Latest news with #LabourFriendsofIsrael
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
Labour MPs visit Israel in middle of Gaza genocide
The party's most prominent pro-Israel group, Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), sent a delegation of parliamentarians including chair Jon Pearce, as well as fellow Labour MPs Cat Eccles, Kevin McKenna, Peter Prinsley and Mark Sewards. They were pictured with a host of Israeli politicians over the course of the 4-day delegation, including former president Isaac Herzog. Herzog has previously been criticised after photographs showed him signing Israeli bombs set to be dropped on Gaza. His comments in the wake of the October 7 attack were also cited in South Africa's International Court of Justice case as expressing genocidal intent. In the days after the attack Herzog said it was not only Hamas militants who were responsible but 'an entire nation' and vowed that Israel would fight 'until we break their backbone'. Incredibly, in the middle of a genocide, Labour MPs @Jon4HighPeak @catecclesstour @PeterPrinsley @MarkJSewards just visited Israel with lobbyists @_LFI, and met with politicians who've depicted civilians in Gaza as an enemy & called for starving the entire population to death 🧵 — North Herts Palestine Solidarity Campaign (@NHertsPsc) June 4, 2025 Meanwhile, they also met with deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel. According to a LFI briefing on the trip, the group also held meetings with Israel's Leader of the Opposition, Yair Lapid, as well as with Yair Golan, leader of Labour's sister party, the Democrats. Lapid said in October 2023: 'I think that in this battle, it is forbidden to allow a humanitarian effort. We need to say to them: listen, until the [captives] are released, from our side, you can die from starvation. It's totally legitimate.' They then travelled to Ramallah in the West Bank, meeting with representatives of the Palestinian Authority including ambassador Adel Atieh.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SXSW London accused of ‘artwashing' for hosting unannounced panels with Tony Blair and David Cameron
Famed as the world's leading festival of creativity, SXSW has made its European debut this month with an edition landing in London for the first time. However, controversy quickly reared its head... Former UK prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron were among the unannounced speakers at the inaugural edition of SXSW London, which runs until 7 June and spans film, gaming, panel discussion and music – including musical acts Erykah Badu, Nile Rodgers and Idris Elba. Screenshots were leaked of the un-shared programme that included Cameron talking on a panel called Healthcare Revolution, and Blair on one called Government and AI, which also featured Technology Secretary and Labour Friends of Israel member Peter Kyle. Tony Blair spoke at the conference's opening day, saying that Britain needs to fully embrace artificial intelligence in public services and that we 'could have AI tutors' along with 'AI nurses, AI doctors'. Despite lingering concerns over data privacy and job displacement, Blair stated that the UK risks being left behind in what he described as the greatest transformation since the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. His comments were echoed by Peter Kyle, who argued that the UK risked becoming 'obsolete' if it failed to act boldly. Blair did stress that AI was neither inherently good or bad, but a powerful tool requiring responsible use. Both Blair and Kyle spoke after a UK government trial found that generative AI could save civil servants an average of 26 minutes a day. The panel appearance, which was not announced to the public or artists, prompted many artists to cancel their planned performances at the festival. Sam Akpro, Rat Party, Saliah and LVRA were amongst the artists who pulled out, with the latter accusing the festival of 'artwashing', saying that 'whilst the music team were pulling together a diverse, 'cool' lineup, the conference team were booking speakers from multiple organisations deeply complicit in the current genocide of Palestinian people.' 'I implore artists to engage, rather than ignore, those things that affect us and strive to protect the most marginalised voices in the world,' LVRA added. 