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Taylor Swift Shows Canceled over Alleged Terror Plot; Kyiv's Incursion into Russia; Jordanian FM Suggests Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Would Lower Tensions; Harris-Walz Campaign Blitz; Walz on Middle East Issues; Warner Bros. Discovery Writes Down TV Assets; Huge Crowds Gather to Block Far Right Rallies in the U.K.; ISIS Targets Teens Online in Worrying Trend; Call to Earth: Protecting Corals; French Phenomenon Marchand Makes a Splash. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 08, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show.
I'm Becky Anderson in London.
Time here is 3:00 in the afternoon.
Three Taylor Swift shows canceled in Vienna after Austrian authorities foiled a terror plot aimed at the concerts.
Protesters take to the streets in Nairobi, clashing with police as they call for major reforms from the government.
And Russia claims to have halted a Ukrainian incursion. But evidence from the ground suggests otherwise.
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ANDERSON: Let's start in Vienna with a disaster averted. That is the word from Austrian police and government officials today who say they foiled a
terror plot that forced the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts, scheduled to start tonight.
Three teenage suspects were taken into custody. Police say at least two of them were radicalized online and a security official says, the main suspect
intended to kill himself and a large number of people.
A source telling CNN that U.S. intelligence warned officials in Austria about the alleged plot. Now as you might expect, fans who had flocked to
Vienna to see the concert, Swifties as they're called, are crushed by the cancellations but they are safe. Nick Paton Walsh joining me here.
And Nick, what more do we know about the suspects and this alleged foiled plot?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And this is an utterly extraordinary plot from what we know. Three teenagers, people
who are Austrian officials have detained, 19-year olds seen through the prime suspect here.
He announced, it seems at the end of July at work, that he was quitting and going off to do something big.
Seems to have changed his appearance as well, had access to precursor chemicals, which he seems to have installed at his home, causing police to
spend hours yesterday combing through that area and evacuating 60 households nearby, according to local media.
He appears to have given his allegiance to ISIS online in probably early July over some kind of internet channel, radicalized online. He was in
contact with a 17-year-old boy -- man, I should say -- who appears to have met him online, had recently broken up with his girlfriend. The extent of
the 17 year old's involvement in the actual act is unclear.
And there's a 15-year old too, who appears to be in contact with both as well. Whether he was going to be part of the plot or knew about it is
unclear but the details of how they were thinking about doing this are utterly chilling.
Because in the 19 year old's possession, there were knives, a police blue flashing light, suggesting he perhaps tried to put that on a vehicle to
gain access to the area, and counterfeit money as well along with Al Qaeda materials.
And the suggestion that he downloaded the instructions for this explosive device from the internet. So we're talking about here possibly a teenage
suicide bomber, who said he was willing to kill himself in this act.
Quite how he meant to carry it out unclear but he seemed, he says, according to officials, to be aiming at the periphery around the concert,
the fans who wanted to overhear the concert rather than get in themselves.
ANDERSON: These concerts, these three concerts were due to start tonight. We've learned that U.S. intelligence had some involvement in tipping off
the Austrian intelligence services.
Do we know how? To what extent?
WALSH: All the indications around this are this would have been signals intelligence from the Americans. The Austrians sort of soft complained
about the limitations they have to surveil, encrypted messaging platforms.
Now what we've seen in studies of this before is that ISIS reach out to people potentially or ideas are suggested to the recruited online through
various social media apps. And then possibly they get channeled into quieter side platforms, where these discussions get into more depth.
Now the Austrians have complained they can't access those encrypted channels. Seems the Americans have probably found a way to do so because
they also warned the Russians about an ISIS-K plot in Moscow recently.
So yes, I think it kind of points to the likelihood of that. And of course, the extraordinary role that the internet plays now in some of the youngest
people, the most vulnerable people in society, getting access to individuals who suggest, frankly, crazy ideas to them. And then the ability
to plot them in secrecy.
So it's a quite stunning development, frankly, owing to the age, the sophistication, the development. Yes, it was caught but it points to this
broader issue of radicalization of the youngest teenagers online.
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ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Nick. As we get more, of course, on what is this alleged foiled plot, we will bring you back on. Thank you very much
indeed.
Now --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
ANDERSON: -- an update on the breaking news situation in Kenya, where demonstrators are calling for the "mother of all protests," to coin their
phrase today. Earlier, police fired tear gas at protesters and, we've just learned, our own journalists.
Let's get straight to Larry Madowo, who is in Nairobi.
