It can sometimes feel awkward editing a website promoting the music of a country led by some pretty dubious people. In the last 48 hours we’ve had a US secretary of state describe the Israeli offer of a temporary ceasefire in Gaza – akin to someone smashing up your house for 7 months and offering to stop briefly while they catch their breath – as “extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous”. Orwellian doesn’t cover it.
But then we remind ourselves that the government is not the people and that the best of the US can be seen in the protests which have taken place across campuses in recent weeks in support of the Palestinians, with both students and university staff risking arrest, police violence and life-changing sanctions such as being booted off their courses/out of their jobs. As many have noted, it calls to mind the Vietnam student demos from the 1960s but in this case, there is no threat of conscription for the individuals concerned, just a human empathy for another people which they’ve put over and above their own futures. Heroes of our times basically – lest we forget, many of whom are Jewish – and people who deserve solidarity and support. Steve Earle as always has something to say. Workers of the world unite, happy May Day!
akin to someone smashing up your house for 7 months and offering to stop briefly while they catch their breath – as “extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous”. Orwellian doesn’t cover it. – ludicrous comment.
Lovely to hear from you as always Andy!
Think some of us are feeling more angry than hopeful.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=su_fep2iARQ
I am consumed with anger Andy. Just have to remind myself that these young people are the future.
I enjoy this site enormously and it has given me access to music I’d never heard or considered before. I appreciate readers probably have political opinions that differ greatly. The Middle East situation is troubling but really don’t think one side,Isreal is to blame, and the other side, Palestinians/Hamas are the victims. Far from it. The student protests are best described as “useful idiots “. This forum is not about this situation. My opinion obviously and others are free to disagree (not something you can do everywhere in the world).
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one Tris, Israel is an ethno-nationalist apartheid state being run essentially by neo-fascists at the moment, and the boycott movement is growing in the same way as it did for South Africa (notably one of apartheid South Africa’s biggest supporters was… Israel). We have never swerved speaking out on political issues here on AUK but appreciate readers will disagree with some of them – where they do, unless they’re abusive, we are happy to publish their comments like your own.
Thats fine Mark. I expect I agree with you on many points. With regards to the Middle East situation it’s not as black and white for me, with Isreal bad and Hamas/Palestinians good. October 7th was horrific. I expect hamas half expected the results. They will happier sacrifice their own people for political points. They have refused cease fire offers, and retain hostages. Just return them. Isreal is the only democratic country in the region. Those protesting would be in jail or worse if they lived in Gaza. The Palestinians have had more aid than anyone else but have squandered it on rockets and tunnels, to paraphrase Paul Weller. Hamas leaders have billions in the bank but are happy to see their own people starving. Isreal is the only country in the region to have a Pride march…Finally I don’t recall marches and protests regarding Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran etc when they slaughter thousands or is it only Isreal that gets this treatment? Cheers
So on your points Tris – you don’t have to be a fan of Hamas to still object to Israel’s actions and more importantly as Judith Butler from Jewish Voices for Peace points out: “We can have different views about Hamas as a political party, we can have different views about armed resistance. But […] the uprising of October 7th was an act of armed resistance.[…] This was an uprising” The tunnels are a necessity for survival given the blockade for many years. Israel is not a democracy for Palestinians, see this Amnesty report: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/ As a gay man, I find the IDF’s pinkwashing genuinely stomach turning. But the most important point for me I guess is this – why do you think it is that the main flag on far right marches here now other than Union Jacks is the Israeli flag? Does not that tell us something?
Sorry also realise that I didn’t answer your final point. I’d say a. just because you can’t protest everything, it doesn’t mean you can’t protest anything. b. the UK has a special responsibility given we partly caused this whole situation in the first place and c. most of all, the reason for the anger around this more than any of those other situations is we are literally funding the genocide and blocking countries who are trying to stop it. And this isn’t new – hence it being an issue which has been building for many years now.
Hi Mark, we can agree to disagree on this. To remotely think October 7th was a legitimate act of armed resistance is frankly ridiculous. Slaughtering 1200 or so in the most horrific way. Something like a third of the Israeli population are Muslim, the only country in the region that Muslims are actually able to vote freely, and is pink washing by Isreal as abhorrent as making homosexuality illegal or executing gay people for their sexuality? As I said, I don’t agree with everything Israel does, but I certainly disagree with what hamas does. I think we should have a ceasefire! Take care, Tris.
I don’t suppose Israeli bombs blowing Palestinians to bits care whether they’re gay or straight so in that sense then yes an example to us all in terms of equality.
Sorry your comments keep going into moderation btw, they’re not meant to. We’re not going to agree but glad to be able to debate without it getting volatile. Thanks Tris.
Disgusted by the ignorant Hamas support I seem to read in too many places. What is wrong with you people?
Thank goodness that’s not the case here.
Yes it is. Disgusting.
Thanks for the kind words Ralph, you take care now.