that moscow was responsible for last week's nerve gas attack in britain on a former russian spy. the us secretary of state — rex tillerson — has expressed outrage. russia has denied the claim, saying the british were making up fa i ryta les. a leaked un report says two companies from singapore have violated sanctions imposed on north korea. the draft document, which is expected to be published later this week — accuses the two firms of selling luxury goods — including wines and spirits — to north korea until as recently as july last year. at least 49 people have died after a bangladeshi plane crashed on landing at nepal's international airport in kathmandu. 71 passengers and crew were on board which veered off the runway as it came in to land before bursting in to flames. the airline has blamed air traffic control. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm sarah

montague. the woman who forced coin the slogan black lives matter and is the slogan black lives matter and is the american patrisse khan—cullors. she first used it as a hashtag on a friend's facebook post back in 2013. since then, black lives matter has taken off as a political movement around the world. she has now written about her own experience of growing up in a poor black family in california and how she is convinced that it races and state violence against african—americans can be stopped, then other problems in the black community such as poverty, poor education and crime will disappear too. is she right? and is a movement founded on a hashtag have any part to play in finding a solution? patrisse khan—cullors,

welcome to hardtalk thank you for having me. when you typed hashtag black lives matter to the bottom of your friend's facebook post, black lives matter to the bottom of yourfriend's facebook post, what we re yourfriend's facebook post, what were you thinking? i was thinking that our generation wasn't going to allow george zimmerman to have the end of the story in treyvon martin's death. george zimmerman was the man convicted of the death of treyvon martin. -- acquitted. the moment he was acquitted, i was full of despair but rather quickly understood there had to be a new conversation about and antiblack racism in this country

in the world. but things must have irritated you and others. what made it about that moment that made you feel that and made it travel as it did? i think it was witnessing george zimmerman and the trial against in actually be a trial against in actually be a trial against treyvon martin. it was spending an entire year waiting for a justice system that has historically been terrible to black communities give this white passing person are passed to go home after murdering a child. i think it was spending time in my life seen over policing in my neighbourhood, over incarceration in my neighbourhood and it came to a head when george zimmerman was acquitted. this was an unarmed black man, a youngster, a teenager. yes. you've written about

it in your book, when they call you a terrorist, and talking about your experiences, when you talked about incarceration of those around you, your own father, your brother sent to prison but the things they had done wrong. sometimes. and sometimes it was because they were hurting. my father was a drug addict. he was on and off of crack cocaine. in the us, we have the war on drugs and so for my father, what he needed was care. he needed dignity and instead he was given a jail cell, he was given policing. my brother, whose only crime has been mental illness, he has schizoaffective disorder, these should not be crimes, they should be illnesses as they are. but those cases, neither of those peculiar to

race, are they? those cross all races in the united states. of course. drug addiction and mental illness is an issue that everybody faces. it's a universal issue. what is not universal is the criminalisation of black people in particular and i think important. what we see with my brother, for instance, a big black man, in his early years, intervention shouldn't have been juvenile hall. early years, intervention shouldn't have beenjuvenile hall. the intervention should have been mental health treatment and that is different and mostly white communities and i have spoken to folks who read the book who said, i relate so much to your brother's mental illness but i did not have to experienced what he experienced because i am white you, you talk about large family, and you grew up, your mother was working a lot of the time, you were brought up by an older brother. yes, yes. and you saw, you talk about when you are 12,

i think, one of your earliest experiences. with the police, i was arrested and detained at my school. i had been smoking weed in the girls bathroom. anthony incident with the police didn't happen that day, it happened a couple of days later in which a police officer came into my classroom and whispered into my teacher's year and the next thing, i am being summoned to the front of the classroom, handcuffed in front of my classmates and walked down the hallway where i was stopped and frisked and they told me to call my mother and let her know why i had been arrested in school. and you we re been arrested in school. and you were taken to... the principal's office. so aged 12, the police were called. because people will listen and think, your father did called. because people will listen and think, yourfather did drugs, he was on crack. you and think, yourfather did drugs, he was on crack. you were and think, yourfather did drugs, he was on crack. you were smoking weed when you are 12. why, what is wrong ina way when you are 12. why, what is wrong in a way with trying to police that?

