One of the UK’s top military colleges fought to distance itself from a September 2025 government ban on training Israeli officers. The head of the college sought advice, fearing that banning the genocidal settler-colony’s forces would be bad optics. A truly strange perception of what constitutes bad PR…

Al Jazeera gained access to emails which show concerned internal discussions at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS).

The outlet reported on 13 April:

The British government made the decision, which was widely reported in international media, amid a wave of condemnation of Israel’s escalation of the war, calling the planned ground offensive “wrong”.

However:

Previously unreported correspondence shows that the move prompted discussion within the RCDS about potential harm to its reputation as an institution which welcomes students of all backgrounds, leading its head to ask a senior military official to ensure that the public would be aware that the college played no role in the decision.

The head of the college, RCDS commandant George Norton, emailed British general Tom Copinger-Symes for advice just after the ban started in September 2025.

Norton told Copinger-Symes:

that it would “appear to be important” for Jenny Chapman, the UK’s development minister, to highlight that the college does not invite or select participants in its courses, and that invitations were “rather a government-to-government matter”.

Israeli genocide: optics of banning a pariah state

His main worry appears to have been optics, rather than the idea the college might be training the genocidal military personnel of a pariah state. Norton wanted it made clear that the government, not the college, had come up with the ban.

These key pieces of information have been absent from the majority of media portrayal, generating a perception that RCDS itself is deciding which countries to invite or not to invite.

Norton also expressed a concern about making it clear the college was not trying to undermine government policy:

I would be grateful for your support in underlining this position in our public narrative, without of course creating a perception that RCDS (or CSOC) is seeking to undermine government policy.

Copinger-Symes said he would “see what we can do”.

‘Positively engaging’ and ‘diversity’.

Another RCDS staff member, deputy commandant Tamara Jennings, wrote in an email:

I appreciate that while we fall under MOD, we do have a standalone brand and our reputation as a welcoming college that positively wants to engage with all as that diversity and dealing with places we would not always agree with on a topic is exactly what this place is about.

So a story which says RCDS have banned anyone is unhelpful, both in terms of attribution of the decision and the term ‘ban’.

Our colleagues at Declassified UK were first to report the story on 29 July 2025. They said:

At least two Israeli colonels have attended the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) since 2023.

After weeks of stonewalled inquiries to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the military was forced to disclose:

that IDF soldiers were studying at the RCDS, admitting that fewer than five officers had trained there in 2023 and 2024.

The MoD did not offer the names and ranks of the officers or provide figures for 2025.

However:

Declassified was able to find details of one Israeli officer who graduated this summer because the RCDS Commandant posted photos of them on his social media accounts.

The UK military is well known for training military personnel from nations on its own human rights watchlists. The latest revelation of such activity came via the NGO Action of Armed Violence on 27 March.

However it is notable that:

Israel does not appear in the dataset, despite the MoD previously confirming that a “limited number” of Israeli personnel have been trained in the UK. No explanation is given for the omission.

That the UK’s top military college was worried that a ban on personnel from a genocidal army would be bad PR is remarkable. And the fact one staff member drew on the language of ‘diversity’ in her complaint about the ban – or its framing in official comms – must be too. Why, one ought to ask, would an educational institution want members of an army which has been carrying out war crimes in attendance anyway?

It’s hard not to think this is same old colonial arrogance, the British military have embodied for centuries. Perhaps in future, they’ll be more careful what they write in their emails…

Featured image via the Canary

On 24 February, we reported that Reform UK had finally suspended activist Adam Mitula over his racist comments. Now, the Guardian is reporting that the far-right party are using Mitula as an election agent in the upcoming local elections. If you don’t know already, an election agent is the person who’s in charge of a campaign’s financial management.

Given that Mitula once downplayed the Holocaust numbers, we’re not sure he’s the man you want in charge of your figures.