And first, can you just explain what's happening around you right now?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Becky, police are once more dispersing protesters who have tried to gather throughout the day.
They've not allowed them to gather. And so that is the scene. That's why there's supposed to be rush hour but it's all empty. I can hear flashbangs
on this side of the street because that's been what we've been hearing the whole day as police have really been in every street corner, making sure
that nobody gathers.
Even though they said it'll be safe for peaceful protesters to protest, the Kenyan law allows, they haven't allowed any of them to gather the whole
day. Becky.
ANDERSON: I want our viewers, Larry, to see what happened to you and your crew just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: Masking the plates, on the streets, applying excessive force on largely peaceful protesters.
And then, as we were just speaking, as they're leaving, they fire even more.
Agh!
That was aimed directly at me. He's aiming directly at me. He's aiming directly at me.
Agh!
He's shooting directly at me.
Why are you shooting at me?
Why are you shooting at me?
Why are you shooting at me?
There are the flashbangs, watch out. He is still shooting.
The police shot at least two tear gas canisters directly at me while I was looking at them, at close range.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was just moments ago. Firstly, are you OK?
MADOWO: I am OK, Becky, I was not badly hurt. It hit my cheek.
This appears to have been -- they say the (INAUDIBLE) missed. They did aim at least two directly at me but they missed. And that's the same police
truck you saw. I was just talking about the masked plates and they drove in front of us, parked there and aimed at me, Becky.
ANDERSON: Larry, look, stay safe. And if you need to leave while you and I are talking, totally get it. The president has sworn in opposition members
as part of what he describes as a broad-based government.
Is what he has done going to be enough to satisfy those who are demonstrating against his moves?
MADOWO: That is one of the reasons why people are angry here, that they went out on the streets because they didn't like the cabinet. They accused
him of corruption. They've forced the president to fire the entire cabinet.
And then he reappointed half of the same cabinet members. And they say President Ruto had a chance to fix the country as he went back to the same
old tactics and even worse for them, he appointed some opposition members into his cabinet.
So instead of listening to the cries of the people, who are angry about corruption and wastage and opulence in his government, he appears to be
digging in his heels in this broad-based government.
So some of them who will be speaking to today are extremely upset that he picked today to swear in that cabinet, when they're out on the streets
expressing their anger, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. Larry, it's good to have you. Stay safe.
Well, Moscow fighting Ukrainian forces for a third day after an incursion by Kyiv into Russia's Kursk region. And this brazen attack by Ukraine
appears to be one of the largest since this more than two-year war began.
Now Russia claimed Thursday that it had, quote, "halted attempts by Ukraine's troops to break deep into Russian territory." But those claims do
seem to be at odds with reports on the ground of heavy shelling. CNN's Clare Sebastian has been following developments for us.
You and I last spoke last hour when it was very unclear what the Ukrainian position on this is. And certainly we had heard nothing officially from
Ukraine. Mixed messages here.
So what do we know at this point?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we know what we're getting from the Russian side and their approach here has been not to hide
this, perhaps because it's too big to hide at this point, but to really emphasize they're talking about Ukraine (INAUDIBLE) said indiscriminately
targeting civilians.
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Russian media is focusing on their claims that civilians are being targeted even as they tried to evacuate from these areas.
And we are getting unofficial reports from the likes of Russian military bloggers and video evidence coming out that shows that, now in this third
day, it seems that, despite Russian claims, that they have halted the advance, that the hostilities have still very much underway.
We have video that's emerged showing people driving, it seems, in a car. We geolocated it to just outside the town of Suzhou, which is just the sort of
epicenter of where we've seen the action just across the border some 10 kilometers across the border into Russia's Kursk region.
And at one point, the people in the car, they say that they are being shot at. So that sort of tallies with what we're seeing on the Russian state
media. Impossible to verify it, of course.
And meanwhile, Russia is claiming that it is inflicting heavy damage on Ukrainian forces. The Russian ministry of defense has put out a lot of
videos, one of which we have geolocated to a village also in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, this one here, where they claim to be
destroying Ukrainian armored vehicles.
Including purportedly an American made Bradley. We have not been able to verify that. So the Russians are claiming that they've got the upper hand.
The Ukrainians still are saying nothing, which is pretty telling in itself.
But it does seem that the hostilities are still ongoing. And this really is a bit of a game changer in this war. We have not seen Ukrainian regular
forces break into Russian territory on this scale. And so this is something that we continue to monitor.
