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Category: Global

  • ‘Top G’ Andrew Tate dealt huge L in boxing humiliation

    In the early 2020s, the planet found itself in the grip of a virus which spread like wildfire. That virus was the misogynistic gospel of Andrew Tate, and the people who found themselves infected were young boys the world over.

    Having felt his fame and popularity slip somewhat, Tate decided to do something drastic to prove he’s still the pinnacle of toxic masculinity.

    There’s just one problem with that:

    Andrew Tate: man down

    Before he was an international man of misogyny, Andrew Tate was a kick boxer and an arsehole. He was famous on British Twitter long before the rest of the world knew him, and by that we mean ‘famously repellant’ – i.e. he tweeted stuff like this:

    Next point, if you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bare some responsibility. I’m not saying it’s OK you got raped.

    He was banned from Twitter, but Elon Musk reinstated his account after purchasing the platform. This is why we get to see him tweeting out excuses today:

    You’re supposed to be the ‘Top G’ – not the ‘Runner Up G’.

    Do you really think your supporters are interested in watching a middle-aged man get the shit kicked out of him?

    We’re getting ahead of ourselves, however; we haven’t even shown you what the beating looked like yet:

    The guy that Tate fought was Chase DeMoor, who’s best known for appearing on reality dating shows:

    While DeMoor has fought before, he’s not particularly well regarded, as this video demonstrates:

    No offence to DeMoor, of course; dating shows are perfectly watchable, and we have nothing but respect for the way he handled Tate. The point is everyone thinks Andrew Tate picked DeMoor because he wasn’t a serious opponent:

    There were other great shots of Tate’s clownfall too:

     

    Lover boy bye bye

    While it’s good to ridicule Andrew Tate, it’s important to remember he’s not just someone who the internet loves to hate. Tate allegedly committed a string of violent crimes against women; crimes which he’s literally described in his own words:

    Andrew Tate and his brother were on trial in Romania for human trafficking, and texts from the Top G suggest it was Donald Trump who helped him wriggle out of accountability:

    Where are the anti-rape gang people like Tommy Robinson when you need them?

    Oh yeah, that’s right, Robinson has actually defended this guy, as we reported:

    All that aside, it’s heartwarming to see people like Andrew Tate and Jake Paul getting what they deserve this Christmas – i.e. knocked the fuck out.

    Featured image via YouTube

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Trump’s Epstein coverup seemingly caught in real time

    On 19 December, Donald Trump’s Justice Department finally released the Epstein Files.

    Which is to say they released about 10% of them.

    90% of which they redacted.

    Donald Trump – or 468 of him – in the Epstein files

    Still, though, we did get to see some new photos like File 468, which demonstrated Jeffrey Epstein had a drawer full of pictures of Donald Trump for some reason:

    So, the fact that they released this image proves that they are somewhat serious about…

    …and the file is no longer there:

    This stinks

    Earlier this year, the US congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act which required the Justice Department to publish all of the documents relevant to Epstein. While it was permissible to redact information and images relevant to victims, it was not permissible to redact information to protect individuals’ reputations and/or feelings.

    It certainly wasn’t permissible to delete files after the fact when they clearly did not contain redactable material, and yet here we are:

    As one user highlighted, the image is not available in the Justice Department’s list of files, and yet it can still be found in the searchable ‘Epstein Files Browser’ that a user uploaded to GitHub:

    It’s unclear precisely what Trump and his lackeys are up to, but if they’re trying to cover up the image, it’s clearly going to result in the Streisand effect:

    Oh, and reportedly they’re also ‘doctoring’ files too:

    This is already looking like the clumsiest cover up in history, and yet somehow things will no doubt get worse from here.

    Featured image via The Epstein Files

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • World rejoices as MAGA boxer Jake Paul finally beaten senseless

    Jake Paul is an influencer-turned boxer who’s famous for fighting retirees. He also came out to support Donald Trump in 2024 alongside the violent rapist Conor McGregor:

    Now, Paul has finally done something which people can rally behind, and that’s getting his jaw broken in two places:

    A Paul-ing

    As the New York Times reported, Jake Paul has fought 13 matches since becoming what they describe as a “professional” boxer. The reason we’re not so sure that wording is appropriate is because only five of those 13 bouts were against boxers (including a 58-year-old Mike Tyson). Paul has also boxed against two retired MMA fighters, cementing the impression that he’s the least professional boxer in the profession:

    The fight between Paul and Anthony Joshua lasted for six rounds, and it ended when Paul found himself unable to get back up in time following repeated knockdowns. People took great joy in sharing images and videos from the knockdowns:

    It later came out that Joshua broke Paul’s jaw, with Paul himself sharing an X-ray:

    People also suggested Joshua went easy on Paul:

    They further drew attention Paul’s interesting fighting style (or ‘avoiding fighting’ style, you might say):

    Jake Paul: Trump love in

    As noted, Jake Paul threw his weight behind Donald Trump in the 2024 election:

    In the text for the above video, Paul noted:

    I was very hesitant to make this video, but I felt like I had no choice. This is the most important election in U.S history. If you are a U.S citizen, please exercise your right to vote, and let’s come together to save America. This is who I am supporting in the 2024 Presidential Election… and why you should too.

    He added:

    make the right choice, and exercise your right to vote… America depends on it

    On the same day that Paul was getting his clock rung, Trump was breaking the law by not releasing the so-called Epstein Files (files which many believe will incriminate him personally). Meanwhile, the American economy is showing significant signs of trouble, and millions of people are facing the loss of their healthcare.

    So yeah, it’s not for nothing that people wanted to see this guy get knocked out.

    Featured image via PBS

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • ‘Racist prick’ Tommy Robinson ‘bullied’ at Dubai boxing event

    A new video shows Tommy Robinson being “bullied” at a boxing event in Dubai:

    Little Tommy

    Ty Mitchell is a British Muslim from Derby; he’s also a professional boxer:

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Ty Mitchell 🐏 (@tymitchellofficial)

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Ty Mitchell 🐏 (@tymitchellofficial)

    Seeing Tommy Robinson being interviewed, Mitchell charged over and gave Robinson a piece of his mind:

    Mitchell shouted that Tommy Robinson is a racist “prick” / “rat” and asked why they’re giving him airtime. Robinson was bouncing around with the energy of a child and/or cokehead through part of the exchange; at other times he was tetchily repeating himself; at other times again he was nervously glancing around.

    After the initial shouting, something like a conversation happened with Robinson arguing he doesn’t hate Muslims; he just opposes ‘terrorists’ and ‘sex criminals’. Mitchell said Robinson only seems to care about crimes when there are Muslim men involved. This is something we’ve covered before, with Robinson having defended colleagues who were accused of sex crimes. Robinson also worked with the alleged human trafficker Andrew Tate, who fittingly was fighting at the same event.

    Here’s a video of Tate explaining how he used the ‘lover boy’ method to traffic women:

    Here’s some more evidence against him:

    When right-wing commentator Lauren Southern accused Tate of date raping her, Tommy Robinson leapt to Tate’s defence. This is what people mean when they say Robinson only cares about sex crimes in so far as he can use them to attack Muslims. And as Mitchell himself said, this isn’t to defend Muslims who commit crimes; it’s to note you can find criminals in any sub-sect of people – the issue is using the minority to tarnish the majority.

    Tommy Robinson: cry harder

    People enjoyed seeing Tommy Robinson get called out anyway – especially Mukhtar:

     

    People also highlighted the 24-7 grift that the guy is on:

    Featured image via Mukhtar

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Trump accused of Epstein ‘coverup’ to ‘protect pedophiles’

    On 19 December, Donald Trump’s Justice Department finally released the so-called ‘Epstein Files’. There was a problem, however, in that they didn’t release all of the files. Making matters worse, they heavily redacted the files they did release. As a result, president Donald Trump and his team have made themselves look more suspicious than ever:

    The Trump Epstein coverup

    Until this year, the government was unable to release certain files relating to Epstein and his alleged accomplices because of the trial / appeal of his right hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell. This changed when Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which made it both legal and mandatory for the Justice Department to publish all of the Epstein documents. Despite this, the released files are incomplete and heavily redacted:

    As a result of the redactions, Democrat and Republican politicians have accused the Justice Department of breaking the law:

    Trump eventually supported the Epstein Files Transparency Act after initially opposing it. At the same time, he also ordered a new investigation which many suspected was instigated solely to provide cover for future redactions:

    One person who commented on the state of the release was journalist Julie K Brown. Brown was pivotal in bringing the Epstein case to national attention, leading to the arrests of Epstein and Maxwell. Speaking to the BBC, Brown said:

    I’m still going through it, of course, but it’s just a lot of material that is either dated, that we already knew about it, or heavily redacted.

    So it doesn’t make sense. A lot of these redactions just frankly don’t even make sense

    At the same time, she praised the victims who have fought to get this far:

    I think the fact that we’ve even gotten this far is worthwhile and certainly the victims should be credited. They’re the heroes here who have fought really hard for transparency and for accountability and to hold some of these men accountable.

    What’s there

    Despite the redactions, there is new material in the latest release, including this harrowing image of the dead paedophile with a child in his lap:

    The released files may also prove that the attorney general Pam Bondi previously lied (depending on how she was defining ‘associates’):

    Bondi herself said the following post-release:

    There’s also this:

    People have additionally highlighted this exchange between Trump, Epstein and a 14-year-old girl:

     

    While this exchange was already exposed back in 2020, it’s avoided widespread public attention before now.

    End game

    On the same day that his justice department released the Epstein Files, Trump gave a rally. People noted that Trump’s age was showing at the event:

    Trump has also been avoiding questions around the release:

    Between his political failures, suspected criminality, and advanced age, it’s no wonder Trump’s polling is in the toilet:

    While he may be losing the support of anti-paedophile Americans, however, Trump does seemingly still enjoy the backing of Reform UK and GB News:

    Featured image via Justice Department

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • New Yorkers come out in support of hunger strikers while our own MPs barely acknowledge it

    On 18 December, Labour MP for Brent West Barry Gardiner pressed the solicitor general to release the Filton 24 hunger striker prisoners:

    Justice delayed for hunger strike prisoners

    Gardiner started by echoing his opponent’s own words:

    The solicitor general is absolutely right to say that justice delayed is justice denied.

    Hey, remember when justice secretary David Lammy was banging on about the tragedy of delaying justice just a few weeks back? Of course, he wanted to use it as an excuse to roll back the right to trial by jury. But clearly this is an issue that’s near and dear to ministers’ hearts.

    Gardiner went on:

    My constituent, Qesser Zuhrah, has been on remand in prison now for over a year. Two of my other constituents, Heba Muraisi and Lewie Chiaramello, have also been on remand awaiting coming to trial. They have been accused of offences, none of which are violence against the person. But all three are now on hunger strike.

    As a reminder, the statutory limit for holding a prisoner on remand – that is, awaiting trial – is six months. The fact that the Filton 24 have already been held for a year for what amounts to property damage is a clear miscarriage of justice.

    Or at least, it would be in a functioning justice system – as Gardiner pointed out:

    Would it not be much more sense, much more efficient for the criminal justice system, and quite honestly, a humanitarian gesture to allow these three to be released, with tagging and appropriate monitoring, to face trial in due course?

    The speaker stopped the solicitor general from replying, stating that:

    The point’s been made, I think it’s on the record.

    Parliament has more important things to consider, clearly. Lammy, Starmer and the rest of anti-Palestine Labour have certainly been trying their damn hardest to ignore the issue of the hunger strikes.

