African mask sold for 4.2m euros in France despite protest

VIDEO https://www.africanews.com/embed/1881804
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PASCAL GUYOT/AFP or licensors

By Africanews
with AFP

A carved mask from Central Africa, dating from the 19th century, was sold in France for 4.2 million euros ($4.6 million) on Saturday, despite Gabonese protesters in the auction house calling for the item's "'restitution".

The rare wooden "Ngil" mask, used in ceremonies by the Fang ethnic people of Gabon, smashed its estimate of 300,000-400,000 euros at the auction in the southern French city of Montpellier.

"It's a case of receiving stolen goods," a man describing himself as a member of the Gabonese community in Montpellier exclaimed from the back of the auction room, surrounded by half a dozen compatriots.

"We'll file a complaint. Our ancestors, my ancestors, from the Fang community, we will recover this object", the protester added, describing the mask as a "colonial ill-gotten gain".

Auctioneer Jean-Christophe Giuseppi said the auction was "entirely legal", as far as he was aware.

Accompanied by security guards, the demonstrators left the auction hall calmly, but continued their protest against the sale of African works of art.

Saturday's auction also included a Congolese chair which sold for 44,000 euros.

With added costs and fees, the total paid by the successful bidder for the Fang mask was 5.25 million euros, close to a record for such an item.

In 2006 a similar Fang mask brought in 5.9 million euros at a Paris auction.

Report: Ginni Thomas Urged GOP Caucus To Protest Election Results ‘Out In The Streets’

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - FEBRUARY 23: Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, moderates a pannel discussion titled "When did World War III Begin? Part A: Threats at Home" 

By Summer Concepcion
March 27, 2022 

Big Lie efforts by Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to overturn the 2020 election results reportedly extended to GOP members of Congress, according to NBC News. The report comes days after the Washington Post and CBS News revealed explosive text messages from Thomas to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in the weeks after the election.

Days after the 2020 election, Thomas reportedly emailed an aide to then-incoming Republican Study Committee chair Jim Banks (R-IN), according to NBC News. Thomas reportedly wrote to Banks’ aide that she was more aligned with the far-right House Freedom Caucus, whose leaders spearheaded GOP efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s electoral victory in Congress.

Thomas reportedly wrote to Banks’ aide that she views Freedom Caucus members to be tougher than RSC members in terms of pushing the Big Lie. Additionally, Thomas threatened that she would not help the RSC, the largest caucus of conservatives in Congress, if she did not see its members “out in the streets” and in the fight, according to NBC News.

Despite the RSC representing the majority of conservative House members, the tea party-driven Freedom Caucus has increasingly gained more traction in recent years with its embrace of Trump and his election fraud falsehoods as Republicans look to take back Congress in the midterm elections later this year.

Thomas’ email to Banks in Nov. 2020 reportedly followed a request from the RSC to offer policy recommendations ahead of Banks’ term as chair of the caucus.

According to NBC News, Banks’ aide thanked Thomas for her suggestions and moved on. The email exchange reportedly made no specific references to GOP efforts to overturn the election results on the day of the joint session of Congress certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

NBC News’ report comes days after Thomas’ reported efforts to pursue Big Lie efforts in a series of text exchanges with Meadows were revealed.

According to the Post, the text messages it obtained between Thomas and Meadows were among the 2,320 that the former Trump official provided to the Jan. 6 Select Committee during his short-lived cooperation with the panel. The Post and CBS News reviewed 21 messages sent by Thomas and eight messages sent by Meadows.

Days after major networks project Biden’s victory in Nov. 2020, Thomas reportedly complained about congressional Republicans in one text to Meadows on Nov. 10. Thomas wrote that she wished more Republican lawmakers proved their loyalty to Trump by being “out in street rallies” with his grassroots supporters who were also pushing the Big Lie.

“House and Senate guys are pathetic too… only 4 GOP House members seen out in street rallies with grassroots… Gohmert, Jordan, Gosar, and Roy,” Thomas reportedly texted Meadows, appearing to refer to Freedom Caucus members Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Chip Roy (R-TX).

