Source link

The Pentagon is publishing fake AI ‘news’ across Latin America which mix financial advice with imperial propaganda. One article even celebrates the “precision” of the 3 January US raid on Venezuela. The operation recalls British fake media operations from the Cold War recently released from secret archives.

The project reflects the subtler side of American attempts to restore dominance in a continent the US ruling class views as its personal fiefdom.

Pentagon pushing fake news

The Intercept revealed on 2 June that a magazine named La Tilde was funded by the US government and operated:

as a military messaging platform for U.S. Special Operations Command South, or SOCSOUTH, which executes special forces missions throughout South and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

The outlet even got a sort of admission from La Tilde’s spokesperson:

When asked about SOCSOUTH’s role behind La Tilde, spokesperson Trevor Wild replied with the text of the site’s About page noting that it’s a government operation, but declined to comment further.

The magazine’s mix of normal stories with supportive articles about US imperialism recalls a similar British operation from the Cold War years. That operation was run by the UK’s Special Editorial Unit (SEU), part of the Foreign Office’s Information Research Department (IRD).

It served as a:

clandestine anti-communist propaganda unit which operated in the Foreign Office between 1948 and 1977.

According to a Declassified UK investigation from 14 May 2026, SEU produced deniable (or ‘black’) propaganda. Targets included nationalist and anti-colonial movements around the world:

Anti-colonial leaders such as Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, Indonesia’s Sukarno, and Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah were a frequent focus of British propaganda operations.

Declassified writer John McEvoy added:

Elsewhere, the SEU orchestrated propaganda campaigns on such diverse topics as fishing rights in the North Atlantic, apartheid in South Africa, and European communist parties.

Fake media organisations of yesteryear

But here is a key parallel:

Running news agencies was one of SEU’s “core activities”. These are described as “controlled outlets” in the archival material.

The fake outlets then and now mixed everyday news items with overtly political material to appear less suspicious:

In order to look like bona fide news agencies, the SEU’s “controlled outlets” fused political with “anodyne” content in order to “sweeten the pill” of the propaganda material.

These “anodyne” articles covered such issues as women’s affairs, health, sociology, geography, history, and sport.

This US’ updating of an old method combines filler AI-content about investment and travel advice mixed with openly pro-US propaganda material with headlines like:

Operation Absolute Resolve: The mission that captured Nicolás Maduro and set a new standard for precision and coordination

And:

“A rare happiness, but a real one”: Venezuelans speak about the hope that resurfaces after Nicolás Maduro’s capture.

Different fading empire, virtually identical shenanigans.

AI content, no bylines, US denials

The Intercept reported that La Tilde:

carries no bylines, masthead, or mention of actual staff of any kind. Although the site claims it employs “dozens of freelance reporters and content creators,” at least some of the site appears to have been generated by a large language model.

Adding:

Running articles through Pangram, an AI-text detection service, produced multiple hits for both English and Spanish writing either partially or entirely written by machines (though such tools are known to deliver false positives).

Former Pentagon cyber-policy adviser Emerson Brooking noted the La Tilde website’s “shoddiness” and said it was:

AI all the way down.

Brooking said:

If you can generate new content and even news fronts at the flip of a switch, your influence operations can shift target and focus much more quickly.

That seems to be the thinking behind recent AI-powered Russian and Chinese networks, for instance.

The US military denied any connection to La Tilde:

SOUTHCOM [US miltary Southern Command] “does not fund, operate, or have any official association with La Tilde,” according to spokesperson Steven McLoud, who did not respond to further questions.

And La Tilde looks to be expanding operations. The Intercept found:

An analysis of subdomains hosted on LaTilde.co reveals the site plans to launch bespoke versions for readers in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, and Peru.

Propaganda wing of Trump’s American Empire

Dominance in the Americas has always been US policy. President Trump has sharpened it in the 2025 National Security Strategy. The Canary has followed this process since Trump’s 2024 re-election:

The Monroe Doctrine, many Canary readers will be aware, basically means US political and economic dominance of the continent. The ‘Donroe’ doctrine, as the new version has been called, is Trump’s typically egotistical update.

As we noted:

The US started 2026 with an attack on Venezuela and various threats against neighbours like Greenland, Canada and others. Since then, it was steered — with the help of Israel — into a war with Iran. And spent the last few months getting an arse-kicking in a dramatically failing conflict there.

However:

the Americas have not been forgotten in Trump’s vision. The US military and US intelligence have been busy while Iran took the headlines.

You can read our 30 May analysis – ‘Trump’s American empire: US operations are firing up across the continent‘ –  here. You can read the full National Security Strategy here. The new US counter-terrorism strategy also mentions uses the coded language of cartel ‘narco-terrorism’ to build consent for US hemispheric power.

