The president of Aleppo city council, Brita Haji Hasan, had a picture on his phone. It showed the corpse of Hasan Amory, 29, a father of two and council engineer who that morning had been killed by a Syrian air force missile as he headed into work in the opposition stronghold.
“We have had massacres on a daily basis for six or seven days,” Haji Hasan told the Observer, during an interview in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, 30 miles from the Syrian border.
“They are destroying schools and civilian targets using barrel bombs, airstrikes and machine guns. Another colleague of mine was killed yesterday while I spoke to him on Skype.”
As the most senior civic leader in Aleppo, Haji Hasan has been trying to make life livable in the most impossible and dangerous of circumstances. “It is a terrible situation,” he said. “But we are trying to live.”
Syria’s largest city is once again under bombardment: its residents are, once again, exposed to pitiless, wanton attack as the world looks on. The ferocity and cruelty of the bombing of Aleppo by Bashar al-Assad’s air force has shocked even those familiar with the worst of this conflict.
Since breaking its ceasefire eight days ago, the regime has launched more than 260 airstrikes, 110 artillery strikes and 18 missiles, and has dropped 68 bombs, according to the civil defence organisation in opposition-controlled Syria known as the White Helmets.
Aleppo has been excluded from a partial ceasefire agreed elsewhere in the country late on Friday evening. On Saturday the regime’s airstrikes began at around 10am with a volley of seven missiles hitting civilian areas in the space of half an hour, killing at least six people and injuring 20. That came after attacks on Friday left at least eight people dead and destroyed a medical facility and a water pump, threatening the city’s vital supplies, according to reports.
On Thursday, bombs destroyed a hospital backed by Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross, killing the city’s last remaining paediatrician, along with 26 other people, including three children.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria, declared the cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by the US and Russia as “barely alive” as a result.
The UK’s special representative for Syria, Gareth Bayley, tweeted: “#Russia needs to get control over the #Assad regime’s attacks on civilians.”
US secretary of state John Kerry meanwhile urged a return to the nationwide ceasefire in Syria and said attacks on Aleppo must stop immediately.
“The secretary expressed his deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Aleppo, where the ... regime (of President Bashar al-Assad) continues to escalate the conflict by predominantly targeting innocent civilians and parties to the cessation of hostilities,” his spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby said work was taking place to defuse tensions and the hope was that “tangible progress” would be made soon.
Such is the onslaught that the Observer understands humanitarian organisations are considering pulling out of Syria’s biggest city. A draft statement being circulated among NGOs warns of a “complete absence of the fundamentals of safe humanitarian intervention, and the absence of a clear mechanism to monitor and document violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law”.
It further claims that there is “growing, recurrent targeting of humanitarian organisations, teams, and the vital centres that provide services to civilians in the province, by the Syrian regime and its allies”.
It goes on: “The most recent assaults included the shelling of Syrian civil defence centres, al-Quds children’s hospital, NGOs’ ambulance systems, and a number of administrative offices of the NGOs operating in the province.”
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, on Saturday condemned the “monstrous disregard for civilian lives” by all parties to the conflict and called for urgent de-escalation.
Analysis Aleppo is a such a prize for both sides that its suffering just goes on
The west’s lack of appetite for military intervention has left Syria’s rebels feeling they have nothing left to lose
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, puts the civilian death toll in government and rebel bombardments of districts in Aleppo since 22 April at nearly 250.
This figure includes around 140 people killed by government-aligned forces in airstrikes and shellings of rebel-held areas, 19 of them children, it said. Insurgent shelling of government-held areas was said to have killed 96 people, including 21 children, according to a report from Reuters.
Al Hussein also made reference to widespread rumours that new Russian artillery sites were being established on the outskirts of Aleppo. “The violence is soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities,” he said. “There are deeply disturbing reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation.”
In his interview with the Observer, Haji Hasan confirmed that Aleppo was under partial siege, and that the last remaining road had been under almost constant attack since the two-month ceasefire between opposition and regime forces was broken by Assad. He said that he had heard about the Russian build-up on the periphery of the city but that he could not confirm this presence.
