Hundreds of people have staged a demonstration in Dublin in “utter solidarity” with Nikita Hand, who won a civil case against MMA fighter Conor McGregor. Ms Hand, who accused Mr McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case at the High Court in Dublin on Friday. She was described as “incredibly brave” and celebrated for “standing up for survivors” of assault by those who attended the demonstration in Dublin. Mr McGregor said in now-deleted social media posts that he intended to appeal against the decision. This evening’s protest march was organised by the socialist feminist movement group Rosa to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Participants chanted “stand with Nikita” and “no more fear, no more shaming – we reject your victim blaming” as they carried signs and banners through the capital’s streets. Women take part in a solidarity demonstration in Dublin after Nikita Hand won her personal injury case against Conor McGregor (Cillian Sherlock/PA Wire) The demonstration was bookended by speeches from attendees including organisers Ruth Coppinger, a councillor and general election candidate for People Before Profit in Dublin West, and Natasha O’Brien, who became a national figure in activism on violence against women after a soldier received a suspended sentence for assaulting her. Ms Coppinger told the crowd that Ms Hand, who she characterised as “an incredibly brave woman”, was watching live video of the event remotely. She said Ms Hand was not attending personally as she needed time to recover after the civil case. She said the “overwhelming support of the Irish public is definitely with Nikita”. On a cold night in Dublin, Natasha O’Brien was cheered as she told those gathered that she was “in awe” of Ms Hand’s courage. She said Ireland let out a collective “sigh of relief” after the jury in the civil case found in favour of Ms Hand in her case against Mr McGregor. “But, for me – it was a split second because in came all these questions flooding in: Why did Nikita have to fight alone?” She added: “This really hits home for me, it is like a kick in the guts.” She said she had cried “so many tears” over the weeks of the civil rape case. Ms O’Brien said Ms Hand had refused to be ignored. Conor McGregor outside the High Court in Dublin. Photo: PA Mr McGregor had faced an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Ms Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018. The sports star previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel. Ms Hand was taken in an ambulance to the Rotunda Hospital the following day where she was assessed in the sexual assault treatment unit (SATU). A paramedic who examined Ms Hand the day after the assault had told the court she had not seen “someone so bruised” in a long time. Ms Hand broke down several times as she gave evidence for almost three days and sought a number of breaks. The jury had been told Ms Hand had to leave her job as a hairdresser and has not been able to work since, because of her mental health, that her relationship with her partner ended months after the incident, she had to move out of her home in Drimnagh, and her mortgage is now in arrears. After eight days of evidence and three days listening to closing speeches and the judge’s charge, the jury of eight women and four men spent six hours and 10 minutes deliberating before returning their verdict. The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was €248,603.60. Speaking outside court on Friday, Ms Hand said she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. She added: “I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice.”Stock market today: Wall Street’s rally stalls as Nasdaq pulls back from its record
JAMES MADISON 71, JACKSONVILLE STATE 65BOSTON (AP) — Kyrone Alexander scored 27 points, including six in the overtime, and Boston University defeated Albany 80-74 on Saturday. Alexander also contributed five rebounds for the Terriers (4-5). Michael McNair scored 16 points while going 6 of 7 (2 for 3 from 3-point range). Miles Brewster had 10 points and shot 2 of 7 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line. The Great Danes (6-4) were led in scoring by DeMarr Langford Jr., who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Kacper Klaczek added 13 points for Albany (NY). Byron Joshua finished with 12 points and six assists. Boston University entered halftime up 35-27. Alexander paced the team in scoring in the first half with 11 points. Alexander scored 10 second-half points and Malcolm Chimezie hit the game-tying jump shot with 36 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Alexander scored their six overtime points while shooting 1 of 2 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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John McNulty has described as ‘sad’ the loss of a Fine Gael TD in Donegal for the first time since 1937. Both McNulty and his running mate Senator Nikki Bradley failed to impress at the polls. The duo managed to take just 9% of the overall vote leaving them trailing well behind Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail. Speaking with Donegal Daily , the Kilcar man admitted that the combined vote of the two Fine Gael candidates may have made an impact. Watch the full interview here:Gautam Adani Addresses Allegations, Highlights Resilience
Rev. Clayton Summers, Local Columnist: A sensible way to way to care for CreationBERKELEY — Maxime Raynaud continued his early run at ACC Player of the Year on Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion, dropping 20 points as Stanford staved off a late comeback effort from Cal, winning 89-81 in Bear Territory. Graduate guard Jaylen Blakes impacted the ballgame as both a scorer and passer, finishing with six assists. Oziyah Sellers, who was born in Hayward and attended Prolific Prep, contributed 16 points, four rebounds and two assists. Andrej Stojakovic, a transfer from Stanford, had a game-high 25 points while taking a career-high 25 shots. Stanford took early control, opening up the ballgame on a 14-4 run over the game’s first five minutes. Cal gradually found its groove on offense, finally tying the game back up at 29 apiece with a little under five minutes remaining before halftime, but the Cardinal proceeded to close out the half on an 18-2 run. The Cardinal held control for much of the second half, but the Bears cut the deficit to as little as six points with 1 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation. The effort proved to be too little, too late.
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