US Students gearing up for round 2 of pro-Palestinian protests: ‘We’ve been working all this summer’

Lexi Lonas
Sun, August 4, 2024 

Students gearing up for round 2 of pro-Palestinian protests: ‘We’ve been working all this summer’


The pro-Palestinian activists who disrupted campuses across the nation are plotting their return for the new academic year.

Demonstrators say all forms of protest are still on the table, despite the more than 2,000 arrests so far, as students try to figure out a new strategy to demand their schools divest from Israel, among other goals.

“What we will see [is] the students will continue their activism, will continue doing what they’ve done in conventional and unconventional ways. So not only protests, not only encampments, kind of any — any available means necessary to push Columbia to divest from from Israel,” said Mahmoud Khalil, student negotiator on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest.


“And we’ve been working all this summer on our plans, on what’s next to pressure Columbia to listen to the students and to decide to be on the right side of history,” Khalil added.

Students will be heading back into the classroom this month after a chaotic ending to the last academic year.

Dozens of schools across the country saw protests against the war in Gaza, including interruptions to multiple graduation ceremonies, and scores of students were suspended for their actions.

Since then, the war in Gaza has only escalated with thousands killed and no clear end in sight.

“There’s definitely conversations happening regarding how they can continue to advocate, to raise awareness about Palestinian human rights and genocide that’s happening in Gaza,” said Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations office in Maryland.

“And I think that there’s some students who already started planning over the summer. There have been some meetings that have been organized by some student leaders at different campuses to strategize ahead of the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year.”

“Just to strategize what are the boundaries and what are students’ options in terms of being able to continue to keep the pressure on administrations to divest,” Chaudry added.

Students have demanded their schools to divest from companies associated with Israel and release statements against the country’s actions in Gaza amid its war with Hamas, among other policy changes.

But over the summer, multiple schools, including Harvard University, have said they are no longer taking official positions on political issues, making such statements unlikely. And some schools have strengthened rules against campus encampments.

“I think the challenge for students is going to be how to raise awareness about different policies, different challenges for students, how to continue to advocate and raise awareness about different issues in light of these policies, and how much are they willing to push those policies to continue to advocate about the plight of Palestinians and the need to end the ongoing genocide,” Chaudry said.

Some student activists are still dealing with the penalties they face from their actions last school year.

“We have several students who are still suspended and some of them waiting for a hearing from the university. The university is not taking actions in any of these cases, really, so we have tens of students in limbo,” Khalil said. “They don’t know if they will be able to attend school next semester. They’re not sure if they can benefit from university housing, register for classes, any of that, and it has been, for some of them, it has been four months already.”

But he added that the fear of more repercussions isn’t stopping students from bigger plans to keep the Palestinian cause top of mind on their campuses.

“We’re considering a wide range of actions, throughout the semester, encampments and protests and all of that,” he said.

“But for us, encampment is now our new base, as in the past, it used to be protests. Students would do protests every day, but now, kind of, encampments is the new base for us. And I think the university should think really, really, really hard about about meeting our demands,” Khalil said, adding that along with encampments the students “have a big program of political education where we teach and reach out to students to raise awareness about what’s happening in Palestine.”

The Hill has reached out to Columbia University for comment.

Some pro-Palestinian activists did make gains last school year. Colleges including Brown University and Northwestern agreed to some of their demonstrators’ demands and said they would have a vote this fall on whether to divest from Israel.

The results of how these schools follow through on their promises will likely be a big influence for the protests.

“I think that students may look to those victories to continue to provide them with encouragement, so that they see the potential of what might be possible,” Chaudry said. “The students have tremendous amount of power on college campuses.”

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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators across Europe demand ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war

Euronews
Sat, August 3, 2024 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators across Europe demand ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took part in ceasefire rallies across Europe as the Israel-Hamas war passes 300 days.

Dozens of pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered in Paris on Saturday, demanding a solution to the ongoing war and calling for a boycott of Israel at the Olympic Games.

The protesters held banners calling for “sanctions against Israeli war criminals,” “Save Palestine” and “Stop the genocide of Palestinians.”

Protesters wearing keffiyehs and holding Palestinian flags sit on a bench during a gathering in support of Palestinian people in Gaza, in Paris, Saturday Aug. 3, 2024. - AP

Many also expressed anger at seeing Israel’s flag at the Paris Olympic Games.

Activists said Israeli athletes should have competed with a neutral status like those from Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine.

“My opinion is that Israel should not have anything to do with the (Olympic) Games,” said 59-year-old demonstrator Abdelali Mebarki. “Russians are taking part in the games without a banner, why not Israel as well?” he added.

A large crowd also gathered in central London on Saturday, demanding an end to the ongoing war.

Demonstrators march in support of Palestinians, in London, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. - AP

Protestors gathered at Hyde Park Corner and along Park Lane in Central London, unfurling a huge red line which they say symbolises the red lines Israel has crossed.

The protests took place as the death toll in Gaza reached 39,550, according to the Palestinian health ministry.


Fate of suspended University of Georgia students in air 3 months after Gaza protests

Fletcher Page
Sat, August 3, 2024



The April protest on the University of Georgia’s campus against Israel’s war in Gaza lasted less than two hours.

