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Generous Mail readers have stepped in to help raise the £2.3million needed for the oak portico, donating an incredible £65,500 in just two days. It takes the total already raised by St Paul’s to more than half a million pounds.
Backing the campaign, Sir Simon said NHS hospitals had treated 400,000 seriously ill patients with Covid-19 – which has claimed the lives of 127,524 across the UK to date.
‘Nurses, doctors, and countless other staff have witnessed first-hand the terrible toll this virus has inflicted,’ he said.
Never met her baby daughter
Salina never found out the name of her daughter, pictured with her father Abdul Bangura
He said: “Earlier this week, Hardeep Singh of the Network of Sikh Organisations said “if enacted, it will make Scotland one of the most hostile places for freedom of expression in Europe”. Wow. Surely so many voices being raised from so many sides of the political spectrum give us pause for thought?
“Only a few weeks ago, the Scottish Police Federation wrote to the Justice Committee convener saying there is substantial potential for many more people coming to adverse police attention as a consequence of elements of this legislation, regardless of potential freedom of expression provisions.
“If that is correct, there must be a risk that this bill as presented could have a chilling effect on freedom of expression.
Hardeep Singh: MSPs must put free speech before party politics pressandjournal.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressandjournal.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Letter to MSPs on Scotland s Hate Crime and Public Order Bill
The decision to withdraw amendments on freedom of expression at the eleventh hour will have a chilling effect
10 Feb 2021
Dear MSP,
We the undersigned have serious concerns about Part 2 of the Scottish Government’s Hate Crime and Public Order Bill, and increasingly so in light of recent parliamentary deliberations.
Over the last year, there has been a robust debate about Part 2 of the bill, which outlines new offences on the stirring up of hatred. We all condemn crimes motivated by hatred and prejudice. The difficulty with this Bill, in its current form, is its potential to have a wider, negative effect on freedom of expression in Scotland.