ROYAL RUCKUS

#NOT MY KING: Charles III coronation protesters want an equal voice for everyone, and money spent on healthcare and education
Peaceful anti-monarch protesters gathered on Trafalgar Square, London, on 6 May 2023 demanding a democratic alternative in the UK, the election of a head of state and a stop to the abuse of public funds by the royal family. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

By Leila Dougan

07 May 2023 2
A few hundred people gathered at Trafalgar Square on a rainy day in London on Saturday, 6 May 2023, to protest against the coronation of King Charles.

“Spend on healthcare and education, not on Charlie’s coronation” they chanted as church bells rang out. The protest was organised by Republic, a nonprofit that wants to see the monarchy abolished and the King replaced with “an elected, democratic head of state” according to their website.

“Shove your coronation up your arse” protesters chant at Trafalgar Square, London, on 6 May 2023 during the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla as king and queen of the United Kingdom. The protest was organised by Republic, a pressure group agitating for the monarchy to be replaced with an elected head of state. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

“It’s about democracy. I pay taxes and did not vote for this man to be king,” said Carol Snaith (54).

“I’m here to see the monarchy abolished. I’m here to ask for a referendum on the monarchy so that people have the chance to say whether they consent to the coronation. I believe in true democracy that’s something we don’t have in this country. We have a first-past-the-post voting system which does not represent the views of the people,” said Angharad Linnard (28).

“The monarchy is symbolic of the imbalance of political power in this country. I’m asking for proportional representation, for the House of Lords to be abolished. I believe in an equal voice for everyone, an equal vote regardless of the class you were born into,” Linnard continued.

Michael Malcom (64) said that the country is in “complete turmoil” and simply cannot afford to be celebrating in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

“There are no jobs. People can’t afford to eat or to live. People cannot afford to own their houses and yet we’re crowning a man who has not been elected. The crown on his head is worth thousands and thousands of pounds. Everything they have was stolen from us. We want our money back. All of it. We want our money back,” said Malcolm.


Michael Malcolm (64) said it is a scandal that the celebration, running into millions of pounds, was held at a time when people are eating from food banks. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

Charles III was crowned King at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, the first coronation of a UK monarch in 70 years following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022. While Buckingham Palace has not made the price tag of the coronation public it is said to be upwards of £100-million, apparently a slimmed-down version of the pageantry.

“The government, the royal household … everyone is very conscious of the financial circumstances in the country,” an official in the royal household told the Financial Times in the days leading up to the ceremony. But protesters say the lavish event, complete with a the 261-year-old Gold State Coach and $4-billion worth of crown jewels is tone deaf.

More people in the UK are relying on food distribution centres than ever before with the cost-of-living crisis driving insecurity and hunger in households. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

According to the Trussell Trust network in the past 12 months almost three million emergency food parcels were distributed in the UK, with December 2022 being the busiest month on record for food banks across the country. Covering the cost of basics including heating and food is an uphill battle for thousands of families in the UK, with record numbers lining up at food distribution centres for the first time. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an independent organisation that set out the trends and impacts of poverty across the country, 14 million people live in poverty in the UK.

“We’ve had over 10 years of austerity in this country and yet when there’s a royal event they find millions of pounds to spend on it. It’s completely unfair,” says Zara Nolan (29).

“People can’t see that we’re living in a dystopia and they go along with what is considered modern life, coming out and celebrating, they’re doing something for their king, doing something for their monarchy and yet the king could not care less about any of these people,” said a protester who wanted to remain anonymous.


Spectators look up and capture the Royal Air Force flypast following Charles III’s coronation in London, United Kingdom, on 6 May 2023. (Photo: Leila Dougan)


Spectators peek over metal barricades to catch a glimpse of King Charles and Queen Camilla riding in the historic Gold State Coach returning to Buckingham Palace following their coronation in Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom, 6 May 2023. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

Dionne Dussard (43) is from the Caribbean and said she is proud that Jamaica is having a referendum next year to “free themselves from the shackles of England”.

“My family came over as part of the Windrush generation. They swore allegiance to the Queen and came over here and realised that this country hates them,” said Dussard.

The “Windrush generation” refers to thousands of people who emigrated to the UK from Caribbean countries on the Empire Windrush between 1948 and 1973, undertaking work in low-paying and unskilled jobs that were essential to rebuilding post-war Britain which had a serious labour shortage.


“Not my king” is written on Dionne Dussard’s cheek. “I don’t believe in a monarchy. We are supposed to be equal but someone is ruling over us purely by accident of birth.” (Photo: Leila Dougan)

“It’s hard to move past when you’re still being ruled by the people who committed these atrocities to your ancestors and refuse to apologise,” said Dussard.

