Why Gaza gains nothing from pop stars' support
The high priests of speaking out are John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher, and Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor. 'Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends,' Mill warned, 'than that good men should look on and do nothing.' Niemöller famously ventriloquised the many Germans who kept silent when the Nazis 'came for the socialists', the trade unionists and the Jews: 'Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.'
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Edinburgh Reporter
5 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025: #Charlottesville ⭐⭐⭐
At 1.45pm on 12 August 2017 white supremacist James Alex Fields Jnr deliberately drove his car into a crowd of people who had been protesting against a Unite the Right rally in a Charlottesville park. Many people were injured; 32 year old Heather Heyer was killed. 'Everything was flying through the air. People were flying, shoes. The sound of metal on people, metal on metal.' The crime had been preceded by two days of confrontations, many of them violent, between various alt-right groups (one of whose leaders had obtained a permit to hold the 12 August rally), counter protesters and the police. The initial spark for the protest had been the plan to remove the city's statue of Thomas Jefferson, but the alt-right swiftly expanded the scope of the rally to cover its hatred of non-white people, immigrants, Jews, the LGBT+ community, and women who didn't stay at home 'honouring' their men. During the protests two state troopers also died. In 2017 Priyanka Shetty, an Indian student, was enrolled on a Master of Fine Arts and Acting course at the University of Virginia. She decided to investigate the events of those two days, and the people behind them. Having looked at numerous far right websites and social media, and dug around in the murky depths of the Dark Web, Shetty wanted to talk to Charlottesville residents about their thoughts on the city, its people, and what they remembered about those two days in August. The University of Virginia did not authorise her investigation. Based on her findings, Shetty has written a partly verbatim show; #Charlottesville premiered at The Keegan Theatre in Washington DC, and now it has come to the Pleasance Courtyard. The names of the people Shetty quotes are projected onto the back wall of Pleasance Bunker Two. They include a Peace Corps Recruiter, a musician, an undergraduate, a waitress, a Conservative radio host and the Dean of the university. They all love the city, but interestingly, it is only the waitress, Tamra (whose family has lived in Charlottesville since the 18th century) who points out that it consists of pockets of population; each pocket lives in its own bubble, they rarely if ever interact. All of the speakers say the city is friendly, but several refer to simmering interracial tensions. Shetty has also studied the transcript records of the court cases, criminal and civil, that followed the violence. She plays the judge and counsel for both plaintiff and defendants, taking up different positions in the room to differentiate between them. The defendants' argument centres on two crucial points, the first being that the First Amendment protects Americans' right to free speech. Their counsel happily admits that his clients are unpleasant people with highly offensive views – but that it not a crime. His second argument is that Fields was acting alone when he drove into the crowd. He had nothing to do with the others, there was no conspiracy and there is therefore no case to answer. Further interspersed are Shetty's own conversations with Susan, the Chair of her university department. Susan dismisses Shetty's complaints about racist comments made by another class member. Shetty also asks why she has not been cast in either of the department's productions; again she does not receive a satisfactory answer, but is instead fobbed off with the offer of a role in a community production. 'It will be a lifelong struggle for you and there's nothing I can do about that.' Shetty has researched the alt-right groups involved in the events of 11/12 August in depth. Again she uses projected images to profile the ringleaders while she quotes their words. I did find this part of the show a little confusing, as Shetty seemed to jump from one alt-right person to another, then back to the residents, then back to the courtroom scenes, very quickly at times so that I was not entirely sure who was saying what or indeed who belonged to which organisation. The voices of Kevin, the musician, and of the somewhat pompous counsel for the defence in court, were clearly differentiated and identifiable, but most of the women Shetty had chatted to sounded more or less the same to me. It was also, unfortunately, sometimes difficult to see the words projected on the wall. It's likely that this would work much better in a more traditional theatre, where all audience members are facing one way. In the Bunker people are sitting round three sides of a square, and the side seats are not best placed to see the projections. The Charlottesville residents are also asked for their recollections of the violence. They describe the lit torches the protestors held; the air being 'thick with Kerosene,' There was constant chanting, 'You will not replace us!' They watched as counter protesters were beaten. Shetty draws parallels between the increasing hard line racism in the US, the personal racism she encountered in her