More than 100 candidates standing in next week’s election for the Senedd have made the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC)’s “Pledge for Palestine”, which includes supporting the Palestinian-led call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions on Israel.

A total of 115 candidates have so far signed the pledge, representing a wide range of political parties, including 46 Green candidates, 37 from Plaid Cymru, 8 from the Liberal Democrats, 6 from Labour, and 5 independents.

The “Senedd Palestine Pledge” commits candidates – if elected – to “take all appropriate steps to” (1) uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, (2) stand up to Israel for its crimes of genocide and apartheid, and (3) ensure the Welsh government is not complicit in these crimes, including by supporting the Palestinian-led call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.

Prominent Senedd candidates taking the pledge

The pledge has been made by prominent Senedd candidates, including Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter, former Members of the Senedd standing again such as Mike Hedges (Labour), Sioned Williams (Plaid Cymru), Llyr Gruffydd (Plaid Cymru), Sian Gwenllian (Plaid Cymru), Heledd Fychan (Plaid Cymru), former MP Beth Winter (community independent) and Rob Griffiths of the Communist Party of Britain.

With the new ‘closed proportional list system’, where voters select based on parties or independent candidates, rather than parties’ individual candidates, the pledge has been signed by 2 Labour, 3 Liberal Democrat, 10 Plaid Cymru and 12 Green first-placed candidates.

The pledge has direct relevance to the Senedd, particularly in light of last year’s revelation that the Welsh government had given a £500,000 grant to an arms company that exports parts for Israel’s F-35 fighter jets, despite the First Minister’s claims to the contrary. These aircraft have been used in Israel’s obliteration of Gaza, which is widely considered to have amounted to the crime of genocide, a finding confirmed by the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry.

The Senedd Pledge for Palestine follows PSC’s similar initiative in the English local elections, where more than 1,800 council candidates have made a ‘Pledge for Palestine’.

Bethan Sayed, co-chair of Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru, said:

Reaching 100 pledges is a milestone. It is a clear message that Palestine is on the ballot in this Senedd election. Wales has always aspired to be a nation that stands on the right side of history, a globally responsible nation that holds human rights and international law at its heart. These 100+ candidates are giving real meaning to that aspiration.

Support for Palestinian rights stretches across every community and every constituency in Wales. Polls show public backing for this issue. Voters will be watching closely to see who has the conviction to stand with them.

To those candidates who have not yet signed: time to act is now. This is a test of moral leadership. We urge every remaining candidate to sign the Pledge before polling day.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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Under the 2000 Terrorism Act, the maximum sentence for encouraging terrorism is 15 years in prison. Inviting support for a proscribed organisation carries a maximum term of 14 years. When Majid Freeman began to speak at Birmingham Crown Court, standing accused of supporting Hamas through a series of social media posts related to the Gaza genocide, he knew his liberty was on the line.

Freeman takes the stand

Defence barrister Hossein Zahir KC is a seasoned professional and imposing presence, his words booming across the courtroom.

His questioning began with several reminders to the softly-spoken Freeman to raise his voice. Judge Andrew Smith KC politely suggested:

Aim for the back row of the jury, even if you need to shout.

First trip to Gaza

The court heard details of Freeman’s first trip to Gaza in 2012, as part of the “Games 2 Gaza” initiative.

It was on this trip that Freeman first met his wife, his barrister confirms. Now, she looks on with a concerned expression from the public gallery.

Freeman explains:

It was designed to replicate the 2012 Olympics for the orphans in Gaza. We took sports equipment: boxing gloves, skipping ropes, and footballs.

On one of the days, we gave the children paper and colouring pens. Most drew their parents being killed or attacked by tanks or fighter jets. I was taken aback. I’d never seen anything like it.

‘I was devastated’

The jury were shown photographs of Freeman delivering medical aid to hospitals in Beit Hanoun and Gaza City.

Freeman’s defence barrister asked: “How did the trip to Gaza affect you?”

I was devastated.

His barrister continued: “Did anything happen after you returned home?”

Yes. In November 2012, the Israeli military attacked Gaza again.

In February 2013, Freeman went back to Palestine: “What was the impact of the second visit?” Freeman took a deep breath:

I couldn’t believe the level of destruction in just a few months. Yes, things were bad before, but now, they were worse.

Freeman was asked by his barristers about his views on the Zionist project and ideology:

I think it’s a disgusting ideology. Because of Zionism, Palestinian families have been displaced from their homes. I believe every Palestinian has the right to defend themselves and their families, including by using force.

The ‘Palestine’ question

Next, Zahir asked about his view on a potential solution to the Palestine question:

I believe that the two-state solution is unrealistic. Maybe it was once a possibility, but not now. In fact, I believe that the Israeli government uses it as cover to continue expanding and removing Palestinians from their land.

Zahir asked: “But what do you believe the answer is?”

I believe that all citizens of Palestine should be able to live side-by-side, with equal rights, regardless of their faith, like the rights we have here. They should not be forced to live under two separate judicial systems.

