Remembering the life of Black nationalist and political activist Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 1887 – 10 June 1940)

Black nationalist and political activist. Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born on August 17, 1887, in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, to a family of modest means. His father was a stonemason, and his mother was a domestic worker. Growing up in Jamaica, Garvey was exposed to the social and economic conditions that shaped the lives of people of African descent. The island was still reeling from the effects of slavery and colonialism, and Garvey witnessed first hand the poverty, inequality, and racial tension that characterized Jamaican society. 

As a young man, Garvey was influenced by the ideas of black nationalism and Pan-Africanism, which emphasized the unity and solidarity of people of African descent across the globe. He was particularly drawn to the work of Booker T. Washington, an African American educator and leader who advocated for the economic empowerment of black people through education and entrepreneurship.

Garvey recalled first encountering racism while in elementary school, sparking his lifelong activism. He attended school in his home of Jamaica before moving to London where he studied law and philosophy at the University of London’s Birbeck from 1912-1914. There, Garvey made a name for himself, working for a Pan-Africanism newspaper and leading regular discourse and debates about equitable rights. 

After attaining his degree, Garvey returned to Jamaica and formed the United Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA), a black nationalist fraternal organization whose mission was to uplift the lives of people of African descent. Garvey’s personal intent for the organization was to “establish one grand racial hierarchy” for blacks, meaning unifying all members of the African diaspora and providing education and economic independence. 

In 1916, Garvey moved to Harlem in New York City and established a chapter of the UNIA, where the organization gained popularity and invigorated the incipient Harlem Renaissance. He was struck by the racism and segregation that pervaded American society, and he quickly became a vocal advocate for the rights of African Americans. Garvey's experiences in the United States deepened his commitment to the cause of black nationalism and Pan-Africanism, and he began to build a movement that would have far-reaching consequences. 

The UNIA's mission was multifaceted:  To promote the economic empowerment of black people through entrepreneurship and cooperation,  to advocate for the rights of African people globally, to foster a sense of unity and solidarity among people of African descent.

The UNIA grew rapidly, with chapters across the United States and internationally. At its peak, the organization had over 1,000 chapters in more than 40 countries, making it one of the largest black nationalist movements in history.. Reflecting a desire to unite and lift the African diaspora “New World,” Garvey glorified African civilization and Black superiority, and even began practical projects for repatriation to the continent. 

Through the UNIA, Garvey created, among other things, a printing house, factories, trading companies and schools with the single aim of improving the life of Black people. Among his numerous accomplishments, was his weekly newspaper, The Negro World which enabled him to inform readers about UNIA activities and thus convey a Pan-African message. Actually, Garvey wanted to restore Black people’s dignity which slavery and colonization had tried to degrade. 

He wanted Black people to stop thinking they were inferior beings and that they could acquire knowledge, technical and financial means to free themselves from the yoke of White people. What is more, Garvey became more and more involved in the back-to-Africa movement and created an international shipping company called the Black Star Line. It was, in fact, a shipping line belonging to Black people and operating by and for them – stocks were sold at UNIA conventions –, whose long-term main goal was the repatriation of AfricanAmericans, African-Jamaicans and other Black people of the Diaspora to their African homeland. 

Today, everyone agrees that Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line stands as a strong symbol of Pan-Africanism.  Garvey saw himself as “Provisional President of Africa,” showing his strong belief in a personal destiny as the redeemer of Africa.

It is important to note that, racially speaking, Garvey argued for segregation rather than integration. He advocated separation between Whites and Blacks and was clearly against intermixed couples. He believed in “race purity”  and accordingly in the principle of Africa for the Africans.

Following the examples of the USA, the United Kingdom (UK) and other European countries, Garvey promoted the establishment of a strong and powerful African empire for and governed by Africans, and put forward his person for the position of the eventual head of Africa. 

Marcus Garvey responded to violence, racism and nationalism of the White society of the time with the same weapons, namely racism and xenophobia. But, such an attitude did not uplift the Pan-African movement; it completely undermined the credibility of it instead. Indeed, this could have had serious consequences such as the confusion between PanAfricanism and doctrines like those of apartheid or Nazism. 

Moreover, this is worth noting that “in March 1934, in his magazine, The Black Man, Garvey recommended that his readers peruse Mein Kampf, expressing his hope that one day the Black race would produce its own Hitler.”

He  also wrote the following disturbing words, “Hitler has a lesson to teach and he is teaching it well.” In fact, Hitler was not the only European leader whom Marcus Garvey admired; he also paid tribute to Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, and Napoleon, the high priest of slavery and colonization. Last but not least, he even began a close association with the White racist group named the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), praising the Klan’s intention of making America a White man’s country. 

In July 1922, he publicly said: From impressions, from my observations, from my understanding, the Ku Klux Klan is a mighty white organization in the United States of America, organized for the purpose of upholding white supremacy in this country; organized for the purpose of making America a white man’s country, pure and simple. The organization has absolutely no apology to make as far as its program is concerned – a program of making America a white man’s country. […] Whilst the Ku Klux Klan desires to make America absolutely a white man’s country, the Universal Negro Improvement Association wants to make Africa absolutely a Black man’s country. "

This alliance of Marcus Garvey with this racist group was more than controversial. It could be perceived on the one hand as totally insulting to Black people, and on the other hand as a real pact with the devil.  Generally speaking, Marcus Garvey’s attitude towards the KKK as well as the European fascists mentioned earlier was totally irresponsible and contradictory for an alleged PanAfricanist. What is more, it could have contributed to legitimizing the enslavement and colonization which Marcus Garvey was supposed to fight against. 

As a result of  this Garvey’s philosophies brought a certain amount of criticism. While UNIA was exclusively made up of Black people, a more popular movement in the United States was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which had a foundational commitment to multiracial membership. 

Leading rights activist W.E.B. du Bois, a member of this organization, referred to Marcus Garvey as “the most dangerous enemy of the Negro race in America.” The reasoning for this was that Garvey and UNIA promoted the idea of racial segregation, which Du Bois argued was supporting the same argument as the Ku Klux Klan. The "Garvey Must Go" campaign (1922-23) was led by Du Bois and A. Philip Randolph, who saw Marcus Garvey as a divisive demagogue promoting racial separatism and "back to Africa" schemes that undermined integration efforts. 

They were  also upset over his authoritarian style, alleged fraud, and his 1922 meeting with KKK leader Edward Young Clarke, where Garvey sought alignment on racial purity and anti-miscegenation views, viewing the KKK as "honest" white supremacists.  

Those with philosophical differences, however, were not the most dangerous of Marcus Garvey’s enemies. J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), the precursor to the FBI, wanted to deport Garvey as early as 1919, but could find no cause. 

The BOI eventually charged him, and three other officers of Black Star Line, with mail fraud in 1922 for having an image of a ship that did not belong to the Black Star Line on a brochure cover and Garvey lost authority of the shipping line. Garvey was arrested in 1925 and chose to represent himself at trial, which did not serve him well. While the other co-defendants were found not guilty, his defense which was aggressive, suggested conspiracies and featured a three-hour long closing argument, led to him being sentenced to five years. 

He was held at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary for two years until his sentence was commuted and he was deported on the orders of President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. Back in Jamaica, Garvey continued to fight for equal rights and founded the People’s Political Party (PPP) in 1929, which served as Jamaica’s first modern political party. The PPP administration worked on providing equal rights for workers, students, and providing necessary aid for poor people.

It's  important  to  point out another inconsistency in Garvey's  his life  which  lies in his attitude towards Christianity. It is common knowledge that Marcus Garvey was a Christian, a Roman Catholic first and then a member of the African Orthodox Church to be precise. He showed great respect for the Bible, the King James Version,– and often referred to the Holy Book in his speeches. Moreover, one of his favourite quotations was: “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.”

The distinctive characteristic of his faith was that he believed in a Black God, the “God of Ethiopia” as he used to call him, and promoted an Afrocentric version of Christianity. 

To support his beliefs, he used the few references to Ethiopia in the Bible as well as the following verse: “God created man in his image” Marcus Garvey being a Black man, so was God according to him. He also obviously denounced the Eurocentric interpretations of the Bible which, moreover, had contributed to the oppression and enslavement of Africans. In reality, his Afrocentric version of Christianity was absolutely comprehensible for it constituted a legitimate response to Christianity which played a significant role in slavery and colonization. Nevertheless, although it was an Afrocentric version of Christianity, the fact remains that it was Christianity, namely the religion of the colonizer. 

