Why I'm happy to DJ at Brockwell Park's Mighty Hoopla festival campaigners want everyone to boycott
Influential BDS campaigners such as the clubbing-centric Ravers For Palestine have been campaigning that KKR-affiliated events are a red flag over ties to companies involved in the development of Israeli settlements on the West Bank. They also reportedly have stakes in weapons manufacturing companies such as Circor International, as well as the controversial Coastal GasLink pipeline in Canada. Some artists have pulled out of Superstruct's events, while privately loads more are anxiously working out what to do. But despite Hoopla publicly disagreeing with their owner's 'unethical investments' in a statement on Friday, any artistic engagement with a KKR-related company still means you are on the wrong side of the issue, on a BDS level.
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Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers told to ‘significantly increase' offer for key transfer target as selling club prepare to lose star man
RANGERS have been given an ultimatum on a key transfer target, as the selling club have reportedly demanded more money. Russell Martin's first signing could prove more difficult than desired as the offer was already well in the millions. 4 Rangers have been tracking Israel striker Dor Turgeman, right. Credit: EPA 4 They watched him score his first international goal in March against Denmark Credit: AFP 4 His club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, are reportedly demanding an increased offer Credit: EPA The Ibrox club have been chasing Dor Turgeman, an Israeli striker from Maccabi Tel Aviv. The 21-year-old was said to be in talks with the Gers with a deal looking to be in the region of £4million. But Israel Hayom are reporting that a 'significantly increased' offer will be required to land the forward who's scored 20 times this season. They say the previous offer has been 'rejected' by the sellers but the goalscorer has 'expressed a willingness' to make the move to Glasgow. The report says Gers representatives watched Turgeman play in the side's Europa League matches as well as the national team's games against Estonia and Norway back in March. He scored his first international goal in the latter. With new manager Martin only arriving this week, it's stated that previous boss Philippe Clement also had a hand in recommending the Tel Aviv man as one to watch. The media over there also reports: "The Yellow Club understands that the possibility that their leading striker this season will leave this summer is serious and has begun to look for alternatives. "Since the Israeli market is poor in quality attacking players, professional manager Dominic Price and CEO Ben Mansford have already begun the search for a foreign striker." So while The Yellows might play hardball over the price for the Rangers target, it's clear they are expecting a deal to be struck one way or another. SunSport reporters clash over Russell Martin as he's revealed as new Rangers boss This isn't the only player on the new gaffer's radar who might be priced out of a switch. A planned raid on his old club Southampton for Flynn Downes has apparently returned a massive £10million asking price from the relegated English side. Meanwhile ex-gaffer Clement has backed Cyriel Dessers, insisting nobody gets the level of flak he does. He said: 'I think Cyriel gets abuse like nobody else in the club or on the pitch at least. 'But he always was there to work hard, to do everything for the club every day, every training, every game. 4 Turgeman would provide competition for divisive top scorer Cyriel Dessers Credit: PA 'Also, in his career, he never scored as many goals as he did at Rangers. 'In the end he performed really well with his qualities. 'Of course fans always want more, but I think Cyriel, if he played in a team that won the league, then he would be for everybody a good player. 'But if you don't win the league then for the fans you are not a good player any more. 'That's life at Rangers.' Ibrox's top scorer this season would face competition to make the starting XI if Turgeman were to arrive. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The National
16 hours ago
- The National
Scotland is giving this essential art the platform it has been denied
Although many hundreds – including some very big names – signed, several notable artistic directors of buildings I have worked in chose not to respond. Meanwhile, in Scotland, the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival has proudly programmed Ahmed Masoud's exceptionally powerful short play, The Florist Of Rafah, which is part of Cutting The Tightrope, a collection of pieces by 14 eminent playwrights that explore the art's and society's unprecedented censorship of Palestine. Cutting The Tightrope's journey from London to Scotland is a story of rags to riches. In May 2024, these short political plays went on in the small studio at the Arcola Theatre in East London as a totally unfunded rapid response piece. Put together in a fortnight, they were staged against the backdrop of Israel's decision to hold 2.3 million people hostage by closing their borders, while threatening to cross Joe Biden's 'red line' with a ground invasion of Rafah – an ancient city which a year later barely exists. Meanwhile, the Charity Commission's clause of 'political neutrality' had been so weaponised by Israeli lobby groups that Arts Council England (ACE) – an organisation that is supposed to protect artistic freedom – updated its policy guidelines to warn that anyone in a regularly funded arts organisation making 'political statements' could cause 'reputational damage' and therefore 'breach funding agreements'. READ MORE: 'Joy, celebration and warmth' of Palestinian art to be showcased at Edinburgh Fringe Although subsequently retracted, a FOI request revealed the statement had been made immediately after a meeting between ACE and the UK Government about Israel/Palestine and the message was clear: speak out and your organisation may lose government funding. The National Theatre, which had projected the Ukrainian flag on its building's expansive white wall, now chose to say nothing at all. Although Cutting The Tightrope's first run garnered rave reviews, and instantly sold out with long waiting lists, ACE still rejected a small bid made to transfer the show to the Arcola's main house. Its reason was revealing. It ticked the box that claimed other shows were 'more likely to make a difference', despite ours being the only show about the genocide playing to packed audiences, who yearned a creative space to unleash their grief and rage and find much-needed solidarity. I wonder what ACE now makes of our being selected by the International Festival to showcase the best of British theatre to an international audience. The very silence adopted by ACE and major