Latest news with #GigforGaza
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Buddies raise almost £3,500 to support starving and ill in Gaza
Organised by Paisley4Palestine, in partnership with The Bungalow and a host of musicians, the gig raised £3,340 for Medical Aid for Palestine Buddies have helped raise almost £3,500 to support starving and ill Palestinians in Gaza. Paisley people came together with musicians from across Scotland to stand in solidarity with innocent civilians as part of Gig for Gaza. Organised by Paisley4Palestine, in partnership with The Bungalow and a host of musicians, the gig raised £3,340 for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP). The charity delivers life-saving aid, food and medical supplies to Gazans who now face starvation as well as the daily bombing from Israeli Defence Forces. The gig, featuring an array of musical talent, was held just days before Israel lifted its blockade on Gaza, which had not received any food, fuel or medical supplies for 11 weeks. About 130 lorries carrying humanitarian aid have crossed into the Gaza Strip in the past three days. However the UN says it would need to see 600 trucks – carrying food, medicines, baby food and medical equipment – per day in order to begin tackling Gaza's humanitarian crisis. John Kelly, a founding member of Paisley 4 Palestine told the Paisley Daily Express: 'All of the artists and The Bungalow gave their time free to this event and Paisley4Palestine are eternally grateful to them all. 'Buddies contributed over £3,000 to MAP, aid which is badly needed as the Israelis continue their relentless assault on the civilian population of Gaza, at the same time as they pursue a colonial settler project in the West Bank. 'Both assaults are in flagrant breach of international law and we once again call upon our political representatives to do all they can to boycott and disinvest from Israel, as the only way to stop the ongoing murderous assaults on innocent people, with the main victims being women and children. 'Paisley4Palestine urge all Buddies to contact their local Westminster MPs calling on them to make their voices heard in defence of the innocents under attack and facing starvation.' The gig took place last week and saw punk/rap band Aidan and the Outkkasts kick off the show with a blistering performance. Iona Fyfe mixed her own songs of protest with classics in a really heartfelt session which had the crowd in raptures. SHOUT! had the Bungalow jumping as did Alexx Munro's set, before Howlin' Radio took to the stage with some very well received classic rock. Special guest 'Replacement Kneecap' –otherwise known as Paisley's own Tannahill Makar Sean – delivered spoken words on the situation across the world but particularly on the role of Zionism in the attacks on Gaza and on the West Bank. Clydebank singer/songwriter Eddie Reid's voice was impressive as he gave the crowd some lovely, thoughtful and inspirational numbers while Barrhead's Kitti – repeat winner of the best jazz vocalist award at the Scottish Jazz Awards – finished her set with Viva Palestina before making way for radical rockers The Tenementals. They finished the night off with radical sounds and tales of resistance reflecting the tone of the night. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 53,655 Palestinians and wounded 121,950, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and took 250 people hostage in an attack on October 7, 2023.
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Paisley 'gig for Gaza' raises £3000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians
Artists like folk singer Iona Fyfe, Glasgow-based rockers The Tenementals, and the Best Jazz Vocalist at the Scottish Jazz Awards, Kitti, were among those who attended the fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) at the Bungalow Bar on Monday. The Gig for Gaza, organised by Paisley4palestine, helped to raise more than £3000 for the charity that offers medical services in the West Bank and in Gaza, along with advocating for Palestinians' rights to health and dignity. READ MORE: Labour refuse to say if ministers will accept Israeli government's summit invite Punk/rap group Aidan and the Outkkasts kicked off the show with a 'blistering performance', meanwhile, SHOUT! And Alexx Munro had the Bungalow Bar 'jumping', according to one of the event's organisers, John Kelly. Howlin' Radio provided some classic rock while special guest 'Replacement Kneecap,' aka Paisley's own Tannahill Makar, delivered a 'strong' spoken word performance where they spoke about the role of Zionism in the attacks on Gaza and on the West Bank. (Image: Paisley4palestine) Clydebank singer/songwriter Eddie Reid also performed before The Tenementals finished off the evening with 'radical sounds and tales of resistance'. Kelly said that all the artists and The Bungalow gave their time for free to help with the event, which he said he was 'eternally grateful' for. (Image: Paisley4palestine) He added that the money raised for MAP will go towards aid which is 'badly needed as the Israelis continue their relentless assault on the civilian population of Gaza, at the same time as they pursue a colonial settler project in the West Bank'.