“I don’t believe in the monarchy. I don’t believe someone should have the God-given right to rule over us. We’re supposed to live in a democratic country, we’re supposed to be equal and at the moment the world is in a mess. Here we’re in an economic crisis, people are struggling to feed their children, people couldn’t heat their homes over winter and the amount of money that’s been wasted from the public purse on today could have done so much for this country,” said Dussard.


Protesters from the organisation Republic hold up placards in Trafalgar Square demanding that the monarchy be abolished. “We can’t hold the King and his family to account at the ballot box, there’s nothing to stop them abusing their privilege, misusing their influence or simply wasting our money,” reads a statement on the organisations website. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

Stephen Regan (39) is from Liverpool and said that the narrative that the Royal family is loved by the population is not the case. “This country is diverse in our opinions about the monarchy. There are a lot of people who see it as an archaic institution. These people have real power, they can veto and cede laws. That’s real power,” he said.

Dussard and Regan were deeply concerned that the leader of Republic, Graham Smith had been arrested on the morning of the protest. According to The Guardian, 52 arrests were made by the Metropolitan police on the day for “public order offences, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance around the coronation”.

“The mainstream media does not want to interrupt this narrative that we’re all on board [with the coronation]. It gives this idea that as a country we’re all conservative,” he said. DM

King Charles' Coronation resurrects New Zealand republic debate

 

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Niva Chittock, Reporter
niva.chittock@rnz.co.nz

Hamish Cardwell, senior journalist
@HamishCardwell hamish.cardwell@rnz.co.nz

Portraits of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Christchurch Transitional Cathedral where a service to celebrate the coronation was held on Sunday. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock

Church services, tree plantings and 21-gun salutes marked King Charles' Coronation in Aotearoa.

But along with renditions of 'God Save the King' came the republic debate - whether the monarchy should remain as the country's head of state.

Events held to mark the coronation went off with a bang at Auckland's Devonport Naval Base and the capital's Point Jerningham, with both firing a 21-gun salute for King Charles III.

The New Zealand Defence Force marking the Coronation of King Charles III with a 21-gun salute at Wellington's Point Jerningham. Photo: Soumya Bhamidipati / RNZ

But the Coronation was not exactly front of mind for young Wellingtonians Nico and Isaac.

"We just pretty much wanted to see the guns go... We don't really think about the coronation," they said.

The king most certainly was front and centre at Wellington's Cathedral of St Paul, where groups from many faiths gathered.

"Oh I love the pomp and circumstance," one person said.

"The magnificence of it all is just mind-blowing, all the planning and preparations - months and months and months of rehearsal."

For Judy, the controversial call to swear an oath to the king was a step too far.

"As for swearing allegiance, that's asking for something which is sort of a bit too personal," she said.

Carole was disappointed, describing New Zealand's response to the Coronation as lack lustre.

"It's with great sadness that we weren't more visible in our celebration and I just think as a nation we dropped the ball."

"People could have participated a lot more, I think we should have made a much greater show," she said.

Meanwhile, Mike was not sure whether the country should have a king at all.

"I'm not happy with people having a different status in society because of their birth. We're all equal, we're all citizens," he said.

A crowd also came together for Ōtautahi's church service.

People celebrating the king's coronation at a Ōtautahi's church service. Photo: RNZ/Niva Chittock

Anglican Dean of Christchurch Lawrence Kimberley said the city's special service was driven by demand.

"It's one of the ways that we can celebrate the Coronation and to honour King Charles as our new king of this country and defender of faiths," he said.

"We're doing it in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council because there were quite a lot of people asking back in February: 'What are we going to do to celebrate this?'. So we thought we'd put this service on."

Margaret was among the hundred or so attendees at Christchurch Transitional Cathedral.

For her, there was one big draw card.

"I really love coronation music and I have sung quite a lot of it myself at other times... I'm also a brass player and there's a brass group in this [service]," she said.

"So I guess I'm really after the music, but not necessarily the rest of the coronation."

She did not pledge allegiance to the king or watch the ceremony live - but she did sing God Save the King at another event earlier in the day.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau plated a tree on Saturday to celebrate King Charles' Coronation. Photo: Facebook / Tory Whanau

It was a different story for Manuela, who had moved to New Zealand from Germany.

"I'm a regular [at the church] anyway, but I'm also very excited about the coronation. It's not really something I've experienced in the country that I'm from but it's very much in my interest and I'm glad that I live in New Zealand now," she said.

"I'm very excited to have King Charles as the new king."

But she questioned how long a king would stay as New Zealand's head of state.

