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Arsenal show Zionist double standards

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Arsenal show Zionist double standards

Arsenal comes under scrutiny once again for the way the club chose to handle instances of political expression inside its ecosystem. Whilst their approach has never been consistent, the overwhelming contrast between the treatment of academy kit man Mark Bonnick and influencer Matthew “PapaPincus” Pincus and their corresponding political affirmations exposes a deeper structural imbalance in how modern football institutions outreach duties to police speech, manage risk, and protect commercial interests.

Bonnick, a 61‑year‑old associated with the club for more than two decades, was dismissed subsequent to posting pro‑Palestine comments during the early stages of the Gaza genocide.

Arsenal defended this decision by claiming that Bonnick’s posts “could be perceived as inflammatory or offensive” and as a result, he had “brought the club into disrepute,” citing the media attention that followed. After recourse to appeal was rejected, Bonnick is now pursuing legal action for unlawful dismissal.

Arsenal allow Zionism

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Despite this, Pincus’ political stance comes unchallenged as he continues to appear pitch‑side, collaborate with club‑adjacent media, and present for TNT Sports. Witnessing a clear differential treatment prompts an obvious question from many supporters – many of whom are now wondering how opposing views of the same conflict can cause a man to lose his job while another remains part of the club’s media orbit?

Money over morals

Any explanation must account for one technical but important point: Bonnick was an Arsenal employee, meaning that his conduct was subject to the club’s internal disciplinary rules. As his posts drew attention and were reported in the national media, the club moved to protect its reputation.

By contrast, Pincus does not work for Arsenal. He is an independent creator who operates within the club’s broader influencer network. A club cannot formally discipline someone it does not employ. It can limit access, but that is a choice, not an obligation under contract. This difference creates an uneven playing field even before politics enters the discussion. However, there is much more to this situation.

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Media bias

Bonnick’s posts were discussed in the national media through the lens of antisemitism debates in British football. Pincus’ posts, while clearly supportive of Israel’s military campaign lacked scrutiny as perhaps they align with a broadly accepted pro‑Israel narrative that many public figures embraced in relation the war.

In practice, the message for the fans and wider audience seems to be, express support for Israel and you will be spared any consequences; express support for Palestine and your life can be derailed.

 That contrast makes institutional behaviour hard to ignore. Many have stayed silent, often pointing to reputational risk, which is not a defensible position. Football clubs tend to react to headlines, not principles. Bonnick’s posts became a story; Pincus’ did not.

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The commercial value of influencers

One must also assess the hard commercial truth behind this: it is about money, no matter how tainted the money may be. Influencers like Pincus deliver reach, engagement, and access to younger audiences, assets, clubs and broadcasters increasingly rely on. Arsenal’s approach reflects a wider Premier League trend.

Pushing a creator out of that ecosystem is not as straightforward as disciplining an employee. It can mean lost revenue, strained partnerships, and damage to the club’s digital strategy. Bonnick, by contrast, had no commercial leverage. His job was operational, not public‑facing—so he was easier to remove.

The imbalance is grim, and it is unlikely to change soon.

The illusion of apolitical football

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Clubs often present themselves as “apolitical,” yet the Bonnick–Pincus contrast makes clear that football is not apolitical. It is political in selective, self-serving ways.

That isn’t neutrality. It’s risk management, and it’s ultimately self-defeating: people will see through the pretence and lose trust in clubs that fail to take a morally defensible stand.

The result is a system where the same kind of political expression leads to very different consequences, depending on which side it supports.

That is the uncomfortable truth at the heart of this contrast, and it leaves football with an unanswered question: why is support for Palestine so often punished, while support for Israel is so quickly shielded?

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Featured image via the Canary

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A dozen battleground Dems send Swalwell’s campaign donations to charity

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A dozen battleground Dems send Swalwell’s campaign donations to charity

Eric Swalwell’s money has become toxic — fast.

As a rising star in the Democratic Party, the California representative donated widely to battleground campaigns across the country. Now, amid Swalwell’s resignation from Congress following sexual misconduct allegations, many are rushing to distance themselves from him.

