Share this page!

Taj Ali Profile picture
Twitter logo
May 11 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
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.

Whilst Palestinian journalists are risking their lives to report on their own oppression, we have journalists in the West who seek to misrepresent the situation in Palestine at every opportunity. Israel continues to act with impunity because it knows it can get away with it.
Rest in power Shireen Abu Akleh. A brave fearless journalist. Deeply saddened by her killing. Those who stay silent on the plight of the Palestinians are on the wrong side of history. Truth and justice will prevail InshaAllah.

#JusticeForShireen
#FreePalestine
'Shireen Abu Akleh got out of the vehicle, wearing a helmet and a flak jacket clearly marked with PRESS. An Israeli sniper shot her, hitting just below her ear. She fell near a wall, and the shooting continued, hindering other journos from reaching her.'

“I chose journalism to be close to the people,” Abu Akleh said in one video. “It might not be easy to change the reality, but at least I could bring their voice to the world.”

aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/11…
The killing of Shireen Abu Akleh is the latest attack on journalists reporting on the occupation of Palestine. These war crimes will continue as long as Israel and its military remains immune from consequences.

tribunemag.co.uk/2022/05/shiree…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Taj Ali

Taj Ali Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Taj_Ali1

Taj Ali Profile picture
May 10
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)

tribunemag.co.uk/2021/07/lutons…
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.
Read 4 tweets
Taj Ali Profile picture
May 10
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.
Read 4 tweets
Taj Ali Profile picture
May 7
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.
Read 14 tweets
Taj Ali Profile picture
May 6
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.

theguardian.com/politics/2021/…
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.
Read 5 tweets
Taj Ali Profile picture
May 5
Journalism remains one of the most socially exclusive professions in the UK. 80% of journalists come from elite backgrounds, up from 72% in 2016.

pressgazette.co.uk/journalists-cl…
'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.
Read 4 tweets
Taj Ali Profile picture
May 5
The fact that Grenfell residents warned about health and safety issues for years only to be ignored and then, after the fire, evacuees were forced to sleep rough on the streets epitomises the way working-class communities are treated in this country.
Their concerns dismissed and their issues ignored. Those who neglected them expressing shock at a tragedy they could have prevented. Bereaved families then forced to undertake a very long and painful battle for justice.
The Grenfell tower fire was actually predicted a decade before it happened. In 2007, Arconic, the company that manufactured the flammable cladding were given a dramatic warning by a consultant who said the ACM cladding had the same "fuel power" as a 19,000 litre truck of oil.
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(