    ‘Political imprisonment and repression at home’

    Fortunately, whilst our own MPs – less 51 – are doing their best to bury the issue, the hunger strike is only gaining attention elsewhere. In fact, on Monday 15 December, supporters of the strike staged a picket outside of the UK Consulate in New York.

    Activist groups Within Our Lifetime and Writers Against the War on Gaza organised the protest. Within Our Lifetime explained that: 

    Right now 8 political prisoners for Palestine in the UK are on hunger strike, risking their lives to resist the ongoing genocide in Palestine and political imprisonment and repression at home.

    Pro-Palestine groups helped publicise the call to action on social media:

    The Palestine Info Center echoed that:

    The hunger strikers, known as the Filton 24, have been imprisoned without trial for over a year for resisting the UK’s role in supplying Israeli weapons, particularly through Elbit Systems, which have been used in repeated attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

    Quds News Network also included:

    The rally seeks to demand the release of the Filton 24, all Palestinian prisoners, an end to political repression, the shutdown of Elbit Systems, and the de-proscription of Palestine Action.

    ‘They’re putting themselves on the line’

    Middle East Eye covered the protest over the hunger strike itself:

    The protesters sang familiar chants of:

    You can’t, you can’t hide – you’re committing genocide

    The MEE reporting highlighted the fact that the Filton hunger strike is the largest such action since the IRA hunger strike led by Bobby Sands in the ’80s.

    It is a damning indictment of the justice system in the UK that the Filton 24 had to take action in the first place. Elbit – the factory targeted by the 24’s action – is directly arming Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. In a society with any sense of decency, Elbit would not have factories on our shores.

    It’s a further shame that the Filton 24 are being held past the 6-month limit, nevermind the fact they’re being held at all. There is no justice in that, delayed or otherwise.

    And, last but not least, it is a black mark on our parliament that even New Yorkers 3,000 miles away have recognised this injustice, when our own parliament refuses to even acknowledge that anything is amiss.

    Free the Filton 24.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alex/Rose Cocker

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Jordan disappears journalist Mohammad Faraj after airport arrival

    Journalist Mohammad Faraj has gone missing after arriving at Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan.

    Faraj, a journalist and a close friend of the Canary, was reportedly escorted away by officers of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department shortly after landing. That was over a week ago — on Friday 12 December 2025.

    Since then, he has effectively vanished.

    Repeated attempts by his family, friends, colleagues, and comrades to locate or visit him have gone unanswered. No official confirmation has been given. Charges have not been announced. No information has been provided about his health, his whereabouts, or even the legal basis for his detention.

    Mohammad Faraj — disappeared after arriving to Jordan

    Mohammad Faraj’s family does not know if he is safe.

    Numerous attempts have been made by his family, friends, colleagues and comrades to visit him, but all the requests remain unanswered. His family hasn’t received any updates or information about his health, whereabouts or even reasons for his arrest.

    That a journalist can simply disappear in this manner is chilling — especially in a country that routinely claims to respect freedom of expression and the protection of journalists.

    Mohammad Faraj’s wife, fellow journalist Rana Abi Jomaa, has expressed deep and mounting concern. On an interview with Al Mayadeen she said:

    All we want right now is just to know Mohammad is okay. We also would like to know why he’s been arrested?

    Rana continued:

    We were on a family visit during the holidays before coming back to Lebanon for the new year. I don’t want to analyse too much or read too much into this right now. Some people are saying this is a crackdown on free speech. Others say that this is a targeted intimidation of journalists.

    I don’t want to get into that right now. All I want is to know if he’s okay. Any news about Mohammad would be great.

    Rana’s restraint is understandable. Her priority is her husband’s safety.

    But allow us, then, Rana to do the analysis you have chosen not to.

    Jordan’s intimidation of journalists

    Mohammad Faraj’s disappearing cannot be viewed as anything other than intimidation. It is bullying by the Jordanian authorities, aimed solely at silencing voices that speak out against Jordan’s role in shielding Israel from accountability.

    Jordan’s record in recent months speaks for itself. As Israel’s genocide in Gaza intensified, Jordan became a key logistical supply artery — providing vital supply routes through the so-called “land bridge” improvised after Yemen enforced a blockade on the genocidal state. Jordan has also intercepted Iranian drones bound for Israel, not only defending Israel’s airspace but doing so at the expense of its own population. Drone debris and shrapnel have fallen onto residential areas, injuring Jordanians in their own homes.

    And now, faced with mounting domestic anger and regional outrage, Jordan appears to be naively attempting damage control. Not by changing policy, but by making an example of journalists who speak truth to power. Detaining Mohammad Faraj in silence, without explanation, is not law enforcement. It is a warning. Jordan is trying to make an example here.

    But it will not work.

    If the Jordanian authorities believe that disappearing journalists will help them regain control of a collapsing narrative — or whitewash their complicity over the past two years — they are deeply mistaken. We at the Canary will use every privilege and every protection afforded to us as a media organisation based in Britain to ensure this attempt at intimidation fails.

    The Canary stands in full and unequivocal solidarity with Mohammad Faraj.

    We demand immediate clarity on his whereabouts, his condition, and the legal grounds — if any exist — for his detention. And we call for his release without delay.

    Our thoughts are with Rana, with Mohammad Faraj’s family, and with all journalists across the region who continue to speak truth to power despite the risks.

    #Free_Mohammad_Faraj

    Featured image via the Canary

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Egypt bankrolls Israel’s war crimes with $35bn gas deal

    Netanyahu has approved ‘Israel’s’ largest energy deal ever — a $35 billion gas export deal with Egypt. He said the deal “greatly strengthens Israel’s position as a regional energy superpower and contributes to regional stability”. But it raises serious questions about Egyptian complicity, responsibility, and the prioritisation of profit over Palestinian life. This is a long-term economic partnership with a government accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, at a time when legal obligations should take precedence over commercial interests.

    Egypt’s 15-year energy deal with the occupation

    Under the agreement, gas from Israel’s offshore Leviathan field will be exported to Egypt over roughly 15-years, with Egypt acting as a regional processing and export hub. While the gas is extracted from waters internationally recognised as under ‘Israeli’ control, the deal is inseparable from the broader reality of ‘Israel’s’ occupation of Palestinian territory and its systematic abuse of Palestinian rights, including the deliberate strangulation of Gaza’s economy and infrastructure.

    ‘Israel’s’ energy boom has unfolded alongside a crippling blockade of Gaza, repeated military assaults, and policies that have left Palestinians without reliable access to electricity, fuel, or economic self-sufficiency. Gaza’s power shortages are the result of deliberate political decisions, and are a tool of control and colonisation. While hospitals, water desalination plants, and sewage systems have repeatedly been pushed to the brink of collapse, the occupation is able to expand its role as a regional energy exporter.

    Egypt — Deal ‘purely commercial’

    Although Egypt insists the gas deal is ‘purely commercial‘, this claim cannot be justified when viewed against international legal obligations. Under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, states must not only stop genocide when it is being committed, but also take all reasonable steps to prevent it. Entering into long-term economic agreements that strengthen the economy of the genocidal state of Israel is clearly at odds with this responsibility.

    By locking itself into decades of gas purchases, Egypt is not just buying energy. It is also helping to normalise relations with a criminal state. It is also stabilising and legitimising an economy that underwrites military capacity, settlement expansion, and an occupation widely recognised by human rights organisations as apartheid. Economic cooperation with ‘Israel’ sends a message that genocide is no barrier to business as usual.

    Multinational energy companies operating in Israel’s gas sector are also deeply complicit. U.S.-based Chevron runs the Leviathan and Tamar offshore fields. British BP holds exploration licences in Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone alongside Azerbaijan’s SOCAR. And Israeli occupation firms such as NewMed Energy also profit from extraction, transport, and export infrastructure that underpins ‘Israel’s’ economy.

    Gas from these fields is used for ‘Israel’s’ domestic supply. But it is also exported abroad, in deals such as this $35 billion deal supplying Egypt. These lock in decades of revenue, strengthening the economy of the apartheid Israeli state, and its military capacity and occupation. These companies continue to benefit financially but remain insulated from the consequences of Israel’s policies on the ground. This raises serious questions of complicity and corporate responsibility.

    ‘Energy security’

    Western governments have provided the diplomatic and political cover that allows these deals to proceed. Europe and the United States repeatedly invoke “energy security” to justify deepening ties with ‘Israel’s’ gas sector, even as they pretend to acknowledge the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. This selective application of international law undermines the legitimacy of the global legal framework these states claim to uphold. Energy dependence is treated as an overriding concern, while Palestinian lives are thought of as expendable.

    The Egypt gas deal is part of a broader pattern in which ‘Israel’ is economically rewarded even as it maintains its system of occupation, blockade, and collective punishment. Gas revenues strengthen the zionist entity’s standing with the rest of the world, and increases its bargaining power. This is happening whilst Palestinians are denied control over their borders, resources, and basic economic development.

    The Israeli regime’s gas strategy

    In October 2023, the Israeli occupation granted offshore gas exploration licences off Gaza’s coast, to six Israeli and international companies. This was in violation of international law. Al-Haq, Al Mezan and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights warned these energy companies that involvement in these licences could amount to war crimes.

    So, ‘Israel’s’ gas strategy is not limited to commercially uncontested waters. It is expanding in ways that further entrench Palestinian dispossession. And is increasingly becoming another arena in which occupation is normalised and monetised.

    The Israel–Egypt gas deal is a political choice that prioritises stability and profit over international law and human rights. Egypt, Western governments, and multinational corporations all bear responsibility for the consequences of this choice.

    It rewards occupation, entrenches inequality, and financially supports a state accused of the worst crimes under international law. Participation in ‘Israeli’ gas exports strengthens a system that denies Palestinians control over their lives, their economy, and their future. Egypt’s claim that this is just a commercial deal is untrue. Economic ties and energy infrastructure are propping up ‘Israel’s’ regime of ethnic cleansing and control, and governments and corporations are choosing profit and gas over international law, humanity, and Palestinian life.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • UAE-backed militia’s drones plunge Sudanese cities into darkness

    A Rapid Support Force (RSF) drone attack knocked out power in major Sudanese cities.The UAE-backed Arab supremacist militia struck a key power station in Atbara, River Nile state. Electricity went out in government-controlled Khartoum and Port Sudan.

    The RSF and Sudanese military have been fighting over territory and resources for over two years. 150,000 people have been killed and up to millions displaced. RSF is backed by the UAE. The Sudanese government is supported by Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

    Al Jazeera reported:

    Two civil defence members were killed, power plant officials said, while trying to extinguish the fire that erupted after the first strike, adding that rescue workers were injured when a second drone hit as they battled the flames.

    Footage of the strike shows roaring flames engulfing parts of the facility:

    Al Jazeera reported Mohamed Vall told the channel:

    We have seen this many times during the during this current year and the last year. The RSF drones are going thousands of kilometres across Sudan because they think it is a way to weaken the government and to prove to the population they can’t be protected by this military government.

    Democracy Now interviewed Canada-based Sudanese scholar Khalid Mustafi Medani:

    Madani’s interview accompanied an analysis published on Zenodo.

    He said the war was partly driven by “a power struggle”:

    between groups representing traditional and modern segments of Sudanese civil society.

    But Sudan’s issues are also a result of the failure “of previous regimes”:

    to resolve the ethnic divisions dating back to the colonial era.

    Regional and global players have interest in Sudan — including a former coloniser: Britain.

    UAE, Saudi and others, all seek influence. Some of these also seek access to gold, oil and other resources from Sudan:

    Over the last two decades, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and to a lesser Qatar and Turkey, all have increased
    their engagement in the Red Sea.