But of course, without any Ukrainian official comment, we don't really know why they're doing this.
ANDERSON: No, fascinating. All right. Stay with it. Thank you.
Egypt issued a warning for flights to stay out of Iranian airspace earlier today as the region braces for a possible Iranian attack on Israel. U.S.
sources say Tehran's proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, might strike first.
All this, of course, playing out against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joining me now in the
studio.
I spoke to the Jordanian foreign minister yesterday. He is absolutely determined and this has been his message around the region and beyond,
including in Tehran, this weekend, that a ceasefire in Gaza would lower tensions.
Where do talks stand and is it clear at this point whether we can even get negotiators back to the table in order to try and effect a cease-fire
anytime soon?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you heard, Becky, from Ayman Safadi as we've been hearing from different Arab capitals. Everyone is
saying the same thing, stop the war in Gaza.
And this is how the situation in the region deescalates. If you look back in November when you have that brief ceasefire for a week, Iran's proxies
did halt their attacks at that point and they refer back to that.
So where are we right now?
We're hearing from U.S. officials, interesting statements in the last 24 hours, saying they are in the finals stages of agreeing on the framework of
an agreement, saying that they are -- that they are closer than ever to an agreement.
That's very much -- obviously we have to wait and see what that's all about because there are no indications that these talks have restarted.
And also keeping in mind this is coming after the assassination of Haniyeh, the appointment of Sinwar, where everyone is asking, where is this going to
lead to?
And then you also have the situation where the region seems to be on the brink of --
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ANDERSON: Absolutely.
So let's just hear from the Jordanian foreign minister on the importance and impact that he believes a ceasefire would have. Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: our message has been clear to the Iranians, to the Israelis, that we will not be a battleground for
anybody. We will not allow anybody, to the extent that we can, to violate our airspace.
Our first responsibility is toward our people, protecting the sovereignty and this -- of our country and the safety of our people. So our position is
that nobody should use our airspace.
Nobody should subject our people to the threat of any projectile falling over any of our territory and harming our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Right, that was part of the conversation when we talked about his concerns about Iranian retaliation on Israel at this point and the fact
that, last time we saw a flareup, let's call it, back in April, Iranian airspace was used by Iran.
Now we also talked about just how ugly things are getting in Jordan domestically, as protesters demonstrate against the Israeli assassination
of the Hamas leader in Tehran.
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What do you make of what he said?
KARADSHEH: Well, I think, I mean, it's very clear that the Jordanians are really trying to avoid a situation being where they were in April, where
you have this tough balancing act of being a U.S. ally, having security cooperation with the Israelis.
And at the same time, you have the pressure domestically, with people being so angry about the situation in Gaza. Where Jordan would have to play a
part in any sort of interception, anything that is going to hit Israel, will likely go into Jordanian airspace.
The Jordanian official position is this is about protecting our sovereignty, protecting our people. But you also have alliances and the
responsibility here, you have U.S. forces that are based in Jordan. And this, of course, puts them in a very tough position domestically, where
they are seeing like they are coming to the aid of Israel and the United States.
ANDERSON: We know that just after, very briefly, just after the Jordanian foreign minister had been in Tehran and this was, this is the first visit
like this in 20 years and Jordanians do not have a relationship with the Iranians.
Then we then add the king of Jordan, speaking to the U.S. president.
What's that message out of Jordan and how key a player are they at this point?
At least let's put it this way, frame it this way, on the diplomatic front?
I mean and they would suggest, I'm sure, that they are. The diplomatic front is absolutely key.
KARADSHEH: You've heard the message from King Abdullah over and over again that the U.S. needs to play a bigger role in not only trying to reach a
ceasefire but he has been pushing and pushing for a two-state solution, saying that is the only way that you'll achieve stability in this region.
The Jordanians are still wanting and still hoping and pushing for U.S., for the U.S. to be more involved and to play a bigger role and to exercise more
leverage on the Israelis to try and achieve that. And this is the message that we've heard since October from the king and the government.
ANDERSON: We are 10 months in. And we know that the conflict continues and people continue to lose their lives. Thank you.
Right. Still to come, Donald Trump says he'll host a news conference today from Florida while Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign in a key
battleground state. A closer look at both sides as they battle for the White House. We are 90 days and change out from the U.S. election. We've
got a live report for you just ahead.
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ANDERSON: To the race for the White House now, folks. And Donald Trump suggests in the last few hours that he'll hold a news conference later
today from his home in Mar-a-Lago. That's according to a post on his Truth Social site.