The Jan. 6 Select Committee is reportedly discussing whether to call Thomas to come before the panel, according to CBS News and CNN.

The Committee’s meeting scheduled on Monday will reportedly include discussion of inviting Thomas to speak with the panel and issue a subpoena if necessary, according to CBS.

Thomas’ reported messages with Meadows follows her remarks the Washington Free Beacon earlier this month, in which she admitted to attending the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the deadly Capitol insurrection — but only until she “got cold and left early.”

Thomas, however, claimed that she did not help organize the rally, despite her reported ties to the rally’s organizers. Thomas maintained that her attendance at the rally has “no bearing” on her husband’s work amid scrutiny over whether her conservative activism posts conflicts of interests for Justice Thomas’ role on the high Court, especially in cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Summer Concepcion is a newswriter for TPM based in New York. She previously covered the 2016 election for Fusion, conducted investigative research for The Nation Institute, and has written for NBC Chicago and the Chicago Reader.

Ukraine war could delay Egypt’s first nuclear power plant

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Egypt's vote in favor of a UN resolution condemning Moscow could possibly throw a wrench into the Dabaa nuclear plant project, a joint project with Russian companies.

A picture taken on April 7, 2016, shows windmills and a painting at the Cruas Meysse nuclear power plant located in Cruas and Meysse, near the town of Montélimar, France.

 - PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP 

Ibrahim Ayyad
@IAyad
March 27, 2022

CAIRO — The Russian war on Ukraine and the US and Western sanctions against Russia have raised questions about the fate of one of Egypt’s main energy projects as its launch date approaches. The Dabaa project is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt, implemented by Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom.

On Jan. 18, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev told Russian journalists that the construction of the first reactor at the Dabaa nuclear plant will start in July.

On Feb. 17, Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority announced that the first reactor, with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, will start operating in 2028, while all four reactors, with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, will be completed and start operating in 2031.

But the project could be disrupted by Russia's war in Ukraine. The invasion prompted European countries and the United States to impose economic sanctions against Moscow as well as a number of Russian companies and figures, possibly delaying the Egyptian project.

In a Feb. 24 press statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on all parties to the Ukrainian crisis to prioritize dialogue and diplomatic solutions and to settle the crisis politically in a way that preserves international security and stability, ensures that the situation does not escalate or deteriorate and prevents the humanitarian and economic situations from worsening.

On March 2, Egypt voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian aggression on Ukraine. However, following the vote, Egypt’s permanent representative to the UN issued a statement explaining that Cairo’s vote stems from its firm belief in international law and the principles of the UN Charter. He stressed Egypt’s “rejection of economic sanctions that are not part of a multilateral international system mechanism, based on previous experiences that had severe and negative humanitarian effects and aggravated the suffering of civilians over the past decades.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated during a March 24 telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Egypt's position on finding a peaceful solution to the conflict and Cairo's efforts to that end, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Analysts who spoke to Al-Monitor believe that the Russian war will affect the Egyptian nuclear project.

Magdy Hamdan, an Egyptian politician and former member of the National Salvation Front, told Al-Monitor that the project is very likely to be affected by the war. He expects work on it to be suspended and resume after the war, perhaps with a country other than Russia.

Hamdan added, “So far no important steps have been taken in regard to the Dabaa project, which means that it would be easy for the Russian companies to stop working.”

The project had already been postponed for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction was scheduled to start in the second half of 2020, but was postponed until mid-2022.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Mohamed Hamed, director of the Eastern Mediterranean Forum for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, stressed that Egypt and Russia have strong relations, "especially in the armament, energy and the nuclear sectors,” and noted that the Dabaa nuclear project is very long-term and therefore delays are of little consequence.

However, he explained, “The Russo-Ukrainian war may affect the project’s start date due to the economic sanctions affecting the Russian firms.”

Hamed said, “The Russo-Ukrainian war renewed fears of the dangers of nuclear power plants and nuclear radiation, with nuclear threats and fear that nuclear plants in Ukraine would be targeted.”