    The Gulf states and, importantly, Israel are all backed the US, the UK and other European states to some extent. The UK, for example, is major supplier of arms to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

    The Sudanese people are caught between these regional forces and their imperial backers. Unless a Sudanese-led solution can be found, the slaughter will likely continue unabated.

    Featured image via Sudan Tribune

    By Joe Glenton

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • London protest will mark seven years since Sudan’s 2018 revolution

    London for Sudan has sent details of an upcoming demo that will mark seven years since the 2018 Sudanese revolution:

    Ongoing war in Sudan

    The proxy counter-revolutionary war in Sudan is more than a distant tragedy. It’s a UK-backed atrocity. We are witnessing one of the most heinous and documented crimes in modern history.

    Rivers of blood, visible even from satellite images, mark a catastrophe that shames humanity and challenges our collective conscience.

    This Saturday, 20 December, we are marching in London once again to commemorate the bravery of the Sudanese people who, seven years ago, rose up to demand an end to oppression, militarism, and dictatorship.

    Sparked by rising living costs and the worsening economic conditions across Sudan, in 2019, President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in a military coup, ending his 30-year dictatorship.

    The Sudanese revolution stands as a symbol of resistance, with grassroots efforts for the freedom of the Sudanese people and a transition to a democratic civilian rule.

    We are taking to the streets of London to demand urgent action, accountability, an end to the genocide and atrocities:

    Saturday 20 December
    1:00pm
    START: Church St, Edgware Rd, W2 1EB | END: Marble Arch

    The world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe

    Since the outbreak of war on 15 April 2023, the people of Sudan have endured unimaginable suffering due to the ongoing conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). They persist in their struggle for power, control, and resources, while the civilian death toll continues to rise.

    Since the conflict erupted in April 2023:

    14 million people have been forcibly displaced and entire regions are being decimated, from Darfur to Bara to Kordofan to Al Obeid and beyond.

    More than 25.6 million people are facing acute hunger, with regions such as Darfur reaching the level 5 IPC – the highest and most severe Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, with numerous hunger-related deaths being reported. This is a completely human-made famine.

    Displaced families are living in dire conditions, lacking basic necessities for survival from clean water, food, shelter and healthcare, to protection and psychological support.

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-funded RSF has seized El-Fasher for its strategic importance, forcing thousands to flee the humanitarian hub for Sudan’s five Darfur states. The militia has launched a multi-front genocidal assault, carrying out ethnic cleansing and sexual violence.

    A deepening crisis due to global complicity, inaction and power-driven destruction

    There is no denying that the UK has a hand at enabling this destruction. Recent reports seen by the UN Security Council have raised serious concerns about UK arms exports to the UAE, one of the UK’s biggest arms customers.

    Over the past three years, the UK has exported £417m worth of weapons. British-made military equipment has been found in combat zones being used by the genocidal RSF.

    A whistleblower has accused the Foreign Office of censoring warnings of genocide in Sudan, with an analyst claiming UK officials deleted alerts about the threat of genocidal violence by paramilitaries to protect the UAE. This is fuelling the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

    The RSF can only sustain itself in carrying out these brutal assaults with the extensive backing of the UAE. For years, the UAE has funded and armed the militia, smuggling weapons into Sudan under the guise of humanitarian aid, and siphoning valuable minerals directly to infamous Emirati gold markets.

    Its aim is to secure economic and political control by destabilising Sudan, controlling ports, and exploiting Darfur’s mineral and agricultural resources, all the while ensuring mayhem in one of the worlds most advantageous regions.

    The Sudanese people have endured unimaginable suffering from the conflict between the RSF and SAF. Sudan is being torn apart in a proxy counter-revolutionary war fuelled by foreign interests in gold, resources, and Red Sea access, with global powers like the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, US and the UK pulling the strings. The pursuit of power and resources is at the cost of countless Sudanese lives and it must end now.

    Why should the media cover the Sudan demo?

    This demonstration was brought together by diverse groups from the Sudanese community, uniting both young and older generations. Covering this demonstration offers a chance to reveal the hypocrisy of international politics and amplify Sudanese voices silenced by violence and neglect.

    This demonstration is a call for the media to do its job: shine a spotlight on this grotesque human tragedy. This proxy counter-revolutionary war bears Western fingerprints, with the UK and US deeply implicated. Yet media coverage barely scratches the surface. This protest demands an end to the apathy, pushing for urgent media attention to address the vested interests of global powers sustaining the conflict.

    It’s time for the UK to take action to prevent further atrocities. You can view the list of our current demands for the UK government.

    Help us amplify the cause for a free Sudan and the liberation of all Sudanese people. Join us in letting the world know that the people of El-Fasher, Darfur and Sudan will not be forgotten, but rather fought and advocated for.

    Featured image via Dabanga Sudan / Amgad Abdelgadir

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Palestinian prisoners — Israeli lawyer branded traitor for exposing torture

    Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have deteriorated significantly. Testimonies from human rights organisations, lawyers, and former detainees describe a system where overcrowding, beatings, deprivation, and isolation have intensified to levels previously unseen.

    Palestinian political prisoners have no visits

    The United Nations Committee Against Torture claims the Israeli regime has a “de facto State policy of organised and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian prisoners.

    Palestinian prisoners’ rights groups describe the last 26 months as “one of the most brutal periods in the history of the Palestinian prisoner movement”. Ben Marmarelli is an anti-Zionist Israeli lawyer and sociologist. He tells the Canary:

    Since 7 October 2023, the prisoners’ most basic needs and human rights are not being met. They are being humiliated from every interaction they have with the prison guards. The only visits are from their specific lawyer. That’s it.

    They don’t get any information about the outside world, and don’t know what’s going on with their families. And lawyers are forbidden from telling them anything about this.

    Marmarelli tells us all personal belongings are taken from detainees. They often do not even have a mattress to sleep on. They are in their cells 24 hours a day, and are not permitted to go outside. All Palestinian prisoners have lost weight, he says, as there is not enough food, but what is available is extremely poor quality. In some prisons, prisoners also get no medical treatment at all.

    I have a client in Ganot, southern Israel, who has a medical condition, but has never been checked or treated. The only personal belongings prisoners are allowed is the Quran. But my client cannot even read this, as he can’t see anything without his glasses, which he is not allowed.

    Since October 7, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has also tried to reduce and limit lawyer visits. This is because lawyers are the only connection to the outside world that Palestinian prisoners have.

    Marmarelli says there have been various methods used to limit lawyers’ visits. These have changed over the past two years, because lawyers have fought in a variety of ways, such as through petitions.

     In the beginning, they got the lawyer to go to the prison, but did not allow him in. One time I stayed outside the prison for four hours. They then told me there was an emergency, and I wouldn’t get in today.

    Preventing lawyers from visiting Palestinian prisoners

    After that, another method used was to delay prisoner visits. Marmarelli wanted to visit his client so sent a request in May, but his visit date was set for October. He says he signed a petition about this. The District Court accepted his petition, and ordered the IPS to make visits as soon as possible. This ruling was in July, and since then, he has only had to wait about 10 days to get a visit. But Marmarelli says he is unable to do anything about the latest tactic used to stop his visits.

    Every time I came to visit, they tortured my client. They beat him and raped him. I was his only connection to the outside world but, through his initiative, he asked me not to see him any more. Of course, they would torture him anyway, but now they torture him every time that I come to visit. I did file a petition, but the court said they would not discuss torture and rape. They told me if I want to discuss this, I would have to file a complaint with the police.

    The police have not answered Marmarelli’s complaints. So there is nothing more he can do, other than to stop visiting his client altogether, which he has done.

    The far-right settler and criminal, Ben- Gvir, is ‘Israel’s’ national security minister. He oversees the Israeli occupation’s Police, Prison Service, and related law-enforcement bodies. According to Marmarelli, “torture against Palestinians has always been a widespread phenomenon in ‘Israeli prisons”.

    But the situation has become much worse under Ben-Gvir. He is proud of the worsening conditions he has created for Palestinian prisoners. And tells his political base he is delivering on his election promises. He has also pushed a controversial bill to allow the death penalty to be imposed on Palestinian prisoners.

    Marmarelli explains:

    There’s a certain genocidal atmosphere in Israel right now. Of course, all the guards, police officers and soldiers, they’re all part of this genocidal society. They commit crimes, think it’s OK and are proud of it. Many prisoners have said they were filmed by the phones of the guards and soldiers, while they were being tortured and raped.

    This is done purely for enjoyment and fun. No one’s hiding anything, and everyone’s collaborating in these crimes against humanity being committed by the Israeli state  against the Palestinian political prisoners. This includes the courts, and the justice department of the state.

    A third of all deaths in custody has happened under Ben-Gvir’s watch

    Under Ben-Gvir’s policies, a record 110 Palestinians prisoners have died in custody in the past two and a half years. 323 detainees — those who we know of — have died since the occupation of the West Bank, in 1967. This means a third of all Palestinian prisoners deaths in custody, have died under Ben-Gvir’s watch. These figures do not include those detainees from Gaza in military detention camps, who have died.

    Marmarelli says the Zionists are now continuing the work of the British, that began in 1919. They continue the same practices — the laws and regulations the British put in place, and they continue their colonialism.

    Palestinians are often imprisoned and charged with terrorism offences just for a sympathetic social media post with an organisation or charity working for Palestinian human rights. Al Haq, Addameer, Defense for Children International–Palestine and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees are just some of the organisations proscribed by the Israeli regime.

    All these terrorist charges, the idea of terrorism and what we call terrorist organisations — it’s all a colonialist way of looking at things. Terrorism is a colonial construct, invented by the British in order to fight resistance against colonialism. It doesn’t matter if they are violent or not. We see this in Britain today, with the proscription of Palestine Action. It is non violent, opposes genocide in Gaza and colonialism in Palestine.

    Proscribing an organisation makes it easier for the state to punish the members and supporters of these organisations more severely. So the terrorism label is implemented against any organisations they don’t like which are, of course, those opposing genocide, colonialism and apartheid in Palestine.

    Marmarelli has risked everything to speak out about ‘Israel’s’ abuses he has witnessed. He says the Zionists in ‘Israel’ call him “kapo”. A kapo was a Jewish prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps who was assigned by the SS to supervise and control other prisoners. In return for their services, kapos usually received privilages, creating resentment among other prisoners. Many viewed kapos as collaborators helping the camp system function.

    They say I am even worse than a kapo, because I’m not doing this to save myself, but for money. This is the mindset of the Zionists. Morality is always under the ideological propaganda of the Israeli state. If reality and the truth serve Israeli state propaganda then of course they will tell the truth.

    But if truth harms the state propaganda, then your job as an Israeli, as a zionist, is to hide it and never tell the truth. So that’s why they see me as an enemy, because I’m telling the truth.

    Marmarelli is now dealing with a complaint against him. He says the Israeli Bar Association wants to revoke his license, because he has spoken out and told the truth.

    With courts complicit and lawyers punished for speaking the truth, the IPS operates as an extension of the criminal Zionist state. Abuse is routine, oversight absent, and Palestinian lives treated as expendable.

    featured image provided by the author

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • ‘Everything is worse since Drax came here’ – activists occupy Drax’s head office unfurling ‘Drax Kills’ banner

    Activists have crashed Drax’s head office in London demanding justice for communities suffering severe health consequences from the company’s pellet producing operations abroad. Activists unfurled a banner reading ‘Drax Kills’ and occupied the office lobby until security removed them.

    Drax in Mississippi

    The occupation follows a damning report published yesterday in the Guardian, detailing the suffering experienced by residents of Gloster, Mississippi living under the shadow of Drax’s pellet mill.