But the Harris-Walz campaign blitz is looking to keep the momentum going in Michigan with an event in Detroit today before heading to Arizona.
[10:20:05]
The Democrats are campaigning in five key battleground states this week. Well, CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak, joining us now from
Washington.
Let's start with the Harris-Walz ticket. She said a moment in the spotlight these last few weeks, she had a reaction. Some will call remarkable to a
heckler at her rally in Detroit on Wednesday. And she was -- appeared to put this heckler really back in their box.
Just tell us about what the strategy here is as this ticket swings through these key battleground states.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And I think the reason that moment was so remarkable because it was so different than how
President Biden has responded to hecklers when he has been out on the road.
Of course, this was about the situation in Gaza. These were pro-Palestinian hecklers. And what she said was that, if you want Donald Trump to win, say
that. And she said, I'm speaking now, your turn will come later.
And I think this is so interesting and it does speak to the balance that she's trying to strike on this issue in particular. She doesn't want to
break with President Biden in his strategy for the Middle East.
But at the same time, she has tried to appear more conciliatory to the situation of the Palestinians. And in a state like Michigan, with that
heavy concentration of Arab Americans and Muslim Americans, it will be a balance that she will continue to have to strike.
Now we are told that she met behind the scenes with a number of Arab American activists as well, who are trying to lobby her to support an arms
embargo on Israel. She doesn't support that and the White House was clear this morning that she doesn't.
But it is an issue and she will have to demonstrate some wiggle room on this area going forward, which has been such an issue for Democrats. Now,
later today, she'll meet with union workers at a union hall. She has been endorsed by auto workers. That's another huge constituency in the state of
Michigan.
What you're seeing her try to do at all of these stops is really continue this momentum that Democrats have been enjoying since she joined the
ticket. Last night in Detroit was a huge crowd, 15,000 people at an airport hangar. That's the largest crowd she's had so far.
The real question will be whether they can maintain that going forward. She has her events this week. Next week will be the Democratic National
Convention. The question is whether, through the fall, that momentum will be maintained as she heads to the election in November.
ANDERSON: Thank you. And as we've both said in then next coming hours, we are likely to hear from president Trump, who, to be quite frank, has been
rather quiet since the announcement of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris' running mate. And we've heard a lot from JD Vance.
One assumes that he will take an opportunity to really go at this ticket now, disrupting the momentum that Harris and Walz have as they continue
this campaign tour. Thank you.
Our next guest has just penned an article for a Middle East publication about the newly minted Harris-Walz campaign.
Adam Lucente writes for "Al-Monitor" and used this piece in the wake of, in the hours just after the announcement of Tim Walz, to take a deep dive into
some of Walz's positions on, for example, the war in Gaza, on Iraq, Iran and on Syria.
And Adam joins us now from New York.
This show, of course, normally based in Abu Dhabi. We have a sort of keen focus on what is going on in the wider Middle East region. And I was
fascinated to read what you penned.
And we did hear Kamala Harris responding to a heckler last night, which puts this in place. Some have said that this is an all progressive ticket,
which would, if you are looking at that, through a sort of foreign policy lens, suggest more of a sort of bent to the Arab American sympathies.
Based on your research, is that true in terms of foreign policy?
ADAM LUCENTE, NEWS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, "AL-MONITOR": Yes. With governor Walz, he's actually considered a mainstream in terms of foreign
policy. Certainly, with regards to Middle East policy, especially on the Israel-Gaza War.
Remember before he was governor, he was in Congress, in the House of Representatives, representing the same state and he voted for aid to
Israel. And as governor, he voted -- he condemned quite forcefully the October 7 attack as governor.
At the same time, since the war began, he has called for a ceasefire and he's called for more aid to the Gaza Strip. And that puts him in line with
what Vice President Harris has been saying as vice president and on the campaign trail.
ANDERSON: I want to play you and our viewers that moment at last night's rally in Detroit, stand by.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He intends to surrender our fight against the
climate crisis and he intends to end the Affordable Care Act.
You know what?
If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The electorate of that city, we didn't quite hear what was coming from the heckler, but a pro sort of Arab, pro-Gaza position from
that, from that audience member. The people of that city, particularly sensitive about the Gaza conflict.
I just wonder whether, one, you think Kamala Harris handled that heckler in the right way and whether those who have a pro-Palestinian bent should
expect a more sympathetic narrative from this ticket going forward, given the research that you've done?