Reform: Adam Mitula

Mitula’s racist comments were widely reported back in February:

🇬🇧 Reform UK has suspended a campaign manager after he said Polish victims of the Holocaust are used “to make up the number”.

Adam Mitula also used a racial slur in a separate post, which was subsequently reported by Hope not Hate.

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Follow: @europa pic.twitter.com/9IcEs0XlAd

— Europa.com (@europa) February 24, 2026

Reform Tameside campaign manager Adam Mitula said: “I wouldn’t touch a Jewish woman” in an uncovered social media post👇 pic.twitter.com/6rcu8UfLc1

— Turn Left Media (@TurnLeftMediaUK) February 14, 2026

Mitula was the campaign manager for Matt Goodwin’s disastrous Gorton & Denton by-election run.

Manchester’s the Mill noted that Goodwin has actually surrounded himself with far-right activists. They argue that this is at odds with how Nigel Farage has historically operated:

Nigel Farage has always been at pains to distance his party from known far-right groups. He’s been publicly critical of Tommy Robinson on many occasions, and as UKIP leader he banned ex-British National Party members from running for his party.

Now, the Guardian have reported:

A notice of election document published last Thursday shows that Mitula is now the election agent for Reform candidates standing in three wards in the Tameside area: Aron Webb, Audra Murray and Daniel Bennett.

Neither Mitula nor Reform replied to the Guardian. Tameside Green Jackie Olden did, however, telling the paper:

Time and again, we have seen a pattern of commentary and behaviour from the Reform leadership that aims to normalise division in our communities.

Here in Tameside, residents have already seen the impact of that approach. In Gorton and Denton, Reform’s campaigning has too often relied on divisive messaging that alienates parts of our community.

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Campaign of chaos

Are Reform really so low on viable operators that they’re having to rely on disgraced individuals like Mitula?

According to our local election reporting, yes – yes they are:

As bad as all the above candidates sound, it’s worth noting that most are still standing. And even if they do get suspended, there’s no reason to think they won’t rematerialise like Mitula.

If things get really bad for any of them, they can also just join Restore Britain – a breakaway party for the far-right’s most anti-social elements.

Featured image via Hope not Hate

In yet another flagrant violation of ceasefire, Israel has killed at least six Palestinians and wounded others carrying out an airstrike targeted a police checkpoint at the entrance of al Bureij refugee camp, in Central Gaza.

What ceasefire?

Journalist Mohammad Sayyed was among those killed in the attack, which happened in the early hours of 11 April. Several of the injured were reported to be in a serious condition.

Throughout its genocide in Gaza, the Israeli occupation has systematically targeted Palestinian police across the strip, to intentionally cause the breakdown of law and order, and sow the seeds of chaos amongst the desperate population.

It is now six months since the so called “ceasefire agreement” was signed, in October 2025. But conditions on the ground do not, in any way, resemble that of a ceasefire. Palestinians in Gaza continue to experience extreme hunger, deprivation, injury, and death, because of the Israeli occupation’s ongoing aid restrictions, attacks, and movement restrictions. There is no sense of safety or stability, and recovery or reconstruction is non existent, as all necessary equipment has been blocked from entering Gaza.

Humanitarian organisations – Save the Children, Refugees International, Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and the Danish Refugee Council, have produced a Scorecard, which assesses progress against Trump’s 20 point peace plan’s stated objectives and commitments.

Trump’s ceasefire deal has failed

According to Jeremy Konykndyk, president Refugees International said:

On matters of basic protection, rights, and aid for people living in Gaza, this deal has failed.

Save the Children’s Multimedia Manager, Shurouq, 31, lost her husband and her home during the genocide.

She says:

There is absolutely no ceasefire. We hear constant bombardment. Many of the explosions we hear are the Israeli military demolishing things, such as standing buildings beyond the yellow line, and within it.