“In 2013 there were two million people in and around the city,” he said. “There are 400,000 right now. Some people just fled, but these 400,000 won’t leave – even though they know that at any time they could be bombed or killed. It is semi-siege right now. The only road connecting Aleppo is always targeted by airstrikes, the Castello road. This road is targeted by airstrikes and snipers, too. It is a dangerous road, but we have to use it, there is no other. If that goes, we will be besieged. It will be a disaster.”
Late last week, in another illustration of just how dangerously fraught the politics of the city are becoming, Haji Hasan was seized by Kurdish secret police at his home at 9am on Thursday after having made the 10-hour trip back through the badlands of northern Syria.
He was subsequently detained in the police station before being taken to the Kurdish city of Afrin, in north-west Syria. His whereabouts on Saturday were unknown.
Sources close to Haji Hasan, who has sought to build a consensual council for the crisis-stricken city, said it was unclear why the Kurdish forces would interfere in the civilian government. The vice-president of Aleppo’s city council, Zacharia Amino, condemned Haji Hasan’s detention as a violation of human rights. The father of eight, who had been keeping services running in the city, had been taken from the citizens when they needed him most, said friends. A statement on Saturday said: “We firmly condemn this violation and we demand the democratic council to release immediately the president of the local council of the city of Aleppo and to explain this precedent and to offer official excuses.”
A temporary “regime of calm” announced by the Syrian army late on Friday appeared to have taken hold in two other areas blighted by recent fighting: in the north-western coastal province of Latakia and on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. The Syrian government said the “regime of calm” – from which a military source said Aleppo was excluded – was an attempt to salvage a wider ceasefire deal reached in February.
Aleppo has been divided for years between rebel and government zones. Full control would be the most important prize for Assad. He claims the fighters in the city are al-Qaida extremists.
The UN has called on Moscow and Washington to help restore a comprehensive ceasefire to prevent a collapse of talks aimed at ending a conflict in which more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced. In Aleppo they will not be holding their breath. Thanks for reading.
Van Gaal VERY Confident Of Keeping Man United Job
Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal has again reiterated how confident he is about retaining his job after telling a press conference on Saturday that he will still be at the club next season, no matter what happens at the end of the season.
The Dutchman has revealed he had wanted only a two-year deal but was persuaded by the suits at Old Trafford to stay on board for three years.
“I knew it would be like this. That’s why they hired me and we spoke about it,” he told reporters.
“We always knew that the process would take three years. I wanted to sign only for two years.
“The club wanted me to sign for three years, not me. I signed for three years – so next year you will see me again.
“Every week for six months I have been sacked – and yet I am still here. But this has happened to me at every club I have been at.
“I am doing the same job at United that I was hired to do at every club.
“People should assess the squad that I took over and make a comparison to the players we have now in terms of age.
“There is a big difference between what the people in the street think and the media. A big difference. I can only tell you my experiences and I don’t have to defend myself. I am a realistic man and so I only speak about facts.”
“The fact is that we finished fourth last year. At the moment we are fifth, but we are still able to finish third. On May 15 we will know for sure,” he added.
“The fact is that we are in the FA Cup Final. The fact is that we were in the Champions League. We didn’t do that last year.
“The fact is that we went further in the Capital One Cup. So there are a lot of pluses. Yes, we are in fifth and we are fighting for the one position that is the most important.
“We also have the best home record in the league, but we are one of the lousiest away teams of the top clubs and that is something we need to improve.”
SHOCKER! Man United Legend, Ryan Giggs’ Marriage CRASHES Over INFIDELITY!
The marriage of the assistant coach of Manchester United, Ryan Giggs, who was initially tipped to take over from Dutchman Louis Van Gaal should he be sacked at the end of this season or leave after his contract ends by the next one, has CRASHED!
According to The Sun UK, Gigg’s wife, Stacey has abandoned the union after telling the Man Utd legend that she’s had enough of his serial flirting
The tabloid reports that Giggs’ wife, who has been long-suffering decided to call it quits with their marriage after hearing he was flirting with waitresses at a restaurant he owns.
“A source said the rumour was the last straw for Stacey, 37, after her efforts to keep the marriage going in the wake of the Manchester United legend’s affairs with TV’s Imogen Thomas and his brother’s wife Natasha.”
