Latest news with #solidarity
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Country ‘stands together in grief' with families of Southport victims on anniversary
The Prime Minister has stated the country will unite in "sorrow and solidarity" on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the devastating Southport attack. A three-minute silence will be observed at 3pm in the Merseyside town, a year after Axel Rudakubana launched his assault on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The attack tragically claimed the lives of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe. Rudakubana also attempted to murder eight other children and two adults during the incident. In the days that followed, the seaside town and other parts of the country experienced widespread violent disorder. In a statement shared on Tuesday morning, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'One year on, the whole nation stands with the families of Bebe, Alice and Elsie. 'We stand together in grief, in honour of the memory of those wonderful children, and in admiration of the families who have shown strength beyond words. 'We stand with all the children and adults who still bear the physical and mental scars of that day – and in awe of those who risked their lives to help. 'And we stand with the people of Southport, who have shown Britain the meaning of community. 'The nation wants to put its arms around you all. We will come together today to show our sorrow and solidarity. But also to show our determination to uphold the true legacy of Bebe, Alice and Elsie – one of joy, kindness and love.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the lives of the 'three innocent young girls' were 'extinguished in an act of pure evil'. In a post on X, she said: 'We honour the memories of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. 'Their families, and those that survived, carry unimaginable grief and trauma. 'We owe it to them, the people of Southport and communities across the country to demand justice and learn the painful lessons of state failure to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.' People have been asked not to leave flowers at the scene or at the schools the girls attended as the town continues to rebuild after the tragedy. Deputy leader of Sefton Council Paulette Lappin said the community was looking to move forward in a positive way. She told the PA news agency: 'It still remains beyond belief, even though I know it to be true, and so it's just very sad. 'From sadness, we hope to bring goodness and that's all we can do.' The area outside Southport Town Hall, where hundreds laid floral tributes and a vigil was held last year, is due to be transformed into legacy gardens, in memory of those who lost their lives. Ms Lappin said: 'It will be designed for the enjoyment and the fun of children, so that all children can come and they can all play in here. 'That's what we have to remember, that it is an absolutely terrible tragedy, but we cannot allow evil to define us.' A new playground is also being built at Churchtown Primary School, in memory of Alice and Bebe, who were both pupils. Members of the public are being asked to consider making donations to local causes – including funds set up in the names of the victims of the attack and the Southport Strong Together Appeal, which was established last year to support those affected. No large vigil will be held but churches and community centres will be open for those looking for support or space for quiet reflection. Ms Lappin said plans for the day were guided by the families, who had their 'thoughts, compassion and incredible respect'.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Country stands with families of Southport victims, Prime Minister says
The country will come together to show 'sorrow and solidarity' a year after the Southport attack, the Prime Minister has said. Three-minutes silence will be held in the Merseyside town at 3pm on Tuesday to mark a year since Axel Rudakubana launched his attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. In the days following the attack, during which he also attempted to kill eight other children and two adults, violent disorder broke out in the seaside town and across the country. Writing on X on Tuesday morning, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'One year on, the whole nation stands with the families of Bebe, Alice and Elsie. 'We stand together in grief, in honour of the memory of those wonderful children, and in admiration of the families who have shown strength beyond words. 'We stand with all the children and adults who still bear the physical and mental scars of that day – and in awe of those who risked their lives to help. 'And we stand with the people of Southport, who have shown Britain the meaning of community. 'The nation wants to put its arms around you all. We will come together today to show our sorrow and solidarity. But also to show our determination to uphold the true legacy of Bebe, Alice and Elsie – one of joy, kindness and love.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the lives of the 'three innocent young girls' were 'extinguished in an act of pure evil'. In a post on X, she said: 'We honour the memories of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. 'Their families, and those that survived, carry unimaginable grief and trauma. 'We owe it to them, the people of Southport and communities across the country to demand justice and learn the painful lessons of state failure to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.' People have been asked not to leave flowers at the scene or at the schools the girls attended as the town continues to rebuild after the tragedy. Deputy leader of Sefton Council Paulette Lappin said the community was looking to move forward in a positive way. She told the PA news agency: 'It still remains beyond belief, even though I know it to be true, and so it's just very sad. 'From sadness, we hope to bring goodness and that's all we can do.' The area outside Southport Town Hall, where hundreds laid floral tributes and a vigil was held last year, is due to be transformed into legacy gardens, in memory of those who lost their lives. Ms Lappin said: 'It will be designed for the enjoyment and the fun of children, so that all children can come and they can all play in here. 'That's what we have to remember, that it is an absolutely terrible tragedy, but we cannot allow evil to define us.' A new playground is also being built at Churchtown Primary School, in memory of Alice and Bebe, who were both pupils. Members of the public are being asked to consider making donations to local causes – including funds set up in the names of the victims of the attack and the Southport Strong Together Appeal, which was established last year to support those affected. No large vigil will be held but churches and community centres will be open for those looking for support or space for quiet reflection. Ms Lappin said plans for the day were guided by the families, who had their 'thoughts, compassion and incredible respect'.