Influence operations like La Tilde are the flip side of kinetic US military actions, partner training and support for Trump-aligned right-wing politicians on the continent. The Iran war will end at some point. The US ruling class will return more fully to a core competency: bullying their neighbours into submission.

Featured image via Getty/Win McNamee

By Joe Glenton

Source link

Countries including the UK failed to reach agreement at a UN nuclear conference in New York on how to eliminate nuclear weapons, while the Labour Government declined to comment despite sending a minister who spoke at the opening session.

The 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) took place from 27 April to 22 May, bringing together states parties, observers and non-governmental organisations. A House of Commons Library briefing published on 20 April said participants included treaty members, observers and NGOs who:

discuss[ed] the functioning of the treaty, the implementation of its provisions and the state of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation more broadly.

The briefing warned that “there are concerns that a belief in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation is under threat”. This is because nuclear weapons states modernise and expand their arsenals, while at the same time these concerns grow.

There has been a move away from nuclear arms control as an enabler of confidence building and strategic stability.

The review conference — sometimes called RevCon — produced a document which remained in draft, showing what agreements on nuclear non-proliferation the parties to the treaty had attempted to reach consensus on. Paragraph 15, concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons programme, remains contested, and the document was not ‘adopted’ by the RevCon.

Nuclear weapons conference: diplomatic reaction to failed talks

Senior UN diplomats shared their disappointment about the failure of the conference to come to an agreement at a press conference which concluded the two week event.

The Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT president, and Vietnam’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Do Hung Viet said:

I am disappointed that the review conference was unable to reach consensus on an outcome document and really seize this critical opportunity to make our world a safer place.

He added:

The current international environment, which is really marked by deep tensions and an elevated risk posed by nuclear weapons, demands very urgent action.

Throughout the conference I have appealed to all states parties [note to eds; thats not a typo, both diplomats said ‘states parties’] to continue to make full use of the available avenues for dialogue, for diplomacy, for negotiation to come to an agreement. I believe such an agreement would have contributed significantly to reducing tensions, to lowering the nuclear risks and contribute to the ultimate total elimination of the nuclear threat.

Advertisement

He went on to warn that the failure of the RevCon made him concerned about the NPT itself.

A substantive outcome would have strengthened the treaty and advanced its objectives, but in absence of such an outcome, I am concerned for the future health of treaty.

Two sides of the same coin

Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs — the most senior diplomat at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs — Izumi Nakamitsu said:

Non-proliferation and disarmament are two sides of the same coin, and it is simply wrong for nuclear weapons states to assume that nonproliferation obligations will be just adhered to without nuclear weapon states commitment and implementation of disarmament commitment under article six.

Article VI of the NPT says:

Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

However, Nakamitsu said that despite the failure of the conference to agree on an outcome document, the NPT is still in effect. She added:

There was no consensus outcome, but we all need to remember that legal commitments or legal obligations under this treaty remain. So we need to make sure that all states, especially nuclear weapons states, really understand it and then maintain their commitment. Additionally, they must really move to implement their commitments.

Labour buries head in sand over deadlock

Speaking at the start of the conference on 27 April, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office minister of state Stephen Doughty MP said:

The United Kingdom remains fully committed to the Treaty and our obligations under it, including Article Six.

He also said at the time:

The UK believes that the Treaty remains the only credible route to tackle the nuclear challenges of the decades to come […] We must use the next few weeks to unite behind it […] We want this Conference to deliver a consensus outcome that strengthens implementation of the NPT. […] Whether or not we can get there, the Treaty’s role in global security is enduring and undiminished.

“But a collective signal that, despite our differences, we can come together to restate common commitments would further strengthen it and send a powerful message.

The Canary asked the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) if it would like to comment on the failure of the conference and a spokesperson said, “we are not providing a response on this story.”

UK violating NPT given its modernisation and expansion of nuclear arsenal – CND

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament general secretary Sophie Bolt told the Canary:

Nuclear risks are growing and following the expiry of the New START Treaty between the US and Russia in February, this year’s NPT Review Conference was a critical opportunity to get disarmament efforts back on track.

In February 2026, the UK Labour Government was criticised for its lack of diplomatic action, given the UK’s status on the international stage as a nuclear weapons state, over the expiration of New START (New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty). The treaty limited the number of nuclear weapons the US and Russia could hold.

Bolt continued:

Instead, Nuclear Weapons States shamefully blocked any meaningful progress over the course of the negotiations resulting in deadlock.

It’s now been 16 years since a consensus was reached on implementing the NPT – meanwhile nuclear powers are spending over $100bn (£86bn) a year on modernising and expanding their arsenals.

Advertisement

And she added:

For nuclear powers like Britain who are signed up to the NPT, this is a violation of their commitments made under Article VI of the Treaty.