'I urge us as a community to think bigger, and better, than the scraps offered to us today.' Scottish artist Magnus Westwell said they're also joining the boycott "due to the corporation's unethical, misleading and secretive conference programming of war criminals, art-washing and practices that exploit marginalised artists." See some of the other reactions below. To address the criticisms, a spokesperson for SXSW London sent the following: "As one of the world's largest festivals across tech, music and the creative industries, SXSW London respects everyone's views and positions and aims to create an open, diverse space for debate and discussion.' The statement continued: 'Across the breadth of the festival, with over 800 speakers, we have a broad range of global leaders spanning the technology and cultural industries, their inclusion doesn't represent an endorsement of any particular position or viewpoint." This is not the first time that artists have boycotted SXSW. More than 100 artists and speakers pulled out of last year's edition of the brand's flagship Austin event in Texas after it partnered with the US Army and defense contractor RTX Corporation. The huge wave of 2024 SXSW boycotts due to the festival's ties to defense groups that supply Israeli weapons in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war included artists like Kneecap, Rachel Chinouriri, Lambrini Girls and Scowl. Following the backlash, both partnerships were discontinued for 2025 - proving artist Saliah right: boycotts work.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
SXSW London accused of ‘artwashing' for hosting panel with Tony Blair
Famed as the world's leading festival of creativity, SXSW has made its European debut this month with an edition landing in London for the first time. However, controversy quickly reared its head... Former UK prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron were among the unannounced speakers at the inaugural edition of SXSW London, which runs until 7 June and spans film, gaming, panel discussion and music – including musical acts Erykah Badu, Nile Rodgers and Idris Elba. Screenshots were leaked of the un-shared programme that included Cameron talking on a panel called Healthcare Revolution, and Blair on one called Government and AI, which also featured Technology Secretary and Labour Friends of Israel member Peter Kyle. Tony Blair spoke at the conference's opening day, saying that Britain needs to fully embrace artificial intelligence in public services and that we 'could have AI tutors' along with 'AI nurses, AI doctors'. Despite lingering concerns over data privacy and job displacement, Blair stated that the UK risks being left behind in what he described as the greatest transformation since the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. His comments were echoed by Peter Kyle, who argued that the UK risked becoming 'obsolete' if it failed to act boldly. Blair did stress that AI was neither inherently good or bad, but a powerful tool requiring responsible use. Both Blair and Kyle spoke after a UK government trial found that generative AI could save civil servants an average of 26 minutes a day. The panel appearance, which was not announced to the public or artists, prompted many artists to cancel their planned performances at the festival. Sam Akpro, Rat Party, Saliah and LVRA were amongst the artists who pulled out, with the latter accusing the festival of 'artwashing', saying that 'whilst the music team were pulling together a diverse, 'cool' lineup, the conference team were booking speakers from multiple organisations deeply complicit in the current genocide of Palestinian people.' 'I implore artists to engage, rather than ignore, those things that affect us and strive to protect the most marginalised voices in the world,' LVRA added. 'I urge us as a community to think bigger, and better, than the scraps offered to us today.' Scottish artist Magnus Westwell said they're also joining the boycott "due to the corporation's unethical, misleading and secretive conference programming of war criminals, art-washing and practices that exploit marginalised artists." See some of the other reactions below. Une publication partagée par LVRA // loo-rah (@itslooroll) Une publication partagée par Sam Akpro (@ Une publication partagée par Saliah (SAAL-YA) ساليا (@saliahgram) To address the criticisms, a spokesperson for SXSW London sent the following: "As one of the world's largest festivals across tech, music and the creative industries, SXSW London respects everyone's views and positions and aims to create an open, diverse space for debate and discussion.' The statement continued: 'Across the breadth of the festival, with over 800 speakers, we have a broad range of global leaders spanning the technology and cultural industries, their inclusion doesn't represent an endorsement of any particular position or viewpoint." This is not the first time that artists have boycotted SXSW. More than 100 artists and speakers pulled out of last year's edition of the brand's flagship Austin event in Texas after it partnered with the US Army and defense contractor RTX Corporation. The huge wave of 2024 SXSW boycotts due to the festival's ties to defense groups that supply Israeli weapons in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war included artists like Kneecap, Rachel Chinouriri, Lambrini Girls and Scowl. Following the backlash, both partnerships were discontinued for 2025 - proving artist Saliah right: boycotts work.
