Latest news with #Pro-Gaza
New Statesman
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
Keir Starmer alienates left and right on Gaza
Photo by Toby Melville -. Over the weekend, three posters appeared next to Kentish Town West overground station, plastered onto the billboards which sit under the bridge to the left of the entrance. They read: 'Wanted Keir Starmer', calling out the Prime Minister for his perceived complicity in Israel's war in Gaza. They, and other posters, popped up around London on Saturday ahead of a wider mobilisation of activists, led by Palestinian Youth Movement. Kentish Town is at the heart of Starmer's constituency – Holborn and St Pancras – but it is also the place that the Prime Minister called home before last year's general election. His favourite pub, The Pineapple sits to the north of the area, and he still plays five-aside football on a Kentish Town pitch. It is a political home. But things are shifting. In 2019 Starmer was returned to Holborn and St Pancras with a majority of 27,763. In 2024 it had dropped to 18,884. This cannot be explained away entirely by the war in Gaza. But the pro-Gaza independent who ran against Starmer in 2024, Andrew Feinstein certainly squeezed some of his vote. The slow gestation of the new left-wing party (whose founding is being co-led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana) has awakened talk of Feinstein's candidacy. He has said he will support and likely join the new party and Holborn and St Pancras is already being talked about as a key target (despite the next general election still being four years away). But this is a scenario which is playing out for members across the cabinet; it is not unique to the Prime Minister. Fury over Gaza was bubbling even before the last election, now it is organised. Wes Streeting, Shabanna Mahmood and Jess Philips have already felt the heat in their constituencies. Streeting held onto his Ilford North constituency last year by just 528 votes with Philips facing a similar position, winning a majority of 693. Both constituencies featured heavily mobilised campaigns over Gaza. Protests under the banner of a 'Siege on Labour' will take place in all three of these constituencies today; Lammy and Streeting's offices will be directly targeted by protesters. The catalyst for this was likely Starmer's decision last week that the UK will recognise the state of Palestine if the Israeli government commits to a ceasefire (government insiders have said the PM has been working on a plan for exactly how to do this for months). But the government has repeatedly been criticised for dragging its feet on the issue and last week, this disparagement grew to include members of the cabinet. The timing of last week's announcement seemed as much an act of party management as anything else. But his announcement last Tuesday has assuaged the concerns of no one. Pro-Gaza MPs say he is not moving fast enough. A group of peers, sympathetic to Israel, said last week that Starmer risks breaking international law with his pledge, and lawyers representing the remaining hostages have expressed their fury at what they see as the UK's capitulation to the demands of Hamas. Both sides say they are being used as 'bargaining chips'. On Sunday night, Starmer came under renewed pressure to delay recognition after a senior Hamas official said the same move by the UK and other nations to recognise a Palestinian state is 'one of the fruits of October 7'. Wider comparisons between Starmer and Tony Blair (and the rage over Iraq) are being made. For the New Labour leader, as for Starmer, a deep crisis in the Middle East has created a fresh and choleric fault line in British politics. But unlike Iraq, the war in Gaza is a crisis Starmer was dealing with before he became Prime Minister; and the damage to Labour has already been wrought. Indeed, the electoral peril to Labour over this issue already appears greater than that over Iraq. And with the arrival of a new party, whose main focus is likely to be government failures on Gaza, this is just the beginning of four years of firefighting. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Scottish Sun
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Pro-Gaza demonstrators disrupt filming of new Gal Gadot film in protest of Israeli actress as Met arrests five
Gadot is understood to be filming an action thriller called The Runner AND ACTION! Pro-Gaza demonstrators disrupt filming of new Gal Gadot film in protest of Israeli actress as Met arrests five Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FIVE protesters have been arrested after they allegedly targeted the filming of Gal Gadot's new movie. The demonstrators disrupted production at several locations across London in recent weeks, the Metropolitan Police said. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Five protesters have been arrested after they allegedly targeted the filming of Gal Gadot's new movie Credit: Getty The force said the protestors targeted sets "solely because an actress involved in the production is Israeli". Gadot, 40, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, previously showed support for Israel's invasion of Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attacks. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (Pacbi) has since argued people who support their group should boycott Gadot films. Gadot is understood to currently be filming an action thriller called The Runner in the capital. Police were called to a set location in Westminster on Wednesday. Officers detained five people on suspicion of harassment and offences under Section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act. Two of the arrests were in relation to previous protests, while three were in response to incidents that unfolded on Wednesday. All five remain in custody. Supt Neil Holyoak said: "While we absolutely acknowledge the importance of peaceful protest, we have a duty to intervene where it crosses the line into serious disruption or criminality. "We have been in discussions with the production company to understand the impact of the protests on their work and on any individuals involved. "I hope today's operation shows we will not tolerate the harassment of or unlawful interference with those trying to go about their legitimate professional work in London." The Runner, produced by David Kosse, stars Gadot as a lawyer on a mission to rescue her kidnapped son. Gadot has been pictured back on set this week, despite the protests. Demonstrations also followed the actress to her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony after her role in the latest Snow White movie. A Pro-Palestine group stood outside the ceremony carrying signs reading: "Viva Viva Palestina". In a Variety interview earlier this week, Gadot said: "After October 7th [2023], I don't talk politics — because who cares about the celebrity talking about politics? "I'm an artist. I want to entertain people. I want to bring hope and be a beacon of light whenever I say anything about the world. "But on October 7th, when people were abducted from their homes, from their beds, men, women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors, were going through the horrors of what happened that day, I could not be silent. "I'm not a hater. I'm a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor who came to Israel and established his family from scratch after his entire family was erased in Auschwitz. "And on the other side of my family, I'm eighth generation Israeli. I'm an indigenous person of Israel. "I am all about humanity and I felt like I had to advocate for the hostages. I am praying for better days for all. "I want everybody to have good life and prosperity, and the ability to raise their children in a safe environment."