Rebecca Cooke, who is hoping to flip a critical House seat in Wisconsin, has renounced Swalwell’s endorsement of her campaign. So, too, did Jordan Wood, who’s running in Maine’s swingy 2nd District. And former Gov. Roy Cooper, who’s making a bid for the North Carolina Senate seat that could swing control of the chamber, rejected an endorsement from Swalwell’s Remedy PAC.

In all, a dozen Democrats in top Senate and House races told POLITICO they plan to donate the campaign contributions they’ve received this cycle from Swalwell and his PAC to various charities.

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Their discomfort with Swalwell comes as the party grapples with how to address the sexual assault and misconduct allegations that have felled the seven-term representative’s career in the House and gubernatorial campaign, spurred criminal and House ethics investigations and prompted a GOP-led push to expel him from Congress.

Republicans are already working to make Democratic candidates’ ties to Swalwell a pain point, hammering them in statements and on social media over the money he’s given in recent years.

Most of that has gone toward battleground districts, as well as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to a POLITICO analysis of federal campaign finance filings. So far this cycle, Remedy PAC has given a total of $26,500 to 23 Democratic candidates; in the 2024 cycle, the group gave nearly $170,000 to more than 60 Democratic members and candidates.

Swalwell has also donated more than $2,000 to House members this cycle from his own campaign account. His team did not respond to a request for comment, but the lawmaker has repeatedly vowed to “fight” what he has called “serious, false allegations” of sexual misconduct reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN.

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“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he wrote Monday in announcing his decision to resign.

Cooke wrote on X that she was “appalled by the allegations” against Swalwell and is donating the $5,000 she received from Swalwell’s PAC across her 2024 and 2026 congressional campaigns to five charities, including several food pantries. Wood, who previously was chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter, one of Swalwell’s rivals for California governor, said he is donating the $1,000 he received to a food bank.

Cooper’s campaign told POLITICO that it has donated the $1,000 it received from Remedy PAC to the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Another one of Democrats’ star Senate recruits, former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, donated the $1,000 he received from Remedy to a shelter for victims of domestic violence, according to his campaign.

Other Democrats in hotly contested races who confirmed they plan to donate Swalwell’s contributions include: Rep. Haley Stevens, who is running for Senate in Michigan; Rep. Angie Craig, who’s vying for Senate in Minnesota; Reps. Dan Goldman in New York, Yassamin Ansari in Arizona and George Whitesides, Derek Tran, Dave Min and Adam Gray in California.

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A growing number of House lawmakers, including Craig and Ansari, have called on both Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) — who admitted to a sexual relationship with a staffer who later died by suicide — to step aside or be expelled from the chamber.

“There’s a larger pattern here. For too long, Washington politicians have abused their power and preyed on young staffers. I refuse to be silent. It must stop,” Craig said Monday.

Gray was a co-chair of Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign but withdrew his support and called for Swalwell to drop out after the allegations went public. Min and Tran were both early endorsers of Porter in the California governor’s race, and Swalwell had previously backed one of Min’s opponents in 2024.

Min said in a statement he had only learned of the contribution to his campaign this week.

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“Given the seriousness of the allegations made against him, I am not comfortable with this, so I have donated this contribution to Waymakers, an Orange County non-profit that assists survivors of sexual assault,” Min said in an X post.

Swalwell’s political career swiftly imploded after the allegations surfaced. Democratic Party leaders yanked their support and urged Swalwell to drop out. Staffers from his congressional office and campaign released an unsigned statement saying they were “horrified” by the allegations. Then, more than 50 former staffers called for him to resign and drop out of the governor’s race. By Sunday, he had exited the race. By Monday, he stepped down from his seat.

Republicans are determined to wield Swalwell as a campaign cudgel. The National Republican Congressional Committee told POLITICO it’s closely tracking Democrats who’ve accepted contributions from Swalwell and have other ties to him. The campaign arm is pressuring the candidates who have yet to issue public statements to ditch the lawmaker’s donations.

“Every single vulnerable House Democrat must return the filthy creep cash or own the rot they’re protecting,” NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement.

