Latest news with #HolocaustMemorialMuseum
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ugandan opposition denounces brutal crackdown ahead of 2026 elections
With less than a year until Uganda's presidential election, the political climate is increasingly tense. The main opposition party NUP has condemned the brutal crackdown on activists, saying 2,000 kidnappings have taken place since the last elections in 2021. But the government accuses the opposition of staging the abductions for political gain. Uganda is set to hold a general election in January, with President Yoweri Museveni looking to extend his 40-year rule. The last election in 2021 was marred by widespread reports of irregularities and severe violence from the security forces, which Museveni blamed on "indiscipline" and "laziness". The US-based Holocaust Memorial Museum recently warned of possible "mass atrocities" around the 2026 election. Last Friday, Bobi Wine, leader of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) said the army had raided his party's headquarters in the capital Kampala. The opposition was planning to use the HQ to launch a campaign to urge Ugandans to vote against the government in the general election and demonstrate to protect their democratic rights. Wine said his bodgyguard Edward Sebuufu (also referred to as Mutwe) had been "violently abducted" by armed men wearing uniforms associated with the Special Forces Command, an elite unit of Uganda's army. The NUP's secretary-general David Lewis Rubongoya told RFI that the police at first denied any responsibility for Sebuufu's abduction. However, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's military chief and the son of the President confirmed later on Friday that Sebuufu was indeed in his custody. Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:Uganda plans law to bring back military trials for civiliansKenya investigates alleged kidnapping of Ugandan opposition leader BesigyeUganda's Museveni sworn in for 6th time amidst opposition 'sham' claims
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump picks reality show star whose son was charged over Jan 6 riot for Holocaust Museum council
President Donald Trump has appointed a Real Housewives of New Jersey star to serve on the board of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Sigalit Flicker, 57, was appointed by Trump on Monday along with four other new members to replace President Joe Biden's picks who were axed last month, marking the first time a sitting president has eliminated board appointees ahead of their term's completion. Doug Emhoff, former Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, was one of the booted council members. Trump made eight other appointments last week. Flicker, an Israeli-American matchmaker, podcaster and television personality, previously starred in the seventh and eighth seasons of the Bravo TV show and also appeared in the VH1 series Why Am I Still Single?! In an Instagram post, she wrote of the appointment: 'Thank you for the privilege & honor to represent and never forget.' Flicker and the new appointees are supporters of the president and will serve five-year terms. Her stepson, Tyler Campanella, was arrested in April 2024 and charged with five misdemeanors for his alleged role in the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. FBI referenced one of Flicker's Instagram posts in an indictment against her stepson in which she wrote: 'I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you.' She added #StopTheSteal at the end of the post. The photo was of Campanella inside the Capitol. The Independent has contacted Flicker for comment. Campanella was charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and demonstrating in a restricted building. Trump administration officials dismissed his case shortly after the president's term began and he pardoned January 6 supporters who had been convicted for their role in the attack. Trump's other appointees include Frederick Marcus, Alex Witkoff, Rabbi Pinchos Lipshutz, Ariel Simon Abergel, Sidney Ferris Rosenberg, Barbara Feingold, Betty Pantirer Schwartz, Robert David Garson, Sigalit Flicker, Lee Marc Lipton, Nate Segal and Jackie Schutz Zeckman. Rosenberg, known as Sid Rosenberg, is the host of the Sid & Friends In The Morning, a WABC show. In a statement posted to Instagram last week, he said: 'To have the greatest president in the history of our country appoint me to such an important post is beyond affords me the opportunity to keep fighting for the Jewish people.'
