that scottish people an enormous potential missing difficult in the seans bit sharky what was the out they were spoke about for a nation of the Scottish InternationalEducation Trust and thats an organization which the last 50 years was it was founded from the money from diamonds are forever one of these look at the bourne films give the money to an Educational Trust and that trust us help those in the scottish children achieve the potential over the last half century the reason it did that sean has had nor the great formal education and self in the most important thing is the pretty he was taught in school was taught how to read and once he knew how to read could teach himself and thus was sure and he had a great love of education parents because of that because he came from such Humble Beginnings so sean was somebody who eloped startling left right and center and would always run the extra mile in the scottish courts and just before we go do you have a favorite sean connery movie there is so many dont. Well of course i would have to say the hunt for red october when it plays a soviet submarine came out to look for a scottish accent and was very good story about that film incidentally the early baldwin whos a very very fine actor so. He was playing the the agent who was the getting are sure to defect in the film and the last scene in the conning tower of the submarine shown as the sole group b. Of the studio holds hudson river together and bold annoying and i seem to do was asking everybody in our book we are on stage sure and curly how do it do it do and. What will a c o n i get on was shown them and then after we played the scene the saw the rushes because although it was the last scene of the films the books the scene that we saw in the rushes and baldwin said that it looked to the sweden the. Shoreline we saw will be of the moonlight than you standing alone save them and realize that the newbie watching the film and we will see him with all that will be looking at sean so it didnt go that. Was a bold it was a friday night. You recognize greatness when he saw it and absolutely no nonsense from him as well alex thanks very much for coming on the program and sharing your thoughts your direct thoughts of him alex salmond former 1st minister of scotland and host of the alex semin show here on our to replenish. British Prime Minister bar is johnson has Just Announced a month long lockdown for endurance after a surge in covert blanking cases starting on thursday all nonessential shops Entertainment Venues pubs and restaurants will close for one month the u. K. s daily covert infection rate has exceeded 20000 through light the past week restrictions had been rolled out in mid october with lockdowns in several regions that system has been met with strong local resistance and there are signs of growing public unease over the governments handling of the crisis reporting from d london east alley. As covert cases around europe authorities are looking for ways to stem the tide and some of the measures are pretty drastic here in the u. K. Police in some areas of threats and to raid family christmas dinners if they feel people are breaking the rules the grinch himself would approve if we think theres large groups of people gathering with the shouldnt be the police will have to intervene the idea of police dragging grandma away in handcuffs might seem farfetched but some taking any chances and getting creative in finding loopholes one innovative britain says hes beaten the restrictions on private gatherings and it only cost him 6. 00 pounds by creating a company and listing family members a staff some Police Chiefs to have other ideas and smashing your doors down while you watch the only fools and horses Christmas Special including informing on neighbors who were breaking the rules leading to fears of a socalled snitch culture being encouraged we also people in london for their thoughts on a possible christmas crackdown but im sure were not the only nation with these measures but the fact of the matter is i will not accept eyes on constitutional and if i come kicking my door in that we get kicked back into the story if police force went to come and try and break up the celebration and to get the names it just loses a lot of that whole element in london a family immunity to visit against the regulation and its will to keep the covert numbers down then choice do we have that going to get clear guidance on what we are exactly allowed to do and not to do i think probably the government could be fixed before one. Because otherwise people just go to them being miserable person in germany to Health Authorities have been calling on Security Forces to go into peoples homes to check whether the rules are being followed. We are in the sea that could be worse than in spring the inviolability of the public must know not to be an argument for lack of control if true sort of regimes in apartments and houses in danger Public Health and safety the authorities must be able to intervene of course after the court of Public Opinion i didnt say on twitter tried walking his comments back breaking up parties but also be on the canadian cops to do list in quebec officers are authorized to demand proof of residency and homeowners or tenants refuse entry theyll be able to obtain warrants foster through a new virtual system and intervene while in new york police work use of invading a private home when targeting a jewish family during the crackdown on gatherings of more than 10 people but we have a complete about vehicle park in the front there will talk to you over 10 people in the crowd so now its an issue where you are the Police Officer yes you love the most you know the rules you want to tell me that its ok and beyond the immediate concerns of violated privacy invaded homes and lost Civil Liberties theres always the question of what happens when this is all over once your freedoms have been surrendered its not always easy to get them back live from moscow this is our to international more great programs right ahead by for