Ryan Giggs and Wife
Giggs and Stacey during the good old days.
The Sun’s source said: “Word got back to Stacey that Ryan had been flirting with some of the waitresses at his restaurant George’s and she’s had enough.
“At one stage she is said to have told him to pack his bags and get out.
“But for the moment they both still seem to be living in the same house. She is upset to say the least and feels very alone.”
Friends yesterday said Stacey and United assistant manager, Giggs split three months ago but kept it secret and have both remained in the marital home.
One said: “They have stayed in the house as it is so big and because of the children.
“But it is over and has been for some time.
“They are not together any more and it is definitely the case that Stacey wants to divorce Ryan.”
Giggs, 42, is also said to have confided in pals: “It’s over for good.” Friends said the couple tried to save their eight-year marriage after the revelation of his affairs for the sake of their two children.
But after months of soul-searching they decided to part.
Giggs and Stacey, happy.
Giggs and Stacey, happy.
A source said: “Both Ryan and Stacey promised to make a fresh start and that’s what they did. They became great friends again and were getting on really well.
“They wanted it to work for each other but also for their son and daughter who are the most important thing in their lives.
“They both dote on the kids and made a real effort to get back on track. But about a year ago it all started to cool a bit and the marriage has not recovered.
“The reality was that time hasn’t exactly proved a great healer.
“In the early days, once the flak over Natasha and Imogen Thomas passed over, Ryan and Stacey began building bridges and it looked really good for them.
“But, as bizarre as it sounds, once they were out of the limelight and things had quietened down, their relationship started to struggle.
“Stacey obviously has trust issues after what happened with the affairs and that caused problems. And Ryan has now said to people he thinks the marriage is all over and that there is no saving it.
“He has put a lot of effort into saving the marriage but now seems to have given up.
“Perhaps there had been too much water under the bridge.”
Giggs is said to have admitted during a chat at his restaurant that his marital situation was grim.
A source said: “Someone at George’s asked him how things were going with Stacey. He simply replied, ‘Not good, not good at all.’ It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it.
“The other week one of Stacey’s relatives was on holiday with a friend and said, ‘It’s over. They’re separating’.”
Giggs and Stacey’s relationship began in 2002. Their daughter Liberty Beau was born the next year and their son, Zachary in 2006 and the next year Giggs and Stacey married.
But behind the scenes he was having an affair with younger brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha — and had been doing so since 2003.
Natasha, Giggs sister-in-law, with whom he had a relationship for eight years.
Natasha, Giggs sister-in-law, with whom he had a relationship for eight years.
Giggs’ squeaky clean image was shattered in June 2011 when Natasha told of their eight-year affair. Natasha revealed Giggs got her pregnant and gave her £500 in cash for an abortion.
She said: “I was to blame for what happened but I was at his beck and call.
“It went on for eight years and I learned to live with the lies and the guilt.”
At the time of her revelation Giggs was being named online as the mystery footballer who had an affair with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas.
Giggs is the most decorated player in football history. He has won 13 Premier League medals, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, a World Club Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Uefa Super Cup and nine FA Community Shields. He was the first player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award consecutively — in 1992 and 1993.
Giggs was appointed player-coach at Manchester United in July 2013 under Sir Alex’s Ferguson’s managerial successor David Moyes. After Moyes was sacked in April 2014, Giggs took over as interim player-manager.
When Louis van Gaal became manager in May 2014, Giggs was made his assistant.
Synthetic cannabis 'having a devastating impact in UK prisons'
Synthetic cannabis is having a “devastating impact” in British prisons and making it difficult for normal life to continue in some facilities, the chief inspector of prisons has said.
Sold as “spice” and “black mamba”, synthetic cannabis has been blamed for deaths, serious illness and episodes of self-harm among inmates, and some prison officers have reported falling ill from exposure to the fumes.
High demand for the compounds has fuelled more severe problems in the prison system than officers have faced from any other drug, with prisoners racking up greater debts, and suffering worse bullying and violence, Peter Clarke told the Guardian.
“Prison staff have told me that the effect on individuals and prisons as a whole is unlike anything they have seen before,” said Clarke, who took up the post in February.