LUCENTE: Yes. So with that, I wouldn't read too much into it. I mean, people on social media, people who were supportive of the Palestinians,
were very critical of how she handled that. But it's -- it wasn't really a policy announcement. It was just kind of responding to a heckler.
So I wouldn't really read into that. What we've seen from Vice President Harris and Walz, for that matter, is more openness to criticism of Israel.
But so far not recommending any major policy changes.
Certainly there's a difference between the Trump-Vance ticket. But I would say look more at their statements and what she's done as vice president and
what her boss, President Biden, has done than any response to a heckler.
ANDERSON: With a lens through and on the Middle East, what do you expect we might hear from this ticket going forward?
LUCENTE: I think you'll hear more of what we have been hearing, which is more -- slightly more criticism of Israel but perhaps not a major policy
change. And also, it really depends what happens in the region.
I mean, right now the Gaza war is ongoing and there is not indication that a ceasefire is necessarily imminent. We're expecting Iran to strike Israel.
And what Vice President Harris has done recently is, after this strike recently in the Golan Heights, where several children were killed, she came
out and said that she supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
At the same time, from the administration, what we saw after the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader in Iran, which was blamed on Israel,
Secretary Blinken said, the U.S. was not involved in this.
So it depends what Israel does. It depends what happens with the war vis-a- vis Iran. That will determine how they respond to things.
ANDERSON: Foreign policy is going to play a role and may not be the key role for the domestic voter. But there are constituents who are -- who are
going to want to know what their positions are.
As we know, I mean, at the end of the day, foreign policy is not necessarily front and center when Americans are worrying about the border
and the economy and the rest of it.
But this is really important stuff and it's good to have you on. Thank you very much indeed. Follow your work. It's a good read. Thank you.
Well, troubling news for traditional television next. Warner Bros. Discovery, one of the world's largest media conglomerates and the parent
company of CNN, has written down $9.1 billion on its troubled TV network assets.
The company's already anemic stock price plummeted when Wall Street opened for trading. It opened at a new low of around $6.80. That's down more than
70 percent since its 2022 merger.
Well, trading currently off for nearly 11 percent. Joining me now is CNN media correspondent Hadas Gold.
Speaking candidly to investors on the company's earnings call on Wednesday, chief executive David Zaslav acknowledged the dire reality of the TV
business.
He said, quote, "It's fair to say that, even two years ago, market valuations and prevailing conditions for legacy media companies were quite
different than they are today. And this impairment acknowledges this."
What's he trying to do to fix the issue?
HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot to do to fix the issue. They're focusing on things like streaming. They're focusing on
hopefully getting their NBA rights back. I'll get into that just a second.
But it was a tough day for our parent company, for Warner Bros. Discovery and of reflection too of just how quickly linear traditional television,
traditional cable networks are dying just at a very rapid clip.
I'll give you just striking numbers. Six years ago when ATD bought what was then TimeWarner, it was an $85 billion deal. TimeWarner was also our
parent company back in the day.
[10:30:00]
Now, the company, which is now Warner Bros. Discovery, is valued at around $18 billion. So we've gone from $85 billion to $18 billion in just about
six years. It goes to show you how quickly this industry is changing.
So the stock, the company stock this morning, in early morning trading, we just saw the numbers up there. In early morning trading it was down 12
percent. I think it's improved just a little bit. As you noted, it was already an anemic stock.
But then this was a massive, massive, what's called an impairment chart of $9.1 billion. And essentially a writedown of the value of its cable
networks. And Warner Bros. Discovery is still, at its core, really, a cable network with CNN, HDTV, TNT, TBS, all of which have seen ratings decline.
People are cutting the core, people are changing dramatically how they watch television. And this has been made worse recently by the fight over
the rights for NBA. So the NBA has changed who gets its rights to show its game.
Warner Bros. Discovery essentially lost its deal as it was. And Warner Bros. Discovery is now suing to try to get its NBA rights back. It's very
important for its business. That's live sports, especially for TNT.
Now you noted what David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, said on the call, essentially acknowledging the difficulties. Now he did talk up
other parts of the Warner Bros. Discovery business, talking about the Max streaming platform.
He's saying it's doing very well, saying it has a tremendous upside. But he did talk about just the cold reality, what he called the tough conditions
in the legacy business.