i think what we've noticed over the last 15, 20 years is the war on drugs and didn't actually stop drug use. drugs and didn't actually stop drug use. it didn't stop drug selling. in fa ct, use. it didn't stop drug selling. in fact, the war on drugs was just an excuse fact, the war on drugs was just an excuse to criminalise some of the most marginalised communities. i think was also important, and i talk about it in my book, is that i went toa about it in my book, is that i went to a middle school with mostly white kids and in my experience, had this particular experience when i went kids and in my experience, had this particular e house, :e when i went eff = kids and in my experience, had this particular e house, and 1en i went eff = kids and in my experience, had this particular e house, and shei went e? = —:;—a- lee-g; 25g fey —7 to she opens up his door, and his cou ntertop she opens up his door, and his countertop is full of drugs, literally. every drug. i had never seen that many drugs in my life. and i kind of looked over at her and she didn't really bat an eye but it was

in that moment that understood, oh, both of our communities are notjust using drugs but selling them except my community has been criminalise for it and he was not afraid at all about the police being in his neighbourhood. in fact, about the police being in his neighbourhood. infact, i neversaw the police in his neighbourhood. and your brother, your brother monty's experiences in prison, and we should set this in the context of the prison population. 14% of the united states are black but the prison population, 38% are black. you are five times more likely to be incarcerated if you are black. and the experience, and you didn't particularly know, what your brother was going through, it was many years later you discovered. yes, i knew he had been abused by the police but i wouldn't know the extent of the abuse or the fact that he was tortured until probably a decade later. and how did you find out? i

came across an aclu 86— page complaint, the american civil liberties union, and i'd just happen to sit in my email inbox, i have it up to sit in my email inbox, i have it up and saw they were suing the sheriff ‘s department and the piqued my interest, a terrible incident with the los angeles sheriff, so i read the 86— page complaint within the power and it was story up on story, 70 sworn statements from prisoners but also to boost testimonies were from a jail chaplain —— also to of those testimonies were from a jail chaplain who had first—hand experience of witnessing the police brutality inside a jail. and the second one was someone who worked for the aclu who witnessed a prisoner being beaten by the sheriff's department and it was almost that moment when i read it

that i heard my brother's story and i called him, he had just been released from state prison, and said the sheriff is being sued and he said finally, someone will get justice. and asked him, what happened to you ? justice. and asked him, what happened to you? is this some of the things that happen to you? you said yes. it would be over six months to a year that he would tell us the extent of what he experienced inside ajail extent of what he experienced inside a jail cell. which was what? brutally beaten by the sheriffs. he was in the middle of a manic episode. he was punched, kicked, he said he remembers a sheriff eating a panic button

bedpost. and for about the next two e starved him, they months, they starved him, they turned off water in his cell, he was forced to drink from toilet water and my mother had no idea where he was. she called up every single day trying to find her son. she went there every single weekend trying to visit her son and for about two months, the sheriff kept him from us. months, the sheriff kept him from us. it prompted you then to take action. in fact, you did it through artwork. you are in your late 205?” artwork. you are in your late 205?|j was artwork. you are in your late 205?” was about 27 when i first delved into taking on the sheriff's department. i did an intimate art piece betraying state violence and it was a way to process what i had read and what my family had experienced but it was also a way to

amplify the issue. i wanted to bring this conversation to la county but one of my friends came and saw the performance and said, this isn't enough. thi5 performance and said, this isn't enough. this is a great piece but you've got to do more. this is happening right now. and i did. i would start the first organisation that centred people most directly impacted byjail violence. that centred people most directly impacted by jailviolence. and that centred people most directly impacted by jail violence. and that was an essential first campaign because it resulted in civilian oversight. exactly. but that happened after black lives matter. there are many more black men in pri5on then you would expect from the prison population. 14% of black men in the united states, 38% in the prison population. why do you think that is? it's because we spent the last a0 yea r5 that is? it's because we spent the last a0 year5 creating law5 that is? it's because we spent the last a0 year5 creating laws that criminalise poverty. that criminalise poverty. that criminalise some of the most

marginalised people. and so what happens is, you have someone who is going to school, going to high school and instead of having counsellors, they have police officers on the campus so what might be something that got you sent to the principles of this 30 years ago is now something that will get you a misdemeanour or a felony. what we haveis misdemeanour or a felony. what we have is a community of people who are struggling to raise their children, feed their children, give their children shelter and so might try to steal food and instead of dealing with the issue of poverty, we dealing with the issue of poverty, we have people criminalising poverty. but poverty affects whites just as much as blacks. yes, and racism becomes the key factor. race and the history of race inside the us becomes very important for us to

delve into. but where it is at play? are you saying that more black people are poor because of racism? yes, and also say in more black people i could analyse because of racism. but there are some interesting statistics highlighted by the african—american s east debra dickerson saying the race of criminals reported by crime victims matches the arrest data which suggests the police are not over arresting black people more than white people. i think that's an interesting statistic. what we have to look at is, we the police and up, which communities? i mentioned earlier, i am in a community where ovei’ earlier, i am in a community where over policing is happening. we have police from morning until sundown. and families and communities are being criminalised by police but then you go to sherman oaks which is a neighbourhood over, the same things could be happening and yet

those communities aren't criminalised. isa is a powerful statistic that when someone is reporting a crime, they say they are black, they say they are white. the ratio is the same as the rates —— arrests. when it comes to actual arrests made, if that matches those who are reporting crime... the question then becomes about conviction. did the people who get arrested, who ends up getting convicted? that get arrested, who ends up getting convicted ? that is get arrested, who ends up getting convicted? that is where that statistic lacks. who is convicted of the crimes they say they committed and what we note time and time again is that black folks are over convicted even of crimes they might have never done. crimes they may have never done. crimes they may have done but instead of getting a misdemeanour, and in or getting to go home, they are convicted. 0k.