The National
2 days ago
- General
- The National
Food in a bottle: Symbolic gesture highlights Egypt's Gaza dilemma
An Egyptian man in a widely shared video clip throws a partially filled plastic bottle with rice into the Mediterranean and prays that it reaches the starving in Gaza. "Forgive us!" he pleads, addressing the Palestinians in the war-devastated enclave that borders Egypt. "God, please take this away and deliver it to Gaza!" The food-in-a-bottle gesture quickly resonated in Egypt, where unconditional support for the Palestinian cause and anti- Israeli sentiment are ingrained in the hearts and minds of most of its 107 million people. Girls in the Sinai Peninsula, which neighbours Gaza, have now been filling bottles with rice and lentils and casting them into the sea. 'These are from the children of Sinai to the children of Gaza,' said one girl as she poured lentils into a plastic bottle. Another clip appears to show a man in Gaza retrieving one of the makeshift donations. "Our Egyptian brothers, one bottle has arrived," the man joyfully announces as he stands with the sea behind him. Some have suggested using balloons to send food to Gaza, with a warning that the wind direction and speed must be carefully calculated before release. "Tell us if this can work because maybe it can be the beginning of hope and we can all tell God on judgment day that it was all we could do," Faten wrote on a social media platform. On Sunday, relief aid began entering Gaza from Egypt alongside air drops by Jordan and the UAE after Israel temporarily eased restrictions on the entry of humanitarian assistance into the strip. That will likely bring an end to the social media storm stirred by the food-in-a-bottle video, but the broader challenges the Gaza war poses for Egypt's government are far from over. Delicate position The Gaza war and its fallout have left Egypt with the delicate and complex task of balancing its national interests with its historical role as the leading champion of the Palestinian cause. At stake is its 1979 peace treaty with Israel that is widely viewed as a cornerstone of the current regional order and the foundation of nearly 50 years of close ties between Egypt and the US, by far Israel's closest western backer and the donor of billions of dollars in aid to Egypt over the years. The US-sponsored treaty has often looked fragile, even irrelevant, with the Gaza war and Egypt's repeated condemnation of Israel's actions causing relations to plummet to their lowest since 1979. Another balancing act thrown up by the Gaza war is Egypt's close working relationship with Hamas – designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union – which came about as a by-product of Cairo's joint mediation alongside Qatar and the US to end the conflict. An equally foreboding challenge for Egypt is to stop Israel from making life so difficult or even impossible for Palestinians in Gaza that they would cross the border to settle in the sparsely populated Sinai, a scenario that Cairo sees as a threat to its national security that would hollow out the Palestinian cause. Since the war began, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi 's government has repeatedly sought to ease public discontent over the conflict, and, in a similar vein, other regional crises such as those in Libya and Sudan, as well as the Nile water dispute with Ethiopia. Egypt and Gaza are closely tied by social and political bonds. Egypt is the only Arab nation that shares a border with the Strip. The coastal enclave has consistently been part of Egyptian empires dating back to Pharaonic times. Most Gaza families have an Egyptian connection through centuries of intermarriage or tribal ties across the border in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. In the modern era, Egypt administered Gaza between 1948 and 1967, when Israel captured the enclave along with Sinai and the West Bank. The growing anger among Egyptians over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a level that has compelled Mr El Sisi to address the nation on Monday, to debunk accusations that it was not doing enough to end the war. "Don't ever think that we could ever play a negative role towards our brothers in Palestine, or that we would do that because of the gravity of the situation," he said in the televised address. "We play a role that's honest, sincere, respectable and honourable. That never changed and never will." The potential for public discontent over Gaza spilling over is seen by some as realistic, particularly as many Egyptians are already struggling with rising prices for everyday goods and services, a challenge some associate with broader issues in government policy. Street demonstrations in Egypt are barred without a permit, including those in support of Palestinians in Gaza or criticising Israel. When limited protests were allowed in the early days of the war, some demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans and attempted to occupy a central Cairo square, the symbolic heart of the 2011 uprising that led to the end of Hosni Mubarak's 29-year rule. 'Feeble accusations' Deepening the government's predicament, Al Azhar issued a strongly-worded statement accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, condemning what it called the international silence over the famine there, and bemoaning a lack of concrete action to feed starving Palestinians. Millions read the statement and shared it online before Al Azhar withdrew it and released a follow-up, saying it had "bravely" taken it off social media out of a sense of responsibility before God, to spare the Palestinians more bloodshed and not interfere with efforts to reach a ceasefire. The message made no mention of any government directive. Meanwhile, activists have been calling on the government for weeks to open Egypt's border crossing to allow food and other essential items through. For its part, the government has insisted it was Israel, whose military occupies the Gaza side of the border, that closed the crossing. Sending humanitarian aid to Gaza without co-ordination with Israel could lead to armed clashes and possibly war, pro-government commentators argued. "Egypt emphasises the shallowness and lack of logic in those feeble accusations," the Foreign Ministry said. "Their content runs contrary to Egypt's positions and interests while ignoring the role it has been – and is – playing since the start of Israel's aggression against Gaza, whether the tireless efforts to reach a ceasefire, relief operations and the entry of humanitarian assistance through the Rafah crossing," it added. It accused "some malicious groups and parties" – Egyptian parlance that refers, among others, to the banned Muslim Brotherhood - of what it described as a campaign designed to turn attention from what caused the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It called on Egyptians to exercise "extreme caution" when dealing with those "lies".