eNCA
02-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Ugandan army chief says torturing opposition aide 'in his basement'
Uganda's main opposition leader, Bobi Wine, said on Friday the army had raided his party's headquarters, hours after the head of the army claimed to have abducted Wine's bodyguard and was torturing him "in his basement". There has been a mounting crackdown on the opposition ahead of the general election in January and the moves come as Wine was set to launch a "protest vote" campaign. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is head of the army but also the son and heir-apparent of long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni, posted on X late on Thursday that Wine's bodyguard, Eddie Mutwe, had been captured "like a grasshopper". "He is in my basement... You are next," Kainerugaba, known for his notorious posts on X, responded to Wine after the latter said on social media that Mutwe had been abducted. Kainerugaba also alluded to Mutwe being tortured, saying he had beaten him and shaved his head, adding: "I still have to castrate him". "If they keep on provoking us, we shall discipline them even more," he said of the opposition. Uganda has faced international condemnation over the abduction of opposition figures, including that of veteran leader Kizza Besigye, who was seized in Kenya last year and forcibly returned to face treason charges. Wine, a former singer whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has become the leading opponent to Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986. On Friday he said on X that security forces had "just raided and cordoned off our headquarters". He also condemned the abduction of Mutwe, telling AFP it was "a reminder to the world as to how law and order has broken down in Uganda". "For Muhoozi to confirm the abduction and illegal detention of Eddie Mutwe and sharing his photos half naked signals to the level of impunity the rogue regime has reached," he added. A police spokesman told AFP he had not been briefed on Mutwe's case. - 'Violently abducted' - Uganda is set to hold a general election in January, with Museveni looking to extend his 40-year rule. The last election in 2021 was marred by widespread reports of irregularities and severe violence from the security forces, which Museveni blamed on "indiscipline" and "laziness". AFP/File | BADRU KATUMBA The US-based Holocaust Memorial Museum recently warned of possible "mass atrocities" around the 2026 election. On Sunday, Wine's party, the National Unity Platform, said Mutwe had been "violently abducted" by armed men wearing uniforms associated with the Special Forces Command, an elite unit of Uganda's army. The NUP said heavily armed security forces had sealed off its headquarters in the capital Kampala prior to Friday's raid. The opposition was planning to use the HQ to launch a campaign to urge Ugandans to vote against the government in the general election and demonstrate to protect their democratic rights. Kainerugaba is notorious for his unfiltered posts on X. Earlier this year, he threatened to behead Wine and they have sparred repeatedly online. His comments have occasionally drawn Uganda into diplomatic spats.
Euronews
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Trump ousts Biden-era Holocaust Council members including Doug Emhoff
ADVERTISEMENT President Donald Trump has dismissed many of former President Joe Biden's nominees to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council - among them Doug Emhoff, the Jewish husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris and a leading figure in the Biden administration's campaign against antisemitism . Emhoff, who played a key role in shaping the White House's approach to combatting hate, condemned the decision: 'Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicised.' He added, 'To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous - and it dishonours the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.' Related One month in, how has Trump impacted culture around the world? Funeral etiquette: Was Trump's blue suit a diplomatic and fashion blunder at pope's funeral? Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff listen as President Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in at the 60th Presidential Inauguration. Credit: AP Photo U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's 14th Street entrance. Credit: Timothy Hursley/United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Also removed were Ron Klain, Biden's former chief of staff, and Susan Rice, who spearheaded the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism in 2023 during her tenure as domestic policy adviser. Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to former First Lady Jill Biden, confirmed he, too, had been dismissed. Since taking office in January, Trump has moved to fire many Biden appointees across government - including ostensibly apolitical roles. Biden, too, while on a far smaller scale, dismissed some Trump carryover appointees after he entered the White House in 2021, including 18 appointees to U.S. military academy boards.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration removes Doug Emhoff from board of US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Doug Emhoff, the former second gentleman of the United States, said on Tuesday that he had been dismissed from the board of trustees of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Emhoff was dismissed from the board by President Donald Trump's administration, which has the power to appoint and remove members. "President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to ABC News. According to the museum, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which serves as the board of trustees of the museum, has 55 president-appointed members, as well as members from the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and the departments of Education, Interior and State. Emhoff was appointed in January to the council by then-President Joe Biden. "Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized," Emhoff said in a statement to ABC News. 'To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous," he continued, "and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve." MORE: Trump discusses first 100 days of historic presidency in exclusive ABC interview The dismissal of Emhoff from the board is the latest example of Trump removing people from what were traditionally nonpartisan roles appointed by presidents and other officials. In February, Trump announced he would be removing board members from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- and also installed himself as chair. MORE: Trump has taken steps to make his campaign promise to seek 'retribution' reality, critics say The New York Times was the first to report that a number of board members -- including Emhoff -- had been dismissed from the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which the White House confirmed to ABC News. Emhoff, who is Jewish and has talked extensively about the Holocaust and antisemitism, has previously spoken in support of Israel, and he supported Biden's efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war. In remarks to Jewish supporters on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, he framed then-Vice President Kamala Harris as "somebody who knows our community, will continue to support us and Israel, and make sure that just the world is free of hate, including antisemitism." The Holocaust Memorial Museum gave a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, saying, "At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the Museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing." "We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump Administration," the statement continued. Trump administration removes Doug Emhoff from board of US Holocaust Memorial Museum originally appeared on