This approach was in a way incoherent for a Pan-Africanist, especially a so-called uncompromising one like him. the  very  concept of Pan-Africanism is supposed to be intrinsically linked with the notion of African pride  and to be proud of their African cultural heritage. So it would have been much more Pan-African for Marcus Garvey to return to the spirituality of his forefathers, namely religions such as Voodoo, Myal or even Rastafari, instead of embracing his torturers’ religion.

Though he faced political persecution and was eventually deported from the United States, Garvey’s impact remains undeniable. He continued his work abroad, speaking to the League of Nations in Switzerland on issues of race and justice and establishing the People’s Political Party in Jamaica, which focused on workers’ rights and the poor. 

Despite  the  mass  of  contradictions Garvey's message of black nationalism and self-reliance continues to inspire activists and leaders today. His legacy is complex and multifaceted, with both critics and admirers acknowledging his significant impact on African American history and culture. 

Garvey's influence can be seen in a range of social and cultural movements, from the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary Black Lives Matter activism. Garvey's  Pan-African philosophy  inspired a global mass movement, known as Garveyism. Garveyism would eventually inspire others, from the Nation of Islam to the Rastafari movement. 

Dubbed the “Black Moses,” Marcus Garvey,  is often favorably portrayed as an apostle of “race pride” and “racial uplift.”  Parks, school buildings and even school curricula are still named in his honor. He created the popular African Black Liberation flag. of red, black, and green, is believed to have coined the phrase “black is beautiful,” and collaborated in the formation of the nationalist African Orthodox Church. 

Among a   wide variety of famous Pan-Africanists and Black nationalists  who  have claimed to take their inspiration from him are  Malcolm X  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,.Kwame Nkrumah – the first President of independent Ghana in 1957 –, Leopold Sedar Senghor – the first President of independent Senegal in 1960 and father of the Negritude –, Patrice Lumumba – the first Prime Minister of independent Congo in 1960 –, Julius Nyerere – the first President of independent Tanzania in 1962 –, Jomo Kenyatta – the first President of independent Kenya in 1964 –, Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, the Nigerian singer Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the Jamaican reggae stars Burning Spear and Bob Marley to name just a few. 

It also must be stressed that the Rastafarian  movement,  has been clearly influenced by Marcus Garvey’s ideologies. Moreover, according to Robert Hill, an authority on Marcus Garvey, “the Rastafarians have more than anyone kept alive his memory after his death in 1940.

This last point is very interesting because Marcus Garvey was very critical of the one they consider their God, whom they call Jah  then Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, though the latter was a key figure in Pan-Africanism. Seeing himself as eventual President of Africa, Garvey probably saw Haile Selassie as his rival. 

Garvey left Jamaica for England in 1935. Despite being removed from the centre of his UNIA, he continued to advocate for Black empowerment. His failing health, that began whilst in prison made it difficult for him to do so with the same vigour he had built his movement on. In January 1940, he suffered a stroke which left him paralysed. He died on June 10, 1940, at the age of 52 from a second stroke.

Because of travel restrictions, Garvey’s body was transported back to his homeland twenty years after his death. Today Garvey’s body rests in the National Heroes Park in Kingston, Jamaica.

To conclude, Marcus Garvey undeniably played an important role in Pan-Africanism, especially with the UNIA, the Black Star Line and the back-to-Africa movement, which definitely gave him credit, which must be the reason why he was proclaimed Jamaica’s first National Hero in 1964. And earlier this year, more than 100 years after Garvey’s  conviction, he was granted a full Presidential pardon by Joe Biden.

Nevertheless, his personality remains complex, multifaceted whose controversial actions and beliefs continue to be debated. He is a complex figure whose legacy is both celebrated and criticized .Some of his ideals were certainly outlandish and divisive  for  his problematic relationships with white supremacists and his harsh rhetoric. 

But his legacy is that his advocacy and promotion of Black pride is at the centre of Black identity around the world today. He has been immortalised by his words and the imprint of his vision amongst the Black global community. He remains to  many  a visionary leader who passionately championed empowerment for the black community. 

Garvey encouraged African people around the world to be proud of their race and to see beauty in their own kind. His central belief was that African people in every part of the world were one people and that they would never progress if they did not put aside their cultural and ethnic differences. Garvey's ultimate dream was for the creation of a United States of Africa. Garvey set the precedent for subsequent black nationalist and Pan-Africanist thought. 

Garvey wished to inspire a global mass-movement and-economic empowerment focusing on Africa, where he sought to end imperialist rule and create modern societies. He argued that black people would be respected only when they were economically strong and proposed an independent black economy. : Although Garvey was a supporter of racial separatism, he believed that humans were all equal and did not wish to create a hostile atmosphere with white people. The purpose of separatism was to empower black people and to enable them to find an identity.

His teachings and actions have since ignited a powerful sense of self-worth and cultural pride, motivating countless individuals to embrace their roots and face challenges with resilience. While his famous words, “Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will,”  can still continue to serve as a rallying cry for those committed to Black empowerment and liberation. 

U2 have finally issued a statement calling for peace in Gaza two years into a genocide

 

After the entire civilised world has called out Israel's forced “mass starvation” of Palestinians U2 suddenly find their voice, U2  have finally issued a statement and  shared a lengthy post on their website clarifying the band members’ individual stances on Israel and Gaza. https://www.u2.com/news/title/on-gaza/ calling for peace in Gaza  after  two  years  of genocide, starvation, and the systematic erasure of Palestinian and   have  finally  condemned  the   Israeli government for starving Gazans as a ‘weapon of war’  and however bad you expected it to be I guarantee  you  it’s  far worse  than  you  can  ever bloody   imagine. 

Bono  works his way through pretty much every pro-genocide Israeli talking point while pretending to care about Palestinians. He spends paragraphs on October 7, mentions the word “Hamas” 14 times, falsely claims “Hamas are using starvation as a weapon in the war,” says “Hamas had deliberately positioned themselves under civilian targets, having tunneled their way from school to mosque to hospital,” babbles about the 1988 Hamas charter while ignoring its 2017 revisions, blames the whole thing on Netanyahu, and of course mentions “Israel’s right to exist.”  I seriously think he hit every major hasbara talking point. I don’t think he missed a single one. It’s genocide propaganda disguised as humanitarianism.

U2’s statement came on the same day Israel killed prominent Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh in a drone strike on a press tent near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The strike also took the lives of Al Jazeera staff Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, as well as freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi.

 After Bono’s statement, perhaps the one that received the most backlash was the statement by Larry Mullen Jr, the drummer of the band.  He said that after the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, Israel's response was expected.  

 "After those attacks, the total obliteration of Hamas was called for by Israel and its allies and was expected."  Many on social media expressed outrage at these words, hinting that Israel’s war on Gaza started well before 7 October 2023. 

Despite  since  the 1980s, U2 being vocal in its support for human rights group Amnesty International and  the  band and its then manager Paul McGuinness being  given Amnesty’s annual “ambassador of conscience” award in 2005 .

 Bono/U2's image as humanitarian activists has been cooked by Gaza, they've been exposed as contemptable hypocrites, rushing of the perform in Kiev for NATO, but silence on genocide, this was a desperate attempt to save themselves, they've only made it worse.

Every member of U2 has up to now been an apologist for the genocide of the Palestinian people and the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the West Bank, U2 perform regularly in Israel and have been blind to apartheid. U2 could have made a statement the minute bombs began to level every building and every hospital in Gaza and indiscriminately decimate the civilians in them. 

Waiting two years to publish this is pure cover your arse territory and just reveals them to be dreadful hypocrites. Oh well nothing much changed there then, Bono the sanctimonious twat has been completely silent since the Genocide began. Any statements issued after 2023 feel less like conviction and more like empty pretenses. By condemning the October 7 attacks without acknowledging the decades of occupation, apartheid, torture, imprisonment and  murder that preceded it U2  have appeared to side with Israel.