    As Drax celebrates its 10 year anniversary of operating its Gloster, Mississippi pellet plant, residents of Gloster are suing the company over air pollution and the associated severe health issues caused by wood pellet production.

    Over the last 10 years Drax has paid nearly $3m in fines since the facility opened and racked up nearly $6m in violations for its operations in Mississippi and Louisiana over the past four years.

    The company has been repeatedly accused of driving environmental racism by siting its pellet mills next to majority-Black communities with high poverty rates in Louisiana and Mississippi, where they have exceeded the legal emission limits for air pollutants linked to cancer, breathing difficulties, and other health effects.

    In April 2025, after strong community resistance and powerful testimony residents of Gloster won a victory in getting the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to reject a permit application from Drax, which would have raised its pollution permit from a minor to a major source of Hazardous Air Pollutants. In October 2025 Drax appealed this decision and were ultimately successful in raising their permitted pollution levels.

    UK government funding

    Drax has received over £7bn in green subsidies since 2012 and the UK government recently announced plans to extend subsidies for the power station by another £2bn by the end of the decade despite the fact that Drax is the UK’s single largest emitter of carbon dioxide with a history of misreporting the sustainability of its wood pellet sourcing.

    Molly Brown, who took part in the occupation said:

    I find it a complete disgrace that my energy bills are going to propping up Drax and their poisonous pollution. In Gloster children are suffering from asthma, unable to play outside while elderly residents rely on expensive medication to survive.

    This community wouldn’t be suffering in this way if it wasn’t for Drax’s deadly operations. It doesn’t matter how much Drax spends on lobbying or PR, they can’t hide the fact that Drax kills.

    Rosie Gloster said:

    Drax’s claims of being a ‘good neighbour’ couldn’t be further from the truth. This is a company that’s sacrificing Black lives for profit, that’s sacrificing their own workers here in the UK – all to keep scamming the British public out of their hard earned money.

    Rather than stopping their illegal pollution, Drax just lobbied to legalise their poison. Drax’s operations are killing people, and it’s past time they were shut down.

    Featured image via Axe Drax

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • UEFA fines Macabbi Tel Aviv and issues fan ban for racist chanting — someone show Starmer

    UEFA has issued a €20,000 (£17,550) fine to football club Maccabi Tel Aviv because of its fans’ racist conduct.

    Remember Maccabi Tel Aviv? They’re that Israeli football club whose fans Keir Starmer and a host of UK politicians insisted we should allow to attend a match in Birmingham, in spite of a police assessment deeming them a high risk of violence.

    Maccabi fan-ban

    UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary body (CEDB) made the decision to issue the fine. It stated that the penalty was a consequence of their fans’ conduct at an 11 December Europa League game against Stuttgart.

    The disciplinary body also slapped the club with a suspended one-match away ban for its fans, calling their behaviour “racist and discriminatory”. In particular, Maccabi fans chanted anti-Arab slogans on the streets of Germany at their Stuttgart match.

    As such, Maccabi won’t be permitted to sell tickets to their own fans for their ‘next’ UEFA away match. However, this aspect of the sanction is suspended for a two-year probationary period.

    Maccabi Tel Aviv haven’t issued a statement on the fine itself. However, club CEO Jack Angelides told Sky News back in November that there is a problem with racism among its fans:

    We know we’ve got a long road ahead. There are elements in the club that are not in line with our values, our morals, and we do expend a lot of energy and have been for many, many years in trying to… eradicate that.

    Maccabi’s history of violent racism

    That ‘long road ahead’ is going to be very long indeed. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans have a long and storied history of deeply racist hooliganism behind them.

    Just last month, at a match in Amsterdam, Maccabi fans chanted “kill the arabs” and “gas Gaza”, brawled in the streets, and ripped down Palestinian flags. 

    Then, just last week, police in Germany launched an investigation into Maccabi fans. One fan allegedly made a provocative Nazi salute at an officer, and another group repeatedly set off fireworks. The Anadolu Agency also reported that:

    Police said they were investigating hateful, offensive slogans chanted by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in close coordination with the public prosecutor’s office.

    Social media footage showed some fans singing songs with lyrics such as “There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left,” along with other chants containing hateful and violent language against Palestinians.

    Even in Israel itself, authorities cancelled a derby match between Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv because of the violence and rioting of Maccabi fans.

    The team’s own fan site, Maccabipedia, lists a popular chant named ‘The Rape Song’. Its lyrics don’t bear translating or repeating. Suffice it to say that it names the opposing team as “Arab whores”, and makes lurid sexual and violent threats.

    Charming stuff.

    Aston Villa match ban

    Which brings us on to the ban of the Maccabi fans in Birmingham. Leaked UK police intelligence from the run-up to the Aston Villa game ban revealed yet more of the same on the way.

    As Skwawkbox reported, police sources who leaked the intel stated that:

    • Large numbers of extremist Maccabi fans proven to be violent and racist would be travelling to the Villa game
    • Dutch police told the UK that Maccabi fans were the cause of riots in Amsterdam around a Maccabi fixture there in 2024
    • Maccabi fans had gone looking in Amsterdam for Muslims to attack, despite the deployment of thousands of Dutch police – which then led to reprisal attacks
    • Some Jewish people in Birmingham wanted the Maccabi thugs banned from the match, as ascertained from a community assessment
    • Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group made the decision to ban the Maccabi fans. It came after an intelligence assessment was conducted by West Midlands police, shared with the national UK football policing unit.
    • The UK’s football policing unit endorsed the local force’s decision.

    Starmer and co.

    In spite of all that, numerous UK politicians tried to portray the fans as innocent victims of antisemitism. Accordingly, they fought tooth and nail to reverse the ban on the Maccabi supporters. Prime minister Keir Starmer said:

    This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.

    Likewise, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch posted that Starmer should:

    Guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country.

    If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go.

    The government even tried to step in at one point to force local authorities to lift the ban. A Downing Street spokesperson stated:

    Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is meeting officials to discuss what more can be done to try and find a way through to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend the game safely.

    The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, spoke to the local council this morning, and the Home Office is urgently working to support police to try and find a way through this.

    Somebody needs to fetch Keir Starmer. They need to find Lisa Nandy, Kemi Badenoch, Ed Davey and every other politician and talking head who went to bat for the Maccabi fans.

    It would be absolutely thrilling to find out if they plan to call out UEFA authorities for issuing the club a fine. We could ask whether they plan to issue complaints to Stuttgart, Amsterdam and Israeli authorities for their discriminatory treatment of those poor little hooligans.

    Or, better yet, they could apologise to everyone they accused of antisemitism for opposing fans who are well known for their violent racism.

    Like that’ll ever happen.

     

    Featured image via Badil

    By Alex/Rose Cocker

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Will Diego Garcia base become a nuclear weapons staging ground?

    A UK minister has implied that US nuclear weapons could be located at the UK-owned Diego Garcia military base. The base, which is located in the Indian Ocean, is operated by the US.

    Historically, Diego Garcia, which today forms part of the wider Chagos Islands, belonged to Mauritius. A treaty signed in May 20205 between the UK and Mauritius will officially end colonial rule over the Islands. However, the UK will retain ownership of the Diego Garcia base.

    Chagossians, the islands’ native inhabitants, were forcibly displaced from Diego Garcia. This displacement was to make way for the US military’s Naval Support Facility (NSF). The US uses the island as a launch pad to project its imperial power into the Middle East.

    Before US stealth bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear sites this summer, B2 stealth bombers were forward deployed to Diego Garcia. This served as a stark warning to the Iranian Government. It’s worth noting that B2 bombers are capable of carrying and using nuclear weapons.

    Sovereignty transfer means business as normal

    In a House of Lords debate on 25 November, peers discussed the Diego Garcia Military Base and the British Indian Ocean Territory Bill. The legislation would put the 2025 treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory, Chagos Archipelago, into law.

    Conservative shadow defence minister Annabel Goldie raised concerns that the Bill could lead to a ban on allies’ nuclear weapons from the island.

    Responding, defence minister Vernon Coaker said:

    I appreciate that they have questions about how the treaty protects the full operation of the base, and I want to reassure them that the treaty enables the continued operation of the base to its full capability.

    The treaty and the Bill we are debating today will have zero impact on the day-to-day business on Diego Garcia. Importantly, it will not reduce our ability to deploy the full range of advanced military capabilities to Diego Garcia.

    Describing the military capabilities as “advanced” could imply that they are not conventional, which, could possibly provide cover for nuclear weapons.

    Coaker went on to say:

    Noble Lords will understand that I pick my words with care in this particular context. I cannot and will not discuss operational matters on the Floor of this place, but I am confident that the Chamber would not necessarily want me to.

    The location of nuclear weapons sites is not disclosed by the UK and US governments. This is in line with non-disclosure policies. This was iterated by a ministry of defence spokesperson, who told the Canary:

    It remains a long-standing UK and NATO policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location.

    The thorny question of nuclear weapons at Diego Garcia

    The chairperson for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Tom Unterrainer, told the Canary that his organisation believes that an agreement between the UK and US allows nuclear weapons to be transferred through the island.

    Commenting on whether such weapons would be stored at Diego Garcia, Unterrainer said:

    The US Naval Support Facility, stationed on Diego Garcia, is considered to be a key component of the US global military network. It is the case that nuclear-capable submarines and aircraft are regularly at the island, including B-2 nuclear-capable bombers.

    We understand that part of the agreement between the UK and US granting access to Diego Garcia considers the transfer of nuclear weapons to be acceptable.

    However, it is impossible to determine whether or not nuclear weapons are stored – medium- or long-term – at the base because as with many nuclear-related issues, governments are not truthful about exactly what is going on.

    A key point of debate regarding the potential presence of nuclear weapons at Diego Garcia is the possibility that their presence could be a breach of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty. Unterrainer added:

    The Chagos Islands or, as it has been known, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), is not a party to the Treaty of Pelindaba / African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty.

    The British and American governments refuse to recognise the Chagos Islands as part of the zone. Mauritius is a signatory to the Treaty. So, as things stand there is no obvious, definite, violation of the Treaty of Pelindaba and any disputes are parcelled with ongoing territorial considerations.

    When the Chagos Islands, Diego Garcia included, are transferred to Mauritius it will be under an agreed Treaty that will no doubt seek to account for the presence or potential presence of nuclear weapons on Diego Garcia.

    It will be interesting to see the full text of the Treaty and I’m certain that experts in the field will seek to probe any possible contradictions. Such muddles as these indicate the degree to which nuclear-armed states seek to ignore or undermine anti-nuclear treaties.

    Diego Garcia: A guarantor of Western security

    The Diego Garcia plays a critical role in hosting nuclear-capable submarines and bombers. The charity, Friends of the British Overseas Territories, told the Canary:

    Diego Garcia is a guarantor of Western security…[And]…while the extent of nuclear stockpiling remains unclear, its role in supporting nuclear platforms is well‑established. The UK could have shielded the base from being disputed by invoking Article 298 of UNCLOS, which exempts the sovereignty of military installations from compulsory arbitration.

    Once the territory is surrendered to Mauritius, any nuclear presence in the Chagos Islands would breach the Pelindaba Treaty and trigger fresh legal disputes and uncertainties.

    It is a bad deal for the US, destabilising for the UK, and should be stopped.

    The transfer could be the lynchpin for new legal disputes.