It’s telling that the British government has not commented on these failed negotiations as it prepares to announce its Defence Investment Plan, which will include funding for nuclear-capable F-35A fighter jets to give the RAF a nuclear capability for the first time in almost three decades.

Nuclear-armed states ‘undermining the NPT’ and ‘pointing the world toward catastrophe’

The International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) advocates for nuclear disarmament and promotes the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Half of the UN countries support the TPNW, but no nuclear weapons-armed states have added their support.

ICAN United Nations liaison Seth Shelden said:

Our key concern has not been whether or not diplomats agree on a piece of paper, but whether or not the NPT member states are reducing risks related to nuclear weapons.

Shelden explained that risk must be central:

The surest path to eliminating the risk is eliminating the weapons, as legally required under the NPT. And the majority of countries are indeed working in good faith toward disarmament, including by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

However:

the small handful of nuclear-armed states, and certain of their allies, are undermining the NPT, frustrating disarmament efforts, expanding arsenals, and provoking proliferation, pointing the world toward catastrophe.

Featured image via Getty/Christian Bruna

By Tom Pashby

Source link

On 2 June, a white riot erupted in Southampton following inflammatory speeches from far-right figures Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson. Since then, residents in the area have spoken out about what these thugs subjected them to:

A British national living in Southampton had her car and property damaged. She said,

“I’ve never felt so unsafe in my house.”

She did not feel unsafe because of Sikhs, Muslims or migrants but because of other British nationals, a section of whom were far right. pic.twitter.com/Xj2RlZunZK

Advertisement

— Zara Hussain (@zarahussain999) June 3, 2026

Farage white riot in Southampton

As Rose Cocker reported for the Canary:

On the 2 June, far-right bigot Nigel Farage put out a statement ostensibly aiming to avoid societal dissolution in response to police treatment of murder victim Henry Nowak. Roughly 24 hours later, rioters took to the streets of Southampton to throw wheelie bins at cops.

Farage tried to despicably weaponise the murder of Nowak to incite racial hatred. He specifically called for “pure, cold rage.” Lo and behold, fellow racists rioted in Southampton, and the riots trended on social media as #FarageRiots.

Advertisement

The woman interviewed above described the situation as:

Carnage really, for four hours.

Sky News asked:

Just describe what you saw out of your windows, what was happening?

She responded:

Bricks were being thrown, a bin was set on fire and pushed through the police line. Yeah, bottles, cans. All sorts. I think a lot of walls and bins, chairs, all sorts.

Several videos captured the behaviour she’s talking about:

Dozens of bricks being thrown pic.twitter.com/VwPXkfZlmR

— Taj Ali (@Taj_Ali1) June 2, 2026

Right-wing commentator ‘Young Bob’ willingly uploaded a video of his pals pushing a flaming bin into the police despite the fact that some of the men’s faces are visible:

Protesters are now setting dumpsters on fire and pushing bins towards the police line.

This is the sort of escalation and civil unrest that happens during mass migration. pic.twitter.com/iNyuY2ePLD

— Young Bob (@YoungBobRB) June 2, 2026

When asked how she felt witnessing all this, the woman replied:

Terrified. I’ve never felt unsafe in my house and I just wanted to get out of there, but I couldn’t.

In the video, you can see there’s a car with the back windows taped up, because bricks were thrown through it. The woman noted that in addition to the damaged car:

I think one of the walls is missing. Someone’s missing a wall.

The aforementioned Young Bob would also visit the house where Henry Nowak was arrested, trespassing on the property and filming it:

This is absolutely repulsive. https://t.co/HmakR9Aszm

— Curtis Daly (@CurtisDaly_) June 3, 2026

Bob praised the thugs for not ‘desecrating’ the house, seemingly suggesting it was acceptable for them to terrorise the neighbours.

The scourge

Reform UK politicians are doing everything they can to not criticise the marauding louts they stirred up:

OK @TiceRichard I’m going to try one more time. This really shouldn’t be hard. You keep claiming you have specifically and unequivocally condemned the violence in Southampton on social media. Fine. Just present the actual tweet or post. https://t.co/JUGfma5LGj

— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) June 4, 2026

Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe, meanwhile, described the pissed-up Nazis who rampaged through Southampton as “patriots”:

I do not want to see patriots thrown in prison because they've had a beer or two, got fired up and acted stupid in the heat of the moment.

The state will make an example of you – they will show no mercy. Your life will be ruined.

Do not attack the police. Be smart. Stay calm.

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) June 4, 2026

Advertisement

Britain now has a firmly established far-right movement that constitutes political parties in Westminster and a violent street movement. In other words, it’s starting to look at lot like 1930s Germany.

Featured image via Dan Kitwood (Getty Images)

By Willem Moore

Source link

Jewish Peaceniks UK will erect a large tent on London’s Southbank from 1pm on Thursday 11 June. The tent will bear messages concerning the children of Gaza. And a main banner will read: GAZA’S CHILDREN STILL IN HELL.

