The media’s role and responsibility in reporting Israel’s Prisoner X is central to understanding why the story reveals much about a journalistic establishment in Western countries that is far too close to government. I was asked by Al Jazeera’s Listening Post for comment about this issue. I appear around 9:53 (previous appearances on the show…
Showing all posts tagged censorship
Rejecting hate speech spewed by Geert Wilders
I was proud to be involved in last night’s Sydney rally against far-right, anti-Islam racist Geert Wilders, raising my voice against his bigotry. I believe he has the right to free speech but opponents have a responsibility to challenge his bile. Via AAP: About 100 protesters are rallying outside a function centre in Sydney’s west…
Democracy Now! interview on Prisoner X and Mossad
I was interviewed on Democracy Now! TV last night about the Prisoner X case, Mossad and Israeli/Australian relations: NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s show looking at a scandal gripping Israel and Australia centered on a man once known simply as “Prisoner X,” who was found dead in a maximum security prison in Israel in 2010.…
Omar Barghouti on BDS and holding Israel to account
Compelling interview with leading Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti speaking this month in America with Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman:
Setting the right priorities over Wikileaks support
As a long-time supporter of Wikileaks, since its inception in 2006, its importance is often overlooked by the personal issues surrounding its founder Julian Assange. It’s a complex legal and ethical battle and his fear of US arrest and imprisonment is real and justified. Trusting any authorities is unwise considering the record of governments and…
How restricted web access looks and feels in Iran
Fascinating project by Iranian designer Maral Pourkazemi detailing the reality of online censorship and repression in the Islamic Republic: The Iranian Internet – An Infographic by Maral Pourkazemi from Gestalten on Vimeo.
“We’re talking about the potential for a second Holocaust here”
Brooklyn College is hosting an event about BDS and a general discussion over Israel and Palestine. Freedom of speech. Academic freedom. And yet (via the New York Times): Brooklyn College, in the Midwood neighborhood, would seem an unlikely place for Jewish students to feel besieged. Nearly a fifth of the undergraduate population is Jewish, and…
If you don’t think the Israel lobby has deformed Washington, you’re delusional
This brief clip from the confirmation hearings of Chuck Hagel for Defence Secretary shows all you need to know about what can and cannot be said even in elite circles over Israel: More here.
Supporting Palestine is protected by the US constitution
At a time when Palestine activism in the US is becoming more effective (and more threatening to the Zionist lobby), this initiative is welcome: The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), in collaboration with the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), the Student Speech Working Group and other organizations, today announced the launch of the Palestine Solidarity Legal…