Mohamed Soliman, a researcher at the Middle East Institute, commented in an interview with Al-Monitor, “Building a nuclear project for peaceful purposes is a strategic goal for Cairo. But as an emerging market, Egypt must take into account the risks tied to the sanctions imposed on Russia and how these can affect the Egyptian economy.”

Soliman said, "Washington realizes that Russia is a key player in the greater Middle East and has great influence in Syria and Libya, and that despite Egypt's vote in favor of the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, [Washington] must take into its account its vital security interests with Russia in Libya, in addition to broader cooperation on the security and military levels.”

He added, “Cairo hopes that Washington will consider all of these factors [before sanctioning] Egypt, in the same way it did with Tel Aviv.”

On March 3, Attaqa quoted Egyptian Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker as saying that he does not believe the implementation of the Dabaa project will be disrupted.

On March 15, a source in the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority told the Russian TASS news agency that Western sanctions against Moscow will not affect the course of the Dabaa plant project.

The Egyptian and Russian presidents shared a phone call March 9. The Egyptian presidency said in a press statement, “Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed ways to enhance strategic cooperation between the two countries through the ongoing joint development projects between them," stressing “the strength of historical relations between Cairo and Moscow in various fields, in addition to the friendship at the popular and official levels.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted March 9, “Putin and Sisi discussed during a phone call ways to develop the strategic partnership between Cairo and Moscow, including the implementation of major joint projects in the field of nuclear energy.”

During a March 23 meeting with a delegation from the Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian Universities, Russian Ambassador to Cairo Georgy Borisenko reassured his listeners that cooperation continues between Cairo and Moscow, stressing Russia's commitment to implementing all the agreements Moscow has signed with Egypt.

Sources at the Ministry of Electricity told Al-Mal News on Feb. 25, “The work at the Dabaa nuclear plant is on track and has not been affected by the Russo-Ukrainian war,” noting, “The workers at the Dabaa nuclear plant site on the Mediterranean coast are carrying out their work as usual.”

The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority announced in a Feb. 28 press statement that a permit had been issued for the construction site of a dry storage facility for the nuclear fuel that will be consumed at the Dabaa nuclear plant throughout the lifetime of the plant, which is 60 years.

In December 2017, Cairo and Moscow signed an agreement to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant during Putin’s visit to Cairo, where he met with Sisi.

In November 2015, the Egyptian and Russian sides signed three agreements: one to build and operate nuclear power plants, one under which Egypt will obtain a construction loan from Russia to be repaid by selling the energy generated and a memorandum of understanding between the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority and the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision of Russia.

The Dabaa nuclear project consists of four VVER-1200 Pressurized Water Reactors of AES-2006 design. The reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, are the safest and most common in the world, according to the Nuclear Power Plants Authority.

The cost of the project is estimated at $30 billion, 85% of which will be financed through a $25 billion Russian loan.

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/03/ukraine-war-could-delay-egypts-first-nuclear-power-plant#ixzz7Oq6WCSFV

Ginni Thomas Texts Show Court Needs Ethics Rules, Klobuchar Says

Alan Levin, Bloomberg News

Virginia Thomas Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images North America , Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

(Bloomberg) -- Senator Amy Klobuchar called for the Supreme Court to adopt the same ethics standards as lower courts after revelations that a conservative justice’s wife was active in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 

The Minnesota Democrat, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said it was “unbelievable” that Justice Clarence Thomas hadn’t recused himself from a Supreme Court decision this year on whether former President Donald Trump should turn over papers to a congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. 

“This is a textbook case for removing him, recusing him from those decisions,” Klobuchar, a former prosecutor, said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “All I hear is silence from the Supreme Court right now. That better change in the coming week.”

The Washington Post and CBS reported Thursday that Ginni Thomas, a political activist, was in close contact with Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the weeks following the 2020 election, promoting conspiracy theories about Joe Biden’s victory. “The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History,” she texted on Nov. 10, the Post reported, citing documents Meadows turned over to the committee.

