Ben Ward
@bpward.bsky.social
📤 2007
📥 454
📝 278
I work on Europe for Human Rights Watch (he/him)
https://www.hrw.org/about/people/benjamin-ward
reposted by
Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
10 days ago
In Memory of Gyula Balog (1959-2025), an inspiring housing rights and anti-poverty activist Here is a brief reflection on behalf of
@hrw.org
to express our condolences, as Gyula’s friends and colleagues lay him to rest today in Budapest. Rest in power, Gyula bacsi!
www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
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Truly shocking from a party in government that previously introduced the Human Rights Act. Then it was “bringing rights home“ Now it is apparently about sending them away. We will all pay the price for this folly.
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17 days ago
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As European leaders meet to discuss the European Convention on Human Rights, here's a reminder that efforts to weaken the Convention and Court to serve the interests of states on migration will undermine the rights of everyone in the Council of Europe region
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...
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When Politicians Undermine Europe’s Rights Court, We All Lose
The European Court of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights are under attack again.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/17/when-politicians-undermine-europes-rights-court-we-all-lose
17 days ago
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A new
@europarl.europa.eu
“Scrutiny Working Group” on funding for NGOs is painted as an effort to boost transparency. But its superfluous mandate, narrow focus and biased composition suggest the real aim is to silence and stigmatize civil society,
@hrw.org
says
www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
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EU Right-Wing Lawmakers Target Civil Society
Nongovernmental groups have sounded the alarm as the European Parliament’s new “Scrutiny Working Group” on funding for nongovernmental groups held its first meeting on November 26. The inquiry is pain...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/12/02/eu-right-wing-lawmakers-target-civil-society
24 days ago
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Russia’s banning of
@hrw.org
as an “undesirable” foreign organization, made public today, is yet another mark of the Kremlin’s repression. It only redoubles our determination to document the Russian authorities’ human rights violations and war crimes
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
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Russia: Government Designates Human Rights Watch “Undesirable”
(Berlin, November 28, 2025) — Russia’s designation of Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable” foreign organization, made public by the Justice Ministry on November 28, is yet another mark of the Kremli...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/28/russia-government-designates-human-rights-watch-undesirable
29 days ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Jan Kooy
about 1 month ago
"A political deal that erases these crimes is not a peace plan. It is permission for future atrocities." - Kseniya Kvitka (
@hrw.org
), in must-read, published by
@kyivindependent.com
⤵️
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Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
about 1 month ago
Good riddance to rubbish policy. The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone. We
@hrw.org
welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.
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Ben Ward
Lou Charbonneau
about 1 month ago
🚨 New from
@hrw.org
: UN leadership & member states should preserve the UN's long underfunded human rights pillar Independent mechanisms responding to grave crises need to be saved. Cutting or merging them won't solve the UN's funding crisis caused by US,
#China
& others not paying their dues.
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UN Should Protect its Long Underfunded Human Rights Pillar
The United Nations leadership has launched a major reform plan to make the cash-strapped world body more efficient and cost-effective. Unfortunately, it has offered little on how this will impact the ...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/26/un-should-protect-its-long-underfunded-human-rights-pillar
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RIP Jimmy Cliff Thank you for the incredible music
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmc5...
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The Harder They Come
YouTube video by Jimmy Cliff - Topic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmc5H6zAi6M
about 1 month ago
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Bad politics as well as bad policy…
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about 1 month ago
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Oped by
@yasmineahmed.bsky.social
on UK govt's immigration plans: "We've seen the injustices caused by a hostile environment with the Windrush generation. Instead of learning from that shameful chapter, these proposals risk recreating the same architecture of precarity"
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
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Mahmood’s Immigration Plan Breaks Labour’s Promises
Shabana Mahmood’s newly unveiled asylum and returns policy is being sold as a moment of ‘restoring order’. In truth, it marks a profound retreat from the humane, pragmatic approach Labour promised vot...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/21/mahmoods-immigration-plan-breaks-labours-promises
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Human Rights Watch
about 1 month ago
We’re thrilled to share that Human Rights Watch’s
#WithHumanity
campaign has been selected as a Gold award winner at the Anthem Awards. 🙌
www.anthemawards.com/winners/list...