Attached on either side of the tent will be washing lines with children’s clothes and tea towels. On them will be messages to the public and to the UK government.

Some of the children’s clothes will be bloodied, small trousers will have a leg cut off to indicate amputation.

Inside the tent will be photo images of children from Gaza and a soundscape of the poignant things they have been saying to their families. Gazan theatre artist Hossam Madhoun has collected these. Here are some examples:

• Do children who have their legs amputated grow new legs?
• Do the Israeli pilots who bomb children have children?
• When a missile hits us, do we feel pain or die immediately?

Approximately 10,750 Gazan children have sustained life-changing injuries and 3,800 Gazan children are currently still waiting for a medical evacuation (World Health Organisation May 2026).

In 2025 the UK government pledged to allow 300 children to come here for medical treatment. To date no more than 50 child patients have arrived.

Visitors to the tent will be able to sign a postcard to prime minister Keir Starmer. It urges him to allow entry of a much more significant number of the most seriously injured children. Jewish Peaceniks UK hopes to deliver this by hand to 10 Downing Street.

The group will confirm the exact location of the tent on 10 June.

Jewish Peaceniks UK

Jewish Peaceniks UK is a grassroots organisation of older Jewish women – mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers – who curate events to highlight what is being perpetrated against the Palestinian population in Gaza and beyond.

A key part of its mission as a Jewish group is to communicate to the UK public that condemning Israel for its crimes against humanity and its ongoing genocide is not antisemitic.

Some of the group are children of parents persecuted by the Nazi regime, who are particularly devastated to be witnessing acts of dehumanisation and genocide being perpetrated by a Jewish state created in the wake of the Holocaust.

Since September 2023 Jewish Peaceniks UK has mounted four public actions, the first a silent performance piece on the Southbank illustrating the abuse of Palestinian prisoners. And the group has raised £10,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians and two other charities through film screening events.

Featured image via Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

By The Canary

Source link

Wings has today sent the following letter to the named recipients.

—————————————————————————–

The Chief Constable
Police Scotland
5 Fettes Avenue
Edinburgh
EH4 1RB

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
25 Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1LA

Advertisement

4 June 2026

.

Dear Chief Constable and Crown Office,

RE: REQUEST FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION — ALLEGED
MISAPPROPRIATION OF RING-FENCED POLITICAL DONATIONS

Advertisement

I write to request that Police Scotland/COPFS open a criminal investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds donated to the Scottish National Party (SNP) on the basis that those funds would be held and applied for a specific, designated purpose.

THE FACTS

Between 14 March 2017 and the summer of 2020, the SNP solicited donations from the public, representing — expressly and repeatedly — that the funds raised would be ring-fenced and applied exclusively for the purposes of a future independence referendum campaign.

Those representations were made through two dedicated websites (ref.scot and yes.scot), direct mail, press statements, social media, a video from the then-First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and so on, and were a material inducement to donors. The SNP insisted in 2017 that this money would “only be used for the specific purpose of a referendum campaign”.

Advertisement

It is now clear — and, given public pronouncements by the current First Minister over the last few days, not seriously disputed — that the funds so raised, totalling in excess of £600,000, were not applied for that purpose (ie a referendum campaign).

They were instead used as, to quote the current First Minister, “part of the ongoing activities of the Scottish National Party”. It goes without saying, I should have thought, that there is a material difference between a referendum campaign (which might be the aim of many people, regardless of political affiliation) and “the ongoing activities of the SNP”.

GROUNDS FOR INVESTIGATION

I respectfully submit that the following offences fall to be considered:

Advertisement

1. Fraud (Scots common law)

If those responsible knew, at the time of soliciting donations, that the ring-fencing representation was false or that they did not intend to honour it, then the donations were obtained by fraud. The elements — a false pretence, made to induce a practical result, which did so induce — are plainly engaged. It is clear that a false representation of present intention will suffice for fraud: Richards v H. M. Advocate 1971 JC 29.

2. Theft by Appropriation

Even if the original intention to ring-fence was genuine, the subsequent deliberate decision to divert the funds for an unauthorised purpose may constitute theft by appropriation under Scots law. The donors’ proprietary interest in the application of their money to the stated purpose survived donation. The decision to override that interest without donors’ consent constitutes the necessary appropriation.

The law is clear that “the appropriation of goods by the person to whom they have been entrusted for a limited and specified purpose constitutes theft”: see O’Brien v Strathern 1922 JC 55. It does not matter if the appropriation is temporary (ie it is no defence to say that the ring-fenced funds will be paid back): as soon as appropriation occurred, the crime was complete. A repentant thief who returns stolen property remains a thief, liable to be convicted as such: Carmichael v Black 1992 SLT 897.