The Supreme Court “badly needs ethics rules,” Klobuchar said, calling on Chief Justice John Roberts to act. “I would hope Justice Roberts, who I respect, will stand up and get those ethics rules in place.”

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Hundreds take to the streets of Dublin to protest the Saudi-led war in Yemen

Gofran Sawalha
27 March 2022 

Hundreds of people marched towards Saudi Arabia's embassy in Dublin to protest the war in Yemen.

Ireland’s anti-war movement led the march to raise awareness about the war which is entering its eighth year.

TAKE A GIGER COUNTER SHOPPING

Ahead of Ramadan, Moroccans boycott Algerian dates over claims of 'radioactivity'

Basma El Atti
Rabat
22 March, 2022

In the Sahara, from Biskra to Adrar, most Algerian dates palms are situated, hundreds of km away from the south-western region Reggan, where the French army detonated in 1960 the plutonium-filled bomb, known as Blue Jerboa.


Some boycotters said their campaign is also politicaly motivated. [Getty]


As Ramadan looms, some Moroccans have announced that they will boycott Algerian dates, fearing that these fruits may be radioactive due to their production close to sites in the Algerian Sahara where the French carried out nuclear detonations during the colonial era.

Algeria, the third-largest producer of dates in the world, produces more than 1,000 varieties of dates, a fruit that Muslims regularly eat to break their fasting during Ramadan.

In the Sahara, from Biskra to Adrar, most Algerian dates palms are situated, hundreds of kilometres away from the south-western region Reggan, where the French army detonated in 1960 the plutonium-filled bomb, known as Blue Jerboa.

Blue Jerboa was three times more powerful than the bomb dropped by the US on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, which destroyed everything within 1.6 kms of the explosion. France continued further nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara until the late 1960s.

Nuclear radiation continues to affect thousands of Algerians across the Sahara, and many of the sites are yet to be decontaminated, according to local researchers.

However Algerian dates, particularly the Deglet Nour, have gained notoriety for being one of the most delicious in the world in which Russia, Europe, and Morocco have imported tens of tons from Algeria every year.

For their part, Moroccan dates-shop-owners shrug off any "rumours" of ongoing contamination.

"All dates placed on the market have been monitored by the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA). Morocco has been exporting dates from Algeria for years now, we did not hear about anyone getting ill or suffering any consequences from eating these fruits," said Samir, a dried-fruit-shop-owner in Rabat, to The New Arab.

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Rabat imported nine thousand tons (amounting to around $US 14 million) of dates from Algeria in 2020.

ONSSA has not commented on the rumours as of yet.

A similar campaign surfaced on social media last year, claiming that Algerian dates contain "deadly bugs."

On its part, Algerian media reacted to the ongoing boycott campaign by saying it is motivated by the political conflict between the two countries, a charge affirmed by at least some of the boycotters because of Algeria's position on Western Sahara, a disputed territory in which Morocco claims sovereignty over since 1975.

The Moroccan-Algerian stalemate has been ongoing for decades now, mainly due to Algiers' support for the Polisario Front, an armed group that fights for the independence of Morocco's Western Sahara region.

Morocco's normalisation with Israel late in 2021, which Algeria perceived as a threat to its national security, reignited the dispute, with Algiers cutting off diplomatic ties with Rabat.

The two governments' political conflict have encouraged tensions among Moroccans and Algerians, despite their shared history of familial ties and cultural heritage. Many Moroccans consider Algerians' support for Polisario a betrayal to their first national cause: proving sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Gates Foundation, Qatar pledge $200M for African farmers battling climate change

WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS JUST FOR THIS PHOTO

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-founder Bill Gates speaks on stage at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in 2017. 

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

March 27 (UPI) -- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said Sunday it had partnered with the Qatar Fund for Development to pledge up to $200 million to help African farmers battle climate change.

The partnership was announced at the 2022 Doha Forum in Qatar, where world leaders are discussing topics like energy, global economic challenges and international relations, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

The Qatar Fund is a public institution to implement foreign aid projects and was formed in 2012 by the Arab nation, which is hosting the diplomatic conference.