On the streaming side, Warner Bros. Discovery says that he does have -- did get 2 million subscribers in the first quarter, more than 3.6 million
subscribers in the second quarter. So there are some bright spots. Also, especially in streaming, ad revenue growth.
But Warner Bros. Discovery isn't showing the same types of numbers as other streaming platforms like Disney are showing.
It still has quite a ways to go. And there is a big question by a lot of analysts out there, asking whether the news of what we got yesterday is
going to speed up what could be even a breakup of Warner Bros. Discovery selling off some of the assets.
Now Warner Bros. Discovery has poured very cold water on the idea of breaking up the company, of selling anything off. But some analysts are
saying it's a question of when, not if that happens, Becky.
ANDERSON: Hadas Gold on the story.
Good to have you. Thank you.
Coming up, the cancellation of Taylor Swift's concerts in Austria has brought back concerns about teenagers being radicalized online. I'm going
to speak with an expert on terrorism and extremism.
And later in the show, smorgasbord of sport. We ran up the action from day 13 of the Olympics.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
Well, in the U.K., a massive sigh of relief after a day of far-right rallies failed to materialize. Instead, crowds of anti-racism protesters
turned out across the country on Wednesday. London's police chief is praising the show of unity from communities. There are still fears that
unrest could be ahead, Nada Bashir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A huge turnout in the northern English city of Sheffield, with a clear message.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) solidarity.
(APPLAUSE)
BASHIR (voice-over): The far-right rioters, who called for violence and disorder across the U.K., quickly outnumbered by anti-racism demonstrators.
BASHIR: Well, here in Sheffield, the city have been on high alert for the possibility of yet more far right riots. But instead, there has been a huge
show of support from anti-racism demonstrators, gathering here to take a stand against the far right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is amazing, like the hundreds of people that are here like this show of my community and solidarity just feels really good
and feels is a really positive outcome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not prepared to (ph) let them dominate our streets. These are our streets and they're multicultural streets and so I'm here to
oppose them.
BASHIR (voice-over): Across the country, security measures have been ramped up. The government pledging to use the full force of the law against
those involved in acts of far-right violence.
But on Wednesday, anti-immigration voices were a clear minority.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are coming in and making our contract unsafe and I think it's all that and it's really not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No (INAUDIBLE) --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- if you've run out with guards (ph), you treat our kids safe, you come in this country, you live by our laws.
BASHIR (voice-over): It's a sentiment rejected by government officials and condemned by the thousands who took to the streets of Britain on Wednesday.
From Liverpool in the north to Brighton in the south and in the capital, London.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the show of force from the police and, frankly, the show of show of unity from communities together defeated the challenges
that we've seen.
BASHIR (voice-over): Police say hundreds have been arrested so far in connection with far-right violence, with over 100 said to have already been
charged.
While officials remain on high alert for any further violence, the solidarity displayed by those standing against racism in Britain appears to
have thwarted the far right for now -- Nada Bashir, CNN, in Sheffield, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We are continuing to gather details on the alleged terror plot that has forced organizers to cancel Taylor Swift concerts in Austria.
Investigators have questioned three teenage suspects, at least two of whom police say had been radicalized online.
The extraordinary decision has devastated fans known as Swifties but also renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for
terror networks.
The path of online teenage chatter turning to real-world plotting has become alarmingly common. In recent months, a study by terrorism expert
Peter Neumann, which CNN reported last month, showed teenagers accounted for nearly two thirds of ISIS linked arrests in Europe in the previous nine
months.
Joining me now is Dr. Elizabeth Pearson, senior lecturer in criminology at Royal Holloway University of London.
It's very good to have you. Let's start with the news out of -- out of Austria.
Elizabeth, why are groups like ISIS-K targeting teenagers?
And how are they doing it?
DR. ELIZABETH PEARSON, SENIOR LECTURER, ROYAL HOLLOWAY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Thanks for having me on. I think this latest news reminds us that,
although Islamic State is less visible, the threat is very much still there.
Islamic State, the caliphate, was so-called declared 10 years ago now but this is an ongoing threat and it is one that affects younger people, people
who are more accessible to extremist groups, who are spending their time online, who perhaps have less ability to discern information that is
credible from other information.
[10:40:00]
And we've seen that trend also in the U.K. toward online radicalization or younger males in particular. So that is consistent. And, of course, this
attack, had it happened, would have put Islamic State on the map. It would have gained huge amounts of publicity.