3. Embezzlement

I am not here talking about the actions of Mr Murrell, which have been fully aired of late. Rather, I am talking about the disposal of the “ring-fenced” funds, which can now clearly be seen to have been used for purposes other than those for which they were donated.

Scots law is clear that the ingathering of funds for an express purpose will result in the creation of a trust consisting of those funds. In the very recent case of Harper Macleod LLP [2026] CSIH 26, the Court cited with approval the comments of Lord Deas in Connell v Ferguson (1857) 19D 482 at 487:

“Where parties join in a subscription to effect a particular object, and place the money subscribed in the hands of certain persons to carry out that object, I think the quasi trust, thereby created, is for the alternative purpose of either carrying out the object of the subscription, or, if that cannot be done, of paying back the money.”

Those responsible for the custody and management of donated funds thus occupied a position of trust in relation to the donors. If there was a deliberate and dishonest decision to apply trust funds to an unauthorised purpose, that constitutes fraudulent breach of trust, which in turns amounts to the offence of embezzlement under Scots common law: see Moore v HMA [2010] HCJAC 26.

The same case shows that, once more, even temporary appropriation will suffice (as the fact that some of the money had been repaid in that case was held not to amount to a defence).

Advertisement

4. False or Misleading Statements

If, following the decision to divert the funds, responsible persons continued publicly to represent that the ring-fence remained intact, those continuing representations may themselves constitute fraud by false pretence, with the relevant mens rea attaching at the point each such representation was made.

STATEMENT OF JOHN SWINNEY, FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND, 3 JUNE 2026

Yesterday, 3 June 2026, Mr John Swinney, leader of the Scottish National Party and First Minister, publicly confirmed for the first time that the ring-fenced referendum funds had been applied to the general ongoing activities of the party.

Swinney says £660,000 independence fund used on SNP ‘objectives’

This admission post-dates the conclusion of the prosecution of Mr Peter Murrell and constitutes new evidence directly bearing on the questions posed above.

Advertisement

I draw particular attention to the distinction between Mr Murrell’s personal embezzlement — which has been the subject of prosecution — and the separate question of whether those responsible for SNP party finances deliberately and dishonestly applied the ring-fenced donations to purposes outwith the stated purpose, without donors’ knowledge or consent.

Mr Swinney’s statement yesterday confirms the latter occurred. Whether it was dishonest, and who bears criminal responsibility, is a matter for investigation.

.

KEY EVIDENTIAL QUESTIONS

Advertisement

I respectfully draw the following matters to investigators’ attention as central to any inquiry:

— The precise date on which a decision was made to apply the funds otherwise than for the ring-fenced purpose, and who made that decision;

— Whether any public statements affirming the ring-fence continued to be made after that decision was taken;

— The party’s accounting records for the relevant period, and how the funds were recorded and categorised;

Advertisement

— Any internal communications — emails, messages, minutes — bearing on the decision to divert.

.

I appreciate that the question of if and when criminal intent crystallised is a matter for investigation and, ultimately, for the Crown. However, the public facts as presently known are sufficient, in my submission, to warrant a formal investigation.

If I were to “crowdfund” money on the basis that I needed it to pay for legal expenses to defend a claim which I said was threatened against me, that would be fraud if there was, in fact, no such threatened claim. And if there was such a threatened claim which, once crowdfunding was complete, was then abandoned, it would have been theft (certainly) or embezzlement (probably) if I had then used the money to go on holiday.

Advertisement

The situation of the SNP is no different from that imagined scenario. Police Scotland would have no difficulty in investigating me in such circumstances, and by parity of reasoning they should have no such difficulty here.

I should be grateful if you would acknowledge receipt of this letter and advise me of the reference number assigned to this complaint.

Yours etc

Rev. Stuart Campbell

Advertisement

Source link

Over 2-3 June, Microsoft workers with No Azure for Apartheid have led protests and disruptions on land, sea, and air, of the flagship annual Build conference. It’s the third year in a row that they’ve protested Microsoft’s participation in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

The disruptions protested the sale of cloud and AI technologies to the Israeli military and government to fuel occupation, apartheid, and genocide in Palestine and the war in Iran and Lebanon.

On Tuesday 2 June, the first day of the conference, protesters held a rally and speaker programme starting at 8am Pacific Time, outside of Fort Mason, where the conference was taking place. Participants at the rally chanted and chalked messages calling for a Free Palestine and for Microsoft to cut ties with Israel.

Later, starting at 11am, a plane commissioned by No Azure for Apartheid and Eko Movement began circling above the venue, trailing a banner that read “MSFT powers genocide.” The plane flew for two hours, visible to conference attendees.