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France is failing to provide education to all children in the French overseas department of Mayotte ,
@hrw.org
research finds. The French government’s neglect of Mayotte is an ongoing legacy of colonialism that has left the island persistently underdeveloped
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
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France: Overseas Territory’s Education Barriers
The French overseas department of Mayotte, an island territory in the Indian Ocean and a former French colony, is failing to provide education to all children.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/18/france-overseas-territorys-education-barriers
about 1 month ago
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Ben Ward
Matthew Holehouse
about 1 month ago
This is now a familiar rubric for ideas that are hard to sell on merits. 2019: Boris Johnson’s agenda is the only way to stop Nigel Farage’s. 2024: Nigel Farage’s agenda is the only way to stop Tommy Robinson.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
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Dark forces are stirring up anger in the UK. My asylum reforms are our chance to stop them | Shabana Mahmood
I know some of these measures will face opposition. But a country without secure borders is less safe for those who look like me, says Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/16/uk-asylum-reform-secure-borders-shabana-mahmood
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Nando Sigona
about 1 month ago
Among the many things wrong with Labour’s immigration strategy, this stands out: to “fight” a few thousand so-called illegal migrants, Shabana Mahmood is willing to make life hell for hundreds of thousands of people who are legally in the UK. 🔗
theconversation.com/labours-plan...
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Labour’s plan for migrants to ‘earn’ permanent residency turns belonging into an endless exam
In this hierarchical system, migrants are kept on extended probation and judged by standards never applied to British nationals.
https://theconversation.com/labours-plan-for-migrants-to-earn-permanent-residency-turns-belonging-into-an-endless-exam-266382
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Liberty
about 1 month ago
REMINDER: The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) keeps us all safe and free. Every. Single. Day.
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Happening Now!
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about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Philippe Dam
about 2 months ago
Today & tmrw, European Parliament will adopt its 1st report calling on EU & members to step up response to attacks & harassment by autocratic Govts against their nationals beyond their borders.
#TransnationalRepression
is a major threat to freedoms in the EU.
www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/agen...
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about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
about 2 months ago
In Hungary, Pastor Gábor Iványi, whose church supports people in poverty, faces absurd charges. The pastor and his church are human rights defenders providing shelter, food, education to people left behind by the state. The move is part of a wider crackdown on dissent.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
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Hungary: Pastor Supporting People in Poverty Faces Charges
Instead of supporting those who fill the gaps left by Hungary’s crumbling public services and social security system, the government is prosecuting them. On November 3, prosecutors charged Pastor Gábo...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/06/hungary-pastor-supporting-people-in-poverty-faces-charges
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As we celebrate 75 years of the European Convention on Human Rights, some politicians want to weaken the court that enforces its protections and water down the convention itself. We should resist these efforts which would undermine rights for everyone
#ECHR75
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...
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When Politicians Undermine Europe’s Rights Court, We All Lose
The European Court of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights are under attack again.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/17/when-politicians-undermine-europes-rights-court-we-all-lose
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
about 2 months ago
We
@hrw.org
are glad to be able to support this initiative led by
@bigissue.com
calling on the UK government to set child poverty reduction targets.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
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"It’s a question of humanity": How a small Spanish town led by a conservative mayor voted unanimously to regularise undocumented migrant workers A different way is possible... H/T
@picumofficial.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
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‘It’s a question of humanity’: how a small Spanish town made headlines over its immigration stance
Mayor explains why Villamalea unanimously backed call to regularise undocumented migrants – across party lines
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/11/small-spanish-town-headlines-immigration-villamalea
about 2 months ago
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A draft law in Türkiye would pave the way for criminal charges against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in one of the most alarming rollbacks of rights in decades,
@hrw.org
says. The proposal should be immediately withdrawn
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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Türkiye: Draft Law Threatens LGBT People with Prison
A government proposal would pave the way to bring criminal charges against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Türkiye, one of the most alarming rollbacks of rights in decades, Hu...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/29/turkiye-draft-law-threatens-lgbt-people-with-prison
about 2 months ago
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This photo by Don McCullin of a protestor - taken in 1962 at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis - resonates strongly today...
