Israel is going to forcibly expel over 1000 Palestinians from Masafer Yatta, Southern Hebron. 8 villages are going to be demolished to make way for a military firing zone. It will be the largest single forced expulsion of Palestinians.
Absolutely heartbreaking news. Veteran Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh has passed away after being in shot in the head by Israeli forces while reporting on an Israeli army raid on a refugee camp in Jenin, occupied West Bank. She was wearing a press vest at the time.
Whilst many ignore the plight of the Palestinians, Shireen spent decades courageously highlighting the Palestinian struggle. Since 2000 up until now, Israel has killed about 50 Palestinian journalists who were working in the field.
You will hear a lot about 'clashes' in the next 24 hours. This is a deliberate misrepresentation of the current situation in Palestine. This was a deliberate killing and not the first either.
I wrote a piece for @tribunemagazine about how @outreachmf transformed a formerly derelict 17th century farmhouse into a community hub. This is under threat and a public campaign to save Marsh House will be launched soon. (Follow @outreachmf for updates)
Marsh House serves a diverse working-class community. As well as being a hub for grassroots community organising, it is home to a radio station, a DJing academy and a restaurant. @outreachmf is run by sincere and hard-working activists dedicated to transforming the estate.
They successfully pioneered a Brazilian model of organising called the Organisational Workshop-the first of its kind in the UK. This grassroots approach empowers residents to create their own jobs by providing tools and resources to sell goods and services to the local community.
Hundreds of severely mentally ill prisoners in urgent need of hospital treatment are being left in prison cells due to bed shortages in secure NHS psychiatric units, an investigation has discovered. theguardian.com/society/2022/m…
The number of NHS mental health beds has fallen by a quarter since 2010 despite a big rise in recent years in the number of people seeking help from the NHS for mental illness.
As well as a rise in people with severe mental health episodes being detained in police cells, many vulnerable people have been forced to move far away from home in order to receive treatment.
We cannot ignore the toxic 'biradri' clan-based politics plaguing towns like Luton, Bradford and Birmingham. This is a taboo that many would like to brush under the carpet but as young British Pakistani, I believe it is harming our own community the most. 🧵
The word ‘biradri’ is a Persian term, which means a brotherhood or an allegiance to a particular clan. It’s a system where some individuals in the Pakistani community are being selected as electoral candidates based on their family background rather than their competency.
Those involved with the biradri clan system sign up their extensive family networks to join local parties primarily to influence selection outcomes and put them in positions of power even when those family members have no interest in politics or local community issues.
A significant first preference lead for Lutfur Rahman. Early indications that Labour is in trouble in Tower Hamlets. An electoral upset is not unprecedented for Labour here either.
Tower Hamlets has a significant Muslim demographic. A Survation poll conducted last year found support for the Labour Party falling amongst British Muslims. Local issues will, no doubt, be a factor but these results will be interesting.
37% of British Muslims surveyed said their view of Labour had become more unfavourable, as opposed to 25% whose view of the party had become more favourable – a net -12% drop in favourability. There have been very real concerns about a failure to tackle Islamophobia in the party.
'The data found that social class was the only factor surveyed where the UK news industry is getting increasingly unequal over time.'
Working-class communities continue to be underrepresented and until this imbalance is addressed, our stories will never be adequately or accurately told. We need more people rooted in communities and with lived experience of the issues they discuss.