The violence, killing, and indiscriminate airstrikes still take place each day. As of 3 April, more than 700 Palestinians, including at least 180 children have been killed since the so called ceasefire agreement in October 2025. 224 of these Palestinians have been killed near to the ‘yellow line,’ which ‘Israel’ continues to repeatedly shift.

Many hundreds of aid trucks have been blocked by “Israel” from entering the Strip. The Rafah and Jordan border crossings are still closed for aid, yet Trump’s ceasefire deal stated “immediately after the prisoner swap has taken place, aid will be distributed – without interference from either side – by the United Nations and the Red Crescent, along with other international organizations not associated with either Israel or Hamas. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference”.

Israel throttling aid

The population of Gaza is still struggling to survive, as almost all have lost their source of income, so are primarily reliant on humanitarian aid. But between 28 February and 8 April, less than 5000 aid trucks entered Gaza out of 23,400 that were planned.

Oxfam’s Ghada Al Haddad says:

There is not enough food to eat, and entire neighbourhoods still have no functioning water system because the equipment needed to repair them are not able to enter Gaza. The people are denied the basic tools for survival. Aid is blocked, repairs prevented, movement restricted, and the conditions of life continue to deteriorate, six months into this so called ceasefire. A large proportion of trucks entering Gaza do not even carry humanitarian aid,  only commercial goods. These goods are expensive, and not accessible to the vast number of Palestinians, who have no money to spare.

At least 1.7 million people are still in displacement sites, many with deteriorating tents that are subject to flooding. This is be ause the entry of shelters into the enclave continues to be “heavily restricted“.

No major reconstruction equipment is allowed into the Strip either. So the piles of rubble remain. People are not only unable to clear space to try and rebuild their homes, but they are also unable to bury their dead still buried underneath the rubble.

When it comes to reconstruction efforts, none is occuring. All critical infrastructure has been intentionally targeted by the terrorist regime of “Israel”, but none has been rebuilt. Health facilities, water and power infrastructure all remains destroyed.

Trump can’t even deliver on aid

Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan is a paediatric intensive care, and humanitarian doctor who has worked extensively in Gaza. She was last there in February.

She says:

There is constant bombardment and constant drones. You get the sense that you are in the middle of a war zone, as you were before. The conditions of the ceasefire clearly are not being met.

Haj-Hassan claims patients are now dying of preventable things, because of the conditions brought about by the Israeli occupation, and its:

targeted and systematic destruction of the healthcare system- through the direct targeting of every hospital in the Gaza Strip, and the continued blockade of aid.

Lack of medical facilities and supplies, combined with the devastating and inhumane conditions experience by the population of Gaza, mean that medical evacuations from the Strip are necessary. But as part of its ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinians, “Israel” is obstructing patients from leaving abroad. Almost the entire population of Gaza remains trapped inside the Yellow Line, unable to return to their homes- if anything remains of them, and the majority of the Strip.

According to Konykndyk, humanitarian access should be the easiest part of Trump’s “ceasefire plan” to deliver on.

He says:

They are now trying to turn to much more political issues, such as disarmament and governance of Gaza, but it’s very hard to see how there can be any progress if they can’t deliver on the easiest elements.

These organisations recommend the following, to ensure a lasting ceasefire

The ceasefire must be in practice, not only in rhetoric

There must be an independent and transparent system to approve aid delivery – The Israeli occupation government cannot be allowed to dictate who and what enters and exits Gaza.

All border crossings into Gaza must be opened.

The new arbitrary restrictions the occupation has placed on International NGOs – which provide many of the basic services and are critical to the population – must be lifted.

Featured image via the author

Outraged political campaigner Andrew Feinstein has sent a damning letter to the CEO and co-chairperson of Arsenal over its decision to sack long-time employee Mark Bonnick.

The kit man was suspended and then dismissed in December 2024 for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza, signaling that undue repression of British citizens for challenging Israel is still going strong.

Justifying their disgusting decision, Arsenal bosses alleged that the ‘offending’ comments would bring the club into disrepute.