U2  and, especially its lead singer Bono  have long displayed double standards.  Bono has defended and personally benefited from tax exemptions for the super rich, while masquerading as a campaigner against poverty. And despite writing “Bullet the Blue Sky”  a protest song against militarism and the arms industry  Bono has lavished praise on Shimon Peres, the deceased Israeli politician who helped introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East and who ordered massacres in Lebanon.  

Bono has for years made a fortune from Israeli investments. And when U2 live-streamed its North American tour via a trendy new app, the firm behind it was Israeli company Meerkat, who just so happen to supply the Israeli military machine. An Israeli bank also gave him a loan worth $45 million for the purchase of The Clarence, which is co-owned by Bono and The Edge.

Bono and U2 are not credible advocates of human rights and  don't have a miniscule of moral brevity, Whenever I hear U2's  music , I think of their silence as the genocide took place  in  Gaza  and in the world of  fucking execrable liberals who have failed to speak out for two years of a genocide, U2 are truly the most  fucking contemptible. 

Their  fealty to the Genocidal State of Israel is pathetic as are their  attempts to remain relevant. Their hollow   ‘statement’ is smeared in the blood of all those who’ve been subjected to Israeli terror.

These shills have been dripping in Israeli blood money since day dot. U2 isn’t a rock band of any value just a money-spinning corporation that celebrates its own tax evasion with largesse about human rights and injustice. The U2 Corporation celebrates awards for its services to capitalism and imperialism. Bono is a gutless poser and a fraud who  makes me physically sick. In the name of love and humanity, fuck off Bono.

UK Police arrest 474 at Palestine Action solidarity protest in London's Parliament Square .

Police in London yesterday arrested over 474 demonstrators at Parliament Square simply for “showing support for Palestine Action.”  in  a solidarity protest against the Israeli Genocide in Gaza. 

The demonstration was organised by Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a protest group that has coordinated challenges to the ban almost every week since the  government proscribed the activist group under anti-terror laws on 4 July, following an incident in which members broke into the Royal Air Force Brize Norton base earlier this month and spray-painted two planes they said were "used for military operations in Gaza and across the Middle East".

The legislation made membership of and support for the group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison - the first time a direct action group has been proscribed in the UK as a terrorist group.  

Since then, hundreds of people have been arrested at weekly protests by campaign group DOJ which said this week that the protests have "changed the meaning" of an arrest under the Terrorism Act and that it is considered a "badge of honour" within the movement. 

The group highlighted that the mass arrests could place strain on a prison system already "on the brink of collapse" and remains at 97.5 percent capacity, according to an independent review this week.  Saturday's protest comes amid mounting pressure on the UK government to lift the controversial ban amid concerns that it could be used to stifle criticism of Israel and the right to protest. 

In a post on X, DOJ said that there were "approximately a thousand protesters sat in Parliament Square with signs which read 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action'."  "In a collective act of resistance, people are risking their liberty for our civil liberties and for the Palestinian people." 

A spokesperson for the group later said: "The fact that unprecedented numbers came out today risking arrest and possible imprisonment shows how repulsed and ashamed people are about our government's ongoing complicity in a livestreamed genocide, and the lengths people are prepared to go to defend this country's ancient liberties."

The protest comes as Israel is set to expand its war on Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approving a complete occupation of the enclave and a new offensive on Gaza City.

MP John McDonnell, who made his way to Parliament Square after participating in an adjacent protest for Palestine in London, said in a post on X that "it's a disgrace that people are being arrested for upholding our democratic rights". 

The other protest, organised by a coalition of groups led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), saw people  on Saturday, marching from Russell Square to the Prime Minister’s Office under the slogan “Stop Starving Gaza.” The Palestine Solidarity Campaign accused Israel of starving Palestinians to death and urged the UK government to act against what it called “genocide.”

Protesters carried Palestinian flags and chanted against Britain’s “complicity.” According to the PSC, "hundreds of thousands" took part in the demonstrations, which saw speeches from Palestinian Journalist Ahmed Alnaouq and Irish actress Denise Gough.  

One protester - Claudia Penna-Rojas 27 - told the BBC: "I don't think anyone wants to get arrested, but I'm more concerned with what is happening to people in Palestine right now, and I refuse to be a bystander." 

Among  those  arrested was a  90 year  old woman,  Moazzam Begg  a British survivor of torture who was freed from Guantanamo Bay,  Colonel (retired.) Chris Romberg, former British army officer  and the son of a holocaust survivor, his Jewish father fled from Austria to the UK, aged 25, to escape the Nazis  He served as a military attache at UK embassies in Egypt and Jordan.

He remembers, more than 25 years ago, the Foreign Office advising the government that Israel was committing war crimes in Palestine. And he remembers the government's response: to say nothing committal; the UK would "hide in the EU pack" 

Others arrested   included NHS workers, Quakers and a blind wheelchair user and a man holding a sign that read “I DON’T support Palestine INaction!” Around half of them (259) were aged 60 and above - including almost 100 people who were in their 70s. All of them  good, honest people driven only by their conscience and their compassion for others. Heroes,  every single  one  of  them.  

Carrying signs supporting action against killing children can now land you 14 years in prison, while killing children in mass carries no prison sentence. The Metropolitan  Police  bragged that the number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last 10 years!  Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked police for their response. What a waste of money and resources.

Yvette Cooper  has previously expressed support for the suffragettes, a safe thing to do 100 years on. But if the Suffragettes were active today, Yvette Cooper would ban them as a terrorist organisation. 

Amnesty International UK's chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said in a statement: "The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists. Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the government should be focusing on taking immediate and unequivocal action to put a stop to Israel's genocide and ending any risk of UK complicity in it."

Last month, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that the ban was "disproportionate and unnecessary" and called for the designation to be rescinded,  also on  July 30, 2025, High Court Judge Mr. Justice Chamberlain ruled that the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action may breach natural justice and rights to free expression and assembly under Articles 6, 10, and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. While a bid to pause the ban was rejected, the judicial review is ongoing, with a potential ruling not expected until 2026.

Amnesty International warned  on  Thursday that the mass arrests could break international law, with Amnesty UK Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh saying: "Arresting people on terrorism offences for peacefully holding a placard flies in the face of international human rights law."  "At a time when people are quite rightly outraged by the genocide they see being perpetrated in Gaza, it is more crucial than ever that there is space to peacefully express that outrage."  

And  on the  same  day  scores of leading global academics, including Judith Butler, Tariq Ali, Angela Davis, Naomi Klein, Rashid Khalidi, Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappe, signed an open letter denouncing Palestine Action's proscription as an "attack on fundamental freedoms".https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/palestine-action-ban-is-an-attack-on-fundamental-freedoms

The immeasurably shameful lack of UK media coverage for these huge, peaceful London marches, or the international marches, or the workers blockading weapons shipments, or the resistance in Israel itself, continues, even as Germany suspends arms shipments over the ruins of Gaza, and former heads of Shin Bet, Mossad and the IDF call on the Israeli government to stop. In response, the Israeli government murdered the entire Al Jazeera press team. 

Palestine Action is not an armed group. It has never been responsible for any fatalities and does not pose any risk to the public. Its methods do involve property sabotage, aimed almost exclusively at disrupting the manufacture of weapons by the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems, and its subsidiaries and are part of a long tradition of campaigners taking direct action against companies involved in war and genocide. Their actions may amount to criminal damage, but they are definitively not terrorism. 

It's  a terrible overreach of the law  to  proscribe  them  because of government embarrassment that Palestine Action broke into an RAF base and spray painted two planes  that they said were "used for military operations in Gaza and across the Middle East". a plane. They are opposed to genocide, the government is not. Acts of daring civil disobedience  should  be applauded.

The attack on Palestine Action spearheads an offensive against opposition to the Gaza genocide and all political and social opposition. Meanwhile Israel has murdered 100,000+ Palestinians, since October 2023 and blown up every hospital in Gaza and is starving 2.3 million Palestinians to death.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.  Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its ongoing assault on the enclave.

 Palestine Action's are proportionate and on the right side of history. It's absurd to brand them a "terrorist" group. Proscribing Palestine Action is fascist authoritarianism designed to silence all criticism of "Israel" and  to protect a lawless, violent, ethno supremacist apartheid State. 