And it would also have targeted disproportionately women and children attending. So echoes of 2017 and the Manchester arena attack so --
ANDERSON: You brought up what we've been seeing in the U.K. over the last couple of couple of days. So I just want to focus on that for a moment.
We just saw a report on the violence across the U.K. but also the coming together of communities, united against this radicalized extremist groups
against immigrants, for example. And friendly, an uptick in policing and what the police are doing with those who are causing trouble.
You've spoken with the far right in the United Kingdom extensively, including a man by the name of Tommy Robinson, who is the face of what's
known as the English Defence League.
You've said, and I quote you here, "Protecting "their women" -- in inverted commas -- "from Muslim men was a key mobilizing narrative and it's been the
key theme this week, even if it's based on a lie."
Elizabeth, how does that sense of possession play into this?
PEARSON: Well, I should say that the English Defence League is no more.
And Jake (ph) (INAUDIBLE) left that sometime before it did die out. But I think it does make sense to talk about them because there is a lot of
people that follow Tommy Robinson and who are very influenced by the anti- Islam rhetoric which he continues to mobilize.
So this is a nationalist idea that states have mobilized toward war for a long time. And ultra-nationalists and the far-right also mobilized. So they
have a key part of the narrative is that the state has let down this particular group of people and that they themselves, the men of the group,
have to mobilize instead.
Because the state won't do it, they will do it instead. So we know that the anti-Islam radical right, has always mobilized around, for instance,
grooming gangs, so-called child sexual exploitation and this very strong core to protect women and children.
And so violence against women and children requires the men of the group to kind of respond with violence in turn. And I think, even though, as you say
and I wrote, this is based on a lie, that really strong emotion in the wake of that absolutely terrible killing of those three girls and attacks on
those other children more than a week ago now.
The emotion was so manipulable because it was so strong and that gave it a lot of momentum. And frankly, some people didn't care whether it was a lie
they were following or not, it seems, in the aftermath of last (INAUDIBLE) in Southport.
ANDERSON: Yes. Dis- or misinformation, otherwise known as lies, being proliferated, of course, on social media, these days, which again adds
another really terrifying layer here.
You've penned an article about this ultra nationalism, possible because we accept the validity of nationalist norms. And you say that men should
defend women, that attacks on women emasculate, quote, "their men."
This is a fascinating narrative and one that we, should really try and understand if we are to try and find a solution to this sort of
nationalism, this hate, call it as you will.
So what is the cure?
What is the solution here?
PEARSON: I wish I had this $1,000,000 question.
I wish I had the cure. But I would say this isn't just, you know, this isn't specific to the far right. I also talk to Islamists in this country
and similar gender narratives, mobilizing Islamist men, also that idea of our women being under attack from other men.
For me, one of the really important things is to think about gender to try and unpick these narratives. You know, I've met people who've worked with
deradicalizing Islamists; for instance, former extremists who will use kickboxing, use sports.
So they're using masculinity channeled into other outlets but still mainly focused on being strong, being fit, being able to fight back or, in other
contexts, particularly in some of Southeast Asia.
We've seen people working with masculinity as trying to get men to think about why it was, what it meant to them as a man to be involved in an
extreme group. Because what I found and what others have found is that this is a lot about status. It's status you don't get in other parts of your
life.
[10:45:04]
Or indeed, you know that your --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Right.
PEARSON: -- in other parts of your life. This gives you status. This is something complex but we can unpick it. We can work on it.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you and your insight is important as we continue to tell these stories and try and pick apart what exactly is going
on here and where we might find some solutions. Thank you.
We are back after a quick break, stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Rising sea temperatures have led to the fifth mass bleaching event in the last eight years on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a
biodiversity hotspot. Today on CNN series, "Call to Earth," my colleague, Lynda Kinkade, takes us to a school in Queensland with a unique approach to
helping protect the world's largest coral reef ecosystem.
Have look at this.
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PELL (PH) (voice-over): Hi, welcome to The Reef Room (ph). I'm Pell (ph).
MACKENZIE (PH) (voice-over): I'm Mackenzie (ph).
JARA (PH) (voice-over): I'm Jara (ph).
CASSIE (PH) (voice-over): And I'm Cassie (ph).
PELL (PH): And we're the environmental captains of Belgian Gardens State School.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For these school kids, there is no greater honor than becoming an environmental captain.
Growing up and going to class on the Great Barrier Reef, it's cool to care about the unique home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the moment, there's lots of global warming happening. And because the water is getting warmer, lots of the corals are
dying.
