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Trevor Noah Reacts To Trump’s Call To Rough Up Suspects

Trump’s call to officers to rough up suspects during a speech in Long Island, adds to the huge list of controversial statements uttered since he became president. Even press statements from the White House, which suggested that the whole incident was a joke, did nothing to quell the anger of thousands of social media users. Trevor Noah is one of those people who criticised the president on his comments. The stand-up comedian found it alarming that someone as powerful as the president found it amusing to joke on a hot topic that had a bad history in America.

Controversial Statement

President Trump is on record as having asked the officers of Long Island not to be kind to suspects. He insisted that they should rough them up. Even the courtesy of holding down their heads while shoving them into the back of their patrol cars was unnecessary. These statements portrayed his endorsement of police brutality and ill treatment of suspects. People also gave the president a backlashing on Facebook and Twitter.

Trevor Noah also gave the president’s remarks substantial air time on his show. Not only did he criticise the decision by the Commander-in-Chief to comment on such an issue on video, but he condemned the manner in which the White House Press moved in to clarify that the president’s statements were meant as a joke. During this age and time when police cooperation with the community is needed, such a statement was enough to turn back the efforts that had been made so far.

Furthermore, Trevor Noah also noted the rhetoric used by the White House Press each time the president uttered comments that were unpalatable. He put down a line between being funny and joking and that Trump was neither of the two.

Not New To Controversy

Donald Trump will perhaps go down in history as the most controversial president that America has ever had. His controversies did not start the other day. He has been embroiled in controversy since the 90s and 2000s. During his campaign trail, he made comments that were received with mixed emotions by different divides in the country. His most controversial statement involved his dalliance with the Russians, where he requested them on national television to hack his opponent’s emails (Hillary Clinton).

What It Means To The Police Force

Even if Trump’s comments were meant as a joke, the damage done by them was quite irreversible. This is because of the fact that America is already grappling with hundreds of cases of excessive use of force by police, most of which are directed at black people. Even though excessive use of force by the police goes against their regulations, there are officers who have refused to abide by them.

As a result, the president’s remarks have the potential of being interpreted in the wrong way by such police officers.

Check out the astonishing statistics released by London’s police.

Metropolitan Police Accused Of Using Disproportionate Force Against Black People

New statistics in the UK reveal that many cases where police used a lot of force involved black people. People who identified themselves as black, or black British, were involved in 36% of these cases. This number is considered disproportionate given that black people only make up 13% of the entire population. White people, on the other hand, make up 57.5% of the population and they only had 45% of force used on them by the police.

Many human rights agencies condemned this picture and urged the police to exercise restraint when carrying out arrests, especially when it involved black people.

Suffering Minority

Police arrest black man — Black people face a lot of challenges when it comes to police arrests

Even though the report covered a three month period, it illuminated the fact that black people face a lot of challenges when it comes to police arrests. While the police insist that some of the cases required the use of force, many experts and analysts have pointed a finger at the worrying trends. Some insist that this picture should be corrected and that the police force should go through thorough training that teaches them about the equality of all races.

This statistical report is hailed as a step in the right direction in London. It is bound to help in identifying cases where police officers blatantly used excessive force where none was needed. Police officers in London have been trained in filling out forms for each case of forceful arrest encountered in order for it to be properly scrutinised.

Forms Of Force

Of the 36% cases that involved black people, 85% of the arrested people were said to be men. Furthermore, police indicated that a large majority of forceful arrests involved people with mental complications as well. In order to restrain these people, the police themselves also risked getting harmed along the way. That is why some people insist on the retraining of police officers. This will help them identify situations that require the use of force and those that don’t. Furthermore, they will also be able to know how best to protect themselves during such situations.

Most dangerous form of force involved the use of Tasers

Among the forms of force regularly applied by the police involved the use of handcuffs on people who had willingly accepted arrest. The most dangerous form of force involved the use of Tasers. However, police officers said that its use was more of a tactical measure. That was because they only fired the Taser in 10.5% of the cases that required its use. This means that 89.5% of the times, the Taser was deployed by police officers but it was not fired.

There was also the case of the spit guards. Though new to the police, their use has brought controversies as well. Of the 11 spit guards that were used on women during that time period, 8 were used on black women. This represented 72 % of the female cases involved.

What To Expect

While these statistics were the first of its kind in London, it has elicited deep concerns from various rights groups including Amnesty International. Given that it will be done regularly, it’s expected that the trends will be sufficient enough to prod the police if the worrying trend continues. However, as for now, being a black person facing arrest in London is one of the most unpleasant things.

Check out the prisoner exchange deal signed between Russia and Ukraine.

Savchenko Exchange Deal Sees Russians Jailed In Ukraine Return Home

Ukrainian military pilot Nadiya Savchenko

Russia and Ukraine engaged in a prisoner swap agreement in what was seen as a huge step towards negotiating a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the region. The high profile prisoners involved were Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian military pilot and two Russian military personnel.

Even though this deal was seen as a humanitarian act from both sides, Russia still maintained that it was not involved in the war. Furthermore, the speaker of the upper house chambers of Russia maintained that this was not a prisoner exchange but rather an international obligation that required prisoners abroad to serve time in their home countries.

Nadiya Savchenko’s Reception

Savchenko returned home to a hero’s reception. She was allowed to return to Kiev aboard the Ukraine president’s jet. However, this was not the first time that she was popular among Ukrainians. Savchenko is the first woman military pilot in Ukraine and even before she went to serve in the war, she was already a local celebrity. However, her actions while in Russian custody cemented her popularity in Ukraine.

During her trial, she disrupted the sessions at one point to sing the Ukrainian national anthem. She was also steadfast on the war and was vocal enough to renounce the charges that were brought against her. At one point, she even went on a hunger strike to denounce the sentence that had been handed to her.

She was accused of having been involved in the killing of two Russian journalists who were covering the war. Though the evidence was not satisfactory enough, she was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder. (See how dissidents are imprisoned in Iran)

As a show of honour and popularity, Savchenko was elected as a Member of Parliament back home even while still in incarceration.

Russian Military Personnel

On the other side, Ukrainians accused two Russians captured in eastern Ukraine of waging a terrorist war and were each handed a sentence of 14 years in prison. The two had revealed to a Reuter’s reporter that they were indeed military personnel from Russia but that they were not on active duty. In a dramatic twist of events, they also accused the Russian government of neglecting their pleas to intervene.

While Savchenko was received as a hero, only a small media reception and their wives were available to receive the two Russians. This was a strategic move to boost her chances of being released from Russian custody.

Show Of Humanitarianism Or Simply A War Strategy?

The prison exchange is seen as a huge win towards fast resolution of the conflict in the region. However, some experts warn that Russia may have used the opportunity for its own gain. One of the reasons of their “humanitarian act” was the impending European Union meeting that was to deliberate on whether they would continue imposing sanctions on the country because of supporting the rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Given that Savchenko had also fought alongside American forces in the war in Iraq, Russia was also keen to have a deal with the Americans. They were reported as to have wanted to exchange her for a Russian arm’s smuggler who was being held in the United States. The United States bluntly rejected the deal.