Protesters surrounded the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona on Wednesday, November 28, for a third day of protests over budget cuts and labor improvements. This footage shows various scenes from outside the parliament. Demonstrators can be seen holding flares, burning effigies and waving placards. According to El Pais, doctors and firefighters make up the protesting groups, with the doctors calling for increased resources and the firefighters asking for more personnel. The union Doctors of Catalonia has been on strike since Monday. Credit: Ric_one1 via Storyful </s> Caracas, June 28 Armed civilian groups have attacked the Venezuelan Parliament building after a clash between lawmakers and the military police of the Bolivarian National Guard , opposition legislator Julio Borges has said. "Different lawmakers and Assembly personnel saw officers entering with boxes from the National Election Council and a clash occurred there between the GNB officers and the lawmakers," Borges said.

Start the conversation, or Read more at India.com. </s> In light of alleged intelligence received by the Parliamentary Opposition that the APNU/AFC Government might attempt to disrupt Friday’s sitting of the National Assembly which is scheduled for the debate of the no-confidence motion against the incumbent, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Texeira on Wednesday called on the Police Commissioner Leslie James to put steps in place to ensure the security of not only Members of Parliament (MPs) but the citizenry as well.

“We… call on you to take the necessary interventions to ensure that the rule of law prevails and not only the sitting of the National Assembly on December 21, 2018 will be allowed to proceed peacefully but also the safety of citizens beyond the precincts of the Parliament Buildings and property, life and limb will be protected from any efforts to create violence and mayhem,” her letter said.

Texeira outlined that this is a “matter of serious proportions relating to public safety and the security of the National Assembly, the Parliament Buildings and all Guyanese citizens.”

“We have received information that there will be an attempt to prevent the Members of the Parliamentary Opposition from entering the compound of the Parliament Buildings on December 21st, 2018 for the sitting of the National Assembly, the day that the Government has identified for the debate on the Parliamentary Opposition’s motion of No Confidence. Our information points to some very ominous plans to physically disrupt the sitting by either invading the Chambers, and, or, creating disruption within the Chambers. The intention is to interrupt the debate and the vote on the No Confidence Motion” the Opposition Chief Whip in her letter explained.

Moreover, the alleged plans are also said to be aimed that preventing Opposition MPs from exiting the compound of the Parliament Building at the conclusion of the sitting as well as threatening the safety of citizens going about their business beyond the precincts of the Parliament Buildings.

Texeira, in her missive noted that her Party remains “confident that the Guyana Police Force will uphold the law and manage any threats to the public safety of the Members of the National Assembly, the Parliament Buildings and the citizens of our country.”

On Monday, Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo called on the authorities and the National Assembly to implement measures that will protect MPs and ensure that Friday’s no-confidence vote can go forward unhindered.

Jagdeo had expressed fears that there may be attempts to disrupt the vote by persons in the gallery.

According to Jagdeo, it only takes one crossover vote or two abstentions from the Government side for them to win.

He said that because of this precarious margin and certain information his party has received, they were apprehensive.

“We are aware that they plan to install people in the galleries and should someone (from Government) vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, from the galleries

 they will … disrupt the vote. We’ve heard that should [that] fail, some of their MPs will disrupt the vote.”

Jagdeo theorized that they may be hoping that should the vote be disrupted, the vote will be invalidated. He made it clear that his party would notify Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland.

“We will bring this to the attention of the Speaker. We will also insist, like what happens in many parts of the world, once someone votes in favour of the no-confidence motion, the Government falls. If you have 32 votes on our side, and one of their Members of Parliament vote in favour, the mathematics changes and it’s 33 in favour and 32 remaining votes.

“When the Clerk of the National Assembly calls the names of the Members of Parliament and should one of their members vote (in favour), no matter what happens afterwards, the vote is passed … because if you allow disruptions, you can never have (a non-contentious vote). So, if the Speaker allows (the vote to be invalidated), we will deem that an act of collusion.”