A group of protesters reconvened at a public hill adjacent to the venue at 12.30pm, where they hoisted a banner reading “Microsoft powers genocide” and “cut ties with Israel now.” Protesters chanted “Microsoft you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide” and “say it loud, say it clear, Microsoft is a war profiteer.”

On Wednesday 3 June, the second day of the conference, No Azure for Apartheid and community members took to the water in kayaks to once again disrupt the conference. At around 8.15am, protesters in kayaks waved Palestinian flags and were heard throughout the venue chanting “Microsoft have some shame.” The kayaks paddled away starting at 9am, chanting “Microsoft you will learn, in our millions we’ll return!”

Microsoft’s violent security

Consistent with past actions, Microsoft security responded with violence, intimidation, and repression. On 2 June, while holding a banner calling out Microsoft’s crimes overlooking Fort Mason, former Microsoft worker Patrick Fort, who resigned in protest in November 2025 after disrupting the keynote speech at Microsoft’s Ignite conference, was approached then shoved by Microsoft security.

Despite being the ones to assault Patrick, security falsely claimed to police that the protesters initiated physical contact. Patrick was detained following these lies, but was later released after it became clear the security account was false. Protesters then continued hoisting their banner and chanting.

Meanwhile, on 3 June, as former Microsoft worker Abdo Mohamed, who got the sack in October 2024 for organising a vigil for Palestine, was giving a speech on the water, Microsoft attempted to drown him out by raising the volume of the music playing in the outdoor venue.

This did not stop conference attendees from taking notice of the protest on the water, with many capturing photos and videos.

Despite both silencing attempts, workers with No Azure for Apartheid made it clear that no violence or repression will intimidate them or stop them from protesting Microsoft.

Repeated protests against Microsoft Build

Protests targeting Microsoft for its complicity in genocide expanded beyond San Francisco. At Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, street art appeared at the NE 40th St exit off of SR 520 headed east, reading “FREE PALI” and “MSFT: DROP ISRL”.

The recent protests on June 2-3 are the latest in a series of actions spanning two years. Microsoft workers are leading the campaign to pressure Microsoft to cancel its contracts with the Israeli military, including conference disruptions and employee protests.

No Azure for Apartheid is continuing its unrelenting pressure on Microsoft to permanently cut all ties with the Israeli military by protesting Build for the third year in a row.

During last year’s Build, held over four days in Seattle, No Azure for Apartheid organised protests every single day of the conference, including disrupting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote address and holding a march through downtown Seattle to the Seattle Convention Center.

This year, Microsoft has chosen to move Build to San Francisco and shorten the conference to two days.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

Source link

In an alleged attempt to prevent antisemitism, a new review conducted by the government’s independent adviser Lord Mann has made several recommendations to the NHS.

This potential censorship attempt raises concerns about our personal freedoms, including people’s right to show support for Palestinians. For instance, one of those recommendations is to ban NHS staff from wearing ‘political’ badges such as those linked to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

However, these badges are arguably not political, but an expression of basic humanity. They signal the wearer’s objection to mass killing and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. That campaign has mutilated, murdered and maimed hundreds of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children.

Furthermore, among countless rights abuses and flagrant war crimes committed by Israel with British made bombs and bullets, Zionist military forces bombed numerous hospitals in Gaza.

Surely NHS staff have an inherent right to stand by the abuses against Gaza’s health workers… Many Palestinian health workers have been held hostage by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) under politicised charges.

As is typical, this recommendation has been applauded by right-wing pundits, who now want to also see rainbow lanyards banned also.

NHS staff should be banned from wearing pro-Palestinian badges, report recommends.

Good. About time. When did ANYONE think it was acceptable for NHS staff to wear ANY political insignia while at work? While we're at it, can we ban rainbow lanyards too? https://t.co/romwTCuxWB

Advertisement

— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) June 4, 2026

Uniforms to be banned at protests

According to the review and its supporters, NHS workers having a small pin on their uniform symbolising their solidarity with the suffering of Palestinians is antisemitic. Apparently, this practice puts Jewish people off from accessing healthcare.

One Jewish A&E doctor has told the BBC that seeing colleagues wearing these badges made her uncomfortable, saying:

The public should have trust in healthcare professionals and if you express political opinions, it can undermine that trust.

However, it’s hard to understand how having a problem with the illegal bombardment and brutalisation of Palestinian people can detract from an NHS doctor’s ability to be trusted. The reality is decision makers in the NHS can’t be trusted, and have persecuted doctors who have stood in opposition to genocide.

Standing against human rights abuses makes a person, especially a doctor, far more trustworthy. Yet some continue to whine that wearing a pin should be a sackable offence.

All staff working in the public sector should be banned from wearing any form of political badge or lanyard. It should be a sackable offence.https://t.co/uCsY3qN6Il

— Hadrian (@HadrianAD122) June 4, 2026

Advertisement

NHS clampdown threatens staff freedom

Moreover, Lord Mann’s review recommends banning NHS staff from wearing their uniforms at protests. It has become clear that this proposal seeks to distance the NHS from any public opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza. The ban would prevent our own healthcare workers from visibly associating their professional identity with ‘political,’ humanitarian causes.