Synthetic cannabis is an umbrella term for hundreds of chemical compounds that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, in the brain. The synthetic forms are often extremely potent, making them a greater threat to users and those around them. A report from the prisons and probation ombudsman last year linked 19 prison deaths between 2012 and 2014 with synthetic cannabis, by far the most common of the new psychoactive substances (NPS).
Unlike traditional resin and weed, synthetic cannabis is manufactured in labs and is usually odourless, making it hard for prison staff to tell when inmates are smoking the drugs. While NPS are banned in prisons, large quantities continue to find their way inside.
“NPS is having a devastating impact in some of our prisons, more severe than we have seen with other drugs,” Clarke said. “Their presence in prisons has given rise to debt, bullying and violence. They are destabilising some prisons, making it difficult for normal prison life to continue.
“Both at local and national level there needs to be clear strategies to deal with the supply of these drugs into prisons, and to care for those who suffer from their effects,” he added. “At the moment the situation appears to be getting worse, not better.”
The 2015 ombudsman’s report urged the prisons service to ensure staff had more information about synthetic cannabis and the signs that prisoners were taking them. It called on governors to put in place strategies to reduce the supply of NPS and the violence associated with the drugs.
But Steve Gillan at the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said the prison service was failing in its duty of care for prisoners and prison staff by not adequately dealing with synthetic cannabis. “We don’t think they, or the government, are taking it seriously enough. Our prisons are awash with synthetic cannabis and prisoners are so out of their heads they don’t know what they are doing sometimes. They are a danger to themselves, they’re attacking staff, and they are attacking other prisoners.”
Gillan said the problem was exacerbated by a shortfall in staff needed to perform perimeter checks and thorough searches of prison cells and exercise yards. “We want prisons properly searched because these drugs are getting dropped in by drones, catapulted over fences, and there are not enough staff to deal with it,” he added. More sniffer dogs are due to be brought into service, but Gillan said it was “too little, too late”.
Last year’s report from the prisons ombudsman highlighted a number of cases of prisoners dying after using synthetic cannabis. What role the drugs played is unclear, however. One man died apparently after smoking spiked cigarettes he had been given by inmates who wanted to test a new batch of synthetic cannabis. Another man, whose behaviour had previously been “exemplary”, shouted at a prison doctor, and was found to have hanged himself in his cell the next morning. He had recently developed a heavy synthetic cannabis habit and had been forced to sell possessions to pay off his debts. A woman described as “fun-loving” appeared to have a psychotic episode after taking synthetic cannabis, and possibly other drugs, and died after she severed an artery in an unprecedented act of self-harm.
The POA is so concerned about the growing problem that it has begun to compile a dossier on incidents where synthetic cannabis is involved. “We are looking at various different avenues to make our employer actually wake up and smell the coffee,” said Gillan. “It’s at a problematic level and worsening.”
A prison service spokesperson said governors use sniffer dogs, cell searches and mandatory drugs tests to find drugs in prison and punish those responsible. The service has legislated to make smuggling NPS into prisons illegal. “Those caught trying to throw packages over prison walls can now face up to two years in jail,” the spokesperson said. “However we must do more, which is why we are investing £1.3bn to transform the prison estate, to better support rehabilitation and tackle bullying, violence and drugs.” Thanks for reading.
France braces for May Day violence amid anger over labour bill
France is braced for violence at May Day rallies amid increasing anger about proposed employment changes, with similar fears about erosion of rights sending tens of thousands on to the streets of South Korea.
May Day protests were expected in cities across the world on Sunday, as economic crises and a rise in unemployment have fuelled anti-government sentiment.
France was on high alert after protests against planned labour changes this week descended into chaos, with cars set on fire and dozens of police officers being injured in Paris in clashes with protesters.
The French government hopes the changes will help reduce chronic unemployment, which is at about 10%. But critics believe they threaten hard-won workers’ rights by making it easier to lay off people in economically difficult times.
The government has already watered down the employment bill but this has failed to calm the anger among students and workers demanding it be withdrawn.
The prime minister, Manuel Valls, issued a warning on Sunday to groups of so-called casseurs (breakers) who appear on the sidelines of marches actively seeking confrontation with police, leading to violent clashes.