In stark contrast, Feinstein stated:

I would argue that to not speak out against these appalling crimes would bring any institution into disrepute.

After all, genocide scholars, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have declared that Israel’s acts against Palestinians are indeed genocide. These findings hardly come as a shock when Israeli officials have been stating their murderous intentions painfully clearly since October 7 2023.

An Open Letter to Arsenal Football Club about @Arsenal ‘s indefensible firing of a longtime, loyal employee because of his empathy for the Palestinian people pic.twitter.com/pX0FIlCPEv

— Andrew Feinstein (@andrewfeinstein) April 14, 2026

Andrew Feinstein: ‘I introduced the first ever motion on the Holocaust’

In Feinstein’s letter, addressed to Richard Garlick and Josh Kroenke, he affirmed his pride as a Jewish Arsenal fan and having been a “season ticket holder of almost twenty years”.

He also pointed out his wealth of knowledge and personal experience on the serious issue of genocide:

And as the son of a Holocaust survivor who lost dozens of her family mainly at Auschwitz where I have lectured on genocide prevention; as an author and expert on the global arms trade, conflict and genocide; and as a former ANC Member of Parliament serving under Nelson Mandela where I introduced the first ever motion on the Holocaust in the history of the South African Parliament.

Speaking to his “deep concern and outrage” at Bonnick’s sacking, Feinstein further highlighted why his comments were in no way antisemitic as was claimed:

Mark expressed views on the conflict in Gaza and Israel’s behaviour that are not inflammatory or offensive and certainly do not bring the club into disrepute. As an anti-racist who has experienced antisemitism personally, and having devoted my adult life to fighting all racism and discrimination, I do not believe anything Mark has said could be interpreted as an antisemitic trope or blood libel, except by those who will not tolerate any criticism of the state of Israel.

Crucially, Mark’s comments were made in the context of the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, determining that Israel was likely perpetrating a genocide in Gaza. This view is shared by 98% of human rights organisations, most human rights lawyers, relevant UN bodies and the vast majority of genocide experts, including a significant number of Israeli experts.

At this point, over 70,000 people have been slaughtered, over 70% of them women and children. Senior Israeli politicians and military leaders have been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes and genocide.

As Feinstein clearly explains to the pro-Israel football bosses, the Genocide Convention was created with international consensus in response to the “horrific tragedy of the Holocaust” to ensure that this immeasurable cruelty and violence could never repeat itself.

Referring to the term ‘never again’, he underscores how that applies to “all humanity, including Palestinians”.

Arsenal show double standards with invitation for Zionist influencer

Last year, Bonnick, 62, announced plans to sue the club for unfair dismissal and discrimination, according to reports. He was a committed employee at Arsenal football club for 22 years.

Bonnick’s dismissal exposes a sinister double standard at play in the decisions made by the club’s management. Just compare their treatment of Bonnick with their treatment of influencer Matthew ‘Papa’ Pincus. Pincus openly promotes pro-Zionist, pro-genocide views and is regularly present pitch-side.

The contrast is stark.

It’s clear that Bonnick  felt compelled to speak out against the mass murder of Palestinians, like many across the country. But as we all know, anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Feinstein, a Jewish man and the child of a Holocaust survivor, once again refuses to see ordinary people penalised for calling for justice.

He wrote:

The views expressed by Mark are, according to numerous polls, shared by a majority of people in Britain, including many Jews like me. The Jewish community does not think with one mind about this or any other issue. I understand that not all Arsenal supporters might share his views, but based on the above surveys, it is likely that a majority do.

In addition, like with the case of apartheid South Africa, there are certain humanitarian situations that compel people to speak out. This genocide, because of its scale, illegality and brutality, is undoubtedly one of them.

Hypocritical double standard exposed – now fix it!

Feinstein equally picked up on Arsenal’s gross double standard in his letter to the big bosses.