I stand in unequivocal support with Palestine Action and am  against  the outrageous decision by this government to try to proscribe them.  I support people who engage in direct action to prevent genocide and war crimes. As the genocide in Gaza continues and Western governments stand complicit it is a farce that activists against the genocide are those being arrested. Netanyahu, Starmer, Trump and the whole Israeli state are the real criminals.

In this moment  in time. we must  all  declare: We are all Palestine Action and not be silent in the face of genocide, occupation, and injustice.  Full Arms Embargo and Sanctions on Israel Now.  Free Palestine.

Marking 80 years after the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

 

On the 6th August 1945 the United States dropped  an atomic bomb called ' Little Boy" on Hiroshima, Japan which is estimated to have killed 100,000 to 180,000 people out of a population of 350,000. Then three days later,  on 9th August 1945  a second  atomic bomb  called "Fat Man" was dropped on the city of Nagasaki in an act of unspeakable violence  which is  often neglected in the wake of Hiroshima..The Nagasaki bomb, bigger and more powerful, wiped out whole communities in seconds. killing  between 40,000 and 75,000 people   that  day   with  another 60,000  seriously injured. Over the next five years, more than 100,000 deaths resulted from the bombing.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were  both  largely civilian towns, meaning there wasn't a strong military reason to drop the atomic bombs over those particular cities. No one was excluded from the horrors of the atomic bomb, a "destroyer of worlds" burnt hotter than the sun. Some people were vaporised upon impact, while others suffered burns and radiation poisoning that would kill them days, weeks or even months later. Others were crushed by debris, burned by unimaginable heat or suffocated by the lack of oxygen. 

Many survivors suffered from Leukemia  and other cancers like thyroid and lung cancer at higher rates than those not exposed to the bombs. Mothers were more likely to  lose their children during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Children exposed to radiation were more likely to have learning disabilities and impaired growth. Leukemia was the first cancer to be observed in children from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In continuing Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission studies on survivors for sixty years and continued by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, children in comparison with older individuals have developed increased susceptibility to other forms of cancer.

Those that did manage to survive  would be traumatised for the rest of their lives. Hibakusha is a term widely used in Japan, that refers to the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it translates as 'explosion effected  Survivor of Light. These survivors speak of the deep, unabating grief they felt in the days, months and decades since the attack  They have described the shame of being a survivor , many were  shunned, feared for unknown damage to their bodies that could affect others. Women were afraid to sign up for healthcare as it would make it public that they were survivors, and no one would marry them. Decades later, some children of survivors,  felt obliged to tell the parents of people they wanted to marry that history.  others were  unable to find jobs, or live any sort of normal life. 

They have said that many Hibakusha never speak of the day, instead choosing to suffer in silence. They told what it was like to be suddenly alone in middle age, to lose their parents, spouses, children, and livelihoods in a single instant. In memory of them, we should make sure that the  misery and devastation caused by nuclear weapons is never forgotten.

"Please don't make any more like us. We don't want any more hibakusha". This is the prayer of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - also known as "hibakusha".  

The US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 civilians, was a barbaric, unjustifiable war crime. As this plaque in the Hiroshima Peace Park explains, there were peace moves afoot but they didn't suit the US cold war agenda.

Even if Japan was not fully innocent, the people of Japan did not deserve to pay the price for their nations wrongdoing, and there was absolutely no moral justification in obliterating these two cities and killing its inhabitants in what was clearly a crime against humanity and murder on an epic scale. Hiroshima and Nagasaki held no strategic importance. Members  of Japan's top leadership at the time  were involved in peace negotiations. and were already on the brink of surrender 

Many believe that these two atrocities were a result of  geopolitical posturing at its most barbaric, announcing  in a catastrophic  display of military capability, of inhumane intention showing America's willingness to use doomsday weapons on civilian populations. The bombings serving as warnings and the fist act of the Cold War against its imperialist rival Russia. A message to the Russians of the power of destruction and technological military capability that the US had managed to develop. Three days later U.S president Harry Truman exulted ; "This is the greatest thing in history! " and gloated that " we are now prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely."

Then the photos began to emerge, haunting images of burned children with their skin hanging off, of bodies charred and there was Sadaki Sasaki and the 1,000 origami peace cranes she folded before her death at 12 from leukemia ten years after the bomb was dropped on her hometown of Hiroshima. The atom bombs dropped by the US on those Japanese cities served no military purpose, as the Japanese were already suing for peace. President Truman, who ordered the bombs to be dropped, lied to the American people when he said that the atom bombs had saved lives and there were few civilian deaths, The  two atomic bombs killed and maimed hundreds and thousands of people. and the effects are still being felt today. The bombs dropped were  of a indiscriminate and cruel character beyond comparison  with weapons and projectiles of the past. Despite all  this Truman never regretted his decision. .

Today as the world commemorates the lives that were lost and the unacceptable devastation caused to people and planet, we still have so much to learn from this picture of indescribable human suffering.

When American troops arrived in Nagasaki and stumbled upon one of the cameramen, from the legendary film company Nippon Eiga Sha, shooting amidst the rubble, they promptly arrested him and confiscated his film. The Americans would halt the entire production in fact. When they let it continue, they did so as producers, paying for the production and thus retaining the right to the film - and the right to keep it concealed for decades.

The atom bombs dropped by the US on those Japanese cities served no military purpose, as the Japanese were already suing for peace. President Truman, who ordered the bombs to be dropped, lied to the American people when he said that the atom bombs had saved lives and there were few civilian deaths, The  two atomic bombs killed and maimed hundreds and thousands of people .and the effects are still being felt today.

After seeing the barbarous effect of these weapons, did our political and military leaders decide to rid the world of them. Far from it. Today's nuclear weapons make the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs look like water pistols in  comparison, and there are enough of them to destroy not just cities but the whole world.

And who has most of these weapons of mass destruction? The only country to ever  use them - the United States.  It is unfathomable that it has been 80 years and the United States has not apologized yet for dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In fact children in the US are still taught that this unspeakable crime was justified.

And  now  the US, the only country that has used nuclear weapons against a population, provides support for the Israeli bombing of Gaza, which is multiple times worse than the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  have bought B61-12  Nuclear Bombs to to be housed at RAF Lakenheath,  in  Suffolk  contravening Article 1 of Non Proliferation Treaty. The lingering humanitarian aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should remind us all of what is at stake and galvanise our action. 

Far from protecting Europeans during wartime, these nuclear weapons would contribute to turning Europe into a radioactive wasteland.  Despite the significant issues and risks involved in basing these weapons of mass destruction in Europe, neither the US nor the UK government have bothered to inform citizens or parliament that they have been deployed here, marking the first time since 2008 that U.S. nuclear weapons have been stationed on British soil.

Remember the United States of America, the same country that unleashed the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is now complicit in the atrocities in Gaza. History repeats itself when we turn a blind eye to inhumanity.

Today as the world commemorates the lives that were lost and the unacceptable devastation caused to people and planet, we still have so much to learn from this picture of indescribable human suffering. In today’s world, civilians can document mass atrocities in real time, and their experiences are immortalized on social media and in news accounts. From Ukraine to Gaza, there is no denying the reality on the ground. But in 1945, the horrors unleashed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were largely hidden from the outside world.  

Eighty years later, thanks to the testimonies shared by those who survived the atomic bombings we have a window into the truth of what happened on those dark August days when weapons of previously unimaginable power destroyed these cities.  

Through their tireless testimonies and activism, the “hibakusha”  have helped fuel public demand for post-Cold War arms-control treaties that have resulted in significant stockpile reductions in the United States and Russia  and helped persuade nuclear-armed countries to stop explosive weapons tests that caused grave harm to the environment and to the service members and civilians involved.  

They worked to establish the “nuclear taboo” that has spared the use of nuclear weapons in warfare for eight decades. They delivered millions of petition signatures to the United Nations that have helped bring about norms and treaties to  try and reduce nuclear risks.  

Again and again, they have proved that progress is possible, and for their decades of work to ensure that no families, no communities, no cities, no country ever again face the unthinkable, the survivors in 2024 were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It wasn’t the first time the prestigious Nobel committee recognized efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Grim descriptions of the immense human suffering caused by the US nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 80 years ago dominate the discourse around their anniversaries. Every year, these attacks are a stark reminder of the existential threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity. The testimonies of survivors and the footage of the hellish aftermath in the two destroyed cities demonstrate vividly the effects of nuclear weapons like no other event.