“We will respond with the greatest of determination to these troublemakers … the attacks and violence against security forces are unacceptable,” he said.
The labourminister, Myriam El Khomri, defended the proposed changes, saying debate on the bill should now shift to parliament where it is scheduled to be heard in two days.
“This bill is fair and necessary,” she told local media, adding that reformist unions that represent most workers were behind the changes.
In France, May Day celebrations often expose bitter divisions in the the far-right party Front National, with former leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter and party chief, Marine, holding rival rallies.
The 87-year-old criticised his estranged daughter and predicted she would be roundly beaten in presidential elections next year.
International Workers Day was started in Chicago in 1886 by a union demanding an eight-hour workday, and is now celebrated around the world.
In South Korea – which also has high youth unemployment – proposed changes to its labour laws have sparked similar anger among workers, and tens of thousands protested against the employment bill.
Labour activists say the changes being pushed by President Park Geun-hye and her conservative Saenuri party will make it easier for companies to sack workers.
“Let’s fight together against the evil bill!” activists and unionised workers chanted during a protest in front of city hall in the capital, Seoul.
About 100,000 workers joined a May Day parade in Red Square, Moscow, waving Russian flags and balloons near the Kremlin walls, police said.
The carefully choreographed spectacle harked back to Soviet times and took place amid a persisting economic crisis brought on by western sanctions over Russian involvement in Ukraine and low oil prices.
Crowd with banners
In Istanbul, security measures included 25,000 police on duty and numerous roads closed on a day that regularly sees clashes between Turkish protesters and police.
Security was especially high at the main Taksim Square, where demonstrators are expected to try to gather despite a banning order.
May Day comes at a time of particular tension in Turkey after a succession of deadly attacksblamed on jihadis and Kurdish militants.
Controversy is also growing over the presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom critics accuse of increasingly authoritarian rule.
Several foreign missions have warned their citizens about the risk of violence in Istanbul on 1 May. The US embassy has warned of the “potential for violent confrontation between demonstrators and security personnel”.
Last year, Turkish police used water cannon and teargas to disperse May Day protesters in Istanbul, while police and demonstrators engaged in pitched battles in some areas.
Parliament passed a controversial security bill last year that gave the police greater powers to crack down on protests.
Taksim Square has been a flashpoint for clashes on May Day since dozens of people were killed there in 1977 when modern Turkey was going through one of its most turbulent periods. Thanks for reading.
Chelsea Star, John Obi Mikel Snubs MASSIVE Offer
Chelsea of London and Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder, John Mikel Obi has reportedly snubbed a massive move to Turkey in anticipation of a contract extension at the Stamford Bridge.
According to reports in The Sun UK on Saturday, the Super Eagles captain rejected the chance to earn N49.5million (£110k) -a-week at Galatasaray or Fenerbahce.
The tabloid reports that “Galatasaray and Fenerbahce were keen on the midfielder, 29, with a reported £110,000-a-week on the table in January but he chose to stay at the Bridge.”
Mikel had fallen out of favour with manager, Jose Mourinho before the Portuguese tactician was sacked in December, but has been a regular in the first team under interim manager, Guus Hiddink.
Antonio Conte takes over in the summer and Mikel’s form has paved the way for him to be part of the Italian’s plans.
The Nigerian has been at Chelsea for ten years and has a year left on his deal.
Diane Abbott says claims of antisemitism within Labour are smear
Jeremy Corbyn faced further calls for a tougher crackdown on antisemitism within Labour on Sunday after one of his allies dismissed the crisis as a “smear” against the party and its members.
Diane Abbott, the shadow international development secretary, dismissed claims that the party had a problem with antisemitism, provoking fresh criticism of the Labour leadership.
She suggested the problem was procedural and instead lay within Labour’s rules governing antisemitic and other racist comments, which she said would be corrected following a review of the party’s guidelines.
“Every single claim of antisemitism – I think 12 – has resulted in a suspension. Ken was suspended within hours. That is 12 allegations when 200,000 [new members] have joined the party,” Abbott said.
“It’s a smear to say that Labour has a problem with antisemitism. It is something like a smear against ordinary party members.”
Her comments, made on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning, was followed by more criticism of the leadership’s response to repeated claims of antisemitism by Labour MPs and one major party donor.