"It still has its place at the moment. I don't think it will be here for much longer, in the future I can't see the monarchy staying on... I think [New Zealand] will head into a republic at some stage."

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger disagreed.

"It's good to be involved... We've got to embrace this stuff I reckon. It's part of our fabric, part of our history," he said.

"It's feel good stuff and [the monarchy] know how to do pomp and circumstance well."

Mauger joined other mayors and politicians throughout the country in planting native trees for the new king over the weekend.

The government donated $1m to He Rā Rākau Tītapu - King Charles III Coronation Plantings across the motu.

As a lasting reminder of New Zealand's roots, 100,000 native trees and shrubs were expected to be planted during the year-long programme.

Arrest of anti-monarchy protesters 'direct attack on democracy': UK republican group

'Right to protest peacefully in UK no longer exists,' says Graham Smith who was among arrested in London ahead of coronation ceremony

Burak Bir |07.05.2023 

Credit: Twitter @RepublicStaff

LONDON

Arrest of anti-monarchy protesters is "a direct attack" on the UK's democracy, Britain's leading republican group said on Sunday.

"The right to protest peacefully in the UK no longer exists. Instead we have a freedom to protest that is contingent on political decisions made by ministers and senior police officers," Graham Smith, the chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, said in a statement.

Six Republic protesters, including Smith, were arrested in central London ahead of the coronation of King Charles III. Police also seized hundreds of signs reading "Not My King." They were released late on Saturday.

"Crown is one part of the country's "failing constitution" that concentrates too much power "at the expense of parliament and people," he asserted.

Reiterating their demand for "a fundamental shift" in power, Smith vowed to keep protesting the monarchy.

"We will not be deterred from further protest ... As much as possible we will continue to protest wherever Charles goes, wherever William goes," he said.

"We will continue to protest with one simple message: Charles is not our king, it is time to abolish the monarchy," added Smith.

Coronation

In the country's first coronation service in nearly 70 years, Britain's King Charles III on Saturday was crowned along with Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, the site of coronations in Britain since 1066 – nearly a millennium ago.

Following the coronation service conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury, the senior bishop of the Church of England, Charles was crowned with the historical St. Edward's Crown, while Queen Camilla wore a modified version of the Crown of Queen Mary, fashioned in 1911.

He is the 40th British monarch to take the traditional Oath of Faithful Service.

Charles ascended the throne on Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of his long-serving mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Anti-Monarchy Group Slams Coronation Arrests And Vows To Continue Protesting

"We will continue to protest with one simple message: Charles is not our king, it is time to abolish the monarchy."

Sophia Sleigh

HUFFPOST
May 7, 2023


Protesters and Graham Smith from Republic, pictured above.
GETTY

Furious republicans have told the police to “hang their heads in shame” after protesters were arrested at King Charles’ coronation.

Graham Smith, CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic, said the right to protest peacefully in the UK “no longer exists.”

He blasted the Met Police for showing “no judgement, no common sense and no basic decency” after scores of demonstrators were arrested on Saturday

Smith described it as a “direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country.”

He was arrested among 52 people during the king’s coronation on Saturday before being released after nearly 16 hours in police custody.

The Metropolitan Police Service has faced criticism after more than 50 people were arrested for alleged affray, public nuisance and breach-of-the-peace offenses.

The arrests were described by human rights organizations as a “dangerous precedent” for a democratic nation.

In a statement following his release, Smith said: “Yesterday, as we prepared for a peaceful and lawful protest, a number of Republic’s team were arrested and detained for the rest of the day.

“These arrests are a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country.

A policeman is seen carrying a banner taken away from protesters during an Anti-monarchist protest during King Charles III's Coronation.
SOPA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

“Each and every police officer involved on the ground should hang their heads in shame. They showed no judgement, no common sense and no basic decency.

“This was a heavy handed action which had the appearance of a pre-determined arrest that would have occurred regardless of the evidence or our actions.

“The right to protest peacefully in the UK no longer exists. Instead we have a freedom to protest that is contingent on political decisions made by ministers and senior police officers.”

Smith said the arrests had “destroyed” whatever trust might have existed between peaceful protesters and the Met Police.

He questioned what was the point in the protesters being “open and candid with the police, working with their liaison officers and meeting senior commanders” if this is what happens.


A protester holds a placard which states 'This country is ours' during the demonstration.
SOPA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

The campaigner insisted they would not be deterred from further protest, adding: “We will continue to protest with one simple message: Charles is not our king, it is time to abolish the monarchy.”

However, culture secretary Lucy Frazer insisted the police got the “balance right” and denied that officers had gone too far.

She told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge: “I think, overall, they managed to get that balance right.”