    The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) aims to limit nuclear stockpiles. Introducing or developing new nuclear weapons on Diego Garcia would violate the treaty’s principles. Unterrainer told the Canary that Britain’s colonial occupation of the island predates the NPT. Nevertheless, deploying such weapons there would represent a double violation, with limited mechanisms in the NPT to hold states accountable.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Tom Pashby

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Activists graffiti hunger strikers’ demands across David Lammy’s office

    Activists have graffitied the demands of eight hunger strikers across the North London office of David Lammy. The action, at the office of the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, took place early this morning, 17 December. And it happened as prison staff were denying medical care to an activist near death.

    Hunger strikers’ demands

    The demands of eight prisoners from Palestine Action, daubed in red on the North London office exterior, call for an end to media censorship, immediate bail, the right to a fair trial, the de-proscription of Palestine Action and to close all sites of Israel’s main arms supplier, Elbit Systems.

    A spokesperson from Shut The System said:

    These blood-red words will forever be a stain on Labour for valuing imperialist profits above life. Labour’s refusal to engage with hunger strikers critically close to death yet again exposes the extreme lengths our leaders will go to – unless we stop them.

    We act against a common imperialist enemy driving genocide and climate chaos. Arms companies profit from weapons tested on Palestinian families while Chevron and BP profit from oil and gas extracted from Palestinian lands.

    The British government’s inaction prolongs unimaginable trauma – all in the name of profit. Nobody is free till Palestine is free.

    The action builds on pressure from more than 50 MPs and peers who signed an open letter published yesterday, urging Lammy to meet the hunger strikers’ lawyers. The letter told him to show “responsibility and some humanity before it is too late”.

    Lammy caused outrage last week when he refused to meet the MPs worried about the health of their hunger-striking constituents. They’re being held without trial for alleged offences relating to Palestine Action.

    Featured image supplied

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Winter doubles the tragedy in Gaza as chaos takes hold once again

    The head of the Gaza Strip Municipalities Union, Yahya Al-Sarraj, warned of grave dangers threatening the lives of residents and displaced persons with the arrival of a new low-pressure system, amid widespread destruction of infrastructure and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

    Gaza: further chaos for millions

    Al-Sarraj stressed that the Gaza Strip has already been decimated by Israel’s genocide, noting that the current low pressure system doubles the risks, especially for tens of thousands of displaced persons living in tents and shelters that lack the minimum safety requirements.

    Heavy rains on Monday 15 December evening flooded and destroyed hundreds of tents for displaced persons west of Gaza City, with the damage concentrated in the areas of Shalih and Tel al-Hawa, due to strong winds and heavy rains.

    Al-Sarraj warned of the dangers of flooding in tents and shelters, especially in low-lying and densely populated areas, in the absence of safe shelter and heating, which exacerbates the suffering of children, older, and sick people.

    He explained that emergency and civil defence teams are working with limited resources to try to limit the damage and rescue citizens, at a time when a severe fuel shortage is hampering the operation of heavy machinery and water pumping stations, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation.

    He also warned of the possibility of collapses in damaged buildings housing forcibly displaced persons, cautioning that the continuation of these conditions could lead to civilian casualties.

    Al-Sarraj called on the international community and humanitarian organisations to intervene urgently to provide emergency aid, shelter and fuel, and to work to protect civilians from the repercussions of repeated low pressure systems in the context of an extremely fragile humanitarian situation.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israeli occupation forces assault elderly Palestinian amputee and international activists

    On the morning of 15 December, Israeli occupation forces descended on Sheikh Said’s land in Rakiz, a village in Masafer Yatta. The International Solidarity Movement reports:

    Occupation forces turn up instead of police

    The Palestinian family had recently erected a razor wire fence to prevent settler sheep and ATVs entering their land. The fence had only been there a short while when a settler came and began tearing it down.

    Sheikh Said called the police multiple times though they never arrived at the scene. However, at least twelve members of the Israeli military showed up to intimidate and harass the Palestinian family further.

    Together the army and the settlers removed the fence, allowing a settler ATV to pass further onto Sheikh Said’s land.

    Part of this military harassment included the Israeli occupation forces brutally assaulting Sheikh Said. He lost his leg in April when he was shot by settler security Binyamin Bodenheimer and prevented from receiving immediate medical care by armed forces.

    The soldiers stole his crutches and laughed loudly as Sheikh Said clutched his amputated leg whilst screaming in pain. They violently arrested Sheikh Said and forcibly carried him to a military vehicle, all while he continued screaming in pain.

    He has since been released but is in hospital due to injuries sustained during the arrest.

    Attacks on human rights activists

    In the afternoon, at around 4.05pm, more than three army and police vehicles invaded the nearby village of Tuwani. At least 15 armed soldiers then raided the home of prominent human rights activist Hafez Hureini and many of his neighbors.

    Then, ten to 12 heavily armed occupation soldiers arrived at an apartment where international activists were staying. They demanded entry to the apartment, and threatened to break the door down.

    When a volunteer agreed to open the door, the soldiers assaulted her as they barged into the apartment. They showed no documentation and refused to give a reason as to why they were there.

    Soldiers forced activists out of bed, demanded IDs and aggressively photographed volunteers alongside their passports. They detained the activists in the apartment for about 20 minutes.

    These actions are indicative of the rapidly escalating incursions and land grabs across the West Bank. From attacks on both Palestinian families and international activists in Al Mughayyir, to multiple raids in refugee camps, state-sanctioned violence continues to ramp up daily.

    These are just two incidents in an area where there are many inexcusable acts of violence aiming to drive Palestinians off their land. We call on the international community not to let these acts of increasing violence and intimidation go unchecked.

    As the International Solidarity Movement was preparing this statement, at 3am 16 December, several settlers invaded a Palestinian family at their own home. They attacked both the family and international volunteers. They arrived with sticks and bolt cutters to beat the family, injuring one Palestinian with the bolt cutters.

    Featured image via International Solidarity Movement

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • People Against Genocide targets 11 HSBC branches over Elbit investments

    People Against Genocide has launched a clandestine network, with a national series of actions against HSBC. HSBC invests in Israel’s biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems.

    In the early hours of Saturday 13 December, groups across Britain conducted operations at 11 locations of Britain’s largest bank, shattering windows and dousing buildings in red paint to symbolise the bloodshed of the Palestinian people.

    Actions took place at HSBC branches in: Catford, Lewisham, Ilford, Tottenham Court Road, Fulham, Birmingham, Wokingham, Brighton, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Glasgow (on 12 December).

    HSBC investments

    In 2018, HSBC announced it would be divesting from the Israeli arms firm, but has since reneged on that decision. As of 13 November 2025, it owned 16,317 shares in Elbit Systems Ltd, valued at $8,318,407 in September 2025.

    Not only has HSBC reinvested in weapons production, but it continues to buy more shares. It increased its holdings by 27.22% during the quarter, from 12,826 shares in August 2025.

    HSBC claims to be:

    bringing together the people, ideas and capital that drive progress and growth, helping to create a better world.

    In fact, says People Against Genocide, it’s bank-rolling an arms company specifically linked to genocide by the United Nations. Elbit markets its weapons as “combat proven“, and its military drones have been directly linked to the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians, and specifically targeting children.

    The company is currently under suspension from tendering for NATO contracts because of corruption allegations.

    Direct Action previously forced Barclays Bank to sell its holdings in Elbit. And groups like People Against Genocide are now using the same tactics against HSBC. The sustained number of actions against Barclays forced the bank to re-think its investment strategy, and sell off its 16,345 shares in Elbit.

    A spokesperson for People Against Genocide said:

    Despite divesting from Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems in 2018, HSBC has since amassed millions of dollars worth of Elbit shares right under our noses, cementing its complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and brutal occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

    Banks such as HSBC invest in the production of weapons used to commit genocide as they prioritise their profits over the lives of the Palestinian people. By taking direct action and costing HSBC, we are making investing in genocide unprofitable. It’s now not only the ethical decision, but it’s also financially strategic to pull all shares out of Elbit Systems.

    Our actions were taken in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and the prisoners for Palestine hunger strikers, who are calling for Elbit to be shut down. Some are on their 41st day of hunger strike, and their resistance inspires us all to escalate our actions and to shut Elbit down.

    Featured image supplied

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • ‘Where Love Lives’? Not in the Naqab Region – John Lewis accused over Israeli SodaStream products

    Achingly middle class retailer John Lewis has once again pulled off a touching, if slightly hokey, Christmas ad. An uncommunicative teenager gives his Dad a vinyl copy of Alison Limerick’s house classic Where Love Lives and bonding ensues.

    But behind the festive mush, there are allegations that John Lewis is failing to address concerns over its SodaStream products.

    SodaStream

    Following a legal letter to four major retailers, regarding their supply of SodaStream products, John Lewis has responded. But its response fails to address concerns over SodaStream’s exploitation of Palestinian workers and displacement of Bedouin communities.

    Previously, in July 2025, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) filed a formal complaint to the UK Advertising Standards Authority over SodaStream’s misleading advertising.

    The Israeli company was based in the illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank until 2015. It subsequently relocated into the Naqab (Negev) region following international criticism.

    Reports show its current facility benefits from the displacement of Bedouin communities whose homes were demolished for industrial expansion, including SodaStream’s plant.

    ICJP writes to retailers

    Following this submission, ICJP contacted major retailers on 29 October: John Lewis, Rymans, Currys, and Argos. It warned of serious legal and regulatory risks tied to their continued sale of SodaStream products.

    These products were not just previously linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Now they also benefit from the displacement of Bedouin communities in the Naqab region, and the exploitation of Palestinian workers.

    This plausibly places the retailers in breach of obligations under domestic and international law.

    ICJP formally urged these retailers to suspend sales of SodaStream products, citing serious concerns over the company’s practices.

    Evidence submitted to the Advertising Standards Authority shows that SodaStream’s promotional messaging misrepresents the reality of its operations. Contrary to the company’s claims, Palestinian workers have been segregated from Israeli colleagues and subjected to discriminatory treatment, exploitative labour conditions, and denial of religious accommodations.

    The advertising further obscures the fact that Palestinians work for SodaStream out of economic necessity under Israel’s continuing occupation. It misleadingly portrays their presence as a reflection of SodaStream’s workplace culture.

    ICJP warned that such practices expose retailers to reputational, consumer, and regulatory risks, and requested a response outlining due diligence measures, supply chain audits, and steps to review SodaStream’s compliance with human rights standards.

    John Lewis’ response

    John Lewis are the only one of the four retailers to respond to the letter so far. Its reply, however, is wholly unacceptable. It fails to meet the standards of accountability expected of a leading UK retailer.

    The response leans heavily on compliance rhetoric and internal codes of conducts, but crucially sidesteps the central ethical concerns raised.

    Simply citing adherence to frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights, without demonstrating any concrete action, is dismissive and inadequate.

    This approach fails to reassure consumers that John Lewis is taking allegations of harm to Palestinians and complicity in illegal occupation seriously.

    The vague commitment to “keep this under review” (ICJP’s letter) is insufficient and passive in the face of credible concerns. By refusing to acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations, and failing to provide a plan of action, John Lewis undermines its own reputation for transparency.

    This response does not reflect the ethical leadership or responsible product sourcing practices that the public expects. So it leaves the company exposed to reputational and regulatory consequences.

    By continuing to stock SodaStream products, John Lewis and other retailers are putting profit over human rights concerns. They are enabling and profiting from economic activity linked to displacement of Bedouin communities and exploitation of Palestinian workers.

    ICJP’s Head of Legal, Mutahir Ahmed, said:

    Around this time of year, John Lewis would rather focus on Christmas whitewashing of their brand. Their Christmas advert this year is ‘Where Love Lives’. The answer is certainly not in the Naqab region, where Bedouin communities are being displaced, and Palestinian workers are exploited to make the products that John Lewis sells on its shelves.