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Almaz Teffera
2 months ago
A win for Windrush campaigners: Private pension losses will now be compensated under the
#Windrush
Compensation Scheme--important considering the age of claimants. BUT without free legal representation, access to compensation is hampered.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
@hrw.org
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Ben Ward
ECRE
2 months ago
They are PEOPLE before anything else.
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Almaz Teffera
2 months ago
Returning colonial-era cultural belongings & ancestral remains is an international human rights & reparations issue. Communities' rights should be at the core. Yet Germany's new guidelines distance themselves from international law. Returns aren't goodwill gestures.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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New German Guidelines on Colonial Returns Fail Rights Test
Last week, German federal, state, and local authorities adopted Common Guidelines on the handling of cultural assets and human remains from colonial contexts. Despite the welcome efforts to regulate t...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/23/new-german-guidelines-on-colonial-returns-fail-rights-test
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Euronews
2 months ago
EU Parliament lawmakers from four political groups wrote a letter to the Commission urging an end to funding for all Libyan security forces. They condemn what they call the violent actions of the Libyan Coast Guard against humanitarian vessels in the Mediterranean. ➡️
https://l.euronews.com/kQ2V
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Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
2 months ago
Glad to see this report by
@deschuttero.bsky.social
is out. The links between states scaling back programs that protect social rights, people’s disillusionment with the establishment, and the draw of the far right, are all too evident in many European countries.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
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Welfare cuts have fuelled rise of far right and populism, top UN expert says
Exclusive: Poverty rapporteur says governments must rethink welfare state as essential to fabric of society
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/21/welfare-cuts-have-fuelled-rise-of-far-right-and-populism-top-un-expert-says
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Human Rights Watch
2 months ago
Our
#WithHumanity
campaign calling on the EU to save lives of people seeking safety or a better life is a finalist at the Anthem Awards! 🤝🙌 You can amplify the call with a vote for
#WithHumanity
for the Community Voice Award before Oct 30! 🗳️
https://wbby.co/HCAWNP
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Heather Barr
2 months ago
When govts convene this week in Paris to discuss feminist foreign policy, there will be a lot to talk about. The French govt’s description of the event says progress toward gender equality “is not being made fast enough.” That is an epic understatement.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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Feminist Foreign Policy During a Global Backlash
When governments convene this week in Paris for a conference on feminist foreign policy, there will be a lot to talk about.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/20/feminist-foreign-policy-during-a-global-backlash
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Ben Ward
Cristian González Cabrera
2 months ago
The EU’s LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030 reaffirms that equality and democracy are inseparable. The EU and its member states should now back their words with concrete action—political, legal, and financial—both at home and abroad. 📄
@hrw.org
:
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child finds France responsible for grave and systematic violations of the rights of unaccompanied migrant children
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
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France responsible for grave and systematic violations of rights of unaccompanied migrant children, UN committee finds
GENEVA - The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has found that France is responsible for grave and systematic violations of the rights of unaccompanied migrant children, stating that many a...
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/france-responsible-grave-and-systematic-violations-rights-unaccompanied
2 months ago
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Ben Ward
Hungarian Helsinki Committee
2 months ago
The next Article 7 hearing in respect of Hungary will be held on 21 October in the General Affairs Council. 9 Hungarian civil society organisations outlined key developments, priority concerns, and recommendations on 13 topics under scrutiny. Our new paper:
helsinki.hu/en/wp-conten...