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The NRCC and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), who Cooke is again trying to unseat, needled the Democrat over the weekend to return the donations. After she did, Van Orden suggested she did so out of “political convenience.”

“I find it appalling that Rebecca Cooke would wait to renounce the endorsement from the disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell until she received tremendous heat from the media,” Van Orden said in a text message Monday, referring to coverage from a local conservative outlet. “This is not leadership, this is political convenience for her.”

Some Democrats accused Republicans of hypocrisy for not taking accountability for the actions of their own members. They cited Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) — who is facing myriad misconduct allegations and is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee — as well Gonzales, who dropped his reelection bid last month amid pressure from House GOP leadership.

“The hacks at the NRCC who are currently defending Cory Mills and spent six-figures just last month to protect Tony Gonzales should sit this one out,” Viet Shelton, a DCCC spokesperson, said in a statement. “It’s Democrats who are actually standing up and calling for accountability in Congress — consistently and independent of party.”

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Palestine Action activists acquitted of violent disorder

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Palestine Action activists acquitted of violent disorder

Three anti-genocide activists have again been found not guilty of violent disorder at an Israeli weapons factory in Bristol.

Palestine Action activists, Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner and Leona Kamio, were all acquitted at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, 13 April.

The three had already defeated the charges when a jury refused to convict them. However, the Starmer regime ordered a retrial and was ‘secretly’ charging them with terrorism by linking the ordinary criminal charges to supposed terrorism, without informing the jury, to allow for longer sentences.

Despite home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s clear intent to make a political example of the trio, the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately informed the court it had no evidence to offer against them.

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Judge Justice Johnson formally acquitted the three. Had they been convicted, they could have faced up to 20 years in prison.

The activists are still facing charges for criminal damage. Corner is also charged with grievous bodily harm — in spite of video evidence refuting the claims of police and the Elbit arms maker’s security guards during the first trial.

Fatema Zainab Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin also face criminal damage charges.

The prosecution is expected to present its case on Wednesday and a jury has been selected.

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Palestine Action says its main target is Elbit Systems

Shamefully, Judge Johnson told jurors to ignore any feelings they have about Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the fact that the High Court has ruled the government’s ‘terrorism’ ban on Palestine Action to be unlawful.

He said:

You will appreciate it is vitally important that you judge the case only on the evidence, not on the basis of what the defendants, or you, the home secretary, the government or anyone else thinks about Palestine Action and events in the Middle East.

He then told jurors that whether they think the defendants “had some moral justification is completely beside the point” before reminding them that their views on the war in Gaza are “completely irrelevant to your job in this case”.

In fact, this is untrue. Juries have an absolute legal right to judge according to their conscience, but both the state and the courts now routinely try to obscure this and even to punish those who remind jurors of their right.

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The judge also told the jury to ignore any protesters outside court. Supporters gathered with signs and Palestinian flags during the hearing.

Featured image via Getty Images

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Trump Defends Christ-Like Image

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Trump Defends Christ-Like Image

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Israeli charity offers to help Brits move to illegal settlements

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Shivat Zion founder and CEO, Shraga Evers, smiles with a laptop in the background displaying the charity's logo on screen

An Israeli non-profit has been filmed offering to help UK citizens move to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank as part of Israel’s ongoing theft of Palestine.

Shivat Zion (Return to Zion) was set up in 2022 as “the only Aliyah NGO in the UK officially recognised by the Jewish Agency for Israel” to assist British Jews move to Israel. All of the organisation’s staff are Europeans who emigrated to Israel.

During a Zoom call filmed by undercover reporters at Declassified UK, the group boasted that it could obtain UK tax subsidies for its work. It also described living near “Arabs” — Zionist code for indigenous Palestinians — was the only downside.

You’re next to the Arabs. You’ll hear their mosques,” he was recorded saying. “But apart from this, it’s a great living standard.

Supposedly, the Starmer government considers Israel’s expanding land theft in the West Bank to be a “flagrant violation of international law”. However, the government is apparently allowing Shivat Zion to claim gift aid, despite it not existing as a UK-registered entity.

