Latest news with #GretaThunberg
The Herald Scotland
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Val McDermid hits out on Baillie Gifford 'virtue signalling'
Speaking ahead of the return of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which parted company with Baillie Gifford after a 20-year partnership in the wake of protests from climate activists, McDermid said the company had been 'unfairly pilloried.' Read more: The Fife-born writer warned of the risk of festivals and the arts having to be over-reliant on public funding and the support of private philanthropists in future. McDermid was speaking two years after climate activist Greta Thunberg pulled the plug on a sold-out appearance at the Edinburgh book festival in the wake of reports of Baillie Gifford's links to the fossil fuels industry, saying she did not want to be associated with 'greenwashing.' Crime writer Val McDermid has spoken out over criticisms of Baillie Gifford's sponsorship of festivals. (Image: The University of Edinburgh) At the time, Baillie Gifford insisted it was not a 'significant fuel investor.' It claimed only two per cent of its clients' money was invested in companies with links to the fossil fuels industry, compared to five per cent it said was invested in companies developing 'clean energy solutions.' The Edinburgh International Book Festival is now staged at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. However, the campaign group Fossil Free Books stepped up action against book festivals backed by Baillie Gifford in the spring of last year. Hundreds of writers backed an open letter warning the festivals to expect escalation, including the expansion of boycotts, increased author withdrawal of labour, and increased disruption.' Organisers of Edinburgh's event announced the end of its Baillie Gifford partnership two weeks later, blaming the 'withdrawal of several authors and threats of disruption.' Organisers of the annual book festivals in Wigtown and the Borders also announced the end of their involvement with Baillie Gifford. The Edinburgh book festival, which is by far Scotland's oldest and biggest celebration of literature, which has seen its government funding more than doubled in the space of 12 months, to a record £820,000. A further £160,000 increase planned for the next financial year is expected to see the festival's government funding rise by more than £1.5m by 2027-2028 compared to the last three years of Baillie Gifford's involvement with the event, which it supported through its schools and children's programme. The government has agreed to provide £300,000 in funding for the next three years to plug the gap created by the loss of Baillie Gifford's support. McDermid is one of 641 writers due to appear across almost 700 events in the forthcoming two-week programme of events, which will run from August 9-24. She told The Herald: 'Last year was difficult for this book festival. This year hasn't been easy, but I think we can all see a light at the end of the tunnel now. 'The festival has come back with a really strong programme, with a lot of interesting themes and writers. I think people will really show up. 'It's been a tough experience for the festival to pull it back from losing its principal funder. 'I know how hard the festival director Jenny Niven has worked with her team to recover the financial position, but it's still been difficult. 'There's no question that the festival has got less to play with than it had before.' McDermid was among a group of leading Scottish authors who backed an open letter which described the targeting of book festivals as 'deeply retrograde' and 'ill thought-out' over their sponsors. Others included Alexander McCall Smith, Andrew O'Hagan, Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Doug Johnston, David Greig and Liz Lochhead. Many of the writers who backed the Fossil Free Books campaign have accepted invitations to appear at this year's Edinburgh book festival, including Ali Smith, Hannah Lavery, Jess Brough, Raymond Antrobus, Chitra Ramaswamy, Andrés N Ordorica, Harry Josephine Giles and Katie Goh. McDermid, who is due to make four appearances at the festival this August, said: 'The Edinburgh book festival was pushed into a corner last year by a group of people who, I think in many cases, saw it as an opportunity to put their name in public lights. 'The level of hypocrisy among some of the people involved was quite staggering. 'A lot of people just jumped on a bandwagon without thinking about it. 'There was a lot of virtue signalling, rather than sincerely held opinions from people who had actually researched the topic and knew what they were talking about. 'No-one is saying that Baillie Gifford is white than white. But there is no such thing as a clean sponsor. 'If you dig deep, everybody who sponsors an arts event has got something in the cupboard that you would be uncomfortable with.' 'What do you do? Are we not going to have book festivals anymore? Are we not going to have the arts unless they are sponsored by rich individuals. How clean are they?' McDermid suggested there was a risk of a return to the Renaissance era, 14th to the 17th century, when 'rich patrons' were relied on to fund the arts. She added: 'The arts shouldn't be dictated to by one individual or even one political party. 'I don't think the arts should be entirely funded by state funding. That would be wholly dangerous and potentially pernicious. 'There needs to be a mix of funding sources, including ticket sales, individual philanthropists and corporate sponsors too. 'We have to be careful where we take money from, but I think Baillie Gifford was unfairly pilloried in the circumstances.' A separate campaign group, Art Workers For Palestine Scotland, has targeted a number of other arts organisations backed by Baillie Gifford in recent months, including the [[Edinburgh]] International Festival and Fringe Society, over the company's links with defence firm Babcock International. [[The Herald]] told last year how Baillie Gifford had more than £60 million worth of shares in the owner of Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, which has previously worked with state-owned Israeli arms manufacturers.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Detained aid boat activists launch hunger strike
More than a dozen activists being held by Israel after their aid boat was intercepted en route to Gaza launched a hunger strike on Monday to protest their detention, according to a local NGO assisting them. At least five of the 21 passengers of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala have agreed to be summarily deported after the boat was stopped and boarded by the Israeli navy while attempting to break a military blockade of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. The legal aid group Adalah said that on Monday afternoon, "hearings concluded at Givon Prison, concerning the continued detention of the 14 volunteers who (...) refused to consent to an expedited deportation process". "During the hearings, the volunteers stressed that their mission was humanitarian — motivated by the need to act against Israel's illegal siege and the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza," the group said in a statement. One U.S. activist reported "severe physical violence by Israeli forces", while others described being held in poor conditions, Adalah said. "The activists told the tribunal that they remain on an open hunger strike in protest of their unlawful detention," it added. It later said the tribunal had "upheld the continued detention of the 14 volunteers". Israel has been treating their cases as immigration violations, which Adalah maintains is illegal, saying they were brought into the country against their will from international waters. The Handala's 21 passengers hailed from 10 countries, and included two French lawmakers and a pair of Al Jazeera journalists. Adalah said at least one of the lawmakers, the two journalists and two other passengers were already on their way out of the country. Two passengers who were Israeli-American dual nationals were released after being interrogated, according to the organisation. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel.