    Featured image via YouTube screenshot / John Lewis

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel arrests US solidarity activists in the West Bank

    Israeli authorities have arrested two US citizens in the West Bank. They were showing solidarity with the Abu Hamam family, who Israeli settlers have repeatedly targeted. The International Solidarity Movement has sent details:

    Solidarity

    Trudi Frost and Irene Cho were arrested on 12 December, in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyer, north-east of Ramallah. They were standing in solidarity against the forcible displacement of the Abu Hamam family.

    Officials revoked their staying permits through a summary procedure and refused to review evidence of the illegality of the arrest. They’ve transferred the two to the Givon prison near the city of Ramla.

    The legal team representing New York-based Cho and Boston-based Frost expect the detention to extend over a prolonged period. The two are refusing to cooperate with their deportation. And their lawyers are challenging the legality of the deportation order itself.

    Military order

    The arrest took place after Israeli forces claimed to present a month-long military order sealing the area.

    The area marked as off limits in the map accompanying the order, however, did not include the Abu Hamam residence. This makes the detention unlawful.

    In contrast, the closed area does include the outpost from which Israeli settlers regularly set out to terrorise the family.

    Despite that fact, Israeli forces didn’t take any steps to enforce the order against the settlers. They continue to harass and assault the family undisturbed, often with the cooperation of the Israeli armed forces.

    In a statement prior to her arrest, Frost spoke of her motivation to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement because:

    the ethnic cleansing happening in Palestine goes against international law and against humanity.

    Cho described her admiration for:

    the long legacy of protective presence and the collective efforts to reduce settler violence.

    Frost and Cho’s detention was illegal, as their time in custody before appearing in front of an immigration officer extended for several hours beyond the legal limit of 24 hours.

    During the hearing, the officer refused to examine the maps accompanying the order. These prove the detention was arbitrary and without cause, as well as politically motivated.

    In further infringement of due process, Israeli authorities prevented the lawyer representing the two from attending the interview for several hours. Eventually, they conceded it’s their legal right to have legal representation.

    Cho and Frost are due to face a custody review panel within 72 hours from the decision to deport them.

    Following their illegal detention, the two were questioned for obstructing a police officer and being in violation of lawful direction. They were transferred to the Neve Tirza maximum security prison before being moved to Ben Gurion for a deportation interview.

    Regular attacks

    The Abu Hamam family has been the target of ceaseless harassment and assault at the hands of Israeli settlers and armed forces for over a year in an attempt to drive them away from their lands. Over the past week these attempts have escalated drastically, with near daily attacks.

    Last Sunday, 7 December, a settler attack on the family took place in coordination with a military raid on the village, which prevented residents and medics to come to the family’s help. The attack resulted in the injuries of the family’s matriarch, 59-year-old Fadda Abu Naim, 13-year-old Riziq Abu Naim, as well as two UK nationals, a Colombian-American and a French national.

    On the following day, Monday 8 December, settlers dismantled Palestinian owned corrugated metal sheds under the protection of the military.

    On Wednesday 10 December, military forces raided the family’s property. They presented a 24-hour military zone order and arrested a US and an Australian national. Friday saw the unlawful arrest of Cho and Frost, while several military raids took place on Saturday and Sunday, as the forces looked for solidarity activists. Meanwhile, settlers are allowed to roam the area, attacking and harassing Palestinian communities completely undisturbed.

    These attacks by settlers and soldiers aim to displace the Abu Hamam family forcibly from their land. It’s part of the implementation of the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing Palestinians. In this case, displacing the family would also allow Israel to create an unbroken line of settlements and settlement outposts. This would run all the way from East Ramallah to the South Nablus area, and down to the Jordan Valley.

    Featured image via International Solidarity Movement

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Gaza flooding: Child dies as winter storms drown displacement camps

    Medical sources reported on Thursday that a nine-month-old baby girl died as a result of the severe cold inside a tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. While a civil defence spokesperson revealed that Gaza flooding left  thousands of tents damaged and blown away.

    Activists on social media shared a photo of the infant who died from the cold, amid mounting calls to help the residents of the Strip and save them from the heavy weather.

    The Civil Defence Agency said it had received more than 2,500 distress calls in 24 hours. It confirmed that the current tents are unable to withstand the weather conditions, calling on the international community to take urgent action.

    Gaza flooding is worsening humanitarian conditions

    For its part, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) stressed that alleviating the suffering of Gaza’s residents is possible if humanitarian aid is allowed to enter without hindrance. It will enable them to get through the winter with a degree of safety and dignity.

    UNRWA explained that the rains falling again on Gaza are exacerbating the humanitarian situation in light of the widespread destruction caused by the Israeli war over the past two years. It added that flooded streets and wet tents are worsening fragile living conditions and increasing health risks.

    The agency also warned that severe cold, overcrowding, and lack of sanitation services are promoting the spread of disease and infection. It noted that the flow of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and shelter materials, can alleviate this worsening suffering.

    The Civil Defence Agency confirmed yesterday that more than 250,000 displaced families are facing winter cold and floods in dilapidated tents that do not provide even minimal protection.

    Featured image via AlJazeera

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Gaza: 9,300 children treated for acute malnutrition in October

    9,300 children in the Gaza Strip were treated for acute malnutrition in October, according to UNICEF. This is despite a so-called ‘ceasefire’ which started the same month. Aid agencies had hoped food, medical supplies and shelters would now be reaching the population, but there has been no sign of any rapid improvement.

    Acute malnutrition in children

    UNICEF says this figure is “shockingly high“. It is lower than the roughly 14,000 children treated in August. But it is about five times greater than the number reported during the brief February-March ceasefire. This indicates that aid delivery and food access are still extremely inadequate, despite the supposed ‘ceasefire.’

    At least 165 children have died from starvation since the start of the genocide in Gaza. For some, the immediate threat of famine may now have eased. But good quality nutrition is still almost impossible to find in Gaza. Many pregnant and breastfeeding women are also becoming malnourished, and they then give birth to underweight or premature babies. This can have serious effects on the health of a newborn.

    The agreed target in the “ceasefire” agreement is for 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily. But in November, UN experts warned:

    The volume of aid trucks entering Gaza has never reached the agreed target of 600 per day and has frequently fallen below half that number.

    Only 39% of aid trucks required entering Gaza

    According to the Gaza Government Media Office, just over 14,500 trucks have crossed in 62 days, an average of just 234 per day — less than 40 percent of what the ceasefire agreement requires. Officials and aid workers argue these figures point to a continuing, deliberate restriction of aid, reinforced by Israel’s control over what items are allowed in. Low-value goods continue to be permitted, while essential supplies including food, medicine, spare parts and emergency materials are being blocked.

    Delays at border crossings, slow inspections and denials of aid deliveries continue every day. This calculated chokehold is pushing Gaza toward famine, which not only breaches the ceasefire terms but also violates international law.

    Heavy rains and winter storms have now compounded Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. Tents and displacement camps have flooded, worsening the conditions for children already struggling with hunger and disease. The Civil Defense report thousands of calls for help as families struggle with soaked bedding, collapsed shelters and limited protection from the cold.

    bedding, collapsed shelters and limited protection from the cold. This intensifies the risk of illness for malnourished children whose weakened immune systems make them especially vulnerable. Eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar was one such vulnerable child. She froze to death due to the extreme cold in her displaced family’s worn-out shelter.

    Urgent action needed

    The worsening combination of limited supplies, harsh winter conditions and widespread displacement has left civilians in Gaza facing severe and persistent risks. Children, pregnant women and newborns are among the most vulnerable, with malnutrition and exposure contributing to a growing number of preventable illnesses and deaths.

    As winter sets in more deeply, the lack of adequate shelter, heating and essential goods continues to endanger thousands of families, underscoring the extent of ‘Israel’s’ manufactured humanitarian crisis and the urgent need for conditions that allow basic living standards to be restored.

    Featured image via UNRWA

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Palestinians in Jordan Valley will lose 11,000 acres because of fence ‘Israel’ is constructing

    According to Haaretz, the Israeli occupation army is erecting an internal separation wall deep inside the Northern Jordan Valley — at least 12 kilometres west of the Jordanian border. This barrier is intended to separate the illegal colonial settlements from Palestinian villages in the West Bank.

    Israeli occupation to construct a 22 km wall in Jordan Valley

    The wall will extend 22 km in length and 50 metres in width. Any Palestinian homes and buildings lying in its path will be demolished. When constructed, Palestinian farmers and shepherds will be cut off from 11,000 acres of their lands — also from each other.

    The barrier is also expected to completely encircle the herding community of Khirbet Yarza, isolating around 70 residents and thousands of livestock. In this way, the separation barrier shifts effective control of territory away from Palestinian residents, into the hands of the Israeli occupation. The project not only includes a physical fence, but also security roads, earthen embankments, and trenches.

    The Jordan Valley is one of the most agriculturally productive regions of the West Bank. It is also essential to the survival of many Palestinian families and communities. Restricting access to land here will have a severe economic toll. It is also an area of the occupied West Bank especially sought after by the Israeli regime. This is because it is essential to the sovereignty of a future Palestinian state, being the only direct land crossing between the West Bank and Jordan external to ‘Israel’.

    ‘Creeping Annexation’ of West Bank

    Physical barriers sever communities from farmland and water sources, constrict movement, and undermine the viability of farming as a livelihood. Palestinians have historically cultivated fields, tended orchards and grazed livestock in the valley. But new barriers risk enclosing their fields on the “other” side of restricted zones.

    ‘Israel’ is consolidating control over the West Bank without formal annexation. Analysts from the International Crisis Group describe a trend of “creeping annexation”. Control is extended through infrastructure, legal regimes and settlement expansion rather than explicit legislative change. This context is reflected in developments such as the recent approval of nearly 800 new homes in three illegal West Bank settlements- which entrench illegal settler presence and shift demographics.

    For Palestinian farmers and shepherds in the Jordan Valley, the barrier will mean repeated loss of access to fields, orchards and grazing lands. These losses ripple into food insecurity, declining household incomes and deepening rural poverty. Beyond economics, the barrier will also reshape social life. It will restrict mobility between villages and isolate residents. It will also make education and healthcare access more burdensome.

    Main purpose of ‘security barrier’ is land theft and ethnic cleansing

    What ‘Israel’ describes as a security barrier will be part of a broader pattern of control and land grabbing. Just like the illegal 700km West Bank separation barrier, it will deepen Palestinian isolation. It will also disrupt livelihoods rooted in agriculture and pastoralism. And it will reinforce a system in which the Israeli occupation’s civilian and security priorities override fundamental Palestinian rights. Rights to land, movement and community.

    The human costs — economic, social, psychological — will continue to grow as construction progresses and access to land and resources becomes more diminished.

    Overlaying all this is the broader plan approved by the Israeli occupation’s Security Cabinet in May 2025. This is the construction of a $1.7Bn 425 km “security barrier” along the Jordan border. When completed it will extend from Syria’s southern occupied Golan Heights to north of Eilat in southern ‘Israel’.

    The occupation’s Defense Ministry claims this project is necessary for national defence. But its main purpose is to entrench occupation, undermine Palestinian rights, and ultimately extend control over Palestinian land. It has also led to widespread condemnation from Jordan.

    Multilayered fences, advanced surveillance systems, mobile military units, and advanced information systems will all be used to supposedly help “strengthen settlement along the border” and “reduce smuggling and security threats”.

    On the ground, these barriers recalibrate power, redraw lived geographies and erode Palestinian presence in regions of the West Bank. Each new fence, trench or military road tightens a system of control. Palestinian families are left with fewer options, fewer rights and fewer ways to remain on their land. For many communities, the question is no longer whether they can farm, build or move freely. It is whether they can stay at all.

