Micheál Martin’s government has failed to disclose 248 flights by US military warplanes over Irish airspace since August 2025. There is a strong chance that many of these aircraft are involved in war crimes committed by the Washington terror regime. The Irish Times says they used “open source software” to track the flights, after official figures showed a major drop-off in the number of passing warplanes to just a couple each month. Previous government figures showed 30 to 50 aircraft per month. The government blamed the discrepancy on “administrative error”.

After the Times notified the government, the latter published corrected figures on Thursday 16 April, which were in line with those provided for earlier periods. However, the revised figures show some revealing trends. There was a large drop-off in military traffic around October 2025, when so-called ‘Israel’ agreed to its fraudulent ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza.

While the illegitimate settler-colony has maintained its genocide, killing over 750 Palestinians since the agreement to stop hostilities was reached, the intensity of bombardment has dropped off. This decrease in mass murder is paralleled by a decline in US military flights over Ireland, suggesting Irish airspace is indeed being used to ferry weapons of genocide to the Zionist land theft project.

US military flights over Ireland likely involved in war crimes against Iran

Similarly, another change in flight numbers matches the launching of the illegal US-‘Israeli’ attack on Iran. The Irish Times says:

The figures show a 56 per cent surge in US military overflights of Ireland last month as the US launched hundreds of strikes on Iran.

The overflight of US warplanes is governed by the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952. This mandates that all foreign military aircraft must obtain diplomatic clearance to enter Irish airspace. Exemptions can be granted on this basis, provided the plane is unarmed, not carrying weapons, not involved in intelligence gathering and not part of a military operation.

The Irish government takes this on trust from the US government. That is, they trust a government led by a war criminal and pathological liar. However, Micheál Martin’s band of sycophants have found it impossible to conceal the appalling truth. They admitted in October 2025 that they:

…allowed munitions of war – onboard a US military plane authorised by Simon Harris to touch down at Shannon Airport – to travel through Irish territory on their way to Israel.

The Irish Times point out the government breached the no surveillance aircraft rule when it allowed:

…multiple overflights of Poseidon P-8 surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft in early January.

These too were engaged in illegal activity by aiding:

…in the pursuit by the US military of a ship in the North Atlantic which had earlier attempted to collect sanctioned oil from Venezuela.

This was part of Trump’s illegal sanctions against the Central American nation, culminating in the murderous abduction of the country’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989 permit exemptions to allow civil aircraft to carry weapons through Irish airspace, if granted an exemption by the minister for transport. According to Al Jazeera:

In 2024, the Department of Transport approved 1,354 applications for civil aircraft or Irish-registered aircraft to carry military weapons or ammunition through Ireland…

Government maintains absurd pretence that Ireland isn’t aiding US atrocities

Despite the fact that weapons transfer through Ireland has literally been confirmed by the Irish government itself, ministers and the Taoiseach himself are still happy to shamelessly lie about the matter. In the face of the damning new overflights figures, and evidence Shannon is a stop-off point for US warplanes on their way to the main German staging post for the assault on Iran, Martin said:

First of all, Shannon [Airport] is not being used for those purposes and there have been repeated attempts to conflate Shannon with both the war in Gaza – which was absolutely false, and there were false claims – and this is a continuing narrative from certain quarters politically within Ireland, which I think will damage Shannon.

Minister for foreign affairs Helen McEntee similarly insulted the public’s intelligence when she said there is “no reason to believe” weapons of mass murder are being moved through Ireland. She said of the rules prohibiting weapons transfer:

…we have no reason to suggest that they’re not [being adhered to].

Oh yes no reason at all, until you recall that the US, even pre-Trump, were serial liars when it came to their illegal killing sprees abroad. These kind of comments from the government are only likely to further enrage anti-war activists, and prompt more direct action against the criminal use of Shannon airport. Until Martin and co. stop participating in atrocities, long may these acts of resistance continue.

Featured image via the Canary

By Robert Freeman

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Trigger warning: themes of sexual violence and abuse.

The UK state-corporate press and broadcasters are continuing to ignore a CNN report. The report shows that over 64 million men signed up for an online ‘rape academy.’ In this academy, they learned how to drug and rape wives, girlfriends and other women.

MSM turns the other way

Although the report was published in March 2026, searches confirm that none of the UK ‘mainstream’ media have covered it:

The case of Gisele Pelicot

Singer and activist Annie Lennox pointed out the similarity to the case of Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman whose husband drugged her while a string of men raped her:

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A post shared by Annie Lennox (@officialannielennox)

The Pelicot case and the sentencing of her rapists received media attention in isolation. However, it appears UK media are uninterested in reporting the widespread phenomenon of millions of men studying how to do what her husband did.

Whyever would the establishment media in country riddled with powerful paedophiles and rapists not be interested in covering the existence of a mass rape ring?

Featured image via CNN

By Skwawkbox

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The UK can now roll out a racist surveillance measure that had been delayed by a legal challenge filed by anti-facial recognition campaigners. The appeal has now been lost. Met commissioner Mark Rowley has once again praised facial recognition measures. He believes that the technology helps to catch criminal, while civil liberties groups are not quite so sure…

Imminent roll out

Rowley said facial recognition technology would:

help us catch more criminals quickly and precisely, saves officer time, and ultimately saves money.

And police minister Sarah Jones, channeling every authoritarian since time began, says only the guilty should be fearful…

I welcome today’s ruling because there can be no true liberty when people live in fear of crime in their communities.

Live facial recognition only locates specifically wanted people — law abiding citizens have nothing to fear.

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Jones’ bizarrely inferred that criticism from people challenging the excessive deployment of facial recognition technology was unwarranted, saying:

This technology puts dangerous rapists and murderers behind bars — and I question any group who call that uncivil.

We are rolling out facial recognition across the country with record investment to keep communities safe.

A bit of a reach, minister…

Lost appeal ushers in surveillance state

Two concerned citizens had challenged the roll-out in the courts:

Youth worker Shaun Thompson, and Silkie Carlo, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, brought the challenge over concerns that facial recognition could be used arbitrarily or in a discriminatory way.

The pair had argued that the use of the van-mounted technology:

breaches the right to privacy outlined in the European Convention of Human Rights.

Judges presiding over the case ruled:

We are not able to accept, on the thin submissions advanced before us, that concerns about discrimination infect the legality of the policy.

The government and police claim that the technology has resulted in few mistakes. However, Thompson said he had been misidentified by facial recognition:

No one should be treated like a criminal due to a computer error, I was compliant with the police, but my bank cards and passport weren’t enough to convince the police the facial recognition tech was wrong.

He likened its reliability to:

stop-and-search on steroids.

For several years now, the Canary has been covering the risks of facial recognition. On 1 November 2025, we shed light on the ways in which AI-integrated facial recognition is inherently racist, noting that the:

UN’s office for human rights, as well as anthropologists and tech experts, have long known that AI systems are inherently racist, either by design or through the biases of their creators — but the police facial recognition systems are going above and beyond in the service of racist discrimination.

Facial technology’s race bias

Examples include the case of the appeal claimant in the latest ruling, Shaun Thompson. The other claimant, civil liberties NGO Big Brother Watch, warned in the same month that cops were feeding passport photos into their AI.

Further evidence of the racialised use of AI facial recognition emerged on 15 September 2025. Police used the technology at Notting Hill Carnival—an annual celebration of black British culture—but not at the fascist-organised Unite the Kingdom event.

British securocrats have gotten their way today. Those of us who care about basic, hard-won freedoms must continue to challenge the UK’s bipartisan authoritarianism wherever we can.

Featured image via Unsplash/ the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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The post Why Iran is not a new ‘forever war’ appeared first on spiked.

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DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 21

TRUMP FOR CONSTANTINO: Republican House candidate Anthony Constantino’s campaign to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik is a textbook example of how aligning with the MAGA extended universe pays off.

President Donald Trump today endorsed Constantino, the brash and hard-edged CEO of Sticker Mule, over Assemblymember Robert Smullen.

Trump’s nod for the businessperson is a microcosm of a decade of Republican politics. Smullen has lined up institutional support from the state GOP, county chairs and his fellow elected officials in Albany.

But none of that matters to Trump, who won his own insurgent primary a decade ago by bucking the Republican establishment.

Now the president is backing Constantino, who has assembled his own slate of endorsees far more suited to Trump’s temperament. That includes Rudy Giuliani, who backed Constantino after the candidate, according to his telling, wrote a “beautiful two-page letter” to the former New York City mayor.

Constantino has also enlisted Trump confidant and political operative Roger Stone.

Those ties were not lost on the president when he posted on Truth Social this afternoon. “Anthony is strongly supported by many of the most Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in our Movement, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Roger Stone!” he wrote.

Then of course, there’s the large “Vote for Trump” sign Constantino erected atop a building that can be seen from Interstate 90.

That kind of tangible loyalty — which withstood a legal challenge by local Democrats — also played well with the president.

“Anthony has been such a Great Supporter that he actually put up a somewhat ‘controversial’ sign, against strong opposition, in my honor,” Trump posted. “The sign is still there!”

For his part, Smullen — whose support from numerous county chairs doesn’t quite equate to the large pro-Trump signage visible from I-90 — was publicly unconcerned by the president weighing in on the primary.

“A consultant got to the president, somebody who is being paid by my opponent,” he told our Bill Mahoney. “And I think the president’s made a mistake here.”

Still, it’s hard not to view this development as anything but a massive blow for Smullen, running to succeed an ardently pro-MAGA House lawmaker in a district that the president won three times.

The endorsement also highlights the strange position the state GOP finds itself in. The party took the unusual step of backing Smullen in the race amid deep concerns from party leaders over Constantino’s temperament.

New York Republicans are preparing for a future without Stefanik as its leader and top fundraiser with national standing. The North Country House lawmaker was in line to become Trump’s United Nations ambassador, only to have the nod yanked amid a messy selection process to pick her successor. Hard feelings from Stefanik’s team following the scuttled special election to replace her have lingered as a result.

One GOP official chortled at the situation, which also comes after Stefanik bowed out of the race for governor following Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s entrance.

“They knifed Elise in the special and then they got crushed by Roger Stone,” said the person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “It is just the beginning of Elise’s allies including the president settling the score as Elise is in the midst of her successful book tour!”

For Constantino’s part, the endorsement is another step in what had initially seemed like a long-shot bid.

“I had a great talk with President Trump and am honored to receive his endorsement,” he said in a statement. “He noted every primary candidate he endorses wins so I look forward to winning the general election and making everyone who supported me very proud once I am in Congress.”

FROM CITY HALL

CC YOU IN COURT: A prominent police union filed a federal lawsuit against the Civilian Complaint Review Board today, alleging the oversight body is tarnishing officers’ reputations by releasing unredacted — and unsubstantiated — complaints against cops.

Beginning in October, the suit from the New York City Police Benevolent Association alleges, the CCRB began responding to Freedom of Information Law requests about three types of allegations against officers — sexual misconduct, racial bias and offering false statements — by releasing unredacted complaints that are then subsequently uploaded to a public database. Because CCRB does not redact identifying information, the police union argued, the accused officers’ reputations, safety, and employment prospects are unduly damaged.

“CCRB’s under-the-table collusion with anti-police activists to smear cops with false complaints is not only unfair and unconstitutional — it is a calculated effort to end proactive enforcement and drive cops away from the job,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said.

The PBA argued the complaint board is aware of how damaging the allegations can be to cops. The CCRB publishes a redacted version of the complaints on its own website.

The city’s Law Department declined to comment. And a CCRB spokesperson defended the agency but noted its ability to comment was limited by the suit.

“The CCRB’s investigations are complete, thorough and impartial,” spokesperson Dakota Gardner said in a statement. “The Agency continually reviews all applicable laws and regulations regarding the public release of its records, including disciplinary histories of members of service, to ensure it is fully compliant.” — Joe Anuta

CHARTERING A NEW COURSE?: Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference that his administration is weighing its options regarding the future of former Mayor Eric Adams’ Charter Revision Commission, which convened publicly for the first time Monday.

“We are reviewing all of the options that we have when it comes to this previously set up charter review,” Mamdani said at the press conference in Brooklyn.

Pressed on what those options might entail, the mayor added little clarity aside from noting with a laugh that “more and more are being presented by the day.”

The commission’s meeting focused on procedural steps, including selecting acting chair Gilford Monrose, as reported in today’s Playbook.

Created on Adams’ final day in office, the commission is tasked with crafting ballot proposals, including one to establish an open primary election system. This shift could complicate reelection prospects for Mamdani by opening the Democratic primary electorate up to a larger, more moderate-leaning pool of voters.

Mamdani — who has previously criticized the body as undemocratic — has several avenues to blunt its work. Charter experts say one option for the mayor’s office would be installing a chair who could stall proceedings.

Randy Mastro, the former first deputy mayor under Adams who’s now advising the commission pro bono, told Playbook yesterday he has received no assurances from the Mamdani administration about its plans. A person familiar with the matter said Mastro has also discussed the commission with Mamdani’s corporation counsel, Steve Banks.

Still, Mastro downplayed the influence of any single appointee amid the possibility of a Mamdani-selected chair helming the commission.

“I welcome anyone who wants to participate in a constructive process to improve our local democracy,” Mastro said. — Gelila Negesse

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

PRIMARY COLORS: Former state Assemblymember Taylor Darling ended her primary bid against battleground Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen earlier this week.

“Unfortunately, the technicalities of the current system make it challenging for community focused campaigns to fully participate in the Democratic process,” Darling wrote on social media. “While I respect the rules, it is clear that these barriers need to be addressed if we want a system where all voices, especially those from our communities, are heard and valued.”

Any primary challenger is poised to have an uphill climb against the incumbent Gillen, who has more than $3 million on hand. Darling, who entered the race after Gillen voted in support of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, raised just $24,000 last quarter and had $15,000 in the bank. Progressive organizer Kiana Bierria-Anderson is also in the race, though she said her petitions to get on the ballot are being challenged. — Madison Fernandez

IN OTHER NEWS

— WATCHDOG BARKS: Citizens Budget Commission urges lawmakers to limit government spending and hold off on tax hikes as new report shows tens of thousands of New Yorkers are leaving the city. (Gothamist)

— POLLUTERS PAY: Republicans in Congress are aiming to end New York’s climate law that requires fossil fuel companies to pay for weather-related damages. (Newsday)

— THAT STINKS: As state-funded daycare expands in New York, new education mandates regarding potty training and diaper changes for young students have left schools scrambling to create new policies. (New York Post)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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Both Belgium and Hungary have taken steps to distance themselves from Israel, making them the fourth and fifth countries to do so.

Belgium has joined Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia in demanding that the EU end its association with Israel.

Meanwhile, Péter Magyar, the incoming Hungarian Prime Minister, has made it clear that he will:

arrest Netanyahu if he ever comes to Hungary

He also made it clear that Hungary intends to remain a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Better late than never

Already, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia have all demanded that the EU end its ‘association’ with Israel. As the Canary previously reported:

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez has said that Spain will demand an end to the EU’s ‘association agreement’ with Israel at tomorrow’s (21 April 2026) meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Spain will be joined by the governments of Ireland and Slovenia. The association agreement gives Israel preferential trade access to the EU as well as setting a framework for political negotiations.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, told a rally in Andalusia that he is calling for the move because:

a government that violates international law or the principles of the EU cannot be its partner.

Then, on 19 April, the Spanish, Irish, and Slovenian foreign ministers wrote to the EU’s senior diplomat Kaja Kallas. They accused Israel of breaching its obligations under international law, including

executive decisions, military decisions and laws adopted by the Knesset, that contravene human rights and violate international law and international humanitarian law.

Ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Maxime Prevot, Belgium’s Foreign Minister, said that Israel’s actions in Lebanon are “totally unacceptable“.

He said that Belgium is calling for at least a partial suspension of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.

War criminals hiding in plain sight

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In principle, ICC member countries are obliged to detain individuals subject to such warrants.

However, some countries have argued they can remain ICC members without enforcing such warrants.

France argued that arresting Netanyahu would contravene other agreements it has with Israel.

Importantly, though, Péter Magyar, incoming Hungarian Prime Minister, told reporters that:

If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody.

Netanyahu is due to visit Hungary later this year.

Meanwhile, Italy and Germany have defended Israel from EU trade sanctions.

Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, said that breaking trade agreements is not a useful tool because then the Israeli population “will be affected.”

Of course, he is ignoring that the vast majority of Israeli citizens support the illegal state’s genocides.

Holding Israel accountable

Eighty-two percent of Jewish Israelis support expelling Palestinians from Gaza. Meanwhile, 56% back the expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel.

Additionally, Tajani is also ignoring the fact that there is a conscription law in Israel. This means that the majority of Israeli citizens must serve in the IOF for a minimum of 24 months for women, or 32 months for men.

Essentially, the majority of Israelis have either directly taken part in the genocide or support it, which means their feelings are irrelevant.

Whilst some EU leaders are finally growing a pair and taking a stand, it seems that some EU countries are still putting trade, money, and the delicate feelings of a majority-genocidal country above the lives of black and brown people in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

But until the rest of Europe starts centring those lives, feelings, and voices, Israel will continue to commit war crimes and get away with it.

Feature image via the Canary

By HG

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Paloma Faith, Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Kneecap are among more than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers calling for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 over the inclusion of genocidal Israel.

Boycott Eurovision unless Zionist Israel is banned

The letter, co-ordinated by campaign group No Music For Genocide (NMFG), has also been signed by artists including David Holmes, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and Macklemore.

It calls on countries to follow the lead of Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Spain by withdrawing from the popular music competition.

NMFG urged public broadcasters, performers, screening party organisers, crew, and fans to refuse to participate in or platform Eurovision until Israel is banned.

The letter says the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, should ban Israel from participating because of the ongoing conflict with Palestine, citing its ban of Russia in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The letter cites Israel’s genocide in Gaza and said Eurovision should not “whitewash and normalise” the actions of the Zionist state. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 72,000 people, with the toll from the genocide likely to rise.

The letter called the EBU “hypocritical” for banning Russia from Eurovision but not Israel, and said that those who had signed the letter “refuse to be silent”.

Massive Attack musician Robert Del Naja, who is among those to sign the letter, was arrested earlier this month during a mass protest in central London against the ban on Palestine Action.

‘Silence is complicity’

Irish rap trio Kneecap, who are known for their politically driven music and social commentary, said:

Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022. Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide – and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage.

That’s not neutrality. That’s a choice. We’ve paid a price for speaking out – lost gigs, court cases, visa bans – and we’d do it all again tomorrow.

Silence is complicity. We stand with No Music for Genocide and every artist, fan and broadcaster who refuses to let the world’s biggest music event be used to whitewash genocide. No stage for genocide. Free Palestine.

NMFG organisers said:

Every year, for its entire 53-year tenure as a Eurovision participant, Israel has perpetuated its terrorising systems of apartheid, torture, land theft, and military occupation against Palestinians from the river to the sea with complete impunity.

While many of us in the industry make light of Eurovision or doubt our own power as cultural producers, genocidal Israel’s leaders speak openly about the contest’s geopolitical value.

NMFG stands with and amplifies the incredible grassroots organising efforts across Europe to boycott Eurovision until Israel is banned.

From Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to direct actionists, from Film Workers For Palestine in Hollywood to striking dockworkers in Italy and Morocco, people of conscience around the globe are fighting complicity in every industry for a free Palestine and a freer world.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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