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Ben Ward
Caroline Churcher
2 months ago
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Ben Ward
Tim Bale
2 months ago
Cough.
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So let me get this straight - the Home Secretary thinks the Council of Europe shouldn't stand up for people's rights in the UK now because that might affect its ability to do so in the future. Good grief.
2 months ago
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How can such a simple image be so beautiful?
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2 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
3 months ago
The German government's plan for social security "reform" is bad news for
#humanrights
. I tried to set out why for
@hrw.org
here, a couple of weeks back, as we awaited details of these plans:
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...
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European Union member states meeting on October 21 to discuss Hungary’s erosion of the rule of law should vote on whether Hungary is at risk of a serious breach of EU treaty values,
@hrw.org
says
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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EU: Crucial Hearing on Hungary’s Rule of Law Crisis
European Union member states meeting on October 21, 2025 to discuss Hungary’s erosion of the rule of law should vote on whether Hungary is at risk of a serious breach of EU treaty values, Human Rights...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/13/eu-crucial-hearing-on-hungarys-rule-of-law-crisis
3 months ago
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Ben Ward
Kartik Raj
3 months ago
I am reading reports that the German coalition has agreed the main parts of its welfare "reform" package. Details still emerging. This shift toward a more punitive logic and harsher sanctions will come at the cost of human rights. I explain more in this recent piece.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...
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Rights Should Guide Welfare ‘Reform’ Debate in Germany
The partners in Germany’s governing Christian Democrat-Social Democrat coalition have been sparring over the contents of a planned replacement of the Citizen’s Income social security benefit, with a “...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/18/rights-should-guide-welfare-reform-debate-in-germany
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Ben Ward
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
3 months ago
The Women's Institute, the Church of England, the Scouts and the British Muslim Network are among those co-organising solidarity events tomorrow. The Together Coalition coordinating an effort involving faith networks, schools + charities,including British Future
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
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Communities urged to stand together against hate a week on from synagogue attack
Schools and community groups are preparing to hold silences on Thursday to mark a moment of solidarity.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/communities-britain-brendan-cox-people-manchester-b2840219.html
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Ben Ward
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
3 months ago
Tomorrow, a week on from Thursday's attack on the Manchester synagogue, this will be marked as a day of solidarity and mourning by civic groups from across all faiths and none. You are also invited to join online sharing
#britainstandstogether
More information
together.org.uk/articles/bri...
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I found this piece valuable as we try to make sense of the dreadful attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester and think about those impacted and how best to respond
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3 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Ward
Ben Gidley
3 months ago
Listening to voices from Manchester on
#r4today
, it seems clear to me (as local resident Josh Aronson said on
#R4today
) that, going forward, more dialogue not more security is the solution to rising antisemitic incidents. Jewish communal spaces really couldn’t be more securitised.
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Ben Ward
Human Rights Watch
3 months ago
The United States is "actively trying to dismantle" today's system of international justice.
@fborello.bsky.social
and
@agnescallamard.bsky.social
discuss how US sanctions against Palestinian rights orgs and ICC and UN officials puts rights at risk globally:
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Opinion | What Happened to Human Rights for Palestinians?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/opinion/human-rights-palestinians-international-criminal-court.html
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Ben Ward
Almaz Teffera
3 months ago
The UN rights chief presented his office's report on
#reparations
for legacies of
#colonialism
and
#enslavement
in Geneva yesterday.
@hrw.org
welcomes his call for a transformative, context-specific & rights-based approach to reparations led by affected communities.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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Ben Ward
Euronews
3 months ago
Four people were injured in a vehicle and stabbing attack at a Manchester synagogue on Thursday. Police shot the suspect and the immediate danger is over, according to authorities.
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Four injured in car and knife attack at Manchester synagogue
Four people were injured in a vehicle and stabbing attack at a Manchester synagogue on Thursday. Police shot the suspect and the immediate danger is over, according to authorities.
https://l.euronews.com/DIp4
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