    Featured image via the author

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • NATO boss Mark Rutte is horny for a massive nuclear war

    NATO boss Mark Rutte says we must all prepare for a world war-level conflict with Russia. A senior British minister has echoed the call. The UK and European population don’t get a say, it seems. Rutte delivered a fearmongering speech at a conference in Munich:

    The full transcript is here. He said:

     We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured

    Rutte painted a grim picture:

    Imagine it, a conflict reaching every home, every workplace, destruction, mass mobilisation, millions displaced, widespread suffering and extreme losses.

    As ever, the speech was a pitch for massive hikes in military spending:

    Allied defence spending and production must rise rapidly, our armed forces must have what they need to keep us safe, and Ukraine must have what it needs to defend itself – now.

    NATO casts the shadow of war?

    UK defence minister Al Carns echoed Rutte’s comments. Carns is a former marine who war-horny Labour MPs have been gushing over. They see him as their next leader.

    Carns said:

    The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door once more. That’s the reality. We’ve got to be prepared to deter it.

    For Carns, the whole of society would have to be recruited to this hypothetical war:

    There’s a whole load of work going on now between us [Ministry of Defence], the Cabinet Office, and the whole of society approach, and what conflict means, and what everybody’s role in society means if we were to go to war and the build up to war.

    It’s not clear who these people think they’re kidding. War expenditure is already vast — and rising. Wars are underway (or about to break out) in many locations around the world.

    Less war, not more

    The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute warns military spending spiked again in 2024. Global arms firms are the only winners there. At the moment, there is war in Ukraine and western-backed genocides in Gaza and Sudan. Meanwhile, the UK has started to re-shape its economy around war. And the Trump administration is preparing for an assault in oil-rich Venezuela. 

    And let’s not forget: war with Russia is a potential nuclear conflict.

    The world is a dangerous place but the answer to that is not throwing money at arms firms. Far from protecting us, the UN claims the sheer vastness of war spending is actively pulling us towards war. UN chief Antonio Guterres said in September 2025:

    At this critical moment, the international community must confront the stark reality that rising military expenditures are not yielding greater peace but are instead undermining our shared vision for a sustainable future.

    There is ample fighting in the world right now. All in all, there are more than enough profits for arms firms already. Ultimately, more wars will deepen poverty and inequality. And it follows that a NATO hot war in Europe will empower far-right and fascist parties and governments around the world. Not to mention the nuclear potential…

    Rutte and Carns might be okay with that calculation. There’s no reason we should be.

    Featured image via Dutch News

    By Joe Glenton

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • One million fans in the stands; Arab Cup 2025 records largest attendance in its history

    In an exceptional achievement reflecting the growing popularity of Arab football, total attendance at the Arab Cup Qatar 2025 has surpassed the one-million-fan mark after just 28 matches, up to the end of the quarter-finals.

    This unprecedented milestone places the 2025 edition at the top of Arab tournaments in terms of attendance and confirms both the depth of public enthusiasm and the success of the organisation in attracting fans from across the Arab world.

    Morocco vs Saudi Arabia: the most attended match

    The highest attendance of the tournament was recorded during the match between Morocco and Saudi Arabia, which drew 78,131 spectators — the largest crowd in the history of the Arab Cup to date. The stands were filled in spectacular fashion on a memorable night for the competition.

    Saudi Arabia vs Palestine: remarkable turnout

    The match between Saudi Arabia and Palestine also attracted an impressive crowd of 77,197 fans, making it one of the most attended fixtures of the tournament. The game was played amid an exceptional atmosphere, with a strong Arab presence reflecting widespread support for both teams.

    Arab Cup — record-breaking growth compared to the 2021 edition

    The 2025 edition has clearly surpassed the previous tournament held in 2021, not only in terms of on-pitch performance but also in attendance figures. The group stage alone drew 812,318 fans, compared to 262,742 spectators in 2021 — more than tripling attendance and highlighting the tournament’s rapid growth and rising popularity.

    World-class organisation enabling fan attendance

    These record numbers would not have been possible without the professional organisation that has characterised the tournament, including:

    • Smooth entry and exit from stadiums through smart systems and highly efficient crowd management

    • Integrated logistics services that made the fan experience more comfortable and seamless

    • Modern stadiums providing an ideal environment to watch matches at the highest standards

    • Large Arab crowds transforming the stands into a unified display of flags, chants, and celebration

    Arab Cup, a tournament beyond competition

    The Arab Cup is no longer just a football tournament. This year, it has evolved into a broader Arab festival, bringing together fans from different countries in a spirit of unity and brotherhood — sending a clear message that football can unite people before igniting competition on the pitch.

    As the tournament continues, expectations remain high for more records to be broken in what is already being hailed as one of the most successful and popular editions in the history of Arab football.

    Featured image supplied via author

     

    By Jamal Awar

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Arab celebration of unity and culture in the fan zones of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025

    The fan zones of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025™ welcomed tens of thousands of fans in a festive atmosphere that brought visitors together in a vibrant space reflecting the unity and diversity of Arab culture. Located around the six stadiums hosting the tournament, these zones allow fans to enjoy rich cultural experiences, including folkloric and artistic performances, as well as cuisine from local restaurants representing the region’s diverse culinary traditions.

    In a move aimed at strengthening the role of the local community, the tournament’s Local Organising Committee has given more than 77 local food businesses the opportunity to participate in the fan zones, providing them with free space to showcase their products to the public.

    Arab Cup — beyond football

    Arab cup

    Hassan Rabia Al Kuwari, Executive Director of Marketing, Promotion and Commercial Affairs at the Local Organising Committee, said:

    The Arab Cup goes beyond football; it is a platform that celebrates the talent and culture of our region. The fan zones are the heartbeat of the tournament, reflecting the diversity and cultural richness of the Arab world. We see this initiative as a unique opportunity to support local projects that play an important role in enhancing the fan experience.

    For her part, Sahab Youssef from Anbara Kitchen emphasised that their participation in the tournament is an opportunity to showcase the diverse flavours of the Arab world.

    She said:

    The presence of a small project like ours at a major event such as the Arab Cup gives restaurants like ours a real opportunity to shine,

    We are excited to introduce Levantine flavours to Arab audiences. Celebrations are not complete without good food, and we are here to celebrate as one family.

    Mohammed Alaa El Din Ibrahim, manager of the Egyptian folk restaurant Dukani, also expressed his delight at participating, saying:

    The event is wonderfully organised, and everyone is enjoying the happy atmosphere. I would like to thank Qatar and the tournament organisers for hosting the Arab Cup, which celebrates our culture and brings us together. We are proud to contribute to this experience and give fans the opportunity to taste the flavours of our region.

    The festive atmosphere

    The fan zone experience was not limited to food alone. The tournament also brought together dozens of artists from different Arab countries, who added to the festive atmosphere with musical performances, folk dances, and traditional arts reflecting the identity of each participating nation. The group stage alone featured 103 artistic performances involving more than 686 artists from across the Arab world.

    Jordanian artist Al-Walid Al-Attiya, leader of the Al-Salam Artistic Troupe, said:

    I would like to thank Qatar for hosting tournaments such as the Arab Cup, which give the world an opportunity to see the beauty of our region and its people. It is wonderful to see fans gathering and celebrating before the matches, which is what makes this tournament unforgettable.

    Featured image supplied via author

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Palestine 36 packs out Leeds Palestinian Film Festival

    A film festival in Leeds had to book extra screenings after Palestinian film Palestine 36 sold out in no time.

    The 11th Leeds Palestinian Film Festival has closed with its biggest audiences yet. Venue partner Hyde Park Picture House had to schedule additional screenings of Palestine 36.

    The historical drama, from director Annemarie Jacir, is Palestine’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Oscars.

    Much more than a period film

    It tells the story of a Palestinian revolt against British colonial rule in the years before World War Two.

    Jacir says:

    It has been a long-time dream to tell the story of the 1936-39 revolt, and telling it through the
    different points of views of an ensemble of characters came naturally. The 1936 uprising marks the most pivotal moment of our history and I was interested in telling the story in an intimate, raw and personal way.

    PALESTINE 36 is a period film, but I never conceived it as something of the past. It has always been current, relevant and alive. Sometimes critical, never nostalgic, always searching. Set in a time I never lived, PALESTINE 36 is deeply personal. We do not choose the circumstances of our lives, we do not choose war or the million painful moments we learn to survive. Sometimes we choose how we react to them.

    The cast features noted Palestinians Hiam Abbass and Saleh Bakri, alongside newcomers including Yafa Bakri and Wardi Eilabouni. Jeremy Irons, Billy Howle, Liam Cunningham and Robert Aramayo portray some of the colonists.

    The film makers had to overcome numerous challenges due to Israel’s war on Gaza. Producer Ossama Bawardi reflected on the process, saying:

    Making a film of this size once is a feat; to prepare it twice, amid war and instability, was an ordeal. After years of preparation, we lost almost everything we had built.

    The war forced us to restart and rebuild from the ground up, navigating instability, delays, and the heavy emotional toll borne by everyone involved.

    It was a reminder of the trauma we have lived over and over, a trauma inherited by generation after generation.

    Sell-out

    Palestine 36 sold out so rapidly that the cinema needed to add extra dates mid-festival. This rare move shows the growing appetite for Palestinian cinema in the North of England. Seven of the festival’s 13 events reached full capacity, with three more nearly sold out.

    Paul Rogers, emeritus professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, introduced the movie to a packed house. He said:

    Presenting Palestine 36 to a capacity crowd at Hyde Park Picture House, a film now submitted for an Oscar, demonstrated the hunger for historical narratives that challenge mainstream framings of the region. The turnout showed these stories resonate far beyond academic circles.

    The festival’s partnership with Leeds International Film Festival brought further institutional weight. Chris Fell, Festival Director at Leeds International Film Festival, said:

    We were delighted to partner with Leeds Palestinian Film Festival for the screening of Yalla Parkour. The enthusiasm from the audience continues to highlight the strong demand in Leeds for new and urgent narratives on the big screen.

    The festival’s curatorial judgment proved prescient. The Voice of Hind Rajab sold out before going on to win the Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature at Leeds International Film Festival. The 2025 programme also featured five UK Premieres.

    Leeds Palestinian Film Festival Co-Director Frances Bernstein said:

    Leeds audiences turned up in force. We presented challenging, artistically excellent work, and people responded. In particular, we saw huge empathy and hunger to know more about Gaza.

    Organisers are now planning the 12th edition in November 2026 and exploring larger venue capacity.

    Featured image via Watermelon Pictures

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Philippines typhoon survivors take Shell to court over climate damage 

    A group of over 100 Filipinos is seeking financial compensation from Shell. This is after the super typhoon Odette devastated their communities. The landmark case against the UK’s biggest oil company argues that it contributed to climate change. And they say this made typhoon Odette more likely and more severe.

    The case could have a major impact on the fossil fuel industry.

    The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Greenpeace Philippines and Fossil Free London staged a demonstration outside the Royal Courts of Justice on 11 December, to mark the filing of the case.

    Super typhoon Odette

    On 16 December 2021, Odette killed or severely injured over 1,800 people and destroyed over 2 million homes. It affected eight million people overall. At the time, marked as an off-the-scale event, it was the second costliest typhoon on record in the Philippines. It caused nearly $1bn worth of direct damage.

    The survivors argue that Shell’s actions contributed to climate change, which made Odette significantly more likely and more severe. It is the first case to link death, injury and property destruction in the Global South directly to a fossil fuel giant in the Global North.