…it would be extremely hypocritical of the club to suggest an employee has no right to express a personal political view, when the club emblazoned the Ukrainian flag on the stadium scoreboard after the horrific, illegal Russian invasion. A number of high-profile employees, players no less, have historically expressed political views on their social media.

That a longtime, hardworking and loyal member of the Arsenal family can be dismissed so callously for expressing a point of view is not just shocking but is an insult to the values that have run through the club for generations.

He then finished with a final plea to Garlick and Kroenke:

I, and many others, are deeply disturbed by the club’s action.

I, therefore, call on you to reverse this decision.

At the Canary, we’ll be watching closely to see whether Arsenal choose to take any real remedial action or not.

Featured image via the Canary

According to the latest poll from YouGov, the Green Party are in second place when it comes to the predicted seat count. Labour, meanwhile, have dropped to sixth:

‼️POLL | Reform lead by 5pts

➡️ Ref: 24% (=)
🔵 Con: 19% (=)
🟢 Grn: 18% (+2)
🔴 Lab: 17% (+1)
🟠 Lib: 13% (=)
⬛️ Res: 4% (=)
🟥 YP: 0% (-1)

— Seats —
➡️ Ref: 282
🟢 Grn: 91
🔵 Con: 83
🟠 Lib: 81
🟡 SNP: 47
🔴 Lab: 34

Poll: @YouGov, 12-13 Apr (+/- vs 7 Apr) pic.twitter.com/m0PQxoBh26

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— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) April 14, 2026

This puts Labour below all of the major national parties; it also puts them below the Scotland-specific SNP.

The hard work of the thousands of Green Party members is paying off.

Every conversation we have makes a difference.

Lower Bills. Protect the NHS. Keep us out of US wars. https://t.co/VsT4LXJ8rp

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— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) April 14, 2026

New danger for Starmer’s Labour

The above polling is interesting for a few reasons.

Firstly, we’re now well past the point where Reform look capable of forming a majority government. At the same time, they would be placed to form a coalition with the Tories. This is something we all know they’d jump at given how many Tories they’ve accepted into the party.

Secondly, the centrist and left-leaning parties would fall short of being able to form a government even if the Greens, Lib Dems, SNP, and Labour joined forces. This is not good. It’s especially not good because despite the four parties’ seat share being below that of Reform and the Tories, their vote share is higher – i.e. more voters would have voted for them.

Thirdly, Your Party are on track to get three seats despite having less than 1% of the vote share. The three seats represent an increase of three despite their overall vote share dropping. Your Party have certainly had a chaotic fortnight with many members resigning in protest at the recent ‘purge’ motion, so it will be interesting to see how things look a week from now.

Fourthly, as ever, the above shows what a mess our current voting system is. Ideally, you’d want the number of seats to reflect each party’s vote share. Instead, we get stuff like the following:

• Only Reform sitting in a seat share position which matches their vote share.
• Reform on track to win close to half the seats despite only having 24% of the vote share.
• Restore getting zero seats despite having 4% of the vote share.

Ignoring all the above, it’s important to remember that polls are just a snapshot of the current moment. Things could change dramatically in a general election. And as we keep saying, it’s definitely the Green Party who have the momentum – not to mention the right answers to most of the days big questions (although we have criticised their stance on Zionism).

Reform UK do not have momentum.

The only party with momentum in the UK right now is the Green Party. https://t.co/wx92kcIIFf pic.twitter.com/FsDeLEigh8

— thelefttake (@thelefttake) April 14, 2026

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Proportional Representation

Make Vote Matters write the following about proportional representation:

Proportional Representation is any voting system in which the share of seats a party wins matches the share of votes it receives. There are many different systems of Proportional Representation, but they all aim to make sure seats match votes.

The UK currently uses the primitive First Past the Post voting system – which causes severe problems for voters, our politics and our society. From its definition alone, it’s easy to see how Proportional Representation solves the problems of First Past the Post.