The lessons seem clear: If two, by today’s standards, small nuclear weapons can cause such death and destruction, the consequences of the use of any number of the 12,000 nuclear weapons existing today would be catastrophic. The nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki also demonstrate that any use of nuclear weapons would almost inevitably violate basic principles of international law because it would cause unnecessary suffering, indiscriminately kill civilians and very likely would be considered disproportionate. By today’s legal standards, the US nuclear attacks on Japan would be illegal.

Yet, in striking contrast to the ritual of remembrance of the gruesome nuclear bombings on 6 and 9 August 1945, the political discourse around nuclear weapons on most other days of the year has become astoundingly light-hearted and increasingly careless. 

Many decision-makers in nuclear weapons states and those allied with them speak about nuclear weapons no differently than about other weapons. They often exaggerate the security benefits of nuclear weapons, while ignoring or downplaying risks associated with their continued existence. Ethical and legal constraints on the possession and proliferation of these horrific weapons rarely get mentioned when nuclear deterrence is discussed. 

While  dominant voices continue to spread the irrational narrative that nuclear weapons keep us safe, that deterrence will always work, that disarmament is not possible.  Nuclear weapons, they say, are a necessary evil in a dangerous world. This has always been an absurd position, and it is unconscionable at a time when the world is closer to a nuclear catastrophe than at any time since the Cold War ‒ with wars raging in regions with nuclear weapons, more countries weighing whether to develop nuclear weapons and new technologies complicating already-complex weapons systems.   

 Demanding a nuclear-free world isn’t naive. True naivete is believing that weapons designed to annihilate cities will keep us safe. Evil is never necessary. The only way to guarantee that these weapons are never used again is to eliminate them once and for all.  

Today Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki  has appealed for an end to the wars raging in the world on the 80th anniversary of the US atom bomb attack which destroyed the Japanese city.  Shiro Suzuki said in a Peace Declaration at a solemn ceremony to mark the event.  "If we continue on this trajectory, we will end up thrusting ourselves into a nuclear war." and called on world leaders to chart a concrete path toward abolishing nuclear weapons, 

Suzuki  urged countries to stop wars immediately and express concern about nuclear war,  He  also shared  messages from hibakusha atomic bomb survivors and of the cruelty of nuclear weapons by referring to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo,  which won last year's Nobel Peace Prize, and a speech by the late former Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Senji Yamaguchi.  "Amid the growing threat of nuclear war, we will call on people to act as global citizens, who transcend races and borders, and make peace,"  He  also  expressed a  determination to pass on the messages of hibakusha to future generations.

"Immediately cease from disputes in which 'force is met with force.' Conflicts around the world are intensifying in a vicious cycle of confrontation and fragmentation."  

Mayor Shiro SUZUKI,  Nagasaki Peace Declaration

Full text of Nagasaki Peace Declaration on 80th anniversary of atomic bombing

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250808/p2g/00m/0na/035000c

The commemoration in the rebuilt city began with a moment of silence.  Nagasaki's twin cathedral bells also rang in unison for the first time since the attack, in a message of peace to the world.  

As part of Saturday's ceremony, water offerings were made in a moving and symbolic gesture  80 years ago victims whose skin was burning after the blast had begged for water.  Today participants of different generations including a representative of the survivors offered water in a show of respect to those who perished in nuclear fire.

Bomb survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, 93, who was just 3km (1.8 miles) from the spot where it exploded, told the ceremony of the horror he had witnessed.  "Even the lucky ones [who were not severely injured] gradually began to bleed from their gums and lose their hair, and one after another they died," he said, as quoted by AFP news agency.  "Even though the war was over, the atomic bomb brought invisible terror."

Hiroshi Nishioka was a teenager when the atom bomb landed on Nagasaki

 

On  this poignant  anniversary  we remember the thousands who were killed in a crime against humanity, as well as the survivors who carried the pain of the past.  As  we mourn the lives lost at Hiroshima and Nagasaki now is the time for us to redouble our efforts to ensure that such an atrocity does not happen again, 

Israel has now dropped enough bombs on Gaza to be the equivalent of the atomic bombs dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 80 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the US-backed genocide in Gaza mirrors the same  brutality. Over 65,000 tons of bombs-3  times the power of Hiroshima-have razed Gaza. From WWII to today,  the US still  fuels annihilation   and  continues  to whitewash its crimes against humanity,

Today with a genocide underway in Gaza, war in Ukraine and rising nuclear threats, we must reaffirm, a collective commitment to disarmament and peace and vow to rid our world of nuclear weapons once and for all. Completely ridding the world of nuclear weapons is a humanitarian and moral imperative and it is the only way forward. Governments must be urged to pursue negotiations to prohibit the use of  nuclear weapons through a legally binding international agreement.

"Nuclear weapons cannot coexist with human beings. Nuclear weapons were made by humans, and used by humans. So it is also up to the humans to abolish them by our wisdom, public conscience and responsibility.  No more Hibakusha! And, no more war!"  Masako Wada, Ass. Secretary General, Nihon Hidankyo

People pray in front of the Peace Statue at Nagasaki Peace Park in the city of Nagasaki in October 2024. (Mainichi/Kota Yoshida)  

The Role that Drones in West Wales have Played in Gaza must come to an end.

Photograph: Getty Images

Evidence revealed by Amnesty International suggests that UAVs , pilotless military drones– have been used by the Israeli army to target air strikes in Gaza. A new campaign group, West Wales Against Arms, has launched a public call to end drone testing  here  in Ceredigion linked to the Israeli military. The group, made up of residents concerned about weapons testing in the region, held its first public meeting at the Guildhall in Cardigan on July 14. 

This is an issue that has long polarised my local community. Over the years people  have been protesting outside Parc Aberporth against the testing of drones here. The reason  being  is that Israeli-manufactured drones including the Elbit Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 have been test flown from  West Wales Airport since 2012. Both models are widely used by the Israeli military, including in operations over Gaza.

Thales UK fly and maintain their Watchkeeper drones for the MOD from West Wales Airport. Thales is the UK branch of Israeli arms company Elbit Systems Ltd (via a subsidiary company U-TacS) and is also in active partnership with Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI).  

Elbit Systems is apartheid Israel's largest arms company. It is privately owned, and provides 80% of the weapons and equipment for Israel's land forces and 85% of the combat drones used by the airforce. The  site in  Aberporth has been a key location for testing Elbit's Hermes series drones, 

Elbit’s Hermes 900 was deployed in Gaza by the IDF in 2014.  and  Israeli military and industry sources openly attribute the success of these Israeli weapon exports to being ‘combat proven’ in operations against Palestinians that have left many Palestinians dead  and  are being used  in  clear  breach of what is considered international law.

Elbit Systems are one of the biggest arms companies in the world and the primary supplier of the Watchkeeper drones used by the IDF against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza strip. The company’s headquarters is in Haifa in Israel, their CEO is Bezhalel Machlis who has been at the helm since 2013, overseeing the company as it generated $4.7billion in revenue in 2020.

The Aberporth site has staged trials for the Hermes 900 model drone, the successor to the Hermes 450, one of the most widely used military drones in the world. These drones have been cited by a variety of international Non-Government Organisations for targeting civilians. The Watchkeeper drones are also based on the Hermes models. Elbit Systems boast of the drone’s capacity for surveillance and ‘target acquisition.’   

West Wales Airport  brands itself as “the UK’s most important test and demonstration area for drones..” but it  is  important  to  note that  QinetiQ, a major UK defence contractor, runs the MOD Aberporth facility. and develops UAVs (drones) for export to the Israeli military for use in the genocide in Gaza, and the decades long illegal occupation of Palestine and the brutal oppression of Palestinians.  

Between 2008 and 2021 QinetiQ received eight export licenses for arms to Israel, including one licence worth more than £14 million .and sends teams abroad with high-tech drones and mock enemy vehicles to run live-fire military training missions. 

Elbit Systems have hit the headlines recently due to multiple of their factories and offices being occupied and having production of the lethal drones shut down by Palestine Action, a direct-action focus group   that  has  recently  wrongly   been  proscribed   as  a terrorist   organisation  whose primary objective  was  to shut down Elbit Systems operations in the UK.  