    Odette destroyed Batasan fish vendor Trixy Elle’s home. She said:

    Odette took everything from me and my family. We were forced to sell our precious belongings just so we could afford to rebuild our home.

    We’ve done nothing to cause the climate crisis, but because companies like Shell chose profit over people, our lives have been turned upside down.

    Tessa Khan, International Climate Change Lawyer and Executive Director at Uplift, added:

    This kind of devastating weather event was anything but natural. It was a disaster born out of decades of extraction and profiteering.

    The bravery demonstrated by the survivors makes clear that fossil fuel companies can no longer act with impunity.

    This case strengthens the growing push by communities to hold fossil fuel giants to account for the harm they have caused.

    Shell’s role in the climate crisis

    The case draws on emerging science which can now directly attribute individual extreme weather events to climate change, and emissions to specific fossil fuel companies. In June, scientists found that the likelihood of a disaster like Odette in the Philippines has roughly doubled due to global warming.

    Shell is one of the world’s largest emitters, accounting for 2.04% of historical global emissions. By contrast the Philippines, the country with the highest risk of climate hazards, has contributed just 0.2%.

    The case also argues that Shell has known since 1965 that fossil fuels were the primary cause of climate change. Furthermore, that the company had been warned that failing to curb emissions would lead to major economic consequences by 2038, yet chose not to change course.

    The claimants are seeking financial compensation in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, as well as remedial measures consistent with their right to a healthy environment.

    The claimants are seeking damages for severe losses including serious property damage, personal injury, bereavement, psychological trauma and loss of earnings.

    They’re also seeking further relief in relation to the violation of their constitutional right to a balanced ecology.

    The claim alleges that Shell’s actions materially contributed to anthropogenic climate change. And this significantly intensified the typhoon’s impact and likelihood, thereby increasing the damage suffered by the clients.

    More climate impact cases

    They join a growing list of communities using the courts to send a message that the era of consequence-free polluting is over.

    As of September 2024 86 cases had been filed globally, with 33 relating to companies’ responsibilities for climate impacts. There are growing signs that the legal tides are turning.

    In May, a German court delivered a precedent-setting verdict in the high-profile Saul vs RWE case. It ruled that major emitters can be held liable for climate-related damages abroad.

    In July, the International Court of Justice advised that governments have a binding duty to protect people and the planet from the climate crisis.

    So the potential liabilities for fossil fuel companies are substantial. Climate Analytics estimates that the climate damages attributable to the 25 largest oil and gas companies exceed $20tn.

    Jefferson Chua, Greenpeace Philippines Climate Campaigner, said:

    Carbon majors like Shell can no longer hide behind their corporate veil, far away from those who bear the heaviest costs because of the decisions they make in their board rooms. It’s not right for them to continue to profit at the expense of the death and hardship of communities. Survivors of Odette have had enough of the climate crisis and are bringing the fight to Shell’s doorstep.

    And Aaron Pedrosa, legal team head of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), summed up:

    Our communities have suffered unimaginable losses. Their case shows that no corporation operates in a vacuum. When their actions materially worsen the impacts of climate disasters, the courts have a role in ensuring those responsible are held accountable. They cannot continue to contribute to climate harm with impunity.

    Featured image via Fossil Free London

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Lebanon faces betrayal in Trump’s secret Israel ‘side-letter’ deal

    It must be a day ending in ‘Y’ because the US and Israel are up to something nefarious in the Middle East. This time it’s in Lebanon. A barely reported so-called ‘side-letter’ details the US commitment  — or the lack of — to peace in Lebanon. And Trump’s new year threat to restart hostilities if Hezbollah doesn’t disarm risks destroying the US-brokered ‘ceasefire’.

    Meanwhile, the US has been extending its influence and infrastructure in the country. The Americans are building a gigantic fortress embassy. And with a US-trained president leading Lebanon, it’s worth taking a deeper look.

    On 3 December 2025, around a year into a ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Lebanon, it was reported that diplomats from the two countries would meet. Israel’s 2024 assault in southern Lebanon was the sixth in the last 50 years. It ran from October 2023 until November 2024 — against the backdrop of ongoing genocide in Gaza.

    But this is a very distinct kind of ceasefire: one with Israeli characteristics. Case in point: by 4 December Israel was hitting targets inside Lebanon again. In fact, since the November 2024 ‘truce’, the UN has said: “Israel continues to strike Lebanese territory almost daily.” While the Christian Science Monitor termed the arrangement “the ceasefire that isn’t”.

    Israeli exceptionalism

    Naturally, Israel claims that it is hitting Hezbollah targets legitimately. Hezbollah is Israel’s old adversary in the south of Lebanon. It is a Shia political party with a paramilitary wing that was conceived in the heart of Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon in 1982. But implicit in the continued attacks is an acute Israeli exceptionalism —  an outgrowth of the US’s global exceptionalism.  We decided to take a deeper look at the terms of the ceasefire. In particular, an underreported so-called ‘side-letter‘ from US president Donald Trump to Israel.

    The document pledges full US political, material and technical military support to Israel in a return to war. Taken with Trump’s threat to attack Lebanon if it hasn’t disarmed Hezbollah by the New Year’s Eve, it deserves scrutiny if we are to understand what is at stake.

    The ‘side letter’ Lebanon knew nothing about

    The Times of Israel published the full terms of the ceasefire. It contains twenty ‘points’ with various lettered subsections. Point 4 gives the deal an appearance of equality between the two countries:

    These commitments do not preclude either Israel or Lebanon from exercising their inherent right of self-defense, consistent with international law.

    The US is broker and guarantor of the peace deal. Yet the Trump administration also made clear it is willing to destroy it. According to a second piece in the Times of Israel dated 27 November 2024, the ‘side-letter” commits the US:

    to providing Israel with intelligence information pertaining to violations of the terms of the ceasefire deal, and in particular, regarding any indication that Hezbollah is attempting to infiltrate the ranks of the Lebanese Armed Forces, which will be deployed to southern Lebanon.

    The agreement also mentions Iran. It reiterates

    the US’s commitment to cooperating with Israel to prevent Iran from continuing its destabilizing operations in Lebanon, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah.

    The letter goes on to state that if Israel feels it needs to strike inside Lebanon, regardless of where, it has to notify the United States wherever possible.

    It even had a bit of satire in it stating that:

    Israel [has the] right to conduct reconnaissance flights over Lebanon, for intelligence purposes, so long as they do not break the sound barrier.

    Big words from the best guarantor of a ceasefire agreement that has ever existed. Thank you Mr. Trump.

    US influence in Lebanon

    Lebanon is not formally a US ally, yet relations have deepened since early 2025. Pro-US president Joseph Aoun took power in January.  Aoun is a career military officer. The US even trained him in counter-terrorism tactics:

    He steadily rose through the ranks, undergoing various training in Lebanon and abroad, including with the US counterterrorism programme. He also was awarded Lebanon’s Medal of War three times, along with several other medals and honours.

    For some, Aoun’s leadership signals a move away from Iran, whose influence in Lebanon has long been powerful.

    Widely seen as the preferred pick of army backer the United States, as well as regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, he is perceived as being best placed to maintain a fragile ceasefire and pull the country out of financial collapse.

    An American fortress embassy

    American influence is also wielded through its Beirut ‘mega-embassy’. CNN reported in 2023 that the

    massive new US embassy complex in Lebanon is causing controversy for its sheer size and opulence in a country where nearly 80% of the population is under the poverty line.

    Located some 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) from the center of Beirut and built on the site of the current embassy, the US’ new compound in Lebanon looks like a city of its own.

    Researchers from Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP) described this imperial project in 2024 as:

    [a] 19-structure ziggurat that dwarfs any government facility in Lebanon, is the second largest in the world after Baghdad’s.

    The sheer size of the project raised questions. Especially given that Lebanon is a small nation:

    Its billion-dollar estimated budget rivals the cost of the US embassy in London, and it is about four times its size, despite Britain having ten times Lebanon’s population and 130 times its GDP.

    Yet “no specific reason has been offered for building such a massive compound”. The US says its embassies are helping US citizens in the region. Naturally, MERIP says the answer is less innocent:

    Rather, the new embassy, like that of Baghdad, speaks to longstanding US military interests and activity in Lebanon and the wider region.

    US influence

    The recent MAGA-influenced National Security Strategy (NSS) has recalibrated US foreign policy. There is a strong sense of withdrawal from Europe. China, Russia and Iran have all been deprioritised. But the Middle East has not been abandoned. The new mega-embassy suggests Lebanon will be a key node for US influence.

    At the same time, its clear that the main US ally in the region remains Israel. And virtually unconditional support for the settler-state is assured — at virtually any cost. In this grand scheme, peace and stability in Lebanon is small change for the US and for the expansionist Zionist project it will continue to back to the hilt.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Joe Glenton

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Fascist pals Modi and Netanyahu reaffirm India-Israel Strategic Partnership

    Far-right Indian leader Narendra Modi has reaffirmed his country’s relationship with Israel. The two violently Islamophobic governments agreed on a “zero tolerance approach” to terrorism. And Modi said the pair had agreed “to further strengthen cooperation” on X:

    In November 2025, the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Security and military exchange was the main focus. The Middle East Observer reported the document as:

    a shared vision to deepen cooperation across a spectrum of domains including strategic dialogue, military training, defence-industrial partnerships, research & development (R&D), technological innovation, artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.

    The agreement emphasised:

    co-development and co-production of advanced military technologies—an important pivot from transactional procurement toward joint manufacturing and innovation.

    Modi x Natenyahu — the ethno-nationalist weirdo gang

    Basically, Benyamin Netanyahu and Modi are expert internal repressors with a long history of violence against Muslims. Modi was governor of Gujarat province back in 2002. Essentially, he oversaw violent pogroms against Indian Muslims which left 2000 people dead.

    Certainly, Hindutva nationalism unites Modi’s followers at home. But diaspora communities in the UK have felt Hindutva’s power too.  Hindutva’s Hitler-inspired paramilitary wing is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In fact, even Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik felt an affinity for RSS ideology.

    Like Hindutva, Zionism is a violent ethno-supremacist supremacy. In truth, Zionism is deeply linked to British imperialism. And Hindutva is no different. As one commentator has it:

    Granted, Israel and India are two very different countries. What they have in common is the intrusion of the British.

    Accordingly, University of Leicester politics lecturer Dr Vikram Visana said Hindutva founder Vinayak Damodar Savarkar:

    praised Zionism as the perfection of ethno-nationalist thinking. The way Zionism seamlessly blended ethnic attachment to a motherland and religious attachment to a holy land was precisely what Savarkar wanted for the Hindus.

    “This double attachment,” Visana adds:

    was far more powerful to his mind than the European model of “blood and soil” nationalism without sacred space.

    Peas in a pod

    All in all, Netanyahu and Modi share a fascistic politics and a militarist impulse. New Internationalist reports:

    Indian companies like Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India, Premier Explosives, and the state-owned Munitions India are actively supplying drones and weapons to Israel as it continues its genocidal war against the people of Gaza.

    In April [2024], careful not to jeopardize these arrangements, India abstained from a UN ceasefire resolution that included calls for an arms embargo on Israel.

    In return, Israel:

    has continued its uninterrupted supply of military equipment to India – a significant commitment as Israel has delayed over $1.5 billion in arms exports to other countries since October 2023.

    Far-right and ethno-nationalism are the dominant forces in Indian and Israeli politics. And their leaders are committed to militarism and internal repression along racial lines. Ultimately, as products of British imperialism, what else could they be?

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Joe Glenton

    This post was originally published on Canary.