The Gates Foundation said in a news release that the partnership, called Nanmo, will provide economic development projects to support "smallholder farmers on drylands on the African continent" who are "are bearing the brunt of the effects of climate change."

"Hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are already seeing their livelihoods threatened by higher temperatures and changing weather patterns," Bill Gates said in a statement.

"We're building on our longstanding collaboration with QFFD to help these farmers adapt. Together, we can prevent millions of people from falling into poverty and hunger due to climate change and increase agricultural yields to jumpstart equitable economic growth where it's most needed."

The organization said that one of the first projects Nanmo will fund will be to work with the World Poultry Foundation to provide chickens for egg and meat production to low-income women farmers in Africa.

Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation with her ex-husband, said in a statement that the partnership will also help combat poverty.

"A thriving agriculture sector generates economic growth, but that growth doesn't automatically benefit everyone equally," she said. "Nanmo isn't just about protecting agriculture against climate change. It's also about making sure that smallholder farmers, including millions of women, can lift themselves out of poverty and invest in a better future for their families and their communities."

During the Doha Forum on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise video appearance to call on countries to hike their energy production so Russia could not use its oil and gas wealth for global "blackmail."

Gigi Hadid will not liberate Palestine. But her silencing proves we can't dismiss celebrity solidarity

Perspectives

NEW ARAB
Hadeel Himmo
23 Mar, 2022

The liberation of Palestine will not come from celebrity statements, but we must take seriously the attempts to censor them. Removing ‘Palestine’ from Gigi Hadid’s Instagram post is part of a broader system of repression, writes Hadeel Himmo.

The omission of the word 'Palestine' from Gigi Hadid’s Instagram post is part of a wider trend of silencing. [GETTY]


Controversy erupted once again after a public figure had dared to transgress and express even the mildest form of support for the most taboo of causes: Palestine.

Vogue magazine made an Instagram post about Palestinian-American model Gigi Hadid’s intention to donate revenues from her fashion week appearances to humanitarian efforts for Ukrainians and Palestinians. Following a tantrum from the likes of StopAntisemitism.Org – who started levelling accusations of antisemitism and expressing anger at the preposterous suggestion that Palestinians may be humans deserving of aid – Vogue erased any mention of Palestine from its caption. In turn, supporters of Palestine expressed anger at Vogue’s acquiescence to pro-Israel pressure. And so, again, going where the wind blows, Vogue edited the caption once more and reinstated the original mention of Palestine.

Later, Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo shared an article discussing the Vogue incident and criticising liberals’ cowardice and lack of principles when faced with the question of Palestine. Ironic, however, is Ruffalo’s lack of awareness that he may also be the liberal in question. Last May, during Israel’s relentless massacring of Palestinians in Gaza and during its attempts to uproot Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Mark Ruffalo issued an apology in which he rescinded his description of Israel’s actions as a ‘genocide’, saying that the description “is being used to justify antisemitism here and abroad”.

Reddit's silencing of pro-Palestine speech betrays its ethos

Perspectives

Richard Silverstein

Interestingly, his apology came after an ad was published in the New York Times accusing multiple other celebrities, including Gigi Hadid, of antisemitism for expressing support for Palestinians.

In essence, the behaviour Ruffalo was now criticising Vogue for was behaviour he himself had previously engaged in. His actions are arguably worse. Whereas there is no expectation that Vogue – a multi-million dollar corporation – would have a genuine moral or political compass, Ruffalo had actually compromised on his beliefs as he threw Palestinians under the bus at a time when principled commitment was most urgently needed.

The entire Hadid-Vogue-Ruffalo situation that transpired is, in the grand scheme of things, ultimately materially inconsequential to the Palestinian cause. However, it is important to pay notice to what it signifies about the current circumstances the Palestinian solidarity movement finds itself in.

''When figures such as Mark Ruffalo or celebrity magazines such as Vogue capitulate to pro-Israel bullying, they fuel the harmful debate that takes as its premise the false notion that it is a supposedly thin line between the Palestinian cause and antisemitism.''