West Wales Airport   has  advertised itself as a ‘privately owned and entirely independent’, however sources have  discovered that  this  claim of independence   to  be very  dubious.   

West Wales Airport has been dependent for its development on Welsh Government funding/loans, some funds of which still appear to be current in accounts in 2023. The Welsh Government has also secured funding/loans for West Wales Airport against its freehold title deeds, and land at West Wales Airport was sold, somewhat curiously, by the Welsh Assembly Government to the company in 2009 for the sum of £30,000.  

Additionally, Thales UK claims that since 2004 they have invested £12million into West Wales Airport. As of 12 March 2024, Thales UK/MOD have extended their contract with West Wales Airport. The cost of this extension is valued at £6.5 million.

West Wales Airport  also  brands itself as “the UK’s most important test and demonstration area for drones..” and  boast   that their teams can deploy “anywhere in the world at short notice” and run mission planning, launches, radar-evading drones, and even simulate missile attacks. This is big business. But it’s also deeply concerning — especially in regions where military action has caused massive civilian casualties.

QinetiQ systems and employees are being used to train Israeli forces during attacks on Gaza.  These services may be slipping through UK arms control laws by being classified as “services,” not weapons.  QinetiQ is still closely linked to the UK government  The question  many  people  are  asking is should a British company be profiting from conflict?

In a statement, West Wales Against Arms said: “We are horrified by the genocide in Gaza and do not want West Wales to be part of it. We do not want our skies used to test equipment that helps Israel commit war crimes and kill children.”   

 Previous Protest at Parc Aberporth

Since October 2023, over 61,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued applications for arrest warrants against senior Israeli and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes. 

The campaign group’s flyer claims West Wales is becoming increasingly militarised and calls on residents to oppose what it calls “complicity in genocide.”  

Ceredigion Palestine Solidarity Campaign   recently organised two static protests, at two simultaneous locations, in 18 March. 2024  It was over the Labour-led Welsh government’s complicity in Israel‘s ongoing genocide in Gaza. The details of just how the Labour Party administration is involved are both murky and shocking.  

The protest, supported by CND Cymru, called attention to the Welsh Government’s enablement of suppliers and developers of Unmanned Weapons Systems (UAS) to the Israeli military for use in both the genocide in Gaza and the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.  

At times, people blocked the road into ParcAberporth technology park:  Mock-up coffins were used to visualise the Welsh government’s support for Israel’s war machine.  When you realise just why protesters were angry with the Welsh government – you won’t be surprised. 

Here’s an up‑to‑date breakdown of Israel’s use of drones in Gaza—how they’re used in surveillance, killing civilians, and destroying property. The information is based on verified reporting and rights group investigations. 

1. Precision Drone Strikes on Civilians and Property Modified commercial drones (e.g., DJI Agras and Avata) have been weaponized—used to drop explosives on civilian homes, hospitals, and shelters across Gaza . ‘Human rights groups documented drone attacks that killed entire families, including children and residents running from earlier strikes, such as the El‑Farra family, targeted in their street at night” according to the Middle East Children's Alliance .

A Médecins du Monde office in Deir al‑Balah had been officially marked as safe, yet drone strikes destroyed it, killing at least eight civilians—even though the organization had been “deconflicted” . Local reporting confirms that Israeli drone strikes killed civilians, injuring others near Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and in Shuja’iyya, warning that drone operations remain active and lethal .

 2. Sniper (Quadcopter) Drones for Targeted Shooting Eyewitness accounts describe miniature sniper drones, or quadcopters equipped with guns, allegedly used to shoot civilians in Gaza—including women and children—often in cramped urban spaces . 

3. Surveillance, Mapping & Tactical Support Drones are extensively deployed for real-time surveillance, tracking movements and mapping Gaza’s tunnels and neighborhoods. One reported incident revealed a DJI Avata drone monitoring Palestinians being used as human shields in Shujaiya, allowing Israeli forces to clear a school under cover of drone observation  

Usage Patterns and Impact 

Direct Deaths and Property Destruction

Thousands of civilian deaths—especially children, women, and displaced persons—have been tied to drone-delivered explosive munitions: roadside bombs, suicide drones, and small precision devices Reports show civilian infrastructure, including homes, shelters, hospitals, and school‑turned‑refuges, being destroyed by drones on multiple occasions—even when no military target was identified (e.g., displacement camps and medical offices)  

Disproportionate or Intentional Targeting 

Amnesty International and other rights groups found strikes on places like the Saint Porphyrius Church and Nuseirat camps killed dozens of civilians (including infants), with drone footage often central to the targeting process—even in highly protected refugee sites  DCI-Palestine reported that 37% of casualties during one summer operation were caused by drone attacks alone, indicating a significant share of fatalities attributable to drone weaponry 

Summary Overview 

In terms of each type of drone and it’s role, function and impact. Armed commercial drones : Carry explosive payloads (e.g. DJI Agras bombs Destroy civilian homes, shelters, hospitals Sniper-style quadcopter drone : Fires small arms at individuals in urban spaces Kill civilians—including women and children,  while  providing  visual intelligence, mapping, and tracking  and  enabling precision targeting and tactical operations 

 

In summary Drones  continue   to  play a major, direct role in civilian casualties and property destruction across Gaza, many of those killed or displaced were struck while sheltering in homes, camps, or medical facilities. A substantial share of fatalities in certain operations stem from drone strikes, including entire families hit by targeted explosive payloads. Surveillance drones also facilitate operations where civilians are exposed to high risk, including use of forced human shields. While sniper drones shooting single rounds are a newer and more isolated tactic, they nonetheless represent a deliberate weaponization of non-lethal platforms. 

It’s clear that drones in the Gaza conflict  are far more than surveillance tools. They’re used offensively, to kill, destroy infrastructure, and reinforce military objectives, while frequently hitting civilian targets even in designated safe zones. Evidence suggests the technology is being employed at scale, in ways that disproportionately impact non-combatants.

The Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) has raised concerns about the use of drones in Israeli attacks on Palestinian territories, particularly regarding the impact on children. MECA has reported that children have been directly targeted and killed in drone strikes, both in their homes and while attempting to flee. They highlight that Israeli officials often boast of the precision of drone strikes, suggesting that the targeting of children is deliberate.  MECA's work includes providing aid to families in Gaza, including food, medical care, and psychological support. They also focus on projects like educational programs and community development. The organization has also reported on the impact of drone strikes and other attacks on infrastructure like schools and hospitals, and the resulting trauma experienced by children.  

The drone has become a part of the everyday life of Gazans. They wake up in the morning to its noise, and it’s the same noise they hear while trying to sleep. It is always there, to the extent that one might even momentarily forget it is there.

Since their first use in 2000, drones have led to the death of hundreds of Palestinians and have injured thousands more. In addition, they have directly negatively impacted Palestinian psychological and social life, as well as causing a grossly negative impact on education. 

While in comparison, the Israeli use of drones to target individuals, public premises, academic institutions, and schools are more intensified than its use in any other place by any other army. Most studies do not include the Israeli use of drones against the Palestinians in their surveys. They only refer to the fact that Israel manufactures drones and uses them, while the consequences of using drones day and night in Gaza are understudied and nearly absent in the field of drones’ studies. 

In numbers, civilians killed or injured by drones during the frequent Israeli offensives against Gaza are very high. Moreover, drones in Gaza have a different impact on the lives of the people which have not been properly studied. However, the most striking aspect of the Israeli usage of drones in Gaza is how drones are used to intensify the occupation, to make it cheaper and more profitable as well.

UK government contracts with corporations such as Elbit (and its subsidiaries) which are involved in violations of international law must end immediately as  must  a  two-way arms embargo between the UK and Israel. This would see an end to all dealings with Elbit and other Israeli weapons companies, and an end to all licences for UK arms exports to Israel.

Since 2015, the UK has licensed at least £500 million worth of military exports to Israel.  Even though the government has suspended a small number of arms licences, there are still hundreds remaining. The use of drones  as tested   in the  skies of  West  Wales  to conduct lethal strikes, causing civilian casualties, and  the  continuing  complicity of the UK, in Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza ,  must  now come to and end. 

Thankfully there  is  growing opposition to drone testing here in West Wales, due to concerns about its use in weapons development,  what is happening in  Gaza and  the potential impact on the local community. 