From that perspective, the recommendation does not simply impose workplace neutrality; it seeks to prioritise the comfort of those who support or defend Zionist Israel and its genocide. This is done over the ability of NHS staff to express solidarity with Palestinians and draw attention to the tens of thousands of deaths. The policy also ignores the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Nevertheless, these proposals appear to influence beyond healthcare workers and their right to express opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza. In addition, discussions since about extending similar restrictions to other workplaces and public-facing services suggest a broader, sinister effort. This effort aims to limit visible political expression among UK citizens.

But history shows that censorship rarely arrives all at once. Instead, the powers that be introduce restrictions incrementally, normalising each new limitation before advancing on to the next. It surely then follows that Lord Mann’s review risks laying the groundwork for further attacks on our freedom of speech and expression in the UK.

New guidelines proposed for NHS England say staff shouldn’t wear political badges/symbols. That's a recommendation from Lord Mann whose led a review to tackle antisemitism. So whether you work at the NHS, a bank or a cafe – should you be allowed to take your politics into work? pic.twitter.com/EsjQoDN5fC

— BBC Radio Scotland (@BBCRadioScot) June 4, 2026

A race to the bottom

The UK heath secretary James Murray has stated that the government would accept the recommendations in full:

I know that Jewish people – and everyone experiencing discrimination – need action not words.

Together with NHS England, we will waste no time in setting these recommendations in motion to build a health service that lives up to its values.

A spokesperson for the Jewish Medical Association has welcomed the recommendations, saying:

We would support the banning of political symbols including flags and symbols of any country. We wouldn’t want it to be discriminatory in any way.

Finally, the chief executive of NHS England has also accepted Lord Mann’s recommendations, telling the BBC:

We accept all of the recommendations in Lord Mann’s review and as a leadership community, we will act swiftly to implement them.

The NHS at its best is a place of compassion, care and unity – not conflict – and there is unacceptable antisemitism and racism in the NHS, faced by both our staff and our patients and we must root this out.

Of course, society must absolutely condemn and guard against antisemitism. It remains a dangerous, hateful form of prejudice affecting Jewish communities across the country. As a result, the emerging hierarchy of racism in the UK has tended to give it disproportionate attention. It has been labelled prematurely with little evidence to support, weaponised to shutdown criticism of Israel.

At a time when Muslims, Jews and Christians — alongside non-faith people — stand in solidarity against the oppression and genocide enforced by Israel on Palestinians, moves to ban symbols which speak to humanity runs counter to progressive principles.

Source: Community Security Trust

Simultaneous to the rise in antisemitism in the UK cited by the BBC, which has seen an almost 200% rise at times since 2023 – when the genocide started – there has also been a 377% increase in Islamophobic incidents. Alarmingly, the Muslim community in the UK represents 45% of all recorded religious hate crimes.

Freedoms under threat — this is only the start

Therefore, this surely highlights how the conflation of Zionism with Judaism has increased the prevalence of antisemitism arguably by Zionist design. For instance, some more ignorant Britons have shown they do not distinguish between the murderous actions of Israel and its insistence that it represents ‘all Jews’.

Further, the astronomical increase in Islamophobic incidents – often resulting in rape, violence or even murder – underscores how dangerous it is to treat genocide as if it is a debatable, disputable political issue. The reality is that Zionism is a danger to us all. This includes Jewish people.

The sustained participation of many Jewish people in peace protests in London and across the country provides further evidence of this distinction. After all, many Jewish people do not see pro-Palestinian activism as a threat. Instead, they view opposition to Zionism as essential to their own safety and freedoms.

Freedoms which appear to be under great threat right now in the UK, as it seeks to provide comfort for Zionists – rather than solidarity and remedial efforts to stop the mass murder of innocent men, women, children and babies.

Featured image via Thomas Krych / ZUMA Press Wire

By Maddison Wheeldon

Source link

Disabled models will travel the runway at Aviva Studios on Saturday 27 June 2026 ahead of Disability Pride Month.

The most inclusive fashion show that’s ever been staged in Manchester is coming to the city ahead of Disability Awareness Month.

Sixteen models – female, non binary and male – will travel down a specially constructed runway at Manchester’s Aviva Studios.

Aged from 20s-50s, every model is disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill and all will wear adaptive fashion designs from a young, ambitious Manchester label. Manchester Metropolitan University fashion graduate Ellie Brown founded RECONDITION in 2025.

Brown’s eyes opened to how unaccommodating fashion can be in 2021, when she badly broke her ankle. This resulted in her using a wheelchair for several months. Each garment in RECONDITION’s denim-centred collection has been designed with and for disabled people.