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Renfrewshire musicians unite with Gig for Gaza
Artists, The Bungalow and campaigners have come together to stage Gig for Gaza – a concert which seeks to raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP). A host of musicians are joining forces with Paisley 4 Palestine and The Bungalow as they desperately seek to support people in Gaza who are facing famine. The artists, venue and campaign group have come together to stage Gig for Gaza – a concert which seeks to raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP). The humanitarian aid charity works tirelessly to support civilians who are now facing what the United Nations has described as 'catastrophic hunger'. On Monday, Barrhead songstress Kitti will take to the stage alongside folk singer Iona Fyfe, radical band The Tenementals and rock band Aidan Moore and the Outkkasts. Other performers include Howlin' Radio, Shout, Eddie Reid and Alexx Munro. The performers have come together with the shared aim of raising funds for MAP while raising awareness of the plight of Palestinians in Gaza – where food and other aid has been blocked for in excess of two months. John Kelly, of Paisley 4 Palestine, said the gig was not only an opportunity for people to show solidarity and send aid to the Palestinian people, but also a chance to listen to great music. John told the Express: 'The situation in Gaza is beyond belief with the so-called Israeli 'Defence' Force continuing to murder innocent civilians on a daily basis. 'The need to support MAP has never been more important with the Israeli state not only bombarding, shooting and assaulting the general population in Gaza, but also seeking to starve them to death. 'The Israelis have been blockading aid to the strip; this has led to famine and illness. 'MAP works tirelessly to help the people of Gaza despite the planned destructive strategy of the Israelis. We would urge all Buddies to come along to the gig and thank The Bungalow for their fabulous support. 'If you cannot attend, you can donate online at and tickets are available at this link also.' Israel sealed the gates of Gaza in March – which blocked all shipments of humanitarian aid including food and medical supplies – despite outrage from some of its European allies. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has since designated Gaza is close to famine and that civilians are effectively being starved by Israel's blockade. In practical terms, the phase five classification, the most acute used by the IPC, estimates that '71,000 children and more than 17,000 mothers will need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition'. Israel's defence minister Israel Katz admitted last month that the blockade was a 'main pressure lever' to secure victory over Hamas and to get all the hostages out. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages. Israel's military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 52,000 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Telegraph
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ofcom adviser accused Israel of ‘genocide' in Gaza
An Ofcom adviser who accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and espoused 'conspiratorial fantasies' about Jews should be removed from the broadcasting watchdog, campaigners have said. Aaqil Ahmed posted on social media that the musician Paul Weller was 'spot on' when he said 'we cannot let genocide be a legitimate thing' during a Gig for Gaza concert last year. The former head of religion at the BBC also wrote on X that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had 'hijacked' the Middle East and 'every European capital'. Mr Ahmed's social media comments have resurfaced just days after Lord Grade, the Ofcom chairman, wrote to the BBC to say the regulator could step in if an internal inquiry into the making of a documentary about Gaza was not satisfactory. The corporation removed the film Gaza: How to Survive A Warzone from iPlayer after it emerged the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who had worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. Now campaigners are calling on Mr Ahmed, who worked for the BBC for 25 years, to be ousted from his advisory role at Ofcom over his comments. A Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesman said it was writing to Lord Grade to ask for the removal of Mr Ahmed from Ofcom 's advisory committee. 'Claiming that the prime minister of the world's Jewish state has taken control of the USA and all of Europe is completely moronic and deranged,' the spokesman said. 'Moreover, it engages the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition of anti-Semitism which states that 'the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions' is an example of anti-Semitism.' Mr Ahmed's message, posted alongside a television interview of David Mencer, the Israeli government spokesman insisting Mr Netanyahu had not derailed peace negotiations in September, appeared as follows: The messages were highlighted by the Guido Fawkes website, which described them as 'eyebrow-raising' following Ofcom's role in the Gaza documentary debacle. Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said that although Mr Ahmed's post raised 'legitimate criticism' of Mr Netanyahu, 'his claim about special control over the Middle East and the Western world descends into classic conspiracy fantasy about Jews'. On Friday, Mr Ahmed described the suggestion that he was anti-Semitic as 'utterly ridiculous', insisting that his comments were about a politician and made no mention of religion or ethnicity. 'I find this utterly ridiculous. To accuse me of anti-Semitism smacks of people trying to score political points,' he said. 'My comments were based upon Israeli friends' interpretations of their political experiences of their prime minister, and my experience of travelling to Israel. 'My comments were specifically about the politician and not about the politician's religion. I expressed views shared by many Israelis.' Mr Ahmed added that throughout his career, including as head of religion at the BBC, he had been involved in commissioning numerous programmes about the Jewish communities around the world. An Ofcom spokesman said: 'All advisory committee members are independent advisers to Ofcom, who are bound by a strict code of conduct. We will raise this matter with the individual concerned.' It is understood that Mr Ahmed is due to step down in May from his Ofcom advisory board role and has attended his final board meeting. He did not have a decision-making role at the watchdog. In 2023, Fadzai Madzingira, Ofcom's online safety supervision director, was suspended after she claimed Israel was an 'apartheid state' on her Instagram account. The Guido Fawkes website posted screen grabs of what appeared to be posts from her account describing Israel as an 'apartheid state'. Ofcom confirmed the suspension, 'pending further investigation'. In another post she appeared to like a post calling Israel and the UK a 'vile colonial alliance'.