There  will  be  a peaceful  vigil  this coming  Wednesday 6/8/25 from  1pm  till  2  pm  outside Aberporth MOD  to  highlight what is  happening. It is critical in  the global mass movement of solidarity  with the Palestinian people  that  we continue to speak  out.

In  addition  to  all  this  the  US military is trying to build a huge 27 dish radar array in Wales and plans to use it to militarily dominate all of space! I  also  support the PARC Against DARC campaign which has been set up to stop DARC! Pembrokeshire Against the Radar,

Sign their petition  here :https://bit.ly/4bgVUMh  Lett the MoD know that you oppose DARC on the feedback form here: https://www.gov.uk/.../deep-space-advanced-radar.. And  please follow PARC Against DARC on their social media pages! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parcagainstdarc   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parcagainstdarc Twitter: https://twitter.com/parcagainstdarc

Sources  and   information from : 

War on Want

 https://waronwant.org/sites/default/files/Killer%20Drones%2C%20War%20on%20Want.pdf

The Canary https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/03/19/welsh-government-israel/

Drone Wars https://dronewars.net/

Middle East Children's Alliance https://www.mecaforpeace.org/

Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/1/21/i-dream-of-a-quiet-drone-free-gaza

The Lead https://thelead.uk/gazas-skies-cardigan-bay-drone-testing-facility-dividing-welsh-village

Hope in the air as ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana launch a new left-wing UK party in Rebuke to Starmer's Labour

This Thursday saw former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s confirming that he and Zara Sultana have launched a new left wing party after weeks of discussions, aimed at taking on the “corporations and billionaires” and their “rigged system”. 

In a  joint statement announcing plans to form the  new party, Corbyn and Sultana vowed to fight injustices such as child poverty, giant corporations making "a fortune from rising bills" and the government saying "there is no money for the poor, but billions for war".

Westminster journalists have described the launch of Jeremy Corbyn’s new party as “chaotic” and “a shambles” in drafts written the day before the launch. Yet over 300,000 people have now signed up in less than 24 hours. Not bad for a political party that hasn't even been officially founded yet! And the reason the party doesn’t have a name year is that the organisers want the name itself to be democratically chosen.

Tentatively dubbed Your Party— it  also hopes to challenge Keir Starmer's Labour from the left and unite disaffected progressives under a populist, anti-establishment banner. The launch, which has been months in the making, promises to shake up the landscape ahead of the next general election. But for Corbyn and Sultana, this isn't just about internal Labour disputes. Central to their platform is an unflinching pro-Palestinian stance—a message that stands in sharp contrast to Starmer's  especially as Labour faces mounting criticism for its position on Gaza.

 'Now, more than ever, we must defend the right to protest against genocide,' Corbyn wrote in Thursday's joint statement. 'We believe in the radical idea that all human life has equal value. That is why we will keep demanding an end to all arms sales to Israel, and for the only path to peace: a free and independent Palestine.'  

Sultana added: 'We can't continue down the road of managed decline and broken promises. This is about building a democratic movement that truly speaks for the people.'can't continue down the road of managed decline and broken promises. This is about building a democratic movement that truly speaks for the people.'

The group intends to bring together independent MPs, grassroots campaigners and trade unionists under one umbrella. Of course ‘Westminster journalists’ have given negative reports. The incumbent authoritarians don’t want anyone challenging their capture of the UK legislature. Remember their the same journalists that propagated the anti-Semitism scam! The same journalists that have barely covered the atrocities in Gaza, and more than likely failed to read the launch doc or understand it, probably on purpose and are best ignored.

Jeremy and Zara are honest and principled leaders who speak for millions. Millions who want to tax the rich, end the wars, take on  the rich and powerful, redistribute wealth, and build a country that serves people, not billionaires. Here’s the sign-up link, if you’re interested in getting involved, read  the  launch  statement or just staying updated on their progress :https://www.yourparty.uk/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Polls show the new party is already somewhere between 10% and 20% of the vote and potentially level pegging with Labour. 

Neil Kinnock calling the new Left party a 'Farage assistance party' that would 'assist the parties of the right', including Badenoch’s Conservatives and Reform UK  is a joke .His party opened the door to Farage  in  the  first  place, and there is an easy solution as a failing brand, Labour should step aside. 

David Lammy and Keir Starmer will never be able to change the historical record. They drenched the Labour party in the blood of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and it seems to me highly unlikely that most of the 9.7 million who voted Labour in 2024 wanted a government that continues ruinous austerity economics; keeps spreading economic illiteracy; mugs pensioners; economically sanctions disabled people; takes lavish handouts and freebies from their dodgy, mega-rich backers; supports and enables a downright evil civilian starvation programme in Gaza; and eliminates our long-standing British rights to free speech and non-violent protest (in service of the overseas civilian-starvers).

I support a new genuinely militant force that takes them out of power. One that is also against  austerity, war, racism  and oppression. It's been so funny watching the right, the centralists, and the establishment losing their shit because Jeremy and Zara have formed this  new left of centre party. A party that will put the working and precariat class before capitalism and corruption. They can smear, they can panic, all  they like but they can’t stop a movement whose time has come.   

Our political establishment is a truly craven comprador class whose role is to facilitate the exploitation of ordinary people and will do everything in it's to stop this changing, but slowly and surely for the sake of the next generation we must find the means to bring them down, the establishment parties have failed us, now me must fight for the greater good like our lives depend on it. Westminster and the establishment are panicking, and so they should be, as we the people are coming to take them down.

Personally I believe  the so called democratic system of Westminster to be broken and electoral politics seem to be at a dead end in  this present time, but it’s still good to have an organised movement for left wing people to coalesce around. Especially if it can remain pure and for the people. 

I myself would like to  see Scotland, Wales and NI all go our separate ways, and forge a new radical independent autonomous future. So will also  remind  people here in Wales of a new pro-independence, anti-capitalist organisation  called Cymru’n Codi {Cymru Rising)  that's also worth taking a look  at: https://rising.cymru/2025/06/13/join-us/  a  socialist alliance that  has been  set up to fight around the 2026 Senedd Elections and beyond.

At  the end of  the day wherever we  live we  need a radical new direction, putting people first based on justice and human dignity one that brings about hopefully actual, long lasting  meaningful change. Bring it on.

R.I.P. Ozzy Osbourne

 

Came home earlier to discover Ozzy Osbourne  who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, has  passed  away  at  the  age of 76, just a few weeks after giving his fans, one of the greatest and most aptly timed goodbyes in music history after playing a farewell concert  called Back to the Beginning in his home city of Birmingham, England. He couldn’t stand anymore but still captivated every single person in the audience. 

Hey let’s not kid ourselves cats have 9 lives Ozzy must’ve had 20 !! I’m surprised he made it this far but having said that the news of his  passing was  somewhat unexpected. 

Parkinson’s disease charities have praised Ozzy Osbourne for talking about his diagnosis and helping others “feel less alone” in facing the challenges of the condition. Parkinson’s UK said the Black Sabbath frontman “normalised tough conversations”, while Cure Parkinson’s thanked him for “putting a spotlight” on its work. 

The proceeds of his final concert  which raised over £150 million went to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.

I was a huge  admirer of  the stuff  he did  with Sabbath and then with  blizzard of ozz,  but was very disappointed to say  the least that he recently signed a letter to stop the BBC from airing a documentary chronicling Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and broke the boycott  to perform in Israel in  2010 (Tel Aviv) and 2018 (Rishon LeZion)  stating alcohol, not politics, delayed earlier visits .and urged other artists to do the same, he  was not Jewish but reportedly developed a strong connection to Judaism and support for Israel probably under the influence of his  wife Sharon. He was also a staunch  advocate against the BDS movement  and  was recently among those calling for the end of boycotts against Israeli authors, festivals and literary institutions. 

This came after Irish author Sally Rooney, Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and US writers Percival Everett and Rachel Kushner signed a letter along with others calling for a “mass boycott of Israeli publishers” in response to an unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza,  and saying that “Israeli cultural institutions, often working directly with the state, have been crucial in obfuscating, disguising and artwashing” the way Palestinians are treated by Israel.

