Having invoked the 1948 Genocide Convention, the state of South Africa brings a forensically-detailed 84-page indictment against Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).  In a landmark intervention, South Africa is seeking to show that statements made by a range of Israel’s top political and military leaders, and the actions which have followed, demonstrate clear intent to commit genocide. “According to the application, “acts and omissions by Israel … are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent … to dest ..read more

"Last weekend, we held the first demo of the year 2024 in front of Glasgow City Chambers, and it was truly a momentous occasion. The energy and passion were palpable as we came together to raise our voices for justice and solidarity. One of the highlights of the day was a thought-provoking role play, where kids bravely depicted the harsh reality of what’s happening in Palestine. Their performance served as a powerful reminder of the urgency and importance of standing up against injustice."  Watch here on X  Watch here on Instagram  Watch here on Facebook Produced by ..read more

Grand Central, NYC Alongside the multiple millions marching across the world in support of Gaza, some of the most effective spectacles have been the protest and ‘die-in’ actions at train stations and other travel hubs.  Some of the public may reasonably ask, “why here”? And the answer is very simple.  It’s not actually about creating disruption or inconvenience to the public.   It’s to invite people of good conscience to stop for a moment, to take a minute from their own travels, and reflect upon the trapped people in Gaza and the inhuman constraints on th ..read more

Further exchange with BBC (previous correspondence here and here).     Enquiry now raised to Stage 2 level for consideration by the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU).  From the BBC 22 November 2023  Dear Mr Hilley, Ref: CAS-7679120-B1Y1G2-1 Thank you for getting in touch again about BBC News. The BBC’s Editorial Guidelines refer to due accuracy and due impartiality, which is to say the accuracy and impartiality must be adequate and appropriate to the output, taking account of the subject and nature of the content, the likely audience expectation and any ..read more

Further exchange with BBC (Initial complaint here) Friday, 17 November 2023 Reference CAS-7679120-B1Y1G2 Dear Mr Hilley Thank you for contacting us about the BBC News website. We note your concerns regarding our recent coverage of the current situation in the Middle East. I can assure you that BBC News always aims for the highest standards of accuracy and impartiality when reporting, and we do aim to report accurate, impartial and comprehensive coverage likely to be of interest to our readers. The bullet points within our live reporting pages aim to summarise some of the main ..read more

Text of complaint to the BBC (3 November 2023) about the deceptive use of its headline statement on the deaths within Israel on and around 7 October:     The BBC introduce and annotate every news report with the words: “Israel began its operation after Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel”. (For example, 1 and 3 November 2023.) Whatever one thinks about what happened on and around 7 October, this statement is false, a clear case of BBC disinformation.  Whilst there is little doubt that Hamas and other resistance groups were responsible for a large proportion ..read more

Even after 75 years of systematic repression, Israel is now engaged in truly staggering levels of genocidal murder and removal of Palestinians, all backed by its Western patrons.      As of 26 October, it has taken Israel just over two weeks to murder over 7000 people in Gaza, almost 3000 of them children. Another 940 children lie missing beneath the rubble. A truly astonishing and depraved kill rate.  'Go south', they ordered 1 million people, 'for your own safety', then bombed them mercilessly there as well as in the north. The death list of n ..read more

The trauma of 1948 is being repeated in Gaza as Israel orders over 1 million people, half the illegally besieged enclave’s population, to leave.  2.4 million people, half of them under 18, packed into an area the size of the Isle of Wight, now face further expulsion from their bomb-decimated homes.  The Nakba catastrophe which saw 750,000 Palestinians forcibly removed from their land has been a continuous process of ethnic cleansing. And now millions more are facing the march of dispossession.  80% of Gaza’s people are already refugees, forced from their homes in sett ..read more

A small ship of humanity will soon drop anchor in the River Clyde.  Sailing around various European ports, Handala, a vessel funded and launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is to dock in Glasgow (24th - 27th June 2023) as part of its continuing ‘For the Children of Gaza’ voyage to the stricken Strip.  The international-based expedition is the latest courageous attempt to break Israel’s illegal blockade of the long-suffering Palestinian enclave.  Previous maritime efforts have been brutally intercepted and hijacked in international waters by Is ..read more

Nicola Sturgeon's sudden resignation, prompting the current SNP leadership contest, has now revealed multiple seeping conflicts, hitherto contained by her once highly-disciplined party machine. It feels not so much the end of an era, as the unravelling of an entire, self-entitled fiefdom.     Behind the SNP's ultra-polished presentation, Sturgeon’s exit from office and literal rush from the resignation podium resembles the flight of a prime suspect from the crime scene, with forensic investigators left picking over the real reasons for her hasty departure. And as the polit ..read more