department, and the failure of President Trump to condemn the white supremacists in Charlottesville. She does an excellent and very funny impression of the President, who notoriously first stated that 'there were very fine people on both sides in Charlottesville', then immediately attempted to divert attention to his claims that the country was 'doing very well.' But although this scene brings some welcome light humour to the show, its content is of course frightening. Shetty shows pictures of Trump and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embracing; India too is experiencing a shift to the right and towards an authoritarian style of government. Modi has even started saying 'Make India Great Again.' Another celebrated democracy is threatened. Just when we might feel bogged down in all the political and legal facts, Shetty reminds us that a young woman died on 12 August. Heather Heyer's mother describes in agonising detail her desperate attempts to find out what has happened to her daughter; the phone calls to all the hospitals, the journey into town. Waiting for her husband to arrive, then finding that the hospital has already moved Heather's body. Heather's parents did not see her until the day before her funeral, 'It's like an amputation. You can survive it, you can adapt, but you're still an amputee.' It's not just about placards and shouting. Real people, fellow human beings, are being attacked, injured and sometimes killed. A favourite quote of Heather's was, 'If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.' Very few people were paying attention before 11 August 2017. Are we paying more attention now? Are we outraged, or are we complacent in the rise of fascism in the US and on our own doorsteps? #Charlottesville is a thought-provoking show and Shetty is an accomplished actor. For me there were perhaps too many different threads to manage within the short time constraints of a Fringe show, and I wonder if the court scenes could be abbreviated or cut to allow more time to hear the people's voices. Courts can only do so much, especially in the US where many judges are political appointees. In the end it is the people who need to take a stand against the rise of white supremacy in all its forms, to wake up and pay attention before it's too late. #Charlottesville is at Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Two), 60 Pleasance (Venue 33) at 12.20pm every day until 25 August. Please note: there is no show on Wednesday 13 August. Like this: Like Related
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Israel planning new assault on Gaza after disturbing videos of emaciated hostages kidnapped by Hamas spark global fury
One heart-wrenching clip shows a hostage digging what he believes to be his own grave STORM OF IRON Israel planning new assault on Gaza after disturbing videos of emaciated hostages kidnapped by Hamas spark global fury Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ISRAEL is gearing up for a new assault on Gaza after horrific hostage videos lit a firestorm across the globe. Harrowing footage shows two Israeli captives — starved, pale, and broken — suffering in Hamas tunnels. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Israeli hostage Evyatar David looking weak and malnourished Credit: AFP 8 The 24-year-old is seen digging what he believes is his own grave 8 Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip Credit: AP 8 Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border on July 31 Credit: EPA Evyatar David, 24, and Rom Braslavski, 21, were both abducted from the Nova music festival on the deadly October 7 attacks. Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the gloves are off. In a fiery address Sunday night, the PM declared that Israel would press forward with a "decisive military victory" to free the remaining hostages. Netanyahu again vowed to crush Hamas, which he said was deliberately starving captives in scenes chillingly reminiscent of the Nazi death camps. Referencing the horror hostage videos, he said: "You see them languishing in a dungeon, but the Hamas monsters surrounding them have thick, fleshy arms. "They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them, just as the Nazis starved the Jews." The footage — released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week and approved for publication by the families — shows the hostages visibly emaciated, trembling, and close to collapse. In one heart-wrenching moment, David is seen digging what he believes to be his own grave. In another, Braslavski cries as he says he has eaten only three crumbs of falafel that day. His devastated family said in a statement: "They managed to break Rom. Harrowing moment desperate Gazans overrun food trucks as Israel challenges UN to ship in more aid after pausing fighting "He has simply been forgotten there." David's family described their son as a "living skeleton, buried alive" in Hamas's tunnels. "I haven't eaten for days... I barely got drinking water," David says in the footage. International fury The horrifying scenes have prompted an international backlash. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the images "sickening," while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron demanded immediate release of the hostages. The Red Cross described the footage as "stark evidence" of life-threatening conditions and urged immediate access to the captives. Netanyahu met with the Red Cross delegation head on Sunday, demanding urgent medical and food access to the hostages. Behind closed doors, Israeli security officials admit they had long known about the hostages' deteriorating condition. According to Ynet, intelligence briefings warned weeks ago that captors were deliberately withholding food under direct orders —feeding the prisoners just enough to keep them alive. 