Despite serious health problems that forced him to cancel subsequent world-tour dates, Israeli promoters said Ozzy’s two shows drew tens of thousands and helped pave the way for other hard-rock acts who later ignored boycott pressure too. All  this I  believe to be a huge  stain on his fine legacy and a far cry from his Black Sabbath days when he released the song “War Pigs”, which condemned leaders who initiate wars for profit.

Ozzy was undeniably talented and  was loved by  many, but to see a man who co wrote “War Pigs” go on supporting Israel until his death despite any mental or physical condition or outside persuasion I feel is unforgivable and very  hard to process  because I  definitely disagreed with his  point of  view, and  was so sad to see someone I admired, very publicly supporting the oppressors side  in this  way. 

That said, “War Pigs” Pigs, a  powerful timeless anti-war/anti-genocide   song that is so  apposite at this  present time, will far outlive the man or his personal views on Israel. I have to  acknowledge too that  he was  no  bloody  saint, he was after  all  the prince of darkness.

Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.” 

Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work, working in a slaughterhouse and spending a short spell in prison for burglary before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands.  The pair then linked up with the other founder members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, to form what was then called Earth Blues Company – later shortened to Earth – in 1968.  

Initially a Mod who loved soul music, according to his biography on the band’s official website, Osbourne crafted his darker image after writing lyrics for a song entitled Black Sabbath after the 1963 Boris Karloff film of the same name.  

The name stuck – after they were forced to change it from Earth – and the band went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs.  A product of their working-class roots and the post-Vietnam War era, the band tackled themes of war, social chaos and the supernatural.  

But drug use began to take its toll on Osbourne and his relationship with his fellow band members, and he was eventually fired in 1979. He launched a solo career, enjoying success during the 1980s, before reforming with Sabbath several times – including in 2016 for a final world tour.  

As a solo artist, Osbourne released 11 albums, with his debut Blizzard Of Ozz issued in 1980, which featured two of his most revered songs, Crazy Train and Mr Crowley.   

The Birmingham-born singer sold more than 100 million records worldwide with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist. In 2014, he was presented with a global icon award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.  Osbourne married his first wife Thelma Riley in 1971 and became a stepfather to her son. The couple also had two children but split in 1982 after, he admitted, his rock ‘n roll lifestyle meant he put her “through hell”. 

He married Sharon, the daughter of his former Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, in July of that year.  The pair had met in the 1970s via her father and she took over managing Osbourne after he was booted from the heavy metal group.  

Ozzy and Sharon had three children together: Jack, Kelly and Aimee. The couple became an unlikely hit after starring between 2002 and 2005 in The Osbournes, which also launched the careers of Jack and Kelly, but the pair temporarily split in 2016.  

Former X Factor judge Sharon later revealed they had tried marriage counselling to get their relationship back on track – but gave up because it made him angry. 

In 2017, during an interview with music magazine Rolling Stone, he joked that the secret to his marriage was “don’t get caught with your mistress”.  He is quoted as telling Rolling Stone: “When I was a crazy fucker, I’m lucky she didn’t walk out. Now I’m coming on five years clean and sober, and I’ve realised what a fucking idiot I was. I mean, I’m still nuts, but in control of it a bit more.” 

Osbourne added: “When I said, ‘Don’t get caught by your missus,’ I’m not proud of all that shit. I upset my wife and I upset my family and I made a lot of shock and shame. I love my wife, and it made me realise what a fucking idiot I’ve been.”  

His dependence on drugs and alcohol had begun in the early 1970s while he was associated with Black Sabbath and worsened as his stardom grew. Even after making tremendous strides as a solo artist, Ozzy’s struggles with addiction persisted for many years, frequently drawing public attention with his erratic behaviors and close encounters with death.

His decades-long battle with addiction kept him in the headlines, but his ultimate pledge to sobriety served as an inspiration to many music enthusiasts. Given the macho posturing generally associated with rock and metal culture, Ozzy’s willingness to put his emotions and vulnerabilities on display  was genuinely admirable. His struggles were  obviously not without problematic elements, but the sincerity with which he approached them, without glamourising them, was clearly an enduring and endearing element of his personality.

And  though  I can't forgive  him  for  what  I've mentioned  earlier, I  never  quite  gave  up on him  and will not stop listening to my old Black Sabbath LPs to remind myself of who he once was. Black Sabbath’s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock ’n’ roll.  

The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal tunes as  the aforementioned “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song “Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

I also  remember as a heavy  metal  fan  in my  teens that Ozzy Osbourne and Sabbath  moretheless created heavy metal…and with it, they created a world in which generations of people like  me, could feel accepted and welcome…safe and free to be their authentic selves knowing that they won’t ever be alone,  that  counters  the other  stuff  a  bit and am also  pretty sure he was guided by Sharon since he wasn’t very cognizant in his final days and  his music got me through some pretty shit periods in  my life,  so call  me a hypocrite  but Rest in peace, Ozzy. 

Sadly War Pigs are still playing their games - may we put them to an end one day. I so wish Ozzy  was taking  them away with  him. Lets remember Ozzy who had a peaceful death in a clean, safe, caring environment, with medicine to help him pass unlike the 20,000 Gazan children  who have died aged 0-15  in  completely different circumstances.

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

Generals gathered in their masses 

Just like witches at black masses 

Evil minds that plot destruction 

Sorcerer of death's construction 

In the fields, the bodies burning 

As the war machine keeps turning 

Death and hatred to mankind 

Poisoning their brainwashed minds 

Oh, Lord, yeah 

Politicians hide themselves away 

They only started the war 

Why should they go out to fight? 

They leave that all to the poor, yeah 

Time will tell on their power minds 

Making war just for fun 

Treating people just like pawns in chess 

Wait till their judgment day comes, yeah 

Now, in darkness, world stops turning 

Ashes where their bodies burning 

No more war pigs have the power 

Hand of God has struck the hour 

Day of Judgment, God is calling 

On their knees, the war pigs crawling 

Begging mercies for their sins 

Satan, laughing, spreads his wings 

Oh, Lord, yeah

Word of the Day: "Weltschmerz"

 

Someone  kindly shared this word with me earlier ,"Weltschmerz" -- lit; “world-pain”; the feeling of sadness at the suffering that surrounds you; the despair produced by the ubiquity of distress and  hardship; a weariness at the sheer burden of being.  

Like most great words for elusive emotions, this one is German. It’s a portmanteau of welt (“world”) and schmerz (“pain”), and it describes the displeasure we feel when reality doesn’t live up to our ideals and expectations. It’s also distinct from our other downbeat emotions. Unlike angst, which focuses our dissatisfaction inward, or ennui, which makes us listless, weltschmerz can be as rousing as it is troubling. Not only can the world be better, it should be better.

The phrase has its roots in the 1830s. It was first coined by German writer Jean Paul, who used it to describe Lord Byron’s discontent in the novel Selina, and it signifies a sadness about life. “Weltschmerz is the sense both that one is personally inadequate and that one’s personal inadequacy reflects the inadequacy of the world generally,” says Joachim Whaley, a professor of German history and thought at the University of Cambridge. “It is pain suffered simultaneously both in the world and at the state of the world, with the sense that the two are linked.” 

 As explained by the Encyclopedia Britannica,https://www.britannica.com/art/Weltschmerz the expression sought to define “the prevailing mood of melancholy and pessimism associated with the poets of the Romantic era that arose from their refusal or inability to adjust to those realities of the world that they saw as destructive of their right to subjectivity and personal freedom—a phenomenon thought to typify Romanticism.”  

For 19th-century German writers, weltschmerz was an abnormal sensitivity to the evils and ills of the world and the misery of existence

Another word we could use  is empathy, pain we can carry as humans, while releasing compassion, whilst angry with state of the world, and the suffering of other people, A soul that carries empathy is a soul that has survived enormous pain. Empathy is trying to understand what another person is feeling. It’s actually seeing the world through another’s eyes. 

The other sad things that consume many are greed and apathy. There will never be a shortage of these things. Those devoid of conscience, with no ability to put themselves in another’s shoes. look at our leaders. But we can stop them from spreading by standing up and standing in the way. 

However we can never truly know what pain other people are carrying. They may need compassion more than we realize. The world is very fucked up but the kind of love we see now for collective suffering in Gaza has been truly amazing. All the best hope all have a peaceful day.