misdemeanour, and in or getting to go home, they are convicted. ok. so, the suggestion is that in a way, it is all through the system even if you can't prove it. so the criminal justice system itself is racist. definitely. definitely. and this is something that we don't need statistics for. i mean, statistics are important that there is a history of racism by the criminal justice system. let's think about how many young black folks, how many black folks who had mob violence, easing cause to identify black people and put them in jail or prison, digging them inflated sentences, giving them enhancements. there is a history of this in the us. —— giving them inflated centred us. —— giving them inflated centred us. there is a difficulty. it has been highlighted by campaigns like black lives matter. 0ne been highlighted by campaigns like black lives matter. one of the consequences is

black lives matter. one of the consequences is you have policed who are afraid to go into black communities. 78% of police say they are communities. 78% of police say they a re less communities. 78% of police say they are less willing to stop—and—search. the difficulty of that is that it's the black community, the law—abiding members, who will suffer from that. young, andi members, who will suffer from that. young, and i think we have to look at why harm and violence are happening in communities in the first place. —— yeah. when we neglect looking at the root issues, you get a country or a state or a city that uses police at the mental health providers. they use police as social workers, they use police as domestic violence workers and that is not what they are. the police are the police. so the police are not the police. so the police are not the solution to that problem. precisely. what i wonder if your relationship with the police. the police are at war with us. if that had you feel? of course was up i

felt that way as a child. the first police experience i had was when they raided my home as a four—year—old. and they didn't look at me my sister my siblings or ask us at me my sister my siblings or ask us how we were doing. they our home, they brought in multiple police officers, they scared my mother and my family. and so there has never been a moment in which black folks have had a healthy relationship with law enforcement. 0k, have had a healthy relationship with law enforcement. ok, so how do you get that? presumably, that's the game. i think the aim is creating an environment where people feel safe. and safety isn't always a badge and a gun. we have an idea of safety that has largely been created by policing but safety is people being able to each... —— eat. policing but safety is people being able to each... -- eat. but listening to you, you don't have

solution... police have a role in society. sellar tried to get to another point. when communities don't havejobs, another point. when communities don't have jobs, they don't have access to healthy food, they don't have access to public education, harm happens and we need to talk about that and we have spent too much time talking about fixing the police and not enough time talking about how do we ensure black employment rates go up. how do we ensure black folks are able to stay in their homes and fight gentrification. these are the conversation that need to be happening. —— conversations. i hear someone in the black community sang, hang ona someone in the black community sang, hang on a second, i was mugged and we hang on a second, i was mugged and we need someone hang on a second, i was mugged and we need someone to hang on a second, i was mugged and we need someone to deal with that. i'm not saying don't. i'm saying we only talk about the police will stop that becomes the focus. do you recognise that you need, in a way, are you at war with the police? definitely not. definitely not. in

fa ct, definitely not. definitely not. in fact, if you grew up in a black neighbourhood, you try to avoid police. what you are often told is the police are behind us, don't look back, you don't want to cause any attention. you don't want it to seem like you are doing anything wrong. we are attracting attention from the police. also, you know, i come from the tradition of abolition. i want to be honest. eventually, i don't wa nt to to be honest. eventually, i don't want to seek the police being the ways in which our community deals with harm and violence. i think we need to think outside the box. this becomes our moment where it is about philosophy and we have to talk about how that philosophy meshes with practice. in a way, here you are representing black lives matter which you found it and the answers, the policies put forward on policing are the same whether it's in the

black community or the white community, it's not like the black community, it's not like the black community wants something different from the approach to drugs, for example. do know about that i don't think we have heard enough from black folks to give a concrete cancer. what we do know is that people want to make sure that in their life, they don't want to have to train their child to keep themselves safe from the police. ——a concrete answer. when my mother sits me down and says, when you come across in the police, be careful, you might get killed. that doesn't happen in white communities. what do you feel like when you come across a policeman now? scared. still scared. i have a somatic response to law—enforcement. i am i have a somatic response to law—enforcement. iam respectful, i sometimes have officers who do security for me at events so i am grateful. and for me, it's not about individual law enforcement, it's

