Thread by @ChiOnwurah

#ToonTownHall live now with @nufctrust and streaming via YouTube

Excited to hear what @nufctrust, @IanMearnsMP, @mercan_resifi (Hatice Cengiz), @GhanemAlmasarir, Jameela Khan from @AmnestyUK, @stevewraith, Steve Hastie and many @NUFC fans have to say

Newcastle United is the beating heart of our city. It is part of our heritage,our culture, our economy, our future. You shouldn’t have to be a billionaire to have your say in the future of the club @ChiOnwurah said kicking it off

@GeorgeCaulkin our host for the #ToonTownHall adds 'It’s time for somebody else to have a go and Newcastle needs to remember what hope feels like'

@gregtomlinson from @nufctrust says that when they polled their members 97% supported the takeover

'We didn't choose Mike Ashley and we don't choose our new owners, it's not a preference, not a political allegiance, it is modern football in 2020. We support Newcastle United Football Club, founded in 1892, not the owner' @gregtomlinson from @nufctrust continues #ToonTownHall

Steve Hastie 'community is very much at the heart of our football club as you can see from the @nufcfoodbank'

Jameela Khan from @AmnestyUK 'It isn't for Amnesty to say who should own a football club and we do not believe it is the responsibility of the fans to raise human rights concerns we want to use this as a spotlight to talk about #sportswashing and 1/2 #ToonTownHall

@AmnestyUK also want to spotlight the Crown Prince’s involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and arrest of women human rights activists but we know that Newcastle is a great club and we look forward to working with @NUFC fans on the ground #ToonTownHall

Honoured to be joined by #HaticeCengiz @mercan_resifi 'My message to you as loyal Newcastle fans is to stand together to oppose the takeover of your football club by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia' 1/4 #ToonTownHall

@mercan_resifi 'This is the right thing to do because Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who owns and controls the fund, was involved in the murder of the love of my life Jamal Khashoggi. It happened on 2 October 2018 in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul' 2/4 #ToonTownHall

Hatice @mercan_resifi also asked us all to consider 'why is the Crown Prince wanting to buy Newcastle football club now? Jamal’s murder has destroyed his reputation. If he is allowed to purchase Newcastle Football Club, it will help him to cover up the crime' #ToonTownHall

@GhanemAlmasarir Saudi activist + satirist 'This takeover sends a message to the Saudi people and the West that Mohammed bin Salman can get away with murder of Mr Khashoggi. I don’t think the UK Govt should allow this to happen + @premierleague should reconsider' #ToonTownHall

@stevewraith from @NCLE_Legends 'This is our club and as supporters we want to see a new owner. A lot of people might think there’s a lot more to life than football but for a city that lives and breathes and survives essentially because of football it’s v important. #ToonTownHall

@stevewraith 'We have a diverse set of owners coming in to the club and it seems maybe that once we get the football sorted we could start on world peace' #ToonTownHall

@stevewraith 'We need to be encouraging the women’s team + building on the @NU_Foundation's success + Newcastle’s pride but that can only happen w/ this takeover. For me it’s a great opportunity and let’s hope that it goes through and we can all get the cans out' #ToonTownHall

Now over to the very important voices of the #ToonArmy at tonight's #ToonTownHall

Neil Newton says ‘#MikeAshley has had his foot on the throat of the club for as long as he has been here. Many governments continue to deal with the Saudi regime particularly with arms and the war in Yemen. I support NUFC but I don’t support the human rights abuses’ #ToonTownHall

Fan Umar Farouq says ‘we are open to change. And want slow growth and investment to build the club and its infrastructure’ #ToonTownHall

Linda Bush, member of @nufctrust’s board and fan, says ‘I have a huge dilemma. I have a small daughter who plays football, I am married to a woman. I grew up and every single part of my life from has been influenced by NUFC. Everything!' 1/2 #ToonTownHall

Linda Bush says ‘The two things are not mutually exclusive you can support NUST and support human rights. It has been really difficult for us to be held responsible. This takeover should go ahead and we will work with the club on an inclusive agenda.’ 2/2 ToonTownHall

Stephen Kirby, a fan, says ‘If people moralise and talk down to @NUFC supporters they will just push them away’ #ToonTownHall

Another fan Dan Clark would like to see @nufctrust pushing for 10% fan ownership #ToonTownHall 1/2

Dan says ‘Our club needs to heal and I would like to see that happen + connect it back to the supporters and the region. The region needs investment. I don’t think you resolve human rights issues of + help countries to modernise by isolating them’ 2/2 #ToonTownHall

NUFC fan Steve Harrop says ‘With this takeover the whole of NUFC will grow with the Saudi people and take them with us. That’s our cultural heritage and I am really passionate about the #Toon as I am sure you can tell’ #ToonTownHall

Fan Marion says ‘This takeover has been a dilemma but I will always support the club. If NUFC can play a role in bringing a county out of it’s darkest practices then Newcastle will be proud. We are very proud people. That will be a very important part of this’ #ToonTownHall

Cliff Culley, a fan, says ‘Do I want us to be taken over? Yes. Do I want us to be taken over by organisations I feel uncomfortable with? Football clubs are part of the community but the reality is that we cannot stop wealthy individuals owning football clubs’ 1/2 #ToonTownHall

Cliff says ‘We need meaningful representation by fans just like Leicester City. We need fans on the board of directors and that could be a positive aspect and outcome of this’ 2/2 #ToonTownHall

Fan Daniel Fox says ‘I think the academy, community needs more investment and engaging with fans and staff + transparency about what they hope to achieve. We have had no control of who buys our club but it’s about time we had something to celebrate’ #ToonTownHall

Fan Kev Lawson would like to see the club 'give young athletes enough education so they can excel elsewhere in life’ #ToonTownHall

Richard Grant, a fan, says ‘I am in favour of the takeover but after 48 years of supporting I have never seen my club win a trophy. I want to see my team go away to #mancity, #arsenal and #liverpool and believe that they can compete and win' #ToonTownHall

Fan Alan Park says ‘If we were to look back 13 years I think there would be a few people who wish we had scrutinised Mike Ashley back then. I do think the takeover should go through but we should scrutinise’ #ToonTownHall

Mark Douglas, a fan, says ‘Don’t just welcome in new owners without any questions but we should listen to the supporters here, not lecture them. And the majority support it. Let's make sure that they are the right people for NUFC and I am sure many of them will be’ #ToonTownHall

Fan Jonny Coates says ‘I would like to see regeneration of the area. The whole stadium has been neglected and there’s no link to the community. There's no women’s team. We need to get fans on the board.’#ToonTownHall

Akhil, a fan from India, says ‘we all definitely want to end the Mike Ashley era … that’s the main point’ #ToonTownHall

@GeorgeCaulkin , our host tonight, says that 'this has been a great chance to listen and to think about what we all want from our football club’ #ToonTownHall

For those that missed it I will be uploading the full video to my Youtube channel this week youtube.com/channel/UCpz3L…

To end @ChiOnwurah thanks @nufctrust and says ‘it has been really great to hear fans talking so honestly about how we feel, how the city feels, what football means and what this takeover in particular means’ 1/3 #ToonTownHall

@ChiOnwurah ‘I feel like I know and understand what people are thinking about this. And it is much more nuanced and intelligent then some of the stuff people are accusing us of.' 2/3 #ToonTownHall

'The message I'm taking away is passion for NUFC, the impact of the last 13 years + the importance of transparency and communication. Whoever owns NUFC I'll engage with them and look to support the club as such an important part of our culture, history and economy’ #ToonTownHall