The suspension of six students, among 16 people arrested on the last day of spring semester classes, has dragged on more than three months.

And on Tuesday, a disciplinary code of conduct hearing to determine the students’ educational fate stretched more than 13 hours.

With fall classes beginning in two weeks, there still had been no resolution as of Wednesday afternoon.

UGA has maintained a hard stance from the beginning. The students have dug in their heels.

“I am, on paper, a stellar UGA student, consistently applauded for my integrity and leadership capabilities,” Ezra Lewis, a suspended landscape architecture major and honors college member, said during the hearing. “After all I’ve given to this university, the university has chosen to label me as a current and present threat to campus.”

Campus police quickly arrested protesters on April 29 after setting up an encampment not far from the office of university president Jere Morehead. UGA suspended the students hours later, while some were still in jail. After authorities released the students from custody, the university instructed faculty and staff to call 911 if they saw the students on campus.

Similar demonstrations were spreading on college campuses around the country. Georgia’s flagship public university moved to shut them down more quickly than elsewhere.

“Send a message: We are not going to allow Georgia to become the next Columbia University,” Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters after the arrests and suspensions.

Subsequent demonstrations on UGA’s campus fizzled and a protest later that week was held off campus. Graduation went off without a hitch at Sanford Stadium, unlike at some other colleges, including Emory University, a private Atlanta university that moved its commencement off campus following protests.

UGA administrators wrote in a public letter in early May that protesters “chose to be arrested” by ignoring campus rules governing demonstrations. But a petition signed by at least 180 faculty and staff called the suspensions “unwarranted and antithetical to our educational mission.”

On Tuesday, Dr. K. Chad Clay, associate professor in UGA’s Department of International Affairs, testified at the hearing at Memorial Hall on campus that he felt the “suspensions should be removed at this time, and (the students) should be allowed to complete their education.”

Some suspended UGA students agreed to an informal resolution by acknowledging the violations and accepting responsibility, according to two people familiar with the matter.

But the other six students have remained resolute.

They opted to bring the case to a panel made up of two UGA students and one faculty member.

Already, one of the students was unable to complete coursework and graduate in May. Another managed to finish classes for her degree but was unable to attend commencement. Others said they will no longer graduate when previously planned and lost scholarships. Lewis said she lost housing and her job on campus as a resident assistant.

Now they face expulsion among the list of potential sanctions listed in the UGA Code of Conduct if the panel finds them in violation of campus policies.

Still, each of the six spent time during Tuesday’s hearing reiterating their views on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, criticizing Israel.

The panelists representing UGA stated they weren’t there to make judgments on political and social views.

They argued that the encampment endangered police officers and students, and disrupted campus operations. They said students had ample warning to disperse.

“This demonstration was in in clear violation of the university’s freedom of expression policies,” said Mehar Nemani, a political science major and student advocate on the UGA panel.

The suspended students presented their own testimony and witnesses. They were helped by lawyers working pro bono.

“There’s no evidence that our actions disrupted any academic activities or put any other person in danger,” said Lauren Heinze, a senior who said she was unable to graduate in May due to the suspension. “In fact, the university put us in danger by sending dozens of armed police officers to break up a peaceful demonstration.”

Tuesday’s hearing began at 9 a.m. and ended at 10:06 p.m. There were recesses for lunch and dinner and frequent breaks when students conferred with their lawyers or the panel discussed procedural decisions.

It wasn’t the longest code of conduct hearing in UGA’s history, a spokesperson said.

“Whatever the outcome for (this) proceeding,” said suspended graduate student and teaching assistant Austin Kral, “I would not change a thing.”

Pro-Palestinian activists prepare to rally at Democratic convention in Chicago

Jeffrey Fleishman
Sun, August 4, 2024 

Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside Murphy Hall at UCLA on May 23. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)


He walked down a side street, eyes darting here and there, wondering how it would unfold.

"What kind of fences will the police have? Will they bring dogs?" Hatem Abudayyeh asked. He stopped in the shadow of the United Center, home of the NBA's Bulls and the NHL's Blackhawks and a draw for tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who are expected to protest against U.S. support for Israel at the Democratic National Convention this month. "I hope they don't militarize it," he said. "The first statement the police made was about mass arrests. They've backed off a little. But they're trying to intimidate us."

The son of Palestinian immigrants, Abudayyeh is one of the march's organizers and has long been at the center of civil rights protests. He was investigated by the FBI more than a decade ago — no charges were brought — and in 2017 he helped block traffic at Chicago O'Hare International Airport over then-President Trump's Muslim travel ban. The demonstration he is preparing comes as this onetime city of stockyards and slaughterhouses hopes it can avoid the chaos and police brutality that marked the antiwar protests that engulfed the Democrats' convention here in 1968.

Hatem Abudayyeh, a longtime Palestinian activist and organizer, is preparing for a march on the Democratic National Convention at Chicago's United Center this month. (Alex Garcia / For The Times)

"Palestine is this generation's Vietnam War," Abudayyeh said, noting that more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, have been killed by Israeli forces since Hamas attacked Israel in October. "We're unabashed about the Palestinian right to self-defense to end Israeli genocide. We have momentum. I don't think we'll lose any steam with [President] Biden out of the race. Kamala Harris and other Democrats are still backing Israel."