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Detained Gaza aid boat activists launch hunger strike: NGO - War on Gaza
More than a dozen activists being held by Israel after their aid boat was intercepted en route to Gaza launched a hunger strike on Monday to protest their detention by Israeli occupation forces, according to a local NGO assisting them. At least five of the 21 passengers of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala have agreed to be summarily deported after the boat was stopped and boarded by the Israeli navy while attempting to break a blockade of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. The legal aid group Adalah said that on Monday afternoon, "hearings concluded at Givon Prison, concerning the continued detention of the 14 volunteers who... refused to consent to an expedited deportation process". "During the hearings, the volunteers stressed that their mission was humanitarian -- motivated by the need to act against Israel's illegal siege and the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza," the group said in a statement. One US activist reported "severe physical violence by Israeli forces", while others described being held in poor conditions, Adalah said. "The activists told the tribunal that they remain on an open hunger strike in protest of their unlawful detention," it added. It later said the tribunal had "upheld the continued detention of the 14 volunteers". Israel has been treating their cases as immigration violations, which Adalah maintains is illegal, saying they were brought into the country against their will from international waters. The Handala's 21 passengers hailed from 10 countries, and included two French lawmakers and a pair of Al Jazeera journalists. Adalah said at least one of the lawmakers, the two journalists and two other passengers were already on their way out of the country. Two passengers who were Israeli-American dual nationals were released after being interrogated, according to the organisation. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Israel intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists and humanitarian aid
The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on Sunday, July 27. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military "violently intercepted" the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. Four French citizens, including two elected officials from the radical left La France Insoumise party, were on board the ship. Two Al-Jazeera journalists were also arrested. The boat had left Italy on July 13, six weeks after the departure of the Madleen, which had also been intercepted earlier by Israeli forces. "All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June. In May, the coalition's civilian aid ship Conscience sustained a drone attack off Malta that disabled the vessel. The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid. A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries. Adalah said the vessel has arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod, but that its lawyers have been denied access to the detained activists. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, regarding two Italians on board, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Sa'ar indicated that if they don't agree to leave the country immediately, they would be forcibly repatriated over the next three days, the ministry said. Also on board were seven US citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish US war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. Earlier, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the Israeli navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering the coastal waters off the territory of Gaza. "The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. All passengers are safe," it said. Just before midnight local time on Saturday, a video livestream broadcast from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the Israeli army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
IDF special forces raid ‘freedom flotilla' boat heading to Gaza
Israeli special forces have raided a new 'freedom flotilla' boat trying to deliver food and baby formula to Gaza. The Handala, organised by pro-Palestinian activists, was met by IDF forces approximately 40 nautical miles offshore and brought to the port of Ashdod, in Israel. Footage shows an Israeli commando jumping onto the vessel as activists wearing life jackets sit on deck with their hands up. The incident is the second in recent months in which activists have tried to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of food to raise awareness of famine and starvation in the Strip. The first attempt saw Greta Thunberg and other activists intercepted on a different boat and later deported. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the voyages, said on Sunday that 21 activists and journalists had been detained by the Israeli military. The Handala was carrying baby formula, food and medicine, the group said. Israel has strongly condemned attempts to breach its blockade – in place since shortly after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip nearly 20 years ago – branding the previous expedition as the 'selfie yacht'. However, the human rights group Adalah, which was trying to assist the crew, said the interception breached international law. It said its lawyers were in Ashdod demanding to speak to the occupants of the vessel, including two French parliamentarians and two Al Jazeera journalists. 'The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognised under international law,' Adalah said in a statement. 'Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.' Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with his Israeli counterpart, foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar, regarding two Italians on board, Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement. Mr Sa'ar indicated that if they don't agree to leave the country immediately, they would be forcibly repatriated over the next three days. Also on board were seven US citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish US war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It comes as Israel faces increasing international scrutiny about hunger levels in Gaza, with the United Nations and multiple foreign governments accusing it of failing to allow in adequate aid. In recent days, Israel has blamed the UN for failing to distribute aid that has been allowed through, claiming that around 1,000 trucks' worth is sitting waiting to be handed out. However, the international body says Israel places multiple practical restrictions on delivery. Airdrops taking place The Israeli Air Force also airdropped humanitarian aid over Gaza for the first time since the beginning of the war. Until now, other countries such as the UAE and the UK have airdropped food over the Strip during periods of the conflict, but Israel has not taken direct part in such operations. On Sunday two Jordanian and one Emirati plane dropped 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid over Gaza Strip, the Jordanian army said in a statement. The IDF said its aid distribution was carried out in co-ordination with international organisations and led by COGAT (Co-ordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories). The airdrops included seven packages of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food.