Jagdeo expressed hope that the diplomatic community would bear witness to the proceedings, whichever way the vote turned out.

Noting that the proceedings were being recorded, he warned that attempts to disrupt the vote would be publicised around the world. Jagdeo also spoke of threats and related that they would write to the Commissioner of Police. </s> Protesters surrounded the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona on Wednesday, November 30, for a third day of protests over budget cuts and labor improvements. This footage shows scenes from outside the parliament. Demonstrators can be seen holding flares that are sending smoke into the air. According to El Pais, doctors and firefighters make up the protesting groups, with the doctors calling for increased resources and the firefighters asking for more personnel. The union Doctors of Catalonia has been on strike since Monday. Credit: Marta Belles Abad/Catalunya Radio & Catalunya Informacio via Storyful </s> Caracas: Armed civilian groups have attacked the Venezuelan Parliament building after a clash between lawmakers and the military police of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), opposition legislator Julio Borges has said.

The clash on Tuesday left at least two female members of parliament injured, Efe news quoted Borges as saying.

According to the National Assembly's Twitter account, opposition lawmaker Delsa Solorzano and several reporters were also injured. "Different lawmakers and Assembly personnel saw (GNB) officers entering (the building) with boxes from the National Election Council... and a clash occurred there between the GNB officers and the lawmakers," Borges said.

As a result, the parliamentary session was interrupted. Borges then proceeded to talk with the officer responsible for the institution's security in order to resolve the conflict.

However, immediately groups of civilians entered through the doors of the National Assembly building, he said. These people launched fireworks rockets and other materials inside the House, according to some videos published on social media. The civilian groups have attacked the front of the building and threatened to enter "by force", the opposition said.

Lawmakers and workers currently remain locked inside the Parliament, the Chamber's press chief Alicia de La Rosa told Efe.

Borges has blamed President Nicolas Maduro for the attack. He said: "Nicolas Maduro... said on Tuesday that if the ballots are no use, then the violence will be, that if the ballots are no use, then the bullets will be."

Borges, however, said that the attack would give "more strength" to parliamentarians to continue fighting for "a democratic and free country". Regarding the boxes from the National Election Council, he indicated that the lawmakers went to see what happened with them, since it was "irregular" to keep such contents in the Legislative building. However, the GNB forces did not allow the parliamentarians to have access to the boxes, Borges said, adding that the troops claimed that the boxes contain data on the validation of political parties.

Venezuela has been facing socio-political upheavals which have been exacerbated by waves of demonstrations, both against and in favour of the government, for three months. Some of these demonstrations have become violent, leaving so far at least 75 people dead and about 1,500 injured, according to data from Venezuela's Prosecutor General's Office. </s> The United Kingdom government has tendered an apology on Thursday after Indian authorities complained that protesters pulled down, tore and stamped on the Indian flag outside the Parliament Square. The protesters were demonstrating against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.

A few protests against atrocities in India turned violent after the tricolour was torn down from one of the official flagpoles set up for all 53 Commonwealth countries. "We have expressed our concerns with the British authorities and they have apologised for the incident. We have been warning against some of these elements out to make trouble and they have assured us of action. The Indian flag has now been replaced," a senior Indian official associated with the prime minister's visit said.

"Protests and demonstrations are part and parcel of any democratic society as long as they remain peaceful. There are now concerns that some of the more aggressive elements hijacked the tone of the protests", the official added.

The Metropolitan Police had issued a statement saying that "Police is investigating the incident in Parliament Square where the Indian flag was pulled down at 15.00 (UK time) on Wednesday, 18 April. The flag has been replaced. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue."

A UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson said, "While people have the right to hold peaceful protests, we are disappointed with the action taken by a small minority in Parliament Square and contacted high commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha as soon as we were made aware. "The visit to the UK by Prime Minister Modi has strengthened our relationship with India and we look forward to working even more closely together on a number of important areas."