Home secretary Suella Braverman also praised the police for their actions, tweeting: “I’m incredibly grateful to the police for all their hard work at today’s coronation celebration to ensure it was safe and passed without incident.”

Met Police commander Karen Findlay acknowledged concerns about the arrest of protesters but defended Scotland Yard’s actions, saying: “Our duty is to do so in a proportionate manner”.


Protestors from the group Republic gather in their hundreds in Trafalgar square to say 'Not My King' in central London.
ANDREW AITCHISON VIA GETTY IMAGES

She said: “We absolutely understand public concern following the arrests we made [on Saturday morning].

“Protest is lawful and it can be disruptive. We have policed numerous protests without intervention in the build-up to the coronation, and during it.

“Our duty is to do so in a proportionate manner in line with relevant legislation. We also have a duty to intervene when protest becomes criminal and may cause serious disruption.

“This depends on the context. The coronation is a once in a generation event and that is a key consideration in our assessment.

“A protest involving large numbers has gone ahead today with police knowledge and no intervention.”

The Met said it received information that protesters were “determined to disrupt” the coronation – including defacing public monuments with paint, breaching barriers and disrupting official movements.

They confirmed 52 people were arrested for affray, public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance around the coronation.

Under the controversial new Public Order Act, protesters who have an object with the intention of using it to “lock on” are liable to a fine, with those who block roads facing 12 months in prison.

Brazil's Amazon megaprojects threaten Lula's green ambitions

Posted Sunday, May 7, 2023 10:07 am

By ELÉONORE HUGHES

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — After his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 1, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva walked up the ramp to the presidential palace arm in arm with Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire, instantly recognizable by his yellow headdress and wooden lip plate.

But a major railway that would accelerate deforestation in Metuktire's ancestral land risks souring relations between the leftist leader and the chief of the Kayapó people. And it's just one of several mega-projects that activists and experts say would devastate the natural world — and seriously dent Lula's newfound image as a defender of the environment — if they proceed.

Others include an oil drilling project near the mouth of the Amazon River; a highway that would slice through some of the Amazon rainforest’s most protected areas; and renewal of a giant hydroelectric dam’s license.

“Lula is talking about the environment, showing preoccupation with illegal mining, demarcating Indigenous territories. He’s already learned a lot, but needs to learn more. We’re still very worried,” said Alessandra Korap, an Indigenous leader of the Munduruku people who recently won the Goldman Environmental Prize for work that included battling illegal mining.

Under Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation soared to a 15-year high and environmental restrictions were weakened. The far-right leader filled key positions in environmental agencies with agribusiness allies and military officers. Indigenous peoples’ rights were trampled.

After narrowly defeating Bolsonaro in last year's election, Lula has strived to put environmental protection and respect for Indigenous peoples’ rights at the heart of his third term. He resumed successful pursuit of international donations for the Amazon Fund that combats deforestation, launched a military campaign to eject illegal miners from Yanomami territory, committed to ending all illegal deforestation by 2030 and restarted the demarcation of Indigenous areas.

But Lula faces difficult tests in the large infrastructure projects. While opponents regard them as catastrophic, some in Lula's Workers' Party continue to view them as essential for providing jobs and promoting growth. And Brazil, a developing nation, has heavy demand for socioeconomic benefits.

THE OIL-DRILLING PROJECT

Ibama, Brazil’s environmental agency, will decide in coming months whether to license drilling in one sector near the mouth of the Amazon. Approval would surely lead to drilling in the whole region, said Suely Araújo, a former Ibama head now a public policy specialist with the Climate Observatory, a network of non-profits.

“It’s a matter of coherence. Lula’s speeches on environmental protection and the climate crisis are bang on point. But if oil exploration is intensified, it will mean expanding fossil fuels. There would be an inconsistency,” Araújo said.

During Lula’s first terms, huge offshore discoveries became a means of financing health, education and social welfare programs.

“To a large extent, this vision remains, meaning it will be very difficult to persuade the government to give up strategic projects, even when there are significant social environmental risks,” said Maiara Folly, director of CIPO, a think tank focused on climate and international relations.

With existing production set to peak in coming years, there's sharp interest in securing more off Brazil's northern coast. It's a unique and biodiverse location, home to little-studied swathes of mangroves and a coral reef.

Araújo said the project risks leaks that would be carried elsewhere by strong tides.

State-run oil giant Petrobras has earmarked almost half its five-year, $6 billion exploration budget for the area. CEO Jean Paul Prates said the first well would be temporary, and that the company has never recorded a leak in offshore drilling.

Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira said in March that the area is the “passport to the future” for development in Brazil's northern regions. Lula has used the same term to describe the earlier offshore oil discoveries.