Israeli non-profit’s actions are ‘deeply’ disturbing

Shivat Zion tells its supporters that it can claim tax refunds on donations through a separate charity, UK Toremet, presumably because the group is claiming the exemption for religious organisations despite Zionism being a political ideology.

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UK Toremet told Declassified that it has no “active” relationship with Shivat Zion and hasn’t given any grants to the organisation in the last 12 months”.

The media outlet went on to add:

Declassified can’t verify this claim, but donors to Shivat Zion would have been under the impression that their money would go via UK Toremet in order to benefit from Gift Aid.

Unequivocally so, since Shivat’s fundraising campaign promised that donations from the UK are eligible for gift aid.

But after Declassified contacted the organisation for comment, mentions of charity and tax were removed from its website. The Charity Commission, which had originally approved the scheme, later launched an investigation and said it had issued guidance to UK Toremet after three separate compliance cases relating to Palestine since 2016.

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We issued the charity’s trustees with statutory guidance and an action plan, which warned it must comply with the Geneva Conventions Act 1957.

This is similar to the slap on the wrist the commission issued after its investigation into the nakedly political, pro-Israel activities of the so-called Campaign against Antisemitism.

Human rights lawyer, Daniel Machover, told Declassified he was “deeply disturbed” by its findings and said it was “inexcusable” to claim that these donations were eligible for gift aid.

Israel and its supporters are always the victims

Like other signatory nations, the UK is under the International Court of Justice’s obligation “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

Challenged about its activities, the group’s Netherlands-Israeli CEO, Shraga Evers, resorted to foul abuse. With typical Israeli arrogance and victimhood, Evers referred to undercover anti-Zionist Jew, Emily, who drove the investigation, as a ‘kapo’ — the term for Jews who collaborated with the Nazis.

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We assist new Olim [migrants] regardless of where they choose to settle and provide support that falls under social affairs activities of which new immigrants are part.

Furthermore, while I do not feel any need to apologize for living as a Jew in Judea — neither to you nor to the aforementioned individual — it further underlines the deceptive manner in which elements of the anti-Semitic lobby, together with a handful of helpful modern-day Kapos, are operating.

Shivat Zion founder and CEO, Shraga Evers, smiles with a laptop in the background displaying the charity's logo on screen

Emily described the insidious and carefully crafted manipulation of ‘aliyah’ events:

It was quite terrifying how appealing it was. If I wasn’t so steadfast in my anti-Zionism, how easily one could be persuaded to do this.

But for Palestinians, life under occupation and the malignant spread of illegal settlements is brutal. While Gaza has suffered genocide, Palestinians in the West Bank have been subjected to intensified settler attacks, including murders, crop burning and poisoning or destruction of water sources.

Prize-winning Palestinian peace activist, Issa Amro, who is frequently attacked by the settlers, said they “get quality life on the expense of the basic rights of the Palestinians”.

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Efrat is a settlement – and to live there, it’s a war crime.

Palestinians are not even allowed to travel on the road leading to their own historic village near the Efrat settlement, promoted by Shivat Zion.

Featured image via Unsplash/ Aaron Ovadia

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Reform’s war on the fun police

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Reform’s war on the fun police

The post Reform’s war on the fun police appeared first on spiked.

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Channel 5 Pundit Labels Trump As The Antichrist

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Channel 5 Pundit Labels Trump As The Antichrist

A Channel 5 pundit didn’t mince her words on Monday when asked her reaction to the bizarre image Donald Trump posted that basically depicted himself as Jesus Christ.

Marina Purkiss described the president with a fairly harsh slur ― at least in religious circles ― saying he is the “Antichrist.”

During a segment on the Jeremy Vine Show, Purkiss admitted to being shocked by the image the president posted.

“I’m just gonna say this, right? I am a person that was raised a Catholic — I did all the sacraments, I read the book, you know,” she said, adding that while she has lost her “faith,” she still finds Trump’s post “deeply, deeply offensive.”

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Then she went scorched earth on the president.