A senior broadcast journalist from one of the leading Indian media channels covering the protests was caught in a violent scrum with some of the more aggressive pro-Khalistani protesters and Scotland Yard officers on duty had to step-in to the rescue. The group is planning to file a complaint with the Metropolitan Police on the incident.

Ashis Ray, president of the Indian Journalists Association (IJA) raised the issue of attacks on journalists with Scotland Yard and the foreign office and called on the police to book the assailants. He said in a statement: “Reports of intimidation against and manhandling of a few of our members by political protesters in central London on 18 April have been brought to our notice. IJA’s constitution obliges the organisation to defend the right of our members to freely discharge their professional duties. “Therefore, IJA strongly condemns the threats and violence faced by concerned members from anti-India demonstrators. We also call upon the British police to bring to book wrongdoers upon receiving any complaint on the matter from our members.”

The pro-Khalistani demonstrators from Sikh Federation UK and demonstrators from the so-called "Minorities Against Modi" group, led by Pakistani-origin peer Lord Ahmed, were among nearly 500 protesters who descended upon Parliament Square. These included groups led by some Kashmiri separatist groups and at one point, some of them had surrounded the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the square with their banners and flags.

On the other side, the anti-Modi protesters from Caste Watch UK and South Asia Solidarity group waved banners such as 'Modi, you have blood on your hands' and 'Modi Not Welcome'.

 "Hindu nationalism must be curtailed to avert India sliding towards wholesale dictatorship threatening democratic fabric, rule of law and the unity of India," a Caste Watch UK spokesperson said.

 They were joined by other protestors carrying images the eight-year-old rape victim from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Gauri Lankesh, the Indian journalist who was shot at her doorstep last year. The group also included representatives of several Indian women's groups in the UK, wearing white as part of their silent protest against “atrocities that are taking place in India”. "I am Hindustan, I am ashamed," read their placards alongside banners such as 'Beti Bachao' and 'Politics minus rape'.

While the protests were on in Parliament Square and Downing Street, British prime minister Theresa May did not respond inside Parliament to a ruling party MP who asked her to condemn messages by anti-India groups against Modi on customised vans moving around central London.

According to Hindustan Times, Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman asked May: “Will my right hon. friend take the opportunity to condemn absolutely the mobile billboards that are going around London attacking our good friend Prime Minister Modi, and will she congratulate and thank the 1.7 million members of the Indian diaspora on their contribution to the work of this country?” May did not mention the anti-Modi billboards, but said: "India is indeed a good friend of the UK, and the Indian diaspora here in the UK plays an enormous role and makes an enormous contribution to our society and our economy.” She added, "When I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, we discussed how we can encourage and increase the links and development between our two countries."

Afzal Khan, Labour MP from Manchester, mentioned the protests and asked her: “This week, the UK becomes the chair of the Commonwealth. Many of us will have walked past demonstrations outside Parliament on the issue of Kashmir, and I understand that the prime minister will be presented with a petition. “The stalemate in the bilateral talks between India and Pakistan has failed to deliver any solution to this major nuclear flashpoint. How will she use the UK’s new position to boldly pursue peace and human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir?”

May reiterated London’s stance on the issue: “I am sure that it is a matter of concern not only to him but to a number of his constituents. We continue to take the view that the best resolution of this issue is for India and Pakistan themselves to come together and resolve the matter. That will be the way to resolve it that will actually ensure the sustainability of a resolution.” </s> A man has been tasered by police inside the Palace of Westminster . Journalists tweeting from the scene described a heavy police presence and a man being “pinned to the ground” inside Carriage Gates, where an attacker in 2017 broke into Parliament before killing P Keith Palmer. Reuters pictures showed armed police using a stun gun on the man on the cobbled forecourt inside the British parliament’s main Carriage Gates.