Eighty civil society and environmental organizations, WWF Brasil and Greenpeace, have called for the license to be declined pending an in-depth study.

THE HYDROELECTRIC DAM

The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, a concrete colossus on the Xingu River, was planned under Lula and built by his successor, Dilma Rousseff. Supporters saw it as a way to generate jobs and add power to Brazil's grid.

Indigenous populations and environmental campaigners fiercely opposed it, and studies show its impacts have been disastrous. Civil society organizations estimate tens of thousands of people were displaced, and experts attribute a local surge of violence to lost jobs. One area of concern is the Xingu's Volta Grande, or Big Bend, which has lost much of its water. That caused the disappearance of fish -- the basis of many Indigenous populations’ subsistence.

Belo Monte is back on Lula’s agenda, with Ibama weighing whether to renew its license. The agency reported last summer that Norte Energia, the dam's owner, hadn't respected many of the conditions for its original license.

Local media said Norte Energia proposed to distribute 20,000 reais (about $4,000) in compensation to nearly 2,000 fishermen.

In January, researchers in the region published a letter environmental journalism website Sumauma calling on Lula and his administration to investigate and punish crimes and injustices surrounding the dam.

“Any government really committed to conserving the Amazon and fighting the climate crisis is obliged to recognize the problems caused by Belo Monte and to fix the damage and impacts caused,” the letter said.

Local populations are demanding the license be renewed only if Norte Energia agrees to use the water in a way that allows life in and around the river to be sustained.

The license was originally issued under heavy pressure from Rousseff's government, said Folly. In a March interview with Sumauma, Lula's environment minister, Marina Silva, promised that this time, “nobody is going to be coerced, as they were before, and this represents a total change.”

THE HIGHWAY

The BR-319 highway connects Porto Velho to Manaus. It was abandoned in the 1980s after falling into disuse, but the government has shown signs of wanting to repave it to facilitate the export of commodities.

Environmentalists and scientists warn that could lead to uncontrolled deforestation in the region by increasing land speculation and giving easy access to land grabbers. After Bolsonaro announced that a section of the road would be repaved, deforestation in nearby areas quickly surged, according to Brazil’s national space agency.

Lula told Radio Difusora last June that he favored reconstruction, calling it important for the economies of Amazonas and Rondonia states. Ibama's president Rodrigo Agostinho told the AP in March that the agency has slowed the permitting process in order to analyze carefully.

THE RAILWAY

Similar concerns surround a 933-kilometer (around 580 miles) railway known as Ferrograo that would move grains from the heartland toward the Tapajos River for eventual shipping abroad.

The project would mean fewer trucks moving soy and corn, and thus reduced carbon emissions. But it might also mean rising deforestation. A 2021 study from the Federal University of Minas Gerais projected deforestation of more than 230,000 hectares in Indigenous lands in Mato Grosso state by 2035 if it is completed.

The railway is on hold pending a court's ruling on the constitutionality of a law that permitted felling forest in the Jamanxim National Park to make way for its crossing.

In January, Lula's transport minister, Renan Filho, placed Ferrograo among top priority projects.

Doto Takak-Ire, who like Chief Raoni is a leader of the Kayapó, said in a column published in O Globo newspaper in March that the project would threaten the survival of 48 Indigenous peoples, and called it “the railway of Indigenous genocide”.

VIDEO: Rare snowfall in Pakistan’s picturesque Valley of Kalam breaks 30 years’ record

The hailstorm damages the crops in Swat, Dir and Chitral districts. Twitter photo

Gulf Today Report

Kalam Valley of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP) in Pakistan received rare snowfall in the month of May breaking 30-year-old record .

The heavy snowfall blanketed the mountain tops as winter returned back in the KP’s Swat, Chitral, Dir Upper and Lower districts after rainfall and hailstorm in the region.

Reportedly the snowfall dropped the mercury considerably and forced people to wear “warm clothes” in the month of May, which is unusually warm.

The hailstorm also damaged the crops in Swat, Dir and Chitral districts. Kalam received 17mm rainfall while snowfall reported in upper areas of the region has been a record.

Snowfall in May has happened after 30 years. The wet spell has brought back cold weather in the area.

Dry weather will prevail in most of the plain areas in the country, according to the bureau report.

However, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar region, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan will receive rain with gusty winds with thunderstorm, while hailstorm is also expected at some places.

In last 24 hours maximum rainfall (27mm) was reported in Kashmir’s Rawlakot, Kalam 17mm, Malam Jabba 22mm, Hafizabad 19mm, Joharabad 15mm, Chakwal and Mangla 12mm.

On Saturday maximum temperature was recorded 42˚C at Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Mohenjo Daro and Padidan districts of Sindh province.

