Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 7 November 2019
Johnson tries to shake off rocky start as UK election begins

By JILL LAWLESS servative, outgoing House
DANICA KIRKA of Commons leader Jacob
Associated Press Rees-Mogg, was forced to
LONDON (AP) — Prime Min- apologize for suggesting
ister Boris Johnson told Brit- that the victims of a 2017
ish voters on Wednesday London apartment block
that they have to back his inferno that killed 72 peo-
Conservatives if they want ple lacked common sense
an end to Brexit delays, as for following fire depart-
he tried to shake off a rocky ment advice to wait in their
start to the governing par- apartments for help.
ty's election campaign. The comments drew sharp
Speaking outside his No. rebukes from opposition
10 Downing St. office on politicians — and from rap
the first official day of Brit- star Stormzy, who urged
ain's five-week campaign, the Conservative lawmak-
Johnson said the political er to resign and tweeted:
impasse over Britain's de- "These politicians are ac-
parture from the European tual aliens."
Union made him want to The Conservatives were
"chew my own tie in frustra- also criticized for posting
tion." "I don't want an early a doctored video of a se-
election, and no one much nior Labour figure on Twitter
wants to have an election that appeared to show him
in December, but we have Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks in Downing Street, London, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, failing to answer a ques-
got to the stage where we 2019, ahead of the formal start of the General Election. Britain's five-week election campaign tion, when in fact he did.
have no choice," he said. officially began Wednesday, when Parliament was dissolved ahead of the Dec. 12 vote. Conservative Party chair
Johnson, trying to set the Associated Press James Cleverly claimed
stage for a people-versus- attack on British soil. locked, the bloc granted Cairns said he was quit- Wednesday the ad was
Parliament campaign, said All 650 seats in the House the U.K. a three-month de- ting as Welsh secretary just "a lighthearted satirical
lawmakers were "refusing of Commons are up for lay. because of "speculation" video." In another over-the-
time and again to deliver grabs in the Dec. 12 elec- While unofficial campaign- surrounding the "very sensi- top political insult, Johnson
Brexit and honor the result tion, which is coming more ing has been ramping up tive matter," which is under used a column in the Daily
of the referendum." than two years early. Some for weeks, the campaign investigation. He said he Telegraph to accuse the
In fact, lawmakers ap- 46 million British voters are formally began when Par- was confident he would be Labour Party under Corbyn
proved Johnson's EU di- eligible to take part in the liament was dissolved cleared of wrongdoing. of attacking the rich "with
vorce deal in principle last country's first December Wednesday. Johnson went Cairns denies allegations a relish and vindictiveness
month, but asked for more election in 96 years. to Buckingham Palace to that he knew his former not seen since Stalin per-
time to scrutinize it. Johnson Johnson urged voters to notify Queen Elizabeth II of staffer Ross England made secuted the kulaks," the
then withdrew the bill and deliver a Conservative ma- that and was heading off claims about a victim's sex- wealthier peasants target-
pushed for an early elec- jority so Britain could "put to his first campaign rally, ual history when he was a ed by the Soviet regime in
tion instead. uncertainty behind us." an evening event in central witness in a 2018 rape trial. the 1930s.
Johnson also slammed his With that support, Johnson England. That is not allowed, and the In his Downing Street
main rival, left-wing La- vowed he would get Parlia- The Conservative cam- trial collapsed. The judge speech, Johnson also
bour Party leader Jeremy ment to ratify his Brexit deal paign has had a bumpy accused England of delib- claimed inaccurately that
Corbyn, comparing him to and the country would start. Just minutes before erately sabotaging the trial. Corbyn had "sided with Pu-
former Soviet dictator Josef leave the EU as scheduled Johnson spoke Wednes- Cairns later endorsed Eng- tin" after a former Russian
Stalin and — erroneously — on Jan. 31. day, Cabinet Minister Alun land as a candidate for an spy and his daughter were
claiming he had sided with Brexit was supposed to hap- Cairns resigned over al- upcoming Welsh Assembly attacked with a nerve
Russian President Vladimir pen on Oct. 31, but with legations about a former election. agent in the English city of
Putin over a nerve-agent Britain's politicians dead- aide's role in a rape trial. On Tuesday, another Con- Salisbury.q
Extreme right Golden Dawn party leader testifies in court

Associated Press 2013 killing of Greek rap- — the maximum allowed
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — per Pavlos Fyssas for which for pre-trial detention — af-
The head of Greece's ex- a party volunteer was ar- ter Fyssas' killing.
treme far-right Golden rested. Michaloliakos is ac- Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn
Dawn party was testifying cused of forming a criminal rose to prominence during
in court on Wednesday as organization and violating Greece's crushing finan-
part of a long-running trial gun laws. cial crisis, evolving from a
over the party's activities in He denies all charges, and fringe group to become
which he and several for- says they are part of a po- the country's third largest
mer party lawmakers are litical conspiracy to destroy parliamentary party in 2014
accused of running a crimi- his party. elections, campaigning
nal organization. He points out this is the first on a nationalist, anti-immi-
Nikos Michaloliakos is the time a party leader has grant platform. Party mem-
Head of Greece’s extreme far-right Golden Dawn party Nikos last of 69 defendants, in- been held responsible for bers and supporters have
Michaloliakos testifies, in the Court of Athens as part of a long- cluding 18 former lawmak- the actions of a party sup- been accused of violent
running trial over the party’s activities in which he and several
former party lawmakers are accused of running a criminal ers, to take the stand in the porter. He and several of his attacks against migrants,
organization, in Athens, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. marathon trial that began lawmakers were arrested including stabbings, beat-
Associated Press in April 2015, sparked by the and spent 18 months in jail ings and arson. q