Zionist groups are engaged in relentless pursuit and harassment of those who express even the most benign forms of support for Palestinians, and their primary tactic is the weaponisation of accusations of antisemitism. From chasing after and threatening academics’ livelihoods, to targeting celebrities, to creating entire websites dedicated to doxing regular people, the pro-Israel movement has made it abundantly clear that no matter who you are, supporting Palestinians is your ticket to an endangered livelihood.

However, in addition to all of this, such accusations of antisemitism – and the public debates that accompany them – fundamentally play the sinister function of distraction. At the most basic level, these are attempts to weaken the Palestine solidarity movement by keeping it entrenched in a cycle of reaction and defensiveness, constantly having to expend resources on responding to such bogus and dishonest accusations.

It also distracts from the ability to shed a spotlight on the real and imminent violence that is being committed against Palestinians at the very same moment. At the time when the media and the public where hyper-focused on the Vogue-Hadid situation, the campaign to free Ahmad Manasra (who has been imprisoned in Israeli jails since he was 13 years old), or Palestinians’ mobilisation in the Naqab against their impending ethnic cleansing, did not get a fraction of the needed public attention and mobilisation.

A similar situation took place when the media and public officials were in an uproar over Emma Watson’s benign and vague pro-Palestine Instagram post. An entire movement being led by Palestinian prisoners on hunger strikes was overshadowed by the conversation about Emma Watson’s supposedly ‘antisemitic’ post.

Unfortunately, the combination of celebrity culture and social media platforms bestows these figures with the unique power to set the terms of the public conversation and to recalibrate the discursive parameters in which we can operate. So, when figures such as Mark Ruffalo or celebrity magazines such as Vogue capitulate to pro-Israel bullying, they fuel the harmful debate that takes as its premise the false notion that it is a supposedly thin line between the Palestinian cause and antisemitism.

It is therefore our duty to be antagonistic and to set our own terms for the Palestinian cause and movement. Not only must we reject this reactive debate that continues to centre antisemitism accusations, but we must also push to centre the Palestinian realities that are being side-lined in the course of these debates. It is also imperative that we engage with such celebrity figures and such institutions with scepticism, bearing in mind that more often than not they are driven by their instinct for self-preservation in the public stage rather than by moral principle.

Hadeel Himmo is a masters student in world literature at the University of Warwick, her research is focused on Palestinian literature.

Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@alaraby.co.uk

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.

A rising tide floods all houses: How the climate crisis will impact refugee migration

Milica Cosic
22 March, 2022

The worsening climate crisis is set to displace millions more should urgent measures not be imposed, with the world's poorest countries facing the brunt of our collective inaction. How can we slow down this impending catastrophe?

Climate change and refugee migration are two of the biggest challenges we are facing in the 21st Century. They are also strongly intertwined, so much so that the term ‘climate refugee’ is something that we will see more and more of in the near future.

However, there is a stark divide between those who cause climate change, and those who suffer from its effects. The clear divide spans across the Global South, where people of colour are those who will be most affected by climate change, despite their carbon footprint being so low.

By 2050, the Australian think tank the Institute for Economics and Peace predicts that at least 1.2 billion people could be displaced by climate-related events.

"Weather-related hazards – which are increasing in frequency and severity as a result of the climate crisis – have displaced over 21 million people each year on average, equivalent to 41 people every minute"

The UN secretary-general in 2021 named it the ‘make or break’ year to address the climate-energy crisis. Come 2022, little has changed. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) began at the end of October 2021, with a promise of reaching Net-Zero by 2030.

However, questions have been raised as to whether or not this is actually sustainable, as it is fair to say that the climate crisis discriminates.

While everyone around the world feels the effects of climate change, the most vulnerable are people living in the world’s poorest countries such as Haiti. Egypt is also extremely vulnerable to climate change, with the densely populated Nile at serious threat due to rises in sea levels.

Of all the MENA regions, Morocco tops as the country with the highest average annual precipitation, ranking number 153, with an average of 346mm of rainfall per year.

