Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, praised by Barack Obama as a beacon of press bravery, has been jailed in Sri Lanka for 20 years. The trial and process was a sham, further condemning the country to the status of rogue state. Reporters Without Borders has issued the following statement: Reporters Without Borders is appalled by the…
Showing all posts tagged censorship
How to pressure Israel one cultural step at a time
How to pressure Israel to change its behaviour? There are a myriad of ways but normalising relations with an apartheid state is not one of them. Outside pressure is the only way to bring change (a message I heard time and time again from countless Israeli Jews during my recent visit there). The occupation won’t…
Twitter is vulnerable everywhere
Although there are signs that Saudi Arabia is ever-so-slowly liberalising, here’s the reality for anybody who speaks out: Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission has recently blocked access to Twitter accounts of two Saudi human rights activists because the authorities didn’t like the human rights angle of theit Twittering.
At what point does one take a stand on apartheid?
When film-maker Ken Loach recently called for the Melbourne International Film Festival to refuse Israeli government funding, the response was electric. Now, the director of the festival has fully responded (and I’m informed Loach has responded to this response by Richard Moore): To allow the personal politics of one filmmaker to proscribe a festival position…
Stalin is landing in Washington
Rush Limbaugh, America’s leading radio host, on the Obama administration: This whole administration is as radical and far left as any that the country has ever had, and what they’re trying to do here to communications is simply stifle dissenting voices. They’re trying to wipe out any opposition.
Reaction to Pilger award reveals Zionist lobby’s fear of dissent
My following article appears in Crikey: In 2003, Palestinian politician and human rights activist Hanan Ashrawi won the Sydney Peace Prize. The Zionist establishment reacted with outrage, accused her of extremism and pressured then New South Wales Premier Bob Carr to not present the award. The campaign was a disaster and convinced large swathes of…
Dump those Nokia mobile phones
The global campaign against Nokia, after it emerged the company is assisting the Iranian regime in its monitoring program, continues: “Nokia out of Iran!” demanded protestors gathering peacefully on Thursday outside the Nokia Flagship Store in New York City. “Iran has cracked down on nonviolent protestors with surveillance technology developed by Nokia,” observed rally co-organizer…
What lies beneath Israel’s surface
Jewish-American writer and provocateur Max Blumenthal (and some mutual Israeli friends) are keen to tell the world about Israel’s increasing crack-down on dissent and blatant hatred of Arabs. A reality that remains hidden in much of the West. I posted in July a trailer for their forthcoming documentary by The Daily Nuisance. Now, a full-length…
Freedom of speech either exists in Israel or it doesn’t
The fallout over Israeli academic Neve Gordon’s call for a boycott against his country gathers pace. It’s a position I share with him and we’ve exchanged communication in the last days about this. Israel treats the Palestinians like rabid dogs; the state must be forced to understand that its behaviour is totally unacceptable. Here’s an…
Deleting the Hamas factor
Facebook is massively popular in Gaza, a way to connect with friends inside the Strip and the world. So this move will cause damage in the Arab world: The operators of the internet site Facebook have recently removed a webpage dedicated to fans of Hamas’ prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, the London-based Al-Hayat reported…