Netanyahu: '90 Percent of Palestinian Casualties Are Terrorists'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hailing his country's Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as "the long arm of Israel" in rooting out terrorism.

Israel has arrested more than 110 terrorists thus far this year, Netanyahu hailed at his Sunday Cabinet meeting, The Jerusalem Post reported, saying stopping terrorists will "require complex actions, including entering the heart of cities with minimum harm to our forces and bystanders."

"Indeed, 90% of the Palestinian casualties are terrorists," he said. "I doubt if any other army or security force is able to have such a result in cramped battle arenas rife with civilians, but our forces do it and they deserve praise."

Israel is a world leader in rooting out terrorism, while avoiding civilian casualties, Netanyahu stressed, thanking the IDF for taking out the terrorists that murdered Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee.

"The long arm of Israel will reach whoever tries to harm our citizens," Netanyahu said, according to the Post.

Israeli communists assess state of country's anti-fascist movement in Victory Day rally in Jerusalem mountains' Red Army forest

ISRAELI communists warned that the need to oppose a new fascism was urgent as they held a Victory Day celebration in the Red Army forest near Jerusalem on Saturday.

Communist Party of Israel general secretary Adel Amer addressed the event — held on the closest weekend to Victory Day, celebrated in western Europe on May 8 and in Russia on May 9 — ahead of further huge protests in Tel Aviv against the far-right government’s planned attacks on the judiciary.

“We in Hadash” (the Communist-led alliance) “will continue to fight for democracy and continue to join protests against the right-wing government,” Mr Amer said, “to fight for true democracy — democracy without occupation, democracy with national and civil rights for Palestinians.”

Former Communist MK Dov Khenin said Victory Day, commemorating the triumph of the Allies over Nazi Germany, “is not just a looking back but a look at the present in Israel, when fascism is already in power and threatens the rest of the democratic space.

“The movement against this fascism is different from other protest movements — it is led by liberals and conservatives, and we are happy they are there, but it means the resistance to fascism is not doing what’s necessary to unite the Arab population and to involve it.”

Speakers denounced distortions of history and the removal of monuments to the Red Army across eastern Europe. “Since the 1950s we have been celebrating Victory Day over Nazi Germany in the Red Army forest in the Jerusalem mountains,” a party statement said, adding that hundreds of Jews and Arabs attended and held a mass picnic afterwards.

An occupying power cannot be a beacon of democracy

The irony here though is that whereas the majority of Israelis believe that their country is a democracy and fervently poured into the streets to preserve it, and often refer to it as the only democracy in the Middle East, what escapes them is that no country can claim to be a democracy and be an occupying power at the same time.

Sunday 07/05/2023

"Every Israeli should remember that the occupation stains
the country’s independence day"

As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, every Israeli should remember that the occupation stains the country’s independence day and that Israel is not and will not be a true democracy as long as it remains an occupying power

I couldn’t applaud and admire enough the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who protested for 17 consecutive weeks against the Netanyahu government’s scheme to subvert Israel’s judiciary under the pretense of necessary ‘reforms.’ In reality, Netanyahu and his Justice Minister Levin were bent on subordinating Israel’s Supreme Court to the whims of a simple majority in the Knesset, and the appointment of judges to a committee with an increased number of representatives handpicked by his government. Should such legislations come to pass, it will be tantamount to giving the government unlimited power without any checks and balances, destroying the very foundation of democracy on which the country was founded and in which Israelis take special pride.

The irony here though is that whereas the majority of Israelis believe that their country is a democracy and fervently poured into the streets to preserve it, and often refer to it as the only democracy in the Middle East, what escapes them is that no country can claim to be a democracy and be an occupying power at the same time. Indeed, applying two different sets of laws and rules, one that governs Israeli citizens (including Israeli settlers in the West Bank) that accords them protection and social, economic, and political freedoms, versus the military rules that govern the Palestinians under occupation, depriving them of their basic human rights, is totally inconsistent with democracy by any definition.

The question is, why have the Israelis grown so comfortably numb to the ruthless occupation and have not once protested against its continuation, as if it were a normal state of being that has no effect or repercussions on either the occupier or the occupied?

Public acrimony: To begin with, successive Israeli governments, especially since the second Intifada in 2000, during which conservative governments were largely in power, have systematically engaged in acrimonious public narratives against the Palestinians, portraying them as being an irredeemable foe. Depicting the Palestinians as such was deliberate, albeit every Israeli government knew only too well that the Palestinians will never be in a position to pose a credible existential threat against their country.