“How dare you? That is blasphemous. The picture is blasphemous, it’s a huge disrespect. That in itself is the breaking of a commandment,” Purkiss said.

After noting that Trump had, by her count, “broken eight of the 10 commandments,” Purkiss declared, “This guy, in my opinion, is the Antichrist.”

“No wonder he doesn’t like the Pope,” she added.

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The image was removed from Trump’s account late on Monday morning. The president then told reporters he thought the picture showed him as a doctor.

Trump’s post came while his current war with Iran has been heavily criticised by Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Church’s first American-born pontiff.

Although his team has previously posted images depicting Trump as Superman, on Mount Rushmore and even as the Pope, the Trump-as-Jesus post seemed to be a bridge too far with many people on social media who called it “blasphemous” and “deranged.”

In fact, Purkiss wasn’t the only prominent person to describe Trump with the “A-word” label.

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Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei didn’t call Trump the “Antichrist” when he appeared on “Morning Joe” Monday, but he warned the president that posting memes suggesting he’s Christ could alienate his supporters.

“I think he is playing with fire with the base. And if you look at where his standing is, like, he should be worried,” VandeHei said. “I’m surprised his advisers didn’t say, ‘Come on, man. Like, at some point you’re pushing this too far. Your favorable ratings are already relatively low.’”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Supermarkets consider ‘dynamic pricing’ to rip you off even more

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Supermarkets consider 'dynamic pricing' to rip you off even more

The Bank of England has warned that supermarkets across the UK could bring in surge pricing to extract more profit from people’s need to eat.

Supermarkets may be planning to increase the amount shoppers pay for food when demand is high, which is already the situation for people using corporations like Amazon and Uber.

Computerised displays could pave the way for price hikes in supermarkets like Morrisons, which will soon have these price labels in all 497 of its stores.

Speaking of the possibility of ‘surge pricing’, Clive Black, of investment bank Shore Capital, told the Times:

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Whether that is in the interest of shoppers or shareholders is a moot point.

The thing is, people buying food aren’t really shoppers. That’s like saying people buying electricity or water are ‘shopping’, when these are essentials.

Supermarkets prioritise excessive profit

‘Greedflation’ has already defined the cost of living crisis with companies using energy inflation and tax rises as cover for huge profits.

Lidl’s operating profit rose by nearly 300% — from £79 million in 2021 to £314 million in 2025.

Similarly, Aldi’s operating profit rose from £289 million in 2020 to £435 million in 2025, representing a 51% increase over five years (including the Covid years).

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This isn’t down to people switching to cheaper options. Tesco’s operating profit leapt 72% — from £1.8 billion in 2020/21 to £3.1 billion in 2024/25. Sainsbury’s operating profit has risen slightly over the same period.

It’s greedflation, and now supermarkets want more through increased prices during high demand despite most people working during the same time periods, meaning they will be buying food at similar times.

What’s the solution?

There is a solution to the wealth extraction. Supermarkets should be not-for-profit because they are only middle-manning between the agriculture sector and humans who need food. One option is for non-profit food distribution centres (but with a fun name) to offer food largely delivered via automated vans.

That’s a major way an administration could tackle the cost of living crisis.

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Featured image via Unsplash

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Second Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Barcelona to Gaza

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Second Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Barcelona to Gaza

The historic second Global Sumud Flotilla has departed from Barcelona. The flotilla aims to break Israel’s illegal, decades-long siege on Gaza and deliver much-needed humanitarian aid.

Described by organisers as ‘the largest civilian-led flotilla mission in history,’ the convoy of over 70 vessels departed from Port Moll de la Fusta on Sunday 12 April 2026.

In a press release, organisers have described the urgency of their mission:

From family loss and displacement, to the collapse of governments and international institutions, to the deliberate destruction of Gaza’s hospitals, coastlines, fisheries, farmland, and water systems, [we come] to the collective decision that civil society must now move where states have failed.

1,000 set sail on the Global Sumud Flotilla

The flotilla carries a solidarity contingent of nearly 1,000 healthcare and humanitarian workers from more than 70 countries, alongside journalists and notable public figures.