On Friday, Corbyn suspended Ken Livingstone from the party and announced an independent inquiry into antisemitism in Labour, to be led by Shami Chakrabarti, the former head of Liberty.
It follows incendiary comments by the former London mayor that appeared to claim that Adolf Hitler, whose regime was responsible for the deaths of six million Jews, supported Zionism.
Livingstone has refused to apologise to the Jewish community for the comments. He said this weekend the row was not about antisemitism but rather a plot by “embittered old Blairite MPs” to destabilise Corbyn’s leadership.
In a heated exchange over the party’s response to the comments, Marr challenged Abbott to explain why, if Labour had no broader problem with antisemitism, the leader had announced an inquiry into the issue.
The shadow minister implied that the problem was with the rules of the party: “There are issues about process. There is nothing in the rules about racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. We are going to make the rules explicit.”
Corbyn later reaffirmed his pledge to rid the party of all forms of racism. Speaking at a May Day rally in London, the Labour leader said the party “stands absolutely against racism in any form”. He said: “We stand united as a Labour movement recognising our faith diversity, our ethnic diversity, and from that diversity comes up strength.”
However, Labour donor Michael Foster, who gave the party £400,000 before the general election in which he stood as a candidate, said some members of the party’s leadership continued to “vilify Jews as part of their political shtick”.
He called for the Chakrabarti inquiry to be widened, and said on BBC Radio 4’s The World this Weekend he would not donate to the party nationally because of the leadership’s approach.
Meanwhile, many others within the parliamentary party remained dismayed at the response from Abbott following contrite comments by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, on Saturday. Ben Bradshaw, the former culture minister, said Labour members were furious at how allegations of antisemitism had been handled.
“I’m increasingly of the view that Ken Livingstone is a Conservative party spy who’s been planted in the Labour party and has been sleeping and has now emerged to try to do as much damage as he possibly can.
“And that’s certainly the view of my loyal Labour party members and activists and voters who came up to me all day yesterday saying: what is going on? They were outraged by his comments. If he comes back into the party, they won’t vote for our party. It’s a really serious issue,” he said.
Louise Ellman, the Jewish MP for Liverpool Riverside, said the response had been “much too slow”. The party is investigating a complaint that she has been subject to antisemitic abuse at a meeting of the local party.
Len McCluskey, the head of Unite, Britain’s biggest union and the party’s biggest donor, criticised Livingstone and backed his suspension. However, he told Pienaar’s Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is nothing more than a cynical attempt to manipulate antisemitism for political ends because it is all about constantly challenging Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
“The idea that there is an antisemitic crisis within the Labour party is absolutely offensive but it is being used in order to challenge Jeremy Corbyn. Once the mood music of antisemitism dies down, then next week and the week after there will be another subject. It is an issue that comes up because somebody says something stupid and then immediately it becomes a crisis.”
Corbyn announced an independent review last week and pledged to tighten party codes of conduct in an attempt to control the row over antisemitism, which has seen the MP Naz Shah as well as Livingstone suspended by the party.
He has faced calls from Israeli politicians and diplomats to give a more “unequivocal” condemnation, and warnings – including from the party’s London mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan – that Labour would be punished in the 5 May elections.
Mark Regev, Israel’s ambassador to London, called for Corbyn to distance himself from Hamas, which he described as an antisemitic organisation. “The left has a wonderful, proud history of fighting antisemitism, but we have seen some language over the last two or three weeks which is very concerning,” Regev said.
“They have the right to criticise the Israeli government, Israeli citizens do it every day,” he said. “It is about demonising the Jewish state. It is not about criticising this or that Israeli policy; it is about the demonising and vilification of my country and its very right to exist.
“It is important that the leadership is not neutral or agnostic about antisemitism. I’ll give you an example; you have had too many people of the progressive side of politics who have embraced Hamas and Hezbollah. Both of them are antisemitic organisations. You just have to read their charters which read like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
“If you are progressive, you are embracing an organisation which is homophobic, which is misogynistic and which is openly antisemitic – what is progressive about that? There needs to be an unequivocal message from the leadership saying there is no solidarity with antisemites.” Thanks for reading.