about the system of policing and that, to me, isn't so important. i have policed better in my family. but it is the system of law enforcement that we have to look at. you are talking about really changing the whole of society.” you are talking about really changing the whole of society. i am. and you think that black lives matter have a role in that. sellar think we have, yes. some people say, look, for a while it was temporarily a fashion on social media. what makes it last? it isjust a fashion on social media. what makes it last? it is just a movement, isn't it? and yes, it's taken off movement, isn't it? and yes, it's ta ken off but movement, isn't it? and yes, it's taken off but it's also been eclipsed by the latest social media movements like me too and time is up mac. —— time's up. what makes it last? most of us are invested in building it further than what it was

on social media. we have a0 chapters across the world, across the us and canada and here in the united kingdom. with what aim? militant action? sometimes, sometimes as direct action, sometimes of civil desert that —— is disobedience, it is similarto desert that —— is disobedience, it is similar to what act up did around giving folks medicine when they were dying of aids. we are having a conversation because black people are dying at the hands of the state and oftentimes, nobody is caring. indirect and direct action... so it's about protesting, what, locally? that is our aim and mission but also, when they come to the united kingdom or canada, it is also to build relationships with folks that are using black lives matter, that are using black lives matter, that are using black lives matter, that a part of our network. but you area that a part of our network. but you a re a protest that a part of our network. but you are a protest movement, you are not

going to endorse or promote candidates? we might. we are looking at what it might look like to run for office. we are in an exploratory phase. under a black lives matter and? yes. you are seeing this very confidently. would you ? and? yes. you are seeing this very confidently. would you?” and? yes. you are seeing this very confidently. would you? i have been approached to run for office. some folks are talking about state, some local, just approached, i haven't said yes but it is a conversation and we have seen this in bed trajectory of many protest movements. —— into trajectory. that is something that we... we have never been against it but that is not something that we thought of as the first place to go to. is that the first place to go to. is that the aim to have three black senators in the senate? it is to grow a

movement that can change the material conditions the black people. but i wonder if that is the way to do it? to go right to the top of the political tree. sometimes it's both. what i don't want to say is we need to abandon protest. what some of the best movements are able to continue to protest and continue to continue to protest and continue to fight and hrovat movement while they have someone in office and who are elected officials. when they call you a —— patrisse khan—cullors, thank you for coming on hardtalk. good morning. well, i don't know about you, but i wasn't best pleased with the start of the working week's weather. particularly across england and wales it was rather cloudy and with some rain at times. look at this weather watchers picture sent in from wembley. leaden—looking skies. the rain was a real nuisance. that low has moved away. it's allowed this ridge of high pressure to build over the last few hours, and that is just

going to give us a chilly start to tuesday, but perhaps tuesday likely to see the best of the drier weather throughout the week. despite temperatures in low single figures in scotland, there will be early morning sunshine, particularly in northern ireland, western scotland, wales and south—west england. eventually the cloud will start to thin and break up in eastern areas with the exception perhaps of the north sea coasts. here a little more cloudy during the day. but not bad, predominantly dry, particularly in comparison with monday with highs of 7—11 degrees. now, as we move out of tuesday, we will be under the influence of low pressure and this low pressure out in the atlantic is actually going to stay with us for the rest of the working week. now, the good news is it is spilling up south—westerly winds, so milder air starts to dominate across the uk. it will be windy at times and it will see some wet weather spiralling around that low pressure, almost like a catherine wheel, driving up some rain at times. chiefly affecting the south—west, eventually moving into northern ireland and into wales. but for much of the eastern areas, we'll see dry, bright weather. temperatures responding

with the sunshine and the southerly wind, highs of up to 1a degrees. a similar kind of story actually on thursday. another front brings rain into northern ireland, wales, the midlands and eventually into the south—east, but much of eastern england, along with scotland, will see some dry, sunny weather, and with that wind direction, it's still going to feel reasonably warm, highs of 7—1a degrees. so if you get the sunshine with those temperatures responding, it could — dare i say it — feel almost springlike at times. but don't get used to it because it looks as though by the weekend we'll see quite a dramatic contrast in the weather, as the wind direction changes its going to get cold again. that is because we start to see another area of high pressure dominating across scandinavia. the winds clockwise around that high, a cold easterly set to return. it looks as if it will turn much colder as we move into the weekend, and any moisture coming in off the north sea could again fall as snow. so it's certainly something that

we're going to have to keep a close eye on. i wouldn't be surprised into the weekend as we start to see a return to snow on the roads. take care. this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story — britain gives moscow a midnight deadline to supply answers about the nerve agent attack on a former russian spy. the bbc gains access to a draft un report, which claims some asian companies are violating sanctions against north korea. 05kar groening, the former nazi ss officer dubbed the ‘bookkeeper of auschwitz‘, dies at the age of 96. president trump blocks a planned takeover of us chipmaker qualcomm by singapore—based rival broadcom on the grounds of national security. we will be live in singapore for

more on that un report that