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Following a major international press conference, Global Sumud Flotilla organisers stated that the activists’ mission seeks to transform ‘cumulative grief into a coordinated global escalation of solidarity on land and sea.’ They also described the flotilla as:

a direct civilian intervention against genocide, siege, ecocide, forced starvation, and the global systems that sustain them.

Zionist lies exposed

The press conference hosted speakers from Gaza, Lebanon, Indonesia, North Africa and Europe, alongside global humanitarian networks.

Speakers exposed the Zionist ‘ceasefire’ lie and denounced consistent Israeli-blocked aid passages, which necessitate the urgent civilian mission.

They also recounted the IOF’s consistent, targeted murder of humanitarian and medical workers, inhumane weaponisation of starvation, and mounting regional Zionist impunity across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iran and beyond.

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The Global Sumud Flotilla Steering Committee stated previously that ‘We Refuse To Wait‘ and reiterated this widespread feeling of urgency once again:

Families who have lost everything, doctors who have worked inside collapsing hospitals, organizers who have watched governments enable mass death, and movements rising across continents all arrived at the same conclusion: waiting costs Palestinian lives.

The flotilla now moves as part of a wider global escalation to confront siege, impunity, and the political systems that make both possible.

Urgent humanitarian missions converge

The Global Sumud Flotilla convoy is joined by Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise and Open Arms boats, bringing globally recognised civil society actors into the mission’s fold.

Arctic Sunrise said that they offer ‘strategic maritime support, technical expertise, and transit safety coordination.’ Meanwhile, ‘Open Arms expands the mission’s humanitarian protection framework, emergency response capacity, and civilian safeguarding architecture.’

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This ethos was replicated by Amnesty International’s legal and political warning to Mediterranean states and surrounding actors urging them to ensure safe passage.

Amnesty’s lawyers urge ‘against any repeat of unlawful interceptions, arbitrary detention, or abuse of civilian activists.’

Land and sea campaigns for the Global Sumud Flotilla

The 2026 sea mission is being coordinated in time with We Rise, a land campaign of comparable magnitude to achieve shared objectives in challenging Zionist impunity.

Global Sumud Flotilla describe We Rise as:

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a synchronized international campaign designed to escalate political, economic, and social pressure through coordinated land mobilizations as the [GSF] fleet advances.

The campaign includes port shutdowns targeting weapons supply chains; public square art and cultural interventions; and boycott and divestment escalations.

Additionally, organizers detailed two overland convoys galvanizing solidarity across North Africa and Asia and breaking Israel’s illegal siege by land.

The flotilla now moves not as a single maritime action, but as the sea anchor of a widening international uprising.

Past flotilla missions abused

Amnesty International’s warning to neighbouring states follows on from Zionist crimes against the 2025 Global Sumud Flotilla mission – the largest of its kind until now.

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In 2025, IOF operators firebombed vessels with drones in Tunisian territory. IOF navy goons also illegally boarded Global Sumud Flotilla vessels in international waters. They detained activists and subjected them to systemic and cruel abuse.

Physical and mental abuse of detained Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian activists was reported and corroborated by many of those held hostage in Israeli prisons. They reported inhumane treatment, psychological torture such as sleep deprivation, and sexual humiliation.

Multiple victims, mainly Palestinians, reported sexual violence by IOF soldiers and Israeli prison guards. There is undeniable evidence that it is explicit Zionist policy. The UN’s Commission of Inquiry confirmed these grave, repeated sexual crimes n mid-March 2026.

The abuses inflicted on the 2025 captives is only outmatched by Zionist crimes against the 2010 Gaza Flotilla, comprised of six boats, which the IOF navy illegally raided.

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During the raid, Zionist forces executed nine humanitarian activists, mainly from Türkiye, and injured another 30, one of whom later died from his wounds.

The UNHRC’s 2011 report stated that Israel’s actions were illegal, “disproportionate” and “betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality,” with evidence of “wilful killing.”

Zionist forces confiscated or destroyed photographic evidence to cover their crimes—parallel with their unprecedented murders of journalists at scale today.