Nevertheless, they continue to promote their denunciation of the Palestinians for public consumption, knowing that they have been nurturing hatred and cultivating hostility against the Palestinians, which now defines the Israeli-Palestinian relationship. Acrimonious public narratives that set one people against another obviously fosters conflict rather than cooperation, which is essential to a functioning democracy.

Lack of awareness: Most Israelis have very little firsthand knowledge about the ruthlessness of the occupation and the pain and suffering the Palestinians are enduring day-in and day-out. If the Israelis could witness the night raids that terrify young and old, arbitrary incarcerations, demolition of houses, forced evictions, confiscation of private land, uprooting of trees, humiliating checkpoints, vandalism by settlers, and trigger-happy soldiers who shoot to kill, they would certainly have a better grasp as to why the occupation is not and cannot be sustainable, but is contrary to every human value they hold so high.

Had even some of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who stood tall to fight for the preservation of their democracy experienced for one day what the Palestinians endure every day under occupation, they would realize how broken Israel’s democracy is and how shameful it is to demand that they are entitled to live in a free society while the Palestinians live in servitude.

Living with the status quo: After 56 years of occupation, a mounting number of Israelis have given up on finding a solution to the conflict with the Palestinians and have come to accept the status quo as a permanent state of affairs with which they comfortably live. Successive right-wing governments led by Netanyahu openly state that there will be no Palestinian state under their watch, preferring to maintain the status quo regardless of the frequent flareups of violence, which Israel learned how to control at an acceptable cost.

The notion that the status quo can be sustained indefinitely is completely misguided, as there is absolutely no sign and no reason to believe that the Palestinians will ever give up their right to establish a state of their own. In recent years the oppressive occupation has become increasingly unbearable, resentment against and hatred of the Israelis is piercing, violence targeting Israelis is escalating, and hopelessness and despair is all-consuming, leaving the Palestinians with little left to lose. The Israelis helped to create this explosive environment. Now it is only a matter of time when the next explosion will happen. This is not how democracy works and the Israelis must sooner than later face this bitter reality.

The Palestinians’ ambition to destroy Israel: Successive Israeli governments have been brainwashing the public by promoting the notion that even if the Palestinians establish their own state, it will only be the first stage in their ultimate objective to eliminate Israel altogether. But then, not a single Israeli leader who opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state has ever provided any evidence to make their case, other than using the empty rhetoric of some Palestinian militants who state that this is in fact their national goal. One might ask though by what means, military or otherwise, will the Palestinians ever be in a position to realize such an illusion against the formidable Israeli military machine that can crush any violent provocation deemed threatening to Israel’s existence?

By promoting such an absurd narrative, however, the Israeli government can ‘justify’ not only the occupation but its drive to annex more territories, expand existing and legalize illegal settlements, uproot Palestinians, and clear huge areas of its Palestinian inhabitants for military training. These activities are done systematically all in the name of national security, and unfortunately a growing number of Israelis are buying into this sinister scheme.

Normalizing the occupation: To understand the gravity of how the occupation became for most Israelis a normal state of affairs, one single statistic tells the story: 80 percent of all Israelis were born after the occupation began in 1967. For every single Israeli citizen under the age of 56, be that a soldier, a student, a scholar, a military commander, a medical doctor, a builder, a carpenter, a curator, a businessman, an engineer, or a government official, the occupation is normal. Those who want to end it have largely grown to be numb; many are even afraid to talk about it publicly, let alone openly advocate for the absolute necessity of creating an independent Palestinian state to end the conflict.

The killing of Palestinians almost daily has become routine and many Israelis only temporarily awaken when a militant Palestinian kills an Israeli Jew. Calls for revenge and retribution echo, especially by extremist right-wing Israelis, security forces immediately line up for the search of the perpetrators, often a gun battle ensues, Palestinian militants are frequently killed, and sadly innocent Palestinian civilians are often caught in the crossfire and end up paying with their lives. And of course, leave it to the settlers to do their own cruel deeds by taking revenge against any Palestinian—guilty or innocent is of no concern to them. The settlers’ pogrom against the Palestinian village of Huwara offers a chilling example of their brutality. A day or two later everything is forgotten by Israeli Jews, but the vicious cycle continues. This is Israeli-style democracy.

It is critically important to emphasize that “the normalization of occupation has made the young Israelis increasingly numb to the Palestinians’ plight, and as a result of their schooling and training they have become impervious to the people who live in servitude with little or no hope for a better and promising future. But when this indifference to the pain and suffering of the Palestinians becomes a normal state of mind for Israeli youth, it robs them of their own humanity and dignity. They do not realize how they were psychologically inculcated to become so callous and apathetic towards their young Palestinian counterparts who live in fear and uncertainty while hatred, revenge, and retribution become their only way to maintain their resistance.”