8 Israel is planning a new assault on Gaza after the horrific hostage videos Credit: EPA 8 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press forward with a 'decisive military victory' Credit: Reuters 8 Smoke rises from Gaza following an explosion in May Credit: Reuters 8 Palestinians at an aid distribution centre near the Zikim border crossing in Gaza to access limited food on Sunday Credit: Getty But the images have had a visceral impact on the Israeli public, and on Netanyahu himself. The prime minister said: "Like you, I was horrified yesterday. I saw the gruesome videos of our beloved sons, Rom and Evyatar. "When I see this, I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It does not want a deal. It wants to break us… But we will not break. "I am filled with even greater resolve to free our hostages, eliminate Hamas and ensure Gaza is never again a threat to the State of Israel." War cabinet at a crossroads According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu is driving a plan for expanded military action - pushing into parts of Gaza previously avoided in hopes of preserving hostages' lives. But the security cabinet is divided. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Mossad chief David Barnea are reportedly urging caution, while far-right ministers like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich call for a full-scale reoccupation. They are starving them, just as the Nazis starved the Jews Benjamin Netanyahu Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Netanyahu's military secretary are among those backing an expanded war effort now being framed as inevitable in the absence of any viable diplomatic track. "Hamas is not interested in a deal," a senior Israeli official told Israel Hayom, saying that the group has flatly rejected all proposals, including full hostage release and Gaza demilitarisation. "Hamas has rejected every deal," said a senior source quoted by Israel Hayom. "Their refusal is rooted in the belief that starvation of the hostages and international pressure will force Israel to surrender. That cannot be allowed to happen." As ABC News confirmed through Israeli sources, Netanyahu is now pushing a 'military solution' and coordinating with Washington amid signs the US is no longer willing to back partial hostage deals.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Government pledges extra £100m funding to tackle people smuggling
The Home Office has announced £100m in extra funding as part of efforts to crack down on illegal people smuggling in the English money will pay for up to 300 additional National Crime Agency (NCA) officers as well as new technology and than 25,000 people made the journey from France to the UK in small boats before the end of July, a record for this point in the Secretary Yvette Cooper said the move would help the UK better "track the [smuggling] gangs and bring them down". The Conservative Party called it a "desperate grab for headlines which will make no real difference". Last month, the government agreed a "one in, one out" pilot scheme with France which aims to deter migrants from crossing the Channel. Under the scheme, some arrivals would be returned to France and in exchange the UK would accept an equivalent number of asylum seekers, subject to security to the Home Office, the new £100m will boost border security and strengthen investigations targeting smuggling kingpins who have operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Cooper said gangs had shown a "a ruthless ability to adapt their tactics and maximise their profits, no matter how many lives they put at risk".The NCA has 91 ongoing investigations into people-smuggling networks affecting the UK, the agency's director general of operations Rob Jones said. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Labour of having "no serious plan" to tackle the issue."The British public deserves real action, not empty slogans and tinkering at the edges," he in the Daily Express, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said it was an effort to "throw taxpayer money at the illegal immigration crisis and hope it will go away"."Another £100 million here or there won't move the needle. It won't stop the boats or the gangs," he and previous Conservative governments have both struggled to reduce the number of people coming to the UK illegally in small Conservatives had proposed sending arrivals to Rwanda, but the scheme was delayed by legal challenges. The general election was called before it could be of Sir Keir Starmer's first acts as prime minister was to scrap the plan, calling it a another measure, which was revealed on Sunday, people advertising illegal Channel crossings online could face up to five years in prison under a new offence the government plans to illegal immigration to the UK is already a crime, but officials believe the new offence would give police and other agencies more power to disrupt criminal would criminalise the creation of material for publication online which promotes or offers services that facilitate a breach of UK immigration would include people using social media to advertise fake passports or visas, or the promise of illegal work opportunities in the UK, and as well as jail time could carry a large fine.