As Steve Trent, founder and CEO of Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) highlights, “since 2008, weather-related hazards – which are increasing in frequency and severity as a result of the climate crisis – have displaced over 21 million people each year on average, equivalent to 41 people every minute. This figure does not include those forced to leave home due to slow-onset climate impacts, such as desertification and sea-level rise.”

Increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, shifting seasons and natural disasters disproportionately threaten these populations, endangering their livelihoods and increasing their risk of poverty and hunger.

Speaking exclusively to The New Arab, the Co-founder and CEO of WeForest, Marie-Noëlle Keijzer, says that “the vicious circle is deforestation, droughts and chaotic weather patterns which mean that crops don’t produce and feed people."

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In MENA places like Syria, resource scarcity has been a long-standing challenge where it has reduced pasture and water sources. Climate change has accelerated migration and in return created a large inflow of refugees.

Noëlle Keijzer says that “every year is hotter than the previous one. We are breaking all records each year, the carbon curve is exponential."

"What is of concern, and needs to be addressed, is implementing measures to slow down and impede the process of refugees being displaced because of the climate"

As the latest IPCC report makes clear, we are heading towards increased global heating, which will exacerbate extreme weather, erode human rights, and make the conditions of life more difficult across large swaths of the planet. This is why we must turn to climate change conferences, such as the recent Cop-26 conference, to hold governments and people to account.

Amail Tower, the Founder and ED of Climate-Refugees highlights this. "As the latest Sixth Assessment of the IPCC report rightly indicates, the impact of climate change is driving displacement in all regions, but much of this is an internal movement within borders," she tells The New Arab. "Where this intersects between refugees and climate change, it disproportionately impacts frontline communities, marginalises people and Global South countries where livelihoods are dependent on natural resources and ecosystems for survival.”

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Environment and Climate

Florence Massena

What is of concern, and needs to be addressed, is implementing measures to slow down and impede the process of refugees being displaced because of the climate.

As Steve Trent says, it comes down to calling governments to account. “Governments must urgently move from words to real action for a full implementation of the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels,” he adds.

Campaigns officer at JCWI Mary Atkinson adds, "Governments need to act now to ensure that people can move across borders without risking their lives – and we as citizens must urge them to act with common sense and compassion.”

Milica Cosic is a freelance political journalist and holds an MSc in International Relations. She specialises in the refugee crisis in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe.

Follow her on Twitter: @milicac7

Canadian teacher sues Israel lobby group

Nora Barrows-Friedman Lobby Watch 

Javier Davila is fighting smear campaigns over his advocacy for Palestinian rights.

A Canadian teacher is suing a major Israel lobby group for defamation.

Javier Davila is a social justice educator and equity program advisor with the Toronto District School Board. His job is to provide educators with resources on combating racism and oppression.

Amid Israel’s attacks on Gaza last year, Davila emailed teachers information on Palestinian rights, including a resource guide that explains the difference between criticism of Israel and its state ideology, Zionism on the one hand, and anti-Jewish bigotry on the other.

Davila was then smeared in three separate columns in the right-wing Toronto Sun tabloid and by B’nai Brith Canada, a leading anti-Palestinian lobby group.

Pressured by Israel supporters, including B’nai Brith, the Toronto school board suspended Davila and launched an investigation against him.

B’nai Brith claimed that Davila had “attempted to abuse” his position within the school board to “spread hateful propaganda” and applauded his suspension.

The attacks on Davila resemble those recently waged against Palestinian teacher Shahd Abusalama at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK.

Abusalama was smeared over her advocacy for Palestinian rights by Israel supporters who sought to end her academic career, but was ultimately vindicated and offered a better teaching contract.

It also echoes the tactics the same Israel lobby group waged against another Canadian teacher, Nadia Shoufani.

In 2017, Shoufani won a year-long struggle against a defamation campaign that intended to destroy her career.

On 10 January, Davila and his attorneys Dimitri Lascaris and Stephen Ellis announced that they had filed a lawsuit against B’nai Brith and its chief executive, Michael Mostyn, under the country’s Libel and Slander Act.