The man was later handcuffed as police pointed a gun at the man’s head and could later be seen being held against a fence inside the entrance to the Houses of Parliament.

In a statement, the Met Police said a man had been arrested on “suspicion of trespassing at a protected site”. It is not thought to be terror related. Police were deployed to St Stephen’s courtyard to secure the area and redirect staff elsewhere on the estate. The Commons Press Office later tweeted saying the situation was now over.

Last March Khalid Masood drove a 4x4 down Westminster Bridge, hitting pedestrians before crashing outside the Houses of Parliament and stabbing two police officers around the same area as today’s incident. In August, a man was arrested after driving a car into pedestrians and cyclists before ramming into barriers outside the parliament building in what police said appeared to be a terrorism attack. Since the attacks, security at the site has been beefed up, with a permanent armed presence at the entrance.

Tory MP Penny Mordaunt tweeted in praise of the police, saying she was “always in awe at [their] professionalism, courage and dedication”. </s> An extraordinary week in the United Kingdom Parliament took a dramatic turn Tuesday morning, with reports claiming the Palace was placed under security alert as an intruder attempted to make his way past the site’s gates.

Witnesses who took to the Twitter micro-blogging platform reported seeing police rushing to the main Carriage Gate entrance, scene of the 2017 Westminster terror attack where unarmed Police Constable Keith Palmer was stabbed to death by Islamist extremist Khalid Masood.

A scream was heard, and a young male was tasered before being arrested and led away by police officers. Among the four officers immediately on the scene were two armed men from the protection squad patrolling the palace and two ordinary constables, one carrying a baton.

Scotland Yard, the headquarters of London policing, released a statement confirming the basic facts of the event without giving any further detail.

They said: “A man was detained and arrested by Carriage Gates inside the Palace of Westminster on suspicion of trespassing at a protected site, at around 11.55hrs on Tuesday, 11 December.

“A Taser was deployed. Enquiries into the circumstances continue.”

While the Palace of Westminster — which is home to both houses of the UK Parliament — has been the target of several terror attacks in the past and is the scene of an ongoing anti-Brexit demonstration, there has been no suggestion the arrested intruder Tuesday is related to either of those ongoing security concerns. </s> "There is another large group of people in the central district, which we are unable to count, but I am sure that the total number of participants is much more than 1.7 million people", Jimmy Sham told reporters.

By midnight (16:00 GMT Sunday), almost all the protesters, who had earlier gathered near a complex of government buildings in Admiralty area in the city’s central district, left the site, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Earlier, they pounded with their umbrellas on the 6.6-foot barriers installed around the Legislative Council building with umbrellas, with separate individuals, amid cheers from the crowd, attempting to climb over them.

They also shone lasers and flashlights at the building, albeit making no radical attempts to break through the barriers. Demonstrators did not block the traffic either. No police officers were seen nearby.

​Activists were dressed in black clothing, masks, helmets, with some of them having walkie-talkies or carrying UK and US flags.

After the rally, the crowd took away any garbage produced and urged numerous journalists to go home and "not stage riots".

​Earlier in the day, the opposition Civil Human Rights Front organised a mass demonstration in Victoria Park. Even though the police only sanctioned the rally in Victoria Park, the protesters, despite rainy weather, soon left the park to join an unauthorised march.

In total, Hong Kong is home to about 7.5 million people, including about 6 million adults. The Sunday rally is not the first action of such a scale. On 16 June some 2 million joined the protests.

Mass protests erupted in China's semi-autonomous Hong Kong in early June in response to a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to the mainland. Although the local parliament eventually announced that it had suspended the bill, people continue to protest, demanding that it be withdrawn completely. They also want the city authorities to implement universal suffrage and retract criminal charges against protesters.

At first, the rallies were peaceful but they subsequently led to violent clashes between the demonstrators and the police.
Shortly after the decision, demonstrators assaulted the Parliament gardens as a form of protest, facing the Mossos d'Esquadra.