Adaptations built into the label’s inclusive designs include:

• Front pockets on jeans for wheelchair users.
• Ring pull zips for people with reduced dexterity.
• Sleeves with poppers along their full length to help accommodate prosthetic limbs or medical equipment, from feeding tubes to insulin pumps.

Brown’s Manchester city centre based company now works alongside a co-design group who all have varying lived experience of disability. This ensures that her designs truly do the job, whether that’s:

• Accommodating stoma bags.
• Providing comfort and practicality for wheelchair users.
• Offering an easier “on and off” experience for people with reduced grip strength or dexterity.

‘Disability Pride Catwalk’ will show ‘accessible fashion is fashion for all’

Aaliyah Rice, 24, from Bury, Greater Manchester, is one of the models taking part. Diagnosed with ADHD aged 21, the advertising creative signed up after seeing an open casting call on TikTok. She said she thought it would be:

such a fun experience and a chance to meet like-minded people.

Rice added:

Mainstream fashion on a whole is entirely unaccommodating even for an able-bodied person. Things like sizing and fit are generally a nightmare. I can only imagine the extra layer of hell having a physical disability brings to clothes shopping.

My own personal experience is with clothes that give me sensory issues – things like tags, textures and seams that cause me distress and take my focus away from other things.

Advertisement

It makes it more challenging to shop, as most of the clothes that don’t cause me sensory issues aren’t fashionable or stylish and when you don’t feel confident you can’t embrace life the way you want.

I’m a strong believer that accessible fashion is fashion for all.

The label’s first catwalk collection includes the popular dark blue denim Reconditioned Jean, which is already on sale and debuts a number of new adaptive designs. These include a denim miniskirt, a dress, a jumpsuit, a top and a further new cut of jeans.

Research from disability charity Leonard Cheshire found that mainstream fashion in the UK does not meet the needs of three quarters of disabled people.

According to government figures, a quarter of people in the UK have a disability – that’s 16.8 million people. And in state pension aged people, the figure rises to almost half (45%).

Brown says that RECONDITION’s first major catwalk show, called Disability Pride Catwalk: A Space for Each Other, is “part performance, part social commentary”, and will:

reflect on who fashion is for, how access is built (or denied) and what it means to create space collectively.

The purpose-built runway at Aviva Studios features a double height bar, which is inclusive to wheelchair users and people of short stature and acts as a metaphor for how the built environment enables or disables people.

Brown said:

The Disability Pride Catwalk is a safe space for people to celebrate bodies of all kinds whilst enjoying the atmosphere and experience of a runway show.

I also hope the event will provoke useful discussions about how fashion – and society as a whole – can take more accountability for inclusivity.

Disability Pride Catwalk: A Space for Each Other

Saturday 27 June 2026 6-8pm

The Undercroft, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ

FREE

Featured image supplied

By The Canary

Source link

Palestinian footballer Natalie Abu Dayeh wasn’t preparing for a match or a training camp this time. She was sitting at her university homework in the town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah, before Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed her home and took her into custody, leaving behind the lecture notes and pen she had been writing with just minutes before the raid.

A scene documented by the Palestinian Football Association in an official statement, but it was not the only incident in recent hours. Shortly afterwards, the occupation authorities arrested Palestinian women’s national team player Rand Halawani (20), after summoning her to what is known as the “Tel Beit” police station in occupied Jerusalem.

Palestinian athletes regularly abducted

These two consecutive incidents have brought back into the spotlight Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian athletes, a practice that is not limited to sporting competitions or international matches, but extends to the daily lives of male and female players off the pitch.

The Palestinian Football Association said that Abu Dayya, a player for the women’s national team and a student in the Media Department at Birzeit University, was arrested after her home was raided, whilst Halawani’s arrest came just hours later, indicating the ongoing persecution of Palestinian athletes across the Palestinian territories.

These incidents do not appear to be isolated from a broader context. Earlier, Musab Abu Salem, a player for the Palestine Stars team, was prevented from travelling to Italy to take part in a solidarity match against the Napoli Stars, after the occupation authorities stopped him at the Karama crossing and subjected him to questioning before issuing a decision barring him from leaving the Palestinian territories.

Israel impunity

This follows the genocidal crimes in which Israel targeted all sectors of sport during the war on Gaza, killing over 1,000 people – including players, coaches and referees – and destroying all sports grounds and facilities.

Between arrests and travel bans, Palestinian complaints are mounting regarding the restrictions faced by athletes, whether in terms of movement and travel or participation in international events.

The Palestinian Football Association emphasises that these practices do not target specific individuals so much as they undermine the ability of Palestinian sport to continue and participate in international forums.

Featured image via Getty/Abid Katib

By Alaa Shamali

Source link