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Detained Australians on hunger strike after Israeli navy intercepted Gaza-bound aid boat
Two Australians detained by Israeli naval officers are on a hunger strike in solidarity with the people in Gaza, calling for an end to the aid blockade. Australian journalist Tan Safi and activist Robert Martin were with 19 others on board the vessel, dubbed Handala, attempting to break Israel and Egypt's blockade and deliver aid to Gaza. The pro-Palestinian group was intercepted roughly 57 nautical miles from Gaza, according to the organisers Freedom Flotilla Coalition, with a livestream of the boat showing the activists holding up their hands as armed soldiers boarded the vessel, before the feed was cut. SBS News has not been able to independently verify the vessel's location at the interception point. James Godfrey, a spokesperson for Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Free Gaza Australia, said they've made contact with Safi and Martin via lawyers from Adalah, a legal support organisation in Israel. The vessel called Handala departed from Italy one week ago, aiming to reach Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and break the Israeli blockade. Source: Getty / Anadolu "They've been in touch with nearly everybody who was kidnapped on board Handala, including Robert and Tan," Godfrey told SBS News. Detainees were reportedly told to either accept "voluntary deportation" or remain detained and appear before a tribunal, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. "We're anticipating that they will be taken to some kind of Israeli court or tribunal today, our time," he said. "They're currently both on hunger strike in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza who are being starved by the Israeli government with the support of the Australian government." Israel's government denies it imposes a policy of starvation in Gaza, with its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying: "There is no starvation in Gaza". Following international pressure, Israel resumed airdropping aid to Gaza on Sunday, with the Israeli military announcing it would establish designated corridors to enable the movement of United Nations convoys to deliver aid. Three people on board the Handala, from Italy, France and the United States, have been reportedly deported, and a further two interrogated and released. Godfrey urged Israel to act in accordance with the International Court of Justice's ruling on aid and that it should be, "unhindered in being delivered to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and they need to step up and do the work and deliver aid". "But as long as they keep failing, we'll have to keep sailing," he said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the two Australians were on the boat and were ready to assist, where possible. "Our officials in Tel Aviv are liaising with authorities, and consular officers stand ready to offer assistance to affected Australians," a spokesperson said on Sunday. 'We count on you': Australians call on the government to intervene In a letter, obtained by their lawyers, Safi and Martin have called on the government, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, to intervene on their matter. "We demand you ensure our safe, immediate release from those same forces who have abducted us, and illegally intercepted our non-violent action to bring baby formula to starving Palestinian babies," they wrote. In the letter, Safi and Martin said Australia should stop trade with Israel, stop sending weapons components and "stop protecting Israel from any accountability or consequence". "We count on you to do better — now," they wrote. On Sunday, Albanese said international law stated innocent people should not be held responsible for the actions of the Hamas, which in its entirety is listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and seven other countries, including Australia. "I'm a supporter of Israel and Israel's right to defend itself, but that boy isn't challenging Israel's right to existence, and nor are the many who continue to suffer from the unavailability of food and water," the prime minister said.
Al Bawaba
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Palestinian Mohammed Assaf rebuked for participation in Carthage festival
ALBAWABA - Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf was heavily rebuked for his intention to participate in Tunisia's International Festival of Carthage. As part of the 59th Carthage festival, Palestinian artist Mohammed Assaf is preparing to perform a major concert on the evening of July 27, under the slogan "For Gaza." According to the media, the concert is expected to blend music with humanitarian values and solidarity with the Palestinian people. However, despite that, Assaf landed in hot water by his fans for major principles. One of the main reasons that Mohammed Assaf was criticized for was that the Carthage festival is sponsored by many companies and brands, including "Carrefour Tunisia". It is worth noting that the Carrefour group is under a huge boycott campaign by pro-Palestinian activists over its links to Israel. Another reason was that due to the harsh situation and the starvation in Gaza due to the blockade imposed by the Israeli army, banning humanitarian aid from entering the strip. Many fans attacked Assaf in the comments, saying: "What a shame," "So you're going to relieve them while you're singing????" and "How will the people of Gaza benefit from the concert? Explain to me, I can't understand." Another wrote: "How can you sing and dance while the people of Gaza are in this situation? I am Palestinian and humiliated by you." According to the BDS website, Carrefour, the French group, is a franchise partnership with Electra Consumer Products (ECP) and its retail subsidiary, Yenot Bitan, both active in the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise. The International Festival of Carthage is an annual music festival taking place in July and August since 1964 in the coastal city of Carthage, Tunisia.