English theatres to preserve their position has simultaneously made them even more irrelevant. By obeying the command to look the other way, they have lost the devotion of artists brave enough to speak out, imaginative enough to think outside the box and collaborative enough to together create phenomenally ambitious work against all odds. Aghast, these artists stepped into the void and used their talents to protest, creating work enormous in its necessity, bravery, emotional weight, urgency and impact – thereby attracting in droves the new young and truly diverse audience the theatre so needs to survive. After 19 months, an unstoppable new art movement has been forming across disciplines: a movement of rebellion. Like Dadaism emerging from the ruins of world war, this urgent movement is born from the ruins of Western values, placing solidarity, integrity and the artist's voice at its core. And where have these radical artists – penalised or ignored in most of the UK – found a platform? Scotland. Take Gaza Biennale – Jinnaah UK whose importance in celebrating, supporting and documenting more than 50 artists in Palestine confronting genocide cannot be overstated. Until recently, the current and lost artworks of these artists – who by facing erasure must surely be the most critical and precious of our time – were relegated to being projected by GB-JUK on to the walls of cultural institutions in London. In Scotland, however, three of their artists are currently being proudly displayed along the Edinburgh Pavilion. In one of Cutting The Tightrope's short plays, Dare Not Speak, a murdered girl, Hind, ends the play with a premonition that she will haunt the dreams of an artistic director. Sometimes I wonder, when watching the play, if there will soon be any artistic directors left to haunt, if mainstream English theatres continue to limp so feebly behind the politics of the day. Cutting the Tightrope will run from August 14 to 17 at the Edinburgh International Festival
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Baby names inspired by Pride Month including one that puts inspiring spin on a classic
Every June, the world celebrates Pride Month to honour the LGBTQ+ community, but the celebrations could also inspire parents-to-be. Parents-to-be pull inspiration from a range of sources when it comes to thinking of baby names. They can look to TV, films, seasons, or even locations to name their child after something special to them. But what about an inspiring month dedicated to the fight for equal rights and honouring the LGBTQ+ community? Well, as if right on cue, June marks the 55th anniversary of the first Pride march held in the United States. Pride Month is an observation of queer culture through celebration and protest. Countless communities host Pride marches, demonstrations and parties to honour queer joy all over the world - including Scotland's major cities. For budding mothers and fathers who feel moved by the event, and want to pay homage to some iconic figures of the LGBTQ+ movement with an equally iconic name for their wee one, Nameberry has comprised a compelling list. So, if you want your bub's title to be rooted in history, read on for ten Pride-related names that could be the moniker-in-waiting for your adorable new arrival. Who knows, it might even spark an appetite for activism. Audre A self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Born in New York City, Audre uplifted the most marginalised in society. Her name – a streamlined spelling of contemporary classic Audrey – boasts the fitting meaning of "noble strength". Bayard Bayard Rustin was a close friend of Martin Luther King and the chief architect of the 1963 March on Washington. He didn't become a vocal gay rights activist until the 1980s but he did testify on the behalf of a New York City queer civil liberties law, stating that gay rights had become the new barometer for social change and progress. His intriguing name comes from a French word meaning 'russet red'. A trailblazing campaigner for marriage equality, Edie Windsor fought the US federal government in a landmark 2013 lawsuit which paved the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage across all states two years later. Edie is a cute, retro nickname that ranks just outside the Top 100 in the UK. Gilbert Gilbert Baker was an artist and LGBTQ rights activist. You might not know a lot about him but you will know of his most famous creation - the rainbow flag. The rainbow flag has become synonymous with Pride. Gilbert is a unique pick for a boy's name, but you never know, it could make a comeback very soon. Gracy Miss Major Griffin-Gracy was a long-standing advocate of transgender rights and a veteran of the Stonewall riots, which proved to be a quintessential moment for the LGBTQ+ community in the US and across the world. Gracie is the more popular spelling of the name but the -y ending feels more mature. Harvey As California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk achieved so much for for the LGBTQ community during his tenure, which was cut devastatingly short when he was assassinated just ten months after entering office. Harvey is an old school, sophisticated-sounding name which means "iron blazing" or "battle-worthy". Harvey was in the UK top 100 from 1997-2021, Nameberry reports, but it has fallen slightly in recent years. Jazz Jazz is a more contemporary pick after TV personality and trans rights campaigner Jazz Jennings. The youngest activist on this list, the 24-year-old American YouTuber and LGBT rights activist is one of the youngest publicly documented people to be identified as transgender. Jazz is a great modern-day pick for those touched by the current LGBTQ+ scene. Kahlo Frida Kahlo was a renowned Mexican painter who was was openly bisexual. Her work often explored themes of identity, gender, and sexuality. She is considered a strong LGBTQ+ figure. The Kahlo family name was found in the US between 1880 and 1920. In 2025, it would make for a fascinating artistic baby name. Intriguingly, it's more popular in the US for boys. Lili or Lilli The story of Lili Elbe, one of the earliest known recipients of gender reassignment surgery, was fictionalised in the book (then film) The Danish Girl. These -i ending forms of Lily have historically been most popular in Germany and Hungary – although we have seen a small uptick in them since the birth of Lilibet "Lili", daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Lyon Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin made history when they became the first same-sex couple to marry in California. This actually happened twice because their first marriage was voided. Lyon, who was also a lifelong activist, sadly passed away in April 2020. This surname, suggesting bravery and a sense of wildness, could make a unique alternative to 'Leo'. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