None of the above suggests that the Palestinians are innocent by any standard. They have made many mistakes. They have frequently resorted to violence and have missed many opportunities in the past to make peace as they went for all and ended up with nothing. That said, it is now up to Israel, as the dominant power, to change the dynamic of the conflict by declaring its willingness to seek peace based on a two-state solution and demonstrate to the whole world its intent while putting the Palestinians to the test. Otherwise, Israel’s social fabric will continue to disintegrate, its regional violent conflicts will intensify, and its international standing will wane. Israel will end up being nothing but a pariah state, shattering the Jewish dream of having an independent, free, strong, and just state with which every Jew takes pride, admired by its friends and envied by its enemies.

The beacon of Israel’s democracy began to fade with the start of the occupation. It is time for the hundreds of thousands of Israeli demonstrators, who have poured into the streets to protect their democracy, to face the truth: the occupation is depriving three million Palestinians in the West Bank of everything the protesters want for themselves.

Even if the protesters prevail over Netanyahu’s menacing judicial scheme, they will not save Israel’s democracy unless they relentlessly pour back into the streets and this time demand an end to the occupation and make Israel once again a beacon of democracy in the Middle East and beyond.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAM
WFP to suspend aid to Palestinians due to funding shortage

Middle East
2023-05-07 



The World Food Programme (WFP) will suspend food aid to over 200,000 Palestinians from next month due to a "severe" shortage of funds, the group's senior official for the Palestinian territories said on Sunday.

"In light of the severe funding shortages, WFP is forced to make painful choices to stretch the limited resources," Samer Abdeljaber, the WFP's country director, he told Reuters by phone from Jerusalem.

"WFP would have to start suspending assistance to over 200,000 people, which is 60 percent of its current case load,from June."

The most impacted families are in Gaza, where food insecurity and poverty are the highest, and in the West Bank.

The United Nations agency offers impoverished Palestinians both monthly vouchers with a value of $10.30 per person and food baskets. Both programs will be affected.

Gaza, which has been run by the Islamist Hamas group since 2007, is home to 2.3 million people, of which 45 percent are unemployed and 80 percent depend on international aid, according to Palestinian and UN records.

"WFP understands the implications of this unavoidable and hard decision on hundreds of thousands of people who also depend on food assistance for their most basic needs," said Abdeljaber.

Citing security concerns with the enclave's Hamas rulers, Israel has led a blockade together with Egypt that has put restrictions on the movement of people and goods for years.

The UN agency will continue its aid to 140,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank, said Abdeljaber, who added the suspension decision was taken to save those who are at the highest risk of not being able to afford their food.

Israel court denies bid to force demolition of West Bank village

By AFP
Published May 7, 2023

A demonstration in January, 2023 against the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village slated for demolition since 2018 - Copyright AFP GLYN KIRK

Israel’s top court denied on Sunday a petition by a pro-settlement organisation to force authorities to demolish a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, capping years of legal battles.

The Khan al-Ahmar community, on a strategic highway east of Jerusalem, was slated for demolition in 2018 after a ruling that it was built without Israeli permits.

Right-wing Israeli group Regavim had taken the government to court in order to force officials to raze the village, whose 200 residents have drawn international support.

The Supreme Court on Sunday granted the state an indefinite delay to the demolition order, citing “security and diplomatic reasons” detailed in a classified government statement.

Under pressure from the European Union and the International Criminal Court and amid years of political instability in Israel, successive administrations have delayed their decision on Khan al-Ahmar eight times.

The Supreme Court on February 7 had approved the latest three-month delay after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing administration had requested more time before presenting a plan to demolish the village.

In Sunday’s ruling, the judges stressed Khan al-Ahmar was “illegal” but accepted that they should not interfere to force its demolition.

The village is located in Area C of the West Bank, which covers about 60 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli control. It is almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain construction permits there.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, home to around 2.9 million Palestinians, since the 1967 Six-Day War. Around 475,000 Jewish settlers also live there in state-approved settlements considered illegal under international law.

Foreign states have told Israel that demolishing the Bedouin village would be a violation of international law.

Regavim, whose stated mission includes “the protection of Israel’s national lands”, filed in 2019 a petition with the Supreme Court to force the demolition.

The group accused Israel on Sunday of “caving in to international pressure”, saying in a statement the court’s ruling “is leading the country to the brink of anarchy”.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli forces demolished a primary school in Jabbet al-Dhib, a Palestinian village near Bethlehem, further south in the West Bank, also following a petition filed by Regavim.

Israeli authorities had determined that the school had been “built illegally” and posed a “safety hazard”, but the demolition drew sharp criticism from the European Union which had funded the project.