Read more: California college campuses become lightning rods for pro-Palestinian protests

Abudayyeh's parents emigrated from the Israeli-occupied West Bank village of Al Jib and settled on Chicago's North Side in the 1960s. Both were activists and community leaders, who on Sundays drove their son to Arab neighborhoods on the South Side so he would know his lineage and learn that social change comes from sacrifice and solidarity. That lesson has kept him on the front lines of hundreds of demonstrations. But few as consequential as the national stage he and his compatriots from more than 150 organizations will find themselves on when an energized Democratic Party arrives here with the expectation of nominating Harris for president.

“I don’t feel there’s anything to lose,” said Abudayyeh, 53, a large man with glimmers of gray in his beard who calls himself an "anti-imperialist" and sounds at times like a provocateur from a long-ago newsreel. “We’ve already dealt with political repression. We know the feds are here and will be crawling up and down Chicagoland.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters chant at University of Chicago police officers as a student encampment is dismantled in May. (Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)

The Chicago Police Department has been training to de-escalate threats of unrest at the convention and is calling in hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the state for backup. The department — just weeks after a Fourth of July weekend that saw more than 100 shootings citywide — is under intensifying pressure over security after the assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally last month. This comes after a 2021 report by the city’s Office of Inspector General found the department was marred by confusion and intelligence failures during violence related to the George Floyd protests a year earlier.

The police will “not only allow everyone who comes here to express their 1st Amendment rights, but we will protect their rights while doing it,” department Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters recently. “What we will not tolerate is vandalism to our city. What we will not tolerate is violence.”

Activists at the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression prepare protest signs for demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention. (Alex Garcia / For The Times)

The overall goal of the protest — organizers have condemned the Democratic Party as being “a tool of billionaires and corporations” — is ending U.S. military aid to Israel and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. That same demand ignited demonstrations that shook college campuses in the spring. But the protesters in the March on the DNC 2024 come from many causes, including immigrant, reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, anti-racist networks and those seeking to stop police repression in minority communities.

"We are in unconditional solidarity with the Palestine liberation movement," said Frank Chapman, a mentor to Abudayyeh and field organizer and education director of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. "Our political destinies are entwined. All those billions of dollars going to Israel could be used to build up America and reverse the injustices against Black Americans. You can't have a war on poverty and at the same time perpetuate genocide overseas."

Read more: Do the pro-Palestinian protests signal a generational shift in U.S. attitudes about Israel?

Activists stapled together protest signs on a recent evening at the alliance's South Side headquarters, where a picture of Malcolm X hung on the wall, and outside, not far from the L train, a man carried an open bottle in a crumpled bag and wandered beneath a sign for Living Hope Church and a lawyer’s billboard that read, “Call Top Dog.” The activists ranged in age from students to a gray-haired man; they moved swiftly and quietly stacking signs near the windows like a small army waiting to advance.

New York delegates protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War on the floor of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Getty Images)

"It feels like we're building something," Adrian Gallegos, a computer science major at the University of Illinois Chicago, said next to rows of "Stop Police Crimes" signs. The air was sharp with the spirit of rebellion, as if one were listening to Jimi Hendrix while eavesdropping on the 1960s anti-establishment musings of Black Panther deputy chairman Fred Hampton or Yippie activist Abbie Hoffman.

"The system has been exploiting and oppressing people for 400 years," said Kobi Guillory, co-chair of the Chicago alliance. "It's inevitable it will crumble under the weight of its own contradictions."

The 1968 peace movement "was a mostly white-led movement. This is not,” said Chapman, a revered figure in the city’s civil rights scene for half a century. “The struggle for peace today is more multi-ethnic and multi-international. It is broader and deeper than the antiwar movement around Vietnam. This will lead to a political realignment for people of color and working-class white people who want change.”

Abudayyeh sees similarities to and contrasts with 56 years ago. The 1968 convention followed Democrat incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson’s decision not to seek another term; this year Biden dropped out of the race. Then and now, the Democrats were divided over unpopular wars. But the Israel-Hamas war is different from the Vietnam War, which consumed the American imagination for years, killing more than 58,000 U.S. service members and an estimated 2 million to 3 million Vietnamese. Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip is supported by U.S. military aid, but Washington has not declared war, and no American soldiers are dying.

What's more, the politics of Chicago and the country are not the same as in 1968, when the nightly news echoed with reports of rioting and the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Back then, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, who was known as "the Boss," ordered a clampdown on dissent, and police attacked protesters with billy clubs and tear gas, leaving hundreds arrested or injured. Current Mayor Brandon Johnson is a progressive and onetime union organizer who has supported activists and in June ordered a task force to study making reparations to Black residents.

Read more: Pro-Palestinian groups sued over demonstration outside L.A. synagogue

The protests at this year’s convention will confront a troubled and distracted land. The assassination attempt against Trump, Biden’s departure, the rise of Harris and battles over abortion, inflation, book banning, housing prices and other issues have left many Americans inward-looking and dispirited about the future. But Abudayyeh said the injustices against Palestinians are visceral enough to force Democrats, including Harris, who has been more forceful than Biden in criticizing Israel for creating a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip, to take notice of the marchers’ demands at the convention.