North Wales Chronicle
4 days ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Justice minister ‘terrified' by actions of pro-Palestinian activists, court told
Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, gave evidence at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday in the trial of Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, who deny harassment. The court heard how Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, had arrived in the village of Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on the afternoon of June 26 last year. As she made her way to the campaign meeting place, she saw Behit and Ahmed with leaflets describing her as a 'full-blown supporter of this genocide' – referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ms Davies-Jones told the court: 'I was asked a number of questions around the conflict in Israel and Palestine, and my conduct as an MP, if I had taken part in votes, membership of organisations such as Labour Friends of Israel. 'They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote. 'It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation. 'I had a number of young members with me. They already felt uncomfortable, I didn't want them to feel more at risk. 'They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us – 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?'' Ms Davies-Jones said her group walked into the University of South Wales campus, then continued their campaigning but saw Behit and Ahmed about 20 minutes later. She described how Labour volunteers were knocking on doors and talking to constituents, followed by the two defendants handing out leaflets and claiming she 'supported genocide and murdering babies'. The team decided to finish early but discovered one of their vehicles had been 'covered with stickers and leaflets', Ms Davies-Jones said. Later that day, Behit and Ahmed put posters on the Labour office – the base of Ms Davies-Jones' campaign for the general election – in Pontypridd that referred to politicians 'enabling genocide'. They also placed stickers in black capital letters reading 'Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?' on the office, and a poster reading 'Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide' on a bus stop. When asked about how their actions made her feel, Ms Davies-Jones told the court: 'I was terrified. 'I was worried because of the risk to my team and supporters, and my reputation given it was the general election and what that would mean. 'I was scared about what things they were going to do and what they were doing.' A video of the confrontation was then uploaded onto social media, with the caption describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist. She added: 'The abuse was endless. It was awful. It was relentless. I felt under attack. The video was clipped and manipulated in a way that made it seem I had lied.' Ms Davies-Jones said that as a result of the incident, she reduced campaigning sessions and had to be accompanied by close protection officers. The politician, who was first elected as MP for Pontypridd in 2019, described the murders of fellow MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess as 'devastating'. 'They have an impact on all of us,' Ms Davies-Jones said. 'They have changed our lives fundamentally in how we live and work.' Giving evidence, Ahmed said she and Behit lived in Treforest and had wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones' actions on Palestine ahead of the election. She said the defendants, both of Treforest, had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards them. Ahmed said: 'I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her. 'It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild. 'I took the video because I thought nobody would believe me. It was a surprise when she approached us and said hi and she was willing to have a conversation. 'It felt like a really normal conversation between people who don't agree on something. 'Have you ever seen MPs talk to each other in the House of Commons? They can be quite brutal to each other.' Ahmed said it was her first time leafleting, having previously emailed Ms Davies-Jones and taken part in peaceful protest. 'This wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine,' she said. Behit told the court: 'She was running for MP and where I lived there were posters everywhere. It was constant, everywhere you looked was pro-Alex. 'My intention was to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research. It was never about Alex as a person. 'Part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted.' Both defendants deny that their actions amounted to harassment. Their trial continues.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Minister harassed by Palestine activists
A government minister was "terrified" after being confronted by two pro-Palestine activists while campaigning, a court has heard. Alex Davies-Jones said she felt "scared and intimidated" after being approached by Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, both from Treforest, Rhondda Cynnon Taf. Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard Ms Behit and Ms Ahmed had leaflets describing the MP for Pontypridd as a "full-blown supporter of this genocide" in Gaza. Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, was approached while leafletting in the defendants' hometown on 26 June last year ahead of the general election - Ms Ahmed and Ms Ahmed deny their actions amounted to harassment. Ms Davies-Jones said she was asked questions "around the conflict in Israel and Palestine and my conduct as an MP, if I had taken part in votes, membership of organisations such as Labour Friends of Israel". "They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote," she added. "It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated and we wanted to leave the situation. "They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us - 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?"' Women in court accused of harassing MP over Gaza How controversial US-Israeli backed Gaza aid plan turned to chaos Hamas makes hostage pledge but demands changes to US Gaza ceasefire plan Ms Davies-Jones said the two defendants also handed out leaflets and put posters on the Labour office in Pontypridd that referred to politicians "enabling genocide". She told the court their actions left her feeling "terrified" and a video of the confrontation was uploaded on to social media with the caption, describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist, was "manipulated in a way that made it seem I had lied". Ms Davies-Jones said, as a result of the incident, she reduced campaigning sessions and had to be accompanied by close protection officers. Ms Ahmed said she and Ms Behit wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones's actions on Palestine ahead of the election and had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards them. Ms Ahmed said she filmed the video "because I thought nobody would believe me" adding that "it felt like a really normal conversation between people who don't agree on something". Ms Behit told the court "it was never about Alex as a person... part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted," she said. Their trial continues.