‘First Past the Post’ is how we ended up with a century of Conservative-Labour dominance. For the past forty years, this allowed the two parties to offer little besides reheated Thatchernomics, as they knew voters had nowhere else to go.

Make Votes Matter also said:

Proportional Representation (PR) could potentially revolutionize the UK’s political landscape by ensuring that each party’s share of seats in Parliament aligns more closely with the proportion of votes they receive nationwide. Under such a system, smaller parties would have a greater chance of representation, breaking the dominance of the two-party system.

This is outdated now, of course, because the two-party system has already broken down. Our voting system still needs to catch up, but voters just don’t care anymore.

They’re sick of the neoliberal Labour and Tories, and now they’re voting for whoever they like – voting system be damned.

Momentum

Looking at YouGov’s voting tracker, it isn’t the first time the Greens have polled higher than Labour:

The Greens overtaking Labour was unthinkable a year ago.

Now we know it’s possible, we need to think bigger.

Featured image via Stats for Lefties / Barold

(Alamy)

4 min read13 min

In a letter sent to Shabana Mahmood this week, Freedom from Torture, Médecins Sans Frontières UK, Doctors of the World UK, The Helen Bamber Foundation and the British Medical Association (BMA) warned that reducing the period of leave granted to recognised refugees in the UK would have an “unintended but undoubtedly harmful impact”.

It comes as the NHS continues to report record numbers of people contacting the service for mental health support. 

The Home Office announced last year that refugee status would be temporary and subject to review every 30 months for all adults claiming asylum.

It was part of the Labour government’s broader efforts to deter illegal immigration, inspired by what Mahmood has described as the success of Denmark’s approach to reducing arrivals.

The government has also extended the automatic qualifying period for awarding Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to 10 years. 

Mahmood and supportive Labour MPs argue that reducing immigration is key to taking on Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and improving their party’s prospects at the next general election.

In a speech last month, the Home Secretary said that Britain is more attractive than other countries in Europe for those seeking refugee status, and warned her party that the system in its current form is “eroding trust” with the public.

“For those who come to this country and want to contribute to our national life, I am clear they should have a path to settlement and ultimately citizenship. But it is essential that the privilege of living in this country is earned, not automatic,” she said.

However, the changes have attracted criticism from other parts of the party, including former deputy leader Angela Rayner and shadow cabinet minister Emily Thornberry, who wrote in The House last week that reforms to IRL are “the opposite of fairness”. Over 100 Labour MPs signed a letter organised by backbencher Tony Vaughan expressing concern about the policy.

Now, a letter, sent by the coalition of organisations, seen by PoliticsHome, has warned that the proposals would “strip torture survivors and other refugees of long-term legal protection and the stability they need to recover from past traumas, leading to further, avoidable distress and mental health deterioration”.

Refugees often “fled serious trauma” and, as a result, “a sense of stability is crucial for their subsequent recovery”, it warned ministers.

“It will introduce major and prolonged uncertainty into the lives of already vulnerable and marginalised people, and cause a continual associated fear of having their status revoked and being returned to the hands of their persecutors.”

The letter also said that it is “unclear” whether the Home Office has the resources needed to implement the changes “efficiently, including conducting periodic reviews of refugees’ status”.

“For those who have lost so much during their flight from persecution, the anxiety that they will be unable to extend their leave can be terrifying, retraumatising, and can undermine progress towards recovery.”

“By introducing further instability into the lives of refugee patients, a reduced period of protection leave has the potential to increase mental health needs, which will only place further pressure on over-stretched NHS mental health and specialist trauma rehabilitation services,” it said.

A Home Office spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “Genuine refugees will find safety in Britain. Protection will be renewed for all those refugees who still face danger in their own country, but we must reduce incentives that draw people here at such scale, including those without a legitimate need for protection.

“So, once a refugee’s home is safe and they are able to return, they will be expected to do so.

“Refugees will also be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK by switching into the Protection Work and Study route.”