Telegraph
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Allah sees everything': Gaza groups tell Muslims who to vote for
Pro-Gaza activists are telling Muslim voters who to back in next month's local elections. A campaign video which declares that 'Allah sees everything' suggests which county council candidates voters in Wycombe should support based on whether they will back a boycott of Israeli goods if elected on May 1. The video was condemned by Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday night as 'evil Islamist sectarianism' that had no place in the UK. The reference to Allah risks raising concerns that voters are being subjected to 'undue spiritual interference', a criminal offence under electoral law. It comes amid warnings of the spread of sectarian politics after four independent MPs won their seats at the last election by running on a pro-Palestinian ticket. The video features the logos of the High Wycombe branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Palestine on the Ballot, a nationwide pressure group. The PSC said it had no knowledge of the video and was not involved in producing it. Palestine on the Ballot was contacted for comment. Eighty-one Buckinghamshire county council hopefuls are pictured alongside a summary of their views on the controversial BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) movement against Israel. Eighteen candidates appear alongside a green tick after telling activists they would 'support and promote divestment from companies involved in human rights violations'. The names of the remaining 63 candidates appear in red text with a cross next to their names because they either said they were opposed to a boycott or did not give a response. The previous Tory government had planned to ban allowing public bodies to run their own boycott campaigns but the legislation was ultimately dropped. At the start of the video, text that appears beside a Palestinian flag reads: 'Think before you vote! It's clear who is supporting genocide and subservient to their masters. 'There are those that are against it, have morals and are not scared to support the oppressed. Don't just vote because they are Muslim.' At the end of the clip, a second block of text says: 'Think before you vote. Separate the clout seekers from humans who will make a difference. 'Don't sell your soul as Allah sees everything.' Undue spiritual influence – the use of religion to pressure people into voting in a certain way – is a form of election interference and is illegal under the Elections Act 2022. The offence comes with a maximum prison sentence of two years. Mrs Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, told The Telegraph: 'Conservatives will never succumb or kowtow to this evil Islamist sectarianism, which destroys lives all around the world. 'It is evil, make no mistake, and it stands against everything we believe in. Every day millions of people flee countries where this sort of politics is practised. 'It does not belong in Britain and threatens our democracy and our way of life.' Steve Baker, a former minister who was the Tory MP for Wycombe from 2010 until last year, said a rise in sectarian voting was 'profoundly against the interests of Wycombe and the entire UK'. Mr Baker said: 'As a former minister of state for Northern Ireland, I've seen the legacy of sectarian religious politics – it is not a healthy place to go. 'So if you're amongst those who are promoting it, stop it please. You're not even serving the people of the people of Gaza. 'If you're a local British Muslim, please know that voting on religious lines is not helping that cause, and far from it, it's harming your own position in the United Kingdom.' Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, described the video as further proof that groups are casting their ballots along religious lines. Mr Farage said: 'This is sectarian politics, as I predicted. Do they realise these are local elections?' Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party were contacted for comment. According to the most recent census, Buckinghamshire has a Muslim population of about 7 per cent, slightly higher than the national average of 6 per cent. Eight of the candidates the video suggests voting for are Liberal Democrats. A further eight are independents, while two more are Conservatives. Labour was denied a number of seats at last year's election because of the rise of pro-Palestinian independents. The party has seen a sharp drop in its Muslim vote since the Oct 7 attacks and the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Muslim Vote, a campaign group which urges Muslim voters to vote on a pro-Gaza basis, said in a social media clip last month that it is 'playing to win' at all future elections. In the clip, a spokesman in the group said there will be '100 seats in play' at the next general election. They said: 'We will organise on every front. We will play the game but from now on we play to win.' A spokesman for the High Wycombe branch of the PSC said: 'This video was not produced by our branch, and we have no knowledge of who created it. 'It does contain some screenshots of legitimate questions that our High Wycombe branch has asked of all candidates standing in the upcoming local elections, along with their responses. 'We are campaigning for voters from all backgrounds and walks of life to take into consideration when voting their candidates' positions in relation to Israel's systematic violations of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people, and their willingness to take action to ensure the local council is not complicit in those violations through its investments.'
Saba Yemen
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
US aggression launches three airstrikes on Bani Hashish district in Sana'a
Sana'a - Saba: The US aggression launched on Friday three airstrikes on Sana'a province. A local official told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the US aggression targeted Bani Hashish district with three airstrikes. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print Capital, Sana'a, witnessed million-person march in "Jihad, Steadfastness, & Bravery... We Will Not Leave Gaza" march Sa'ada stages 35 massive pro-Gaza marches, defies US aggression Supervisory harvester team honored for contributing to harvesting wheat season in Al Jawf Important statement from Yemeni Armed Forces at 5:30 PM Armed Forces target by "Yaffa" drones two Israeli enemy military targets in occupied Jaffa Bin Habtoor Offers Condolences on Death of Abdul Nasser Al-Hanaki Hodeida women rally in force to support Gaza, condemn US-Zionist aggression Stay Armed Forces' statement will be at 10:50 p.m. Massive Pro-Gaza rallies erupt across Sana'a, condemning Israeli crimes Armed forces target aircraft carrier "Truman" & enemy warships with number of missiles & UAV