A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover Davila’s legal fees.

“Designed to maximize harm”

Following Davila’s suspension, teaching unions and nearly 5,000 students, educators and community members signed a petition demanding his reinstatement and protection against the Israel lobby’s attacks.

In addition, 30 administrators within the school board itself authored a letter expressing concern over staff members being admonished for speaking up in support of Palestinian rights.

A similar letter was sent to the school board by Jewish parents, who warned of a chilling effect on speech related to Palestinian rights issues.

“We’re concerned that the TDSB would give credence to an opinion writer at The Sun, when the newspaper is generally not accepted as a credible source by the board’s own teachers for school assignments,” the parents added.

Davila was ultimately reinstated in July and did not face any formal discipline.

And in November, hundreds of high school students staged a walk-out in Toronto, in defense of Davila and demanding the Toronto District School Board assure its educators that they can speak freely about Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights.


But despite the overwhelming support and his reinstatement, “the attacks from B’nai Brith have been relentless, coordinated and malicious,” Davila told The Electronic Intifada.

In October, the lobby group announced it would not give up in “its campaign of consequences” for Davila, and that it would push forward with a complaint to the Ontario College of Teachers alleging “professional misconduct.”

“For months, they have publicly vilified me in interviews, in statements on social media, on their website, and in letters and complaints to persons and bodies in positions of power using some of the most hateful terms designed to maximize harm,” Davila said.

The lobby group has attempted “to ruin my professional reputation as an anti-racist educator, have attacked my livelihood and any chances for future job prospects, and have demanded the revocation of my teaching license,” Davila explained.

B’nai Brith’s public and repeated false accusations have also made him “the target of ongoing harassment and hate,” he said.

“I’ve learned they even filed a criminal complaint against me with Toronto Police Services, months after their initial false accusations, months after I was cleared by an extensive investigation, and months after their formal complaint to the Ontario College of Teachers.”

Repeated attacks

Lascaris told The Electronic Intifada that it is not the first time that legal action has been taken against B’nai Brith over the group’s serial attacks on advocates for Palestinian rights.

“But I think what really stands out in this case is that the pro-Israel lobby in Canada devotes a very considerable amount of its resources to suppressing criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights in the educational system, at all levels, from elementary schools to universities,” Lascaris said.

“And why are they doing this? Because these people who are being taught in these institutions are the leaders of tomorrow – the pro-Israel lobby has understood that it’s a very important and effective strategy,” he said.

Israel lobby groups in Canada have funded numerous efforts to “control the narrative,” especially in schools, he added.

They include pressuring lawmakers to adopt and enforce the IHRA “definition” of anti-Semitism, which is regularly used by Israel lobby groups to smear and censor supporters of Palestinian rights by conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish bigotry.

“Javier is somebody who has been unbelievably outspoken, relative to the standards of Canadian education, about Palestinian rights at the secondary [school] level,” Lascaris explained.

“So they feel that he is a major threat and they’re doing everything they can do destroy him and set an example to anybody else in the educational institution who might be inspired by Javier’s work to defend Palestinian rights.”
Setting a precedent

If Davila wins his lawsuit, Lascaris told The Electronic Intifada, it could set a significant precedent to protect other educators and activists.

And it could pose a meaningful challenge to the IHRA definition.

“It’s not just about this case,” he said. “Educators and administrators in the educational system will know that if they themselves are attacked, they will have a real possibility of legal recourse and vindicating their reputation, and even perhaps getting significant damages.”

A successful lawsuit could also encourage educational administrations to resist capitulating to Israel lobby groups’ demands.

Davila said that he would like to see “our employers, school boards and unions stand up to this bullying, take responsibility and protect educators” who are simply doing their jobs.

“We have a collective responsibility to push back and to hold B’nai Brith accountable,” he added. “Anti-oppression educators must be able to do their jobs without fear of surveillance, misuse of complaint processes and investigations, public vilification tactics, malicious defamation, or even the threat of arrest for centering the voices of Palestinians.”

Nora Barrows-Friedman's blog