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Richard Hall Profile picture
Richard Hall
@_RichardHall
Former Middle East correspondent. Now in the US writing about foreign policy, democracy, the opioid crisis, extremism and everything in between for @Independent
May 28 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
John Kirby at the podium now: "The president has been very clear and very direct" in his thoughts on Rafah.

I still have no clue what Biden's red lines are. No one else does either. "No policy changes" as a result of Israeli strike on a displaced persons camp in Rafah that drew international condemnation — Kirby.
Apr 27 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
I visited the Gaza solidarity camp at Columbia yesterday and wanted to share a few
very brief observations.

First, it's one of the most highly organised student protests I've ever seen. They have media and de-escalation training, a nutzone to protest students with allergies. It's a multi-faith protest. Despite the claims that the protest is an anti-Semitic hell-hole, I met plenty of Jewish students taking part who completely rejected the notion.
Jan 27, 2023 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
I spoke to a Florida teacher who was forced to strip all the books from her classroom shelves in response to DeSantis's book ban. Teachers are terrified of facing prosecution for giving a student the wrong book.
independent.co.uk/news/world/ame… A memo sent to Duval County Public Schools on Wednesday instructed teachers to “temporarily store books" until they can be reviewed.

The memo also said “plays and poems” performed in class “will also need to be aligned to state statute language.”

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
Aug 11, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Crazy story. Man tried to take his own money from bank to pay for a lifesaving operation for his dad. Bank denied his request, a common event due to banking crisis. So he came back with a gun and is now holding it up.
Protesters have gathered outside in support of the man.
Apr 14, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
British Isis fighter El Shafee Elsheikh has been found guilty on all counts relating to his support of Isis and involvement in the kidnap and murder of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Kayla Mueller, Peter Kassig, David Haines, Alan Henning, Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.

Charges: Image Not justice, but some accountability. Elsheikh tortured and brutalised aid workers and journalists. The hostage-taking operation he was a part of tormented their families, even when they knew they would never release them.

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
Mar 4, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Zelenskyy gives live address to massive anti-war demonstration in Georgia (and several other European cities I believe). Have you ever seen anything like this? Here is Prague:

Mar 3, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Many Russian units are so ill-equipped that they don't have secure comms, and are instead using analogue radios. That means anyone can listen - and they have.

An army of online volunteers has been listening to Russian soldiers, tracking their every move.
independent.co.uk/world/ukraine-… OSINT experts and online volunteers have recorded and released some of the comms between Russian troops. They paint a picture of disarray, and may even reveal potential war crimes.
Feb 21, 2021 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
I joined the Facebook group of a small town in east Texas for a story last year. It's extremely pro-Trump, Dems are communists etc. Today, it lit up with discussion about AOC's fundraising & visit. There's the usual crazies, but also a genuine push back I haven't seen before. There are plenty of negative comments, as you can imagine. Like, it's hurting people's brains. But that's normal. What's different is the push back.
Nov 8, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
I humbly submit these 1,600 words on the Four Seasons Total Landscaping event to the historical record. This is my eyewitness account of a day that will forever live in infamy.

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
Nov 8, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Trump's attacks on mail-in ballots began before a vote had even been cast. He lied about their vulnerability to fraud and tried to limit their use because he knew Democrats were more likely to use them. It has nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with voter suppression. He tried to hobble the US Postal Service to make it more difficult for postal ballots to be delivered.

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
Nov 7, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
“It’s all over” #Philadelphia “Yo Donnie, take the L” Image
Nov 7, 2020 • 26 tweets • 6 min read
What in the actual... ImageImageImage Is Donald Trump convening the world's press at a small landscaping company on the outskirts of Philadelphia? Image
Nov 6, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
The party has started in Philadelphia.
Nov 5, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
I've spent a good part of the campaign covering the Trump admin's attacks on the integrity of the electoral process, so I'm going to be fact-checking Donald Trump's statement, which is due to start shortly. Trump says "pollsters knowingly got it wrong." This is obviously not true.
Nov 5, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Vibe check outside the Pennsylvania Convention Centre, where votes are being counted. Hundred or so Count Every Vote people and a handful of Trump supporters in a pen. A Trump supporter has turned up with a “ban homo marriage” sign and a megaphone.
Nov 4, 2020 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Small crowd of Trump supporters outside the Pennsylvania convention Centre, where PA’s remaining votes are being counted. Rudy Giuliani and team on the way here. Giuliani and the gang have now cancelled their press conference outside the convention centre. Crowd mostly disbanded. Benny Hill theme plays.
Nov 4, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Pennsylvania @GovernorTomWolf talking now: "The promise of democracy is that every vote counts. That has been the promise of democracy since 1787. They will be counted accurately and fully.” "Delay is a sign that the system is working. There are 3 million mail-in ballots that are being counted. We may not know the results even today. The most important thing is that we have accurate results."
Nov 4, 2020 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Back in September, I laid out in this piece how Donald Trump's attacks on mail-in ballots were a precursor to him trying to stop them from being counted. This is what we're seeing today.
independent.co.uk/news/world/ame… This whole mess could have been avoided if Republicans in Pennsylvania allowed mail-in ballots to be processed before election day. They refused because mail-in ballots were disproportionately used by Democrats, and the uncertainty benefited them.
Nov 3, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
CNN: What we are about to tell you means nothing. We have barely any results. Please do not jump to conclusions.

Also CNN: Listen to me talk about that same thing for ten minutes. ⬇️
Nov 3, 2020 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
Sharing some election dispatches ICYMI. Most were an attempt to explain shifts in the polls since 2016 (i.e. not repeatedly asking Trump's supporters why they still loved him). Others looked at election issues/suppression.

First up Kenosha, Wisconsin: independent.co.uk/news/world/ame… Johnstown, Pennsylvania:

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
Aug 21, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Exclusive: Carter Centre to launch first-ever US election initiative, citing "erosion" of democracy in the country.

The organisation, founded by Carter, monitors elections in hotspots around the world. This is the first time it has worked in the US.

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame… This is kind of a big deal. It comes just days after Barack Obama issued a stark warning on the threat the Trump administration poses to democracy in the US.

Two former presidents now raising the alarm just a few months away from the election.