KINKADE (voice-over): The climate crisis is forcing sea temperatures higher, causing mass coral bleaching events around the world.
It's meant devastating losses across reef habitats that support up to a quarter of all sea life. But at this school in Townsville, Australia, young
people are tackling the huge problem of environmental degradation by starting small.
BRETT MURPHY, SCIENCE TEACHER: We just want to show the kids that if they are passionate about something that they can be sure and try and make a
change.
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KINKADE (voice-over): For over 10 years, Belgian Gardens State School has been successfully breeding clownfish.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here in the reef room there will be clownfish from eggs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because every clownfish we breed and trade is one less taken from the reef.
KINKADE (voice-over): The aim is to protect those that live in the wild.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We breed clownfish because of the success of the Pixar movie, "Finding Nemo."
(VIDEO CLIP, "FINDING NEMO")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone wants to like have a clownfish as a pet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that means that there's more clownfish taken from the reef, out of their natural habitat.
KINKADE (voice-over): The students here get the clownfish eggs from the nearby Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Then when these little Nemos are old enough.
[10:50:00]
The students give them to pet stores in exchange for aquarium supplies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Up here in tech 8 (ph), you can see that these clownfish have laid eggs just in there (ph).
KINKADE (voice-over): Science teacher Brett Murphy has won the support and the admiration of parents and marine biologists alike for his innovative
teaching methods.
MURPHY: One big fish, a couple on top, too.
KINKADE (voice-over): And the passion for the environment he passes on to his students.
MURPHY: I think it's the perfect way to teach, I feel, is that real life hands-on learning. So they're doing real calculations in mathematics for
the feeding. And they are doing observations, what they might do in science.
Then the cool benefit at the end is that those fish are not being taken from the reef.
KINKADE (voice-over): It's low tide at Rose Bay Beach in Townsville, giving the students an opportunity for a seagrass survey on the edge of a
mangrove forest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So that seed's hatched (ph) so that means that this has produced seagrass.
KINKADE (voice-over): The data the children will gather will be put to use by the Reef Authority.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This river over here connects to the Great Barrier Reef. So anything that comes out, he will go there.
KINKADE (voice-over): At that nearby tributary, the children test the water's health and the results are a little disappointing.
MURPHY: It says best 75 (ph). So that's probably the cloudiest (ph) we've seen in the last three years, actually.
If the water is really cloudy, can seagrass get its sunlight?
No. So it all links together.
KINKADE (voice-over): The students at Belgian Gardens State School are learning how fragile our world is. And they're being taught to defend it.
MURPHY: I think if those students make a connection and it gets in their heart, that's when you make change.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, and you've seen what the students are up to. Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the #CalltoEarth. We'll be right
back.
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ANDERSON: Right; 13 could be a lucky number for athletes in Paris. So Coy Wire is in Paris on this the 13th day of the Olympics.
I'll give you another one. The French have 13 goals at present as hosts. That's not bad.
Bring up to speed with the latest on what are the marquee events today.
COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, 13 is great, Becky, it also great tonight. The newly crowned 100 meter champ Noah Lyles is going to put it
all on the line for a chance at that elusive double. If he can claim gold in the 200 meters as well, he'd be the first person to do it since the
legend Usain Bolt.
Only nine men have ever done it. Now we caught up here with hometown hero in Paris, some of those 13 medals, French swimming phenom Leon Marshawn,
who has become one of the stars of these games, just 22 years old.
No Olympic medals coming in. He cleaned up with four golds, shattering four Olympic records. He was still in disbelief, Becky, of how his dreams are
coming true. Listen.
LEON MARSHAWN, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I like to tell myself just to have fn. This week has been Christmas for me, you know, as it's opening. Make gifts
every day trying to look for that. So it's really rare, really special, really unique. I really focus on my energy when I'm in the courtroom (ph)
before the race.
[10:55:00]
And the French public has been amazing to me. So of course using that.
WIRE: What's something you've done throughout the career that might be a little quirky to other people but to you is just normal?
MARSHAWN: I don't think I made it out of motivation. I just want you to win all the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: All I want to do is win, Becky. He also said, this feels like a dream.
He's just waiting to wake up at any moment. If there's ever been a live human exhibit in The Louvre?
If not, there needs to be one with Leon Marshawn. He is the height of Paris at these games.
ANDERSON: And so he should be, both of you looking extremely cool in your shades, by the way.
Thank you for that.
Coy Wire is in the house and that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD from us here in London today. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is, of course, up next.
END