Featured image via Global Sumud Flotilla

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JD’s Unlucky Touch

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JD’s Unlucky Touch

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Newcastle unveils world’s first permanent Rohingya memorial

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Newcastle unveils world’s first permanent Rohingya memorial

Newcastle upon Tyne made history on 12 April as Newcastle upon Tyne became the first city in the world to unveil a permanent memorial dedicated to the victims of the Rohingya genocide.

The landmark memorial, located in Newcastle City Council’s Peace Garden, was officially unveiled following a civic ceremony at the council chamber and a procession led by the lord mayor. The initiative, led by Independent Newcastle councillor and human rights advocate Habib Rahman, represents a powerful commitment to remembrance, justice, and global awareness.

Rahman, formerly the city’s first Muslim and Black lord mayor, hosted the formal civic event. It featured contributions from a distinguished group of speakers, including:

  • Councillor Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council.
  • Ann Schofield, of Rohingya Action North East.
  • Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK.
  • Nur Huda, chairman of the British Rohingya Community.
  • Dr M Nazrul Islam, acting high commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK.
  • Genocide experts, historians and human rights activists Dr Maung Zarni and Dr Nat Brinham.
  • Ruby Moe, Amnesty International UK country coordinator for Myanmar.
  • Richard Kotter, chair of Amnesty Newcastle.
  • Sirazul Islam, born in Kutupalong refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, now a trainee corporate lawyer and an activist.
  • Rohingya campaigner Shaukat Ahmed MBE.
  • Alice Gaparay, of the North East Rwandan Association.
  • Mohammed Wafi, of the Palestinian Community North East.

The procession to the Peace Garden was led by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr Henry Gallagher and Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr Ehthesham Hoque, who formally unveiled the memorial.

Rohingya memorial born from collaboration

Developed through a collaboration between Newcastle City Council, Rohingya Action North East, the British Rohingya Community, and the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, the memorial stands as a permanent tribute to the Rohingya genocide victims and survivors.

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Rahman said:

This is a historic moment not just for Newcastle, but for the global community. Today we honour the lives lost, the resilience of survivors, and send a clear message that genocide must never be ignored or forgotten. This memorial stands as a permanent reminder of our shared responsibility to speak out against injustice and to uphold human dignity.

The Rohingya people have endured decades of persecution, culminating in a campaign of mass violence, displacement, and atrocities that forced over a million people to flee their homes. The memorial seeks to ensure their suffering is formally recognised and remembered.

Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, said:

For the Rohingya community, recognition matters deeply. For too long, our suffering has been denied, ignored and pushed aside while the world failed to act. Generations of Rohingya have endured violence, displacement and loss without acknowledgement or justice.

This memorial is a powerful symbol that our pain is acknowledged, that our voices matter and that the truth cannot be erased.

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We are deeply grateful to councillor Habib Rahman for his leadership and determination in making this memorial a reality, and we thank Newcastle City Council for this powerful act of solidarity with the Rohingya community.

This is an important step towards recognition and justice that the Rohingya people have long been denied. It sends a clear message far beyond this city- that Rohingya people everywhere are not forgotten.

Nijam Uddin, representing the British Rohingya Community, added:

This memorial is a place of reflection, dignity, and education. It honours those we have lost and gives strength to those who continue to live with the trauma of genocide. It also serves as a vital tool to educate future generations so that such atrocities are never repeated.

We extend our sincere thanks to councillor Habib Rahman for his vision and drive, and to Newcastle City Council for their support and commitment to recognising the Rohingya people’s suffering.

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The British Rohingya Community, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, and Rohingya Action North East jointly funded the memorial.

Beyond remembrance, the initiative also reinforces the importance of education, awareness, and continued advocacy for justice and accountability. Permanent memorials play a crucial role in:

  • Honouring victims.
  • Acknowledging survivors.
  • Educating future generations.
  • Challenging denial and historical revisionism.

As visitors gather at the Peace Garden in the years to come, the memorial will stand as a lasting testament to the Rohingya people’s place in history and a call to action for the international community.

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