Chicago police officers forcefully disperse demonstrators outside the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 29, 1968. (Michael Boyer / Associated Press)

"Yes," he said, "the timing is right."

The other day, Abudayyeh, wearing a face mask after a bout with COVID-19, drove beyond his office at the Arab American Action Network, where he is executive director, to an Arab neighborhood of sweet shops, jewelry stores and beauty academies. The streets and swirling dialects connected him to Palestinians, like his deceased parents, who emigrated here after Middle East wars and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

“They always wanted to return home, but [Palestinians are] now an established presence in Chicago,” said Abudayyeh, who has a daughter, and is also national chair for the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. “It took my parents 25 years to buy a house and give up on the dream of going back.”

The conversation, as often with Abudayyeh, who seems to be in many places at once, turned in a new direction. Protest organizers, he said, have been in a months-long struggle with the city on a route that would allow demonstrators to march close to the United Center.

Hatem Abudayyeh speaks in downtown Chicago in January 2009, protesting against Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)

“We’re making progress,” he said. “When we first filed for a permit, the city wanted to keep us four miles away from the center.” The new plan allows protesters to gather at and march from Union Park, several blocks from the site. “We’re within sight and sound,” he said, “but they’re not giving us a long enough route to accommodate tens of thousands of people.”

Abudayyeh is accustomed to the reach of the state. Two years after working with antiwar activists at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., the FBI raided his home, seizing computers, files, books and documents. His bank accounts were frozen. The sweep was part of an investigation into about two dozen activists in the Midwest suspected of supporting international terrorist organizations. Abudayyeh was targeted over helping arrange delegations to Gaza and the West Bank of activists opposed to Israeli occupation.

Read more: 1968: A timeline of anger, grief and change

He said he had no connection to militant groups. Months earlier, he had been invited to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the West Wing of the White House, for an outreach meeting for Arab Americans. Activists and community leaders came to his defense. He refused to answer a grand jury subpoena, and more than two years later his confiscated materials were returned and no charges were filed.

"This is a massive escalation of the attacks on people that do Palestine support work in this country and antiwar work," he said at the time. “We're not going to stop speaking out against U.S. support of Israel's violations of the Palestinian people."

Abudayyeh coordinated the defense committee in 2017 for Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian activist imprisoned in Israel for her involvement in two bombings in Jerusalem in 1969. Above, Odeh is joined by supporters outside a federal courthouse in Detroit in 2017. (Carlos Osorio / Associated Press)

Abudayyeh’s statements and sentiments are often provocative in an age when some protesters against the Gaza war have been assailed as antisemitic or for espousing terrorism for their support of Hamas. He has called Hamas “a legitimate resistance force” and has said “the real terrorists are the governments and military forces of the U.S. and Israel.” When Iran retaliated against Israel with missiles and drones in April, Abudayyeh broke the news during an activist meeting, where a few in the crowd cheered.

In 2017, Abudayyeh coordinated the defense committee for Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian activist imprisoned in Israel for her involvement in two bombings in Jerusalem in 1969. Odeh said she confessed after being tortured by the Israeli military. She was released in a prisoner swap a decade later and eventually moved to Chicago, where she was associate director of the Arab American Action Network. She became an American citizen but was deported after pleading guilty to not disclosing her criminal history to immigration officials.

Abudayyeh's activism has been ingrained since childhood. His father, who worked for an insurance company, was a co-founder of the Arab Community Center, and his mother was Chicago chapter president for the Union of Palestinian Women’s Assns. He attended UCLA in the early 1990s, studying biology and English and hoping to join a progressive campus culture. Instead, he said, he found a mostly white and well-to-do population that was uninterested in activism, except for Latino students who taught him about the Chicano movement.


Abudayyeh stands outside the office of the Arab American Action Network in Chicago in 2011. (Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)

“I saw that social change wasn’t going to happen at UCLA,” he said, noting that that was no longer the case, given the university's pro-Palestinian protests in recent months. He left campus and returned to Chicago, where he coached high school basketball and was increasingly drawn to civil rights issues and working with the Palestinian community. In 2002, he traveled to Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank as part of a program to teach young Arab and Palestinian Americans and others about the Israeli occupation so they could return to the U.S. to help organize for Palestinian independence.

“I came back from that trip transformed,” he said. “I think for a while I had felt diaspora guilt. I realized I had to commit more of my life to ending the occupation. I owed it to my parents and my grandparents and cousins of mine who did not have the opportunity I had to grow up in safety and security. They faced bullets and repression.”

The morning after his drive to the Arab neighborhood, Abudayyeh parked near Union Park and walked toward the United Center in west Chicago. He approached from a side street, wondering how close he could get during the convention. He talked logistics and spoke of the St. Paul Principles for protest — put together by activists at the 2008 Republican convention — that call for solidarity and opposing “any state repression of dissent including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence.”

The parking lots were empty. A local film crew was shooting video. “I know the camera guys,” he said. “The reporters don’t always come to our protests. But the photo guys do. They know me.” He turned and walked back toward Union Park. He mentioned that his father never finished college; he had children and relatives back in Al Jib to support. It was that way for many, he said, turning past First Baptist Church, his jeans frayed and cuffed, his T-shirt blowing in a hot breeze.