“Are you a supporter of Hamas?” Zahir asked. Freeman replied:

No. I do not support Hamas as a group. I support the right of all Palestinians to defend themselves, whether they are part of any group or none.

Not just Hamas, but every Palestinian group has the right to defend themselves against Israeli aggression and genocide. This is the basics. Every people has the right to self-determination.

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I am totally against being forced to criticise Hamas as a condition for speaking on the issue of Palestine. It is a trap designed to prevent discussion.

“Do we hear the same condition, to condemn the actions of the IDF, imposed as a precursor to discussion?” his barrister asked.

Hardly ever. Palestinians ‘die’; Israelis are ‘killed’. Language matters.

A clear, unapologetic account

Whatever the outcome of the trial, Freeman made sure to set out his stall. The jury has been presented with a clear, unapologetic account of his views. Now, they must decide whether or not he has broken the law.

Tomorrow, Freeman will be cross-examined by the prosecution.

At one point, defence barrister Zahir asked Freeman to explain a poem he had reposted on Instagram.

There were times [during the Gaza genocide] that I felt despondent, but then I’d come across a powerful reminder like this.

I’ve got my voice; I don’t have time to feel disheartened.

Featured image via the Islam21c

By The Canary

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What have you given up since becoming a parent? It’s a common question mums and dads are asked.

It might be precious time spent with your newborn – the UK’s paternity leave is the worst in Europe forcing many dads back to work before they’re ready. It might be career progression, a pay rise or even your job (85% of women leave the full-time workforce within three years of having their first child).

It might be your savings or any extra income you are forced to make in order to pay for full-time childcare, which can range from £60 to £100 per day (government help with these costs is applicable to some, not all).

A new study on fatherhood from Equimundo, which polled 8,000 parents and caregivers across 16 countries, found fathers value care more than ever – but are increasingly stretched to breaking point.

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The study found parents don’t have the time, resources, or support to care for their families without constant strain, which it dubbed a “crisis”.

Savings (and safety nets) are drained, hours are cut to work around the school day (four out of five parents said their employer won’t allow flexible working), job security hangs in the balance, and study and leisure time quietly disappears.

Malte Mueller via Getty Images

The sacrifices parents make

The report’s “sacrifice scorecard” asked the world’s mums and dads what they have had to give up in order to care for their loved ones.

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It found parents are making six to eight separate sacrifices to provide care for their children.

One in four had to refinance their homes to pay for care services, one in three turned down a professional advancement to provide care, almost two-thirds worked overtime to bring home extra pay, and half took on a second or third job to increase their income.

It’s no wonder then that three in four dads, and four in five mums, are losing sleep over their financial future.

The report highlighted how these sacrifices can also fuel increased anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and higher alcohol consumption. It noted fathers have higher odds than mothers of falling into the high-distress group, with younger dads most at risk.

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Its authors summarised that fathers want to be present and active in the daily lives of their children, but are held back by norms and policies that haven’t caught up – and it’s placing great strain on families.

Elliott Rae, founder of Parenting Out Loud and Equal Parenting Week, said the sacrifices dads are having to make, per the new research, tell “a new version of the same story that we have heard” from mums over the years.

“This isn’t about competition between the sexes; it’s about recognising that both parents are continually having to make sacrifices because of societal structures that make parenting in the UK akin to the ‘wipe out’ obstacle course tryouts,” he said.

“Unequal parenting leave means that mums are set up as the primary carer and dads are set up as the chief provider, and both parents then struggle to excel in each other’s lanes.

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“We need to set parents up as equals from the get-go by levelling up paternity leave, and then we need to instil flexible working practices that allow mothers to work to their full potential instead of making themselves smaller in order to ‘have it all’ and dads to be able to be the present dads that they want to be.”

Gary Barker, president and CEO of Equimundo, responded that while “men are doing more of the care work and finding meaning and happiness in doing so”, families everywhere “face enormous challenges to provide basic care”.

He called on men to “demand and advocate for the care services we all need”.

Lee Chambers, founder of Male Allies UK, wants to see changes to policies that better support parents.

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“The problem is we’re asking dads to be providers first and then telling them they need to do 50:50 childcare too. They want to do it, they want to be there, but there’s still a huge pressure to work like you don’t have kids,” he said.

“The reality is something has to give and without policies in place to support dads to be dads, they end up taking a hit as a family, both financially and mentally.

“We need to create balance – put structures in place that enable mums to work without getting paid less than dads for doing so, and we need to enable dads to be dads by giving them time off to bond and care for their children.

“We need to close the gaps if we want any hope of reaching equality at work and home.”

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At 9am on 30 April, over 20 activists from Axe Drax hunted down Drax’s executives to their central London office after they refused to turn up to their own AGM.

The activists vaulted the building’s barriers and stormed the third floor offices, unfurling banners reading ‘Drax Kills’, ‘Drax is Toxic’ and ‘Go Breathe Poison, Willard’ in reference to Drax’s pollution of communities in the Southern US and the Drax CEO Willard Gardiner.

After activists had occupied the offices for an hour, security forcibly dragged them out one at a time. Activists heard an office worker saying “you know I don’t believe in climate change”. And the building manager said “if you let another person in you’re sacked” to security during the commotion. At 11am, two more activists entered the building letting off portable alarms attached to “retirement” helium balloons.

The Axe Drax action follows the revelation Drax received £999m in subsidy and the announcement by board members that they wouldn’t attend their AGM in person this year. This is after they closed their AGM early last year following interventions from activists. Drax cited “security concerns”, but this has been met with widespread condemnation as a move to simply avoid mounting criticism across sectors.

This action is one of many to happen around Drax’s AGM, including a demonstration outside the building where Drax’s shareholders are gathering by the Stop Burning Trees Coalition and the Climate Choir Movement with a planned day of tuneful protest.

Rosie Gloster, from pressure group Axe Drax, said:

Drax is falling apart as a company, facing numerous lawsuits, investigations by the FCA and rapidly falling profits despite the almost £1bn received in subsidies last year that we all footed the bill for.

It’s utterly pathetic that Drax thinks they can hide from the public and community members like this; we can all see through their dirty lies. We want to make one thing clear: whatever Drax does, we will not let them hide from the death and destruction they’re spreading around the world.

Sam Simmons, also from Axe Drax, said:

As much as Drax tries, they will never be able to hide from the fact they’re poisoning communities, destroying vital forests and ripping off billpayers here in the UK. If Drax wants to try and hide from the public, we will come to them.

Our money is footing the bill for their multi-million pay packets, we’re being forced into funding the poisoning of working-class, Black communities in the US – we will not let Drax hide behind a screen for as long as they continue their deadly business.

Featured image via Axe Drax

By The Canary

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The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is bragging about staff completing autism awareness training. This comes right when they’re trying to prove neurodivergent conditions are overdiagnosed.

The department put out a self-congratulatory press release reporting that about 4,000 DWP healthcare professionals had completed “part of” the Oliver McGowan Trust’s autism and learning disability training.

Yes, you read that right, part of. In theory, this could be as little as an introductory session. But the DWP aren’t ashamed to celebrate the bare minimum.

DWP patting themselves on back for bare minimum

The press release explains:

The training tackles “diagnostic overshadowing” – where symptoms are wrongly attributed to a person’s disability rather than investigated properly – ensuring people receive the right support at the right time.

Which sounds great, but this is the DWP we’re talking about. But how much of this will be used to punish disabled people?

The release also says the training is intended to give staff the tools to make “meaningful reasonable adjustments” as they navigate the fucking cruel benefits system 

These include:

• More time in assessments, reducing anxiety and allowing people to communicate clearly and confidently.
• Simpler, clearer communications from Jobcentres, making information accessible to people who may find complex language difficult to process.
• Sensory-aware Jobcentre environments, ensuring spaces feel safe and manageable for people who may find busy or loud environments overwhelming.

Again, nice promises, but in a system that feels like it’s built to catch you out, it’s going to take a lot of convincing. This is already a department that gets a horrific amount of complaints. The number of complaints from Universal Credit claimants rose by 43% last year. This happened despite there only being a 12% increase in claims.

In its press release, the DWP also had the fucking audacity to say:

The accomplishment is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to putting disabled people at the heart of everything it does.

To back this up, the department once again brags about the Independent Disability Advisory Panel. As the Canary has extensively covered, this is a complete farce. It only includes 10 whole disabled people with mere hours to pore over reams of policy. In fact, that’s if they’re allowed to do anything meaningful at all.

The government also had to backtrack on the IDAP before it even launched. This is because they tried to insist participants sign NDAs. The panel also sparked fury as only one of them is from the north of England.

DWP can never be trusted

There’s also the glaring elephant in the room — the DWP bragging about this minimum training whilst doing everything in their power to strip autistic people and those with other neurodivergent conditions of their vital benefits.

The DWP is currently in the process of reforming PIP with its bullshit Timms review. One of the main things the disability benefits cuts protests stopped last year was limiting eligibility. This was especially true for those with neurodivergent conditions.

At the same time, the Department of Health and Social Care is undertaking a review into whether neurodivergent conditions are overdiagnosed. It predictably isn’t going well for them. Not only did 132 experts come out to disprove them. But their own interim report did exactly the same.

This is coupled with the constant noise from the shit rags and think tanks about how people are faking it for benefits or ‘gaming the system’. Just this week, warmonger Tony Blair piped up to propose that neurodivergent conditions should be recategorised as ‘non-work-limiting conditions’ and not eligible for benefits.

Personally, I think war criminals shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near welfare, but that’s just me.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much the DWP pretends to care about autistic people. Until they stop attacking neurodivergent people and trying to prove they’re all faking, their “training” is hubristic bullshit — meaningless to disabled people.

Featured image via the Canary

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

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