Marchers, he said, would be arriving from across the country in buses, trains and caravans. He predicted they would fill the park and swell into the streets. There were only weeks left to prepare. The sun was high and he was sweating. He pulled down his COVID mask and took a breath, disappearing into the shadows at the edge of the park and driving home for a few hours' rest.

"I don't feel there's anything to lose," Abudayyeh said about the upcoming protest in Chicago. "We've already dealt with political repression. We know the feds are here and will be crawling up and down Chicagoland." (Alex Garcia / For The Times)

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Opinion: Gaza needs trained doctors. Israel is blocking Palestinian physicians like me

Opinion by Ali H. Elaydi

Sun, August 4, 2024

Editor’s Note: Ali H. Elaydi is an orthopedic surgeon who practices in Texas. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion at CNN.

Almost 10 months into the war in Gaza, there is just about nothing that the people struggling to survive there don’t need: water, food, shelter, security — Gazans are literally blockaded from receiving the essential things of life.

Ali Elaydi - Courtesy Ali Elaydi

They also desperately need skilled physicians like me. I’m an orthopedic surgeon. Earlier this year I completed my training at Yale medical school and I now work at a small practice in Texas.

Like many Americans, I have been eviscerated by images in the news of people who have lost limbs in the bombing by Israel or who were subject to crude amputation because an arm or leg was rendered useless after being crushed by falling masonry. As a physician, I felt compelled to help.

I was able to travel to Gaza in April, to help those wounded by Israeli bombardments that have killed and injured thousands who have become trapped in buildings, struck by shrapnel or hurt during missile strikes on refugee camps. After a rule recently imposed by Israel, however, I’m no longer allowed to lend my medical expertise to help in Gaza.

The medical mission I was part of, sponsored by an aid group called ‘FAJR’ Scientific, took place at the European Gaza hospital in Khan Younis, a facility that has since been evacuated. I planned to join a follow-up trip in June with the same aid organization and was to be placed at a hospital in central Gaza.

I got as far as Jordan when I learned that I had been denied permission to reenter by Israeli authorities. The reason, I’m told, is that I am Palestinian.

Palestinians wait for medical care at the European hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip in May, before the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of the facility. - AFP/Getty Images

I was born in a refugee camp in Gaza four years into the first Palestinian Intifada. At that time, Israeli forces had invaded Gaza. In those warlike conditions, violence was a normal part of our day-to-day life. We applied for political asylum in the US and were lucky enough to get it. I was five years old when we left. We were among the lucky few who were able to escape using that route. We fled Gaza as refugees. Most of my extended family still lives in Gaza.

Through a long, winding process, I finally became a United States citizen when I was 18. I often felt guilty knowing that the loved ones I’d left behind would not benefit from the advantages that I got in the United States. I pursued a career path that would allow me to most impactfully give back to my homeland. Medicine was a natural choice, given my interests and aptitude.

In every application, in every personal statement, and in each interview, I expressed a career goal: to provide medical relief to those suffering in Gaza, to help those who couldn’t escape the ravages of war as I had.

In April, my orthopedic training at Yale was coming to an end, and the war in Gaza was raging. It almost seemed predestined that the conclusion of my long traineeship corresponded with the worst violence Gaza had seen. I knew it was time to make good on my promise and travel back to Gaza, to contribute my surgical skills, and to provide any assistance I could to a severely depleted healthcare system.

That two-week medical mission was a life-changing experience, as much for the volunteers as for the people we were fortunate enough to be able to help. There were 14 of us: 10 orthopedic surgeons, four anesthesiologists. We did a lot of good on that trip, but when it was time to return to the US, we were aware of how much work we still had left to do. I signed up to take part in a monthlong followup mission in June.

Dr. Ali Elaydi performing an operation on a 9-year-old boy in Gaza who suffered a femur fracture from a blast. - Courtesy Ali Elaydi

I had already received the necessary approvals from the United Nations and the World Health Organization. I arrived in Jordan several days before I and the other members of the medical team were to travel to Gaza. That’s when, just a few days before we were to depart, the organizers of the trip received a text saying that the Israeli authorities had approved everyone’s entry — but not mine. The message, which was forwarded to me, said that I had been “formally rejected due to Palestinian roots.” Memories of my upbringing, my escape and my first mission to Gaza came flooding back to me, but with an intensified sense of helplessness. A tragedy, my own personal Nakba, was unfolding. I could barely make sense of the words on my phone screen, so strong was my disbelief.

Misery and immense need of the kind I had seen in Gaza is why I went into medicine, and why I wanted to do orthopedic surgery. During that April mission, it was never far from my mind that I was one decision away from still being among the people suffering there. I was able to escape Gaza as a child but that doesn’t make my life any more valuable than the lives of people who live there. I didn’t want to be one of those people who just talked about helping those in need. My training was done. This was my calling. This is why I went into medicine.

Israeli policy has made giving back impossible, however.

The phone text sent to the medical charitable group that Ali Elaydi had planned to join explaining that Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT — the agency that controls the flow of aid into Gaza — denied his entry into Gaza because of his Palestinian ancestry. - Courtesy Ali Elaydi

The policy decision exacerbates the already dire conditions in Gaza. The region’s health crisis is not an abstract statistic but a daily reality for millions of people. Hospitals are overwhelmed, medical supplies are scarce and trained medical personnel are even harder to find. Every doctor, every nurse, every healthcare worker makes a palpable difference. I’ve borne witness to this fact.

That’s why refusing to allow doctors of certain backgrounds to volunteer cannot be considered simply a bureaucratic prerogative; it is a direct denial of health and well-being to the people of Gaza.

Israel’s policy excluding anyone with parents or grandparents who are Palestinian from being able to take part in humanitarian missions has meant that a lot of my friends who had signed up for upcoming missions were pulled from teams because of the same policy, whether they’ve ever previously set foot in Gaza or not.

I suspect that it’s just one of many tactics employed by the Israeli government to restrict the flow of aid to Gaza. On the first mission I was on, I was able to take 10 suitcases of medication with me. On the one I wasn’t allowed to take part in, we were allowed one bag and no medications other than those for personal use.

The international community must stand firm in condemning such practices and advocate for the sanctity of humanitarian assistance. The denial of a Palestinian doctor’s right to volunteer — in the process hindering the delivery of humanitarian efforts — is an affront. Governments around the world, international organizations and individuals of influence should do what they can to help reverse this inhumane policy.

Editor’s note: Abdullah Ghali assisted in writing this essay.

UK
More than 90 arrests made after far-right demonstrations turn violent

Alex Binley - BBC News and Dan Johnson - News correspondent
Sat, August 3, 2024 

More than 90 people were arrested after far-right demonstrations descended into riots in towns and cities across the UK on Saturday.

Bottles were thrown, shops looted, and police officers attacked in areas including Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast - but not all demonstrations turned violent.

The prime minister has pledged to give police forces the government's "full support" to take action against "extremists" attempting to "sow hate".

Tensions have been high after the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday.

[Reuters]

In Liverpool, bricks, bottles and a flare were thrown at police, one officer was hit in the head when a chair was thrown, and another was kicked and knocked off his motorbike.

A few hundred anti-fascist demonstrators gathered across from Liverpool’s Lime Street station at lunchtime, calling for unity and tolerance, chanting “refugees are welcome here” and “Nazi scum, off our streets”.

They marched down to the city's riverside to confront around one thousand anti-immigration protestors - some of whom were shouting Islamophobic slurs.

Police in riot gear with dogs struggled to keep the two sides apart and reinforcements were called to try and maintain order.

The unrest continued into the early hours of Sunday morning, with fireworks launched towards police officers wearing riot gear.

A library was set on fire in the Walton area of the city and rioters tried to prevent firefighters from putting it out, Merseyside Police said.

Shops were broken into and a number of wheelie bins were set on fire, it added.

The force confirmed a number of officers had been injured in what they described as "serious disorder", adding that two had been taken to hospital - one with a suspected broken nose and one with a suspected broken jaw.

It said 23 people had been arrested.

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Simms said: "The disorder, violence and destruction has no place here in Merseyside, least of all after the tragic events that took place in Southport on Monday".

“Those who engaged in this behaviour bring nothing but shame to themselves and this city. "

Rioters using stab victims for 'sickening agenda'


Watch: BBC reports from Sunderland as protesters cause chaos

At a meeting of government ministers earlier on Saturday, a spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said the PM told those assembled that "the right to freedom of expression and the violent disorder we have seen are two very different things."

He added: "there is no excuse for violence of any kind and reiterated that the government backs the police to take all necessary action to keep our streets safe".

On Saturday, the home secretary also warned that anyone engaging in "unacceptable disorder” would face imprisonment and travel bans amongst other punishments, adding that "sufficient" prison places had been made available.

"Criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain's streets," Yvette Cooper said.

Police have the government's full backing in taking action against those engaging in "thuggery", she added.

Police in Liverpool were able to create a buffer zone between groups of protesters [PA]

In Bristol, protesters and counter-protests were engaged in a standoff.

One group could be heard singing Rule Britannia, "England 'til I die" and "we want our country back", while the other side chanted "refugees are welcome here".

Beer cans were thrown at the anti-racism group, and some of the rival protesters were baton-charged by officers.

Avon and Somerset Police said 14 people in the city had been arrested, with Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen anticipating there would be "further arrests over the coming days".

In Manchester, there were scuffles with police, and at least two arrests.

While in Belfast, two people were arrested as protesters outside a mosque threw objects at members of the media and earlier smashed windows in a cafe.

A police officer speaks to a man as people protest in Nottingham's Market Square [PA]

In Bristol, officers on horseback lined up to protect a hotel housing asylum seekers from a demonstration [Justin Tallis / AFP]

In Hull, protesters smashed a window at a hotel used to house asylum seekers, and bottles and eggs were thrown at police.

City Hall was placed on lockdown as the British Chess Championships took place inside.

Humberside Police said three police officers had been injured and 20 people arrested after disorder in the city centre also saw shops ransacked and items set on fire.

Police officers in Manchester worked to keep groups of demonstrators apart [Shutterstock]

Burning shoe boxes outside a ransacked Shoezone shop in Hull during the disorder [Leanne Brown / BBC]

In Blackpool, protesters faced off against punks attending Rebellion Festival. There was little police presence as skirmishes broke out between the two groups, with bottles and chairs thrown.

Lancashire Police said it had arrested more than 20 people. The force said its focus had been on Blackpool but there had also been "minor disruption" in Blackburn and Preston.

In Stoke-on-Trent, bricks were thrown at officers. Staffordshire Police said that two men at the centre of online claims they had been stabbed had actually been hit by an object that was thrown, and were not seriously injured.

The force said 10 people had been arrested and three officers suffered minor injuries.

Elsewhere Leicestershire Police arrested two people in Leicester city centre. And West Yorkshire Police said a protest on the Headrow in Leeds "passed off largely without incident", despite one arrest being made.

Not all demonstrations held across the UK descended into violence on Saturday, and in some places protesters dispersed by the evening.

Saturday's protests follow a night of violence in Sunderland on Friday, which saw four police officers hospitalised.

Hundreds of people rioted, beer cans and bricks were thrown at riot police outside a mosque and a Citizens Advice office was torched.

Twelve people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

The BBC has identified at least 30 demonstrations being planned by far-right activists around the UK over the weekend, including a new protest in Southport.

An extra 70 prosecutors are on standby this weekend to charge people arrested in connection with violent disorder.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly called on Sir Keir and the home secretary to "do more" to restore public order and "send a clear message to the thugs".

Earlier this week, the prime minister announced a new national violent disorder programme to help clamp down on violent groups by allowing police forces to share intelligence.

With additional reporting by BBC News reporters across England.

Police vow 'robust stance' as rival protests gather


Arrest made as protests held in Leeds city centre


Police disperse protesters after missiles hurled


Arrests in Hull disorder and police officers 'injured'


Police officers hurt in Liverpool protest clashes


Hundreds arrive in city centre for protests


Chairs and bottles thrown as protesters clash in resort

As U.S. heat deaths rise, some landlords oppose right to air conditioning

Gloria Dickie
Mon, August 5, 2024



Anthony Gay converses with his neighbors about his struggle with air conditioning at 11 McKeever Place in New York

By Gloria Dickie

August 5 (Reuters) - Summers in New York City are difficult for Anthony Gay and his family. A small, portable air conditioner in his bedroom is the only relief they have from soaring temperatures in their Brooklyn rental.

"The rest of the apartment is literally unbearable to walk through," said Gay, 40, whose asthmatic son struggles to breathe in the heat.

Heat can be a killer. An estimated 350 New Yorkers die prematurely each year because of extreme heat, according to the city's 2024 Heat-Related Mortality Report. Lack of access to air conditioning at home is the most important risk factor in such deaths, it said.

Yet, across the United States, about 12 percent of homes – or about 12.7 million households – had no access to air conditioning in 2020, according to the most recent government data. Many more had some air conditioning, like Gay, but not enough to beat the heat.

Most often, homes with little or no air conditioning are occupied by low-income residents – often renters — and people of color, a 2022 Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metro areas found.

That leaves them vulnerable as climate change makes heatwaves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. Heat stress now kills more people globally each year than any other weather-related cause, according to the World Health Organization — and many of these deaths occur indoors.

A Reuters survey of housing regulations in all 50 U.S. states found that, while nearly half of them require landlords to maintain existing air conditioning units, none require that air-conditioning be provided. Nor do rental housing regulations describe air-conditioning as an essential service like plumbing, heat and electricity.

However, a small but growing number of U.S. states, cities and counties have adopted legislation that impose maximum indoor temperature standards on rental housing.

In the last five years, six U.S. localities, including New Orleans and Clark County, Nevada, have adopted such cooling laws, compared with just seven in the previous two decades, according to Reuters' review of property codes and interviews with more than a dozen policymakers and housing officials.

Now, America's two largest population centers – New York City and Los Angeles County — as well as Austin, Texas, are proposing new indoor temperature maximums for renters.

New York is proposing a cap of 78 Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius), and Austin is considering 85 Fahrenheit (29 C), while L.A. County has yet to formalize its target. New York City and Austin's proposals would require that landlords install cooling systems, given the difficulty of retrofitting old building stock to allow for better air flow and other passive measures.

The moves are setting up a showdown with powerful landlord lobbies.

Similar bills in other jurisdictions — California, Texas and Hot Springs, Arkansas — have failed in recent years after landlords' groups told policymakers they would need to raise rents to compensate for the costs of upgrading home electrical systems and adding air conditioning.

The California Apartment Association landlord lobby does not support a cooling mandate "until we can find a way to make sure that we don't knock out our electrical system and make the cost so exorbitant," said Debra Carlton, the group's executive vice president of state public affairs.

A 2022 statewide bill died following landlord push back. The California Legislature instead asked state experts to craft recommendations, which were published this June, suggesting an indoor maximum of 82 F (28 C) for newly-constructed units only.

A law in New York City might have a better chance as Mayor Eric Adams made establishing a summer indoor temperature policy by 2030 one of the goals for his administration. His office remains "committed" to the 2023 plan, a City Hall spokesperson told Reuters.

A bill proposed in July would require rental homes be kept at 78 F or lower once outside temperatures hit 82 F or above – a regular occurrence during New York summers.

If approved, the measure would impact some 750,000 renters who do not have air-conditioning, according to Council member Lincoln Restler, who sponsored the bill.

"There's an urgency to this legislation," he said. "Heat is the No. 1 climate killer, and it's only getting worse."

Restler said the bill would allow 4 years for landlords to make energy efficiency and electrical upgrades.

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

While air conditioning accounts for about 4 percent of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions, which fuel climate change, research shows it also saves lives. A 2016 study estimated a 75 percent drop in the number of U.S. heat-related deaths on hot days during the latter half of the 20th century after AC was introduced, according to findings published in the Journal of Political Economy.

Heat-related deaths are undercounted globally, epidemiologists say. The United Nations, in a report this year, said that modelled estimates suggest that between 2000 and 2019, approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred each year, with nearly half of those in Asia.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that heat-related deaths have been increasing, with approximately 2,302 in 2023 versus 1,602 two years previously. However, that data only includes death certificates that specifically mention heat and is regarded by many experts as a dramatic undercount.

One of the few places to track indoor and outdoor heat-related deaths is Maricopa County in Arizona, where temperatures regularly top 110 F (43 C). Despite two of its cities – Phoenix and Tempe – passing maximum indoor temperature laws, the county registered 156 indoor heat-related deaths last year, a five-fold increase over the last decade.

Although the trend is bleak, in 2023 Phoenix and Tempe fared better than cities in the county without cooling laws. Indoor deaths accounted for 21 percent of Phoenix's heat-related deaths and 17 percent of Tempe's, compared with a county average of 24 percent - and more than 32 percent in the cities of Scottsdale and Mesa, public health data showed.

Record-breaking heat waves in recent years have spurred some new legislation.

Following the 2021 heat dome that hit the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. state of Oregon in 2022 and Spokane, Washington, in 2024 approved measures to limit landlords' ability to stop tenants from installing their own air-conditioners over concerns about liability or utility bills.

But many of America's warmest cities and states are struggling to pass laws on safe temperatures.

The Arkansas mountain city of Hot Springs last year abandoned a proposal for cooling standards in rental units after receiving complaints from landlord groups, said Phyllis Beard, a member of the city's board of directors.

In an August 2023 email sent to the board, reviewed by Reuters, Hot Springs landlords said the proposal would "hurt the most vulnerable in our community by making affordable housing difficult if not impossible to provide".

Upgrading a single-family U.S. home to a central air-conditioning system generally costs between $5,000 and $10,000, according to figures from the American Society of Home Inspectors, while an in-window unit costs around $400 on top of electrical upgrades for older homes to support the unit. This can run between $2,000 and $3,000, the California Apartment Association said.

And while the Texas cities of Dallas, El Paso and Houston have set indoor temperature standards, a statewide bill stalled last year after opposition from the Texas Apartment Association, house representative Sheryl Cole told local media. The city of Austin is now mulling new rules.

In muggy Florida, Democratic State Senator Jason Pizzo, a real estate developer, said that he had spoken with Florida landlord associations and was confident his state would pass an air-conditioning requirement within the next two years, despite seeing four previous attempts fizzle since 2021.

Pizzo argued that, with Florida's mold-encouraging humidity, air-conditioning makes good economic sense, protecting not only a building's residents but also the building itself: "air-conditioning is a dehumidifying, property damage-protecting instrument."

The Florida Apartment Association, which says it represents more than three-quarters of apartment homes in the state, did not respond to a request for comment.

CLIMATE SHIFT

In L.A. County, the board of supervisors – its five-member governing body - is expected to vote later this year on a bill that could impact the county's 3.4 million households, more than half of whom are renters.

"There once was a time where we realized that people dying of the cold indoors is something that we needed to regulate," said L.A. County supervisor Lindsey Horvath who put forward the motion. Many U.S. jurisdictions require that rental housing can meet minimum indoor temperatures: California state law stipulates a minimum of 70 F (21 C).

"Now with the way that the climate has shifted, we also have to think about those higher [temperatures]," she said.                                                                             

By mid-century, central Los Angeles is expected to experience three times more days of temperatures above 95 F than it did between 1981 and 2000.

Some California tenant groups worried that passing laws to force apartment upgrades could lead to evictions followed by higher rents – as the state's eviction law allows landlords to remove tenants if a home renovation requires a permit and will take more than 30 days or is considered "unsafe".

L.A. County landlord associations also said they were gearing up to fight, and cited reasons from costs to liability to aesthetics.

Poorly installed window AC units "could fall on people," Daniel Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, told Reuters. He also criticized such window units as "kind of unsightly".

(Reporting by Gloria Dickie in London; Editing by Katy Daigle and Daniel Flynn)

‘…like a dictator’: Bangladesh Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus reacts to Sheikh Hasina's resignation

ByHT News Desk
Aug 06, 2024 

Bangladesh Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus accused Sheikh Hasina of anti-democratic practices and destroying her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's legacy


Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus described Bangladesh as a “free country” after Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign as prime minister and flee the country after weeks of violent anti-quota protests that finally demanded her resignation.

Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus (C) speaks to the media after filing an appeal for the extension of his bail (File image)(AFP)

“We were an occupied country as long as she (Sheikh Hasina) was there. She was behaving like an occupation force, a dictator, a general, controlling everything. Today all the people of Bangladesh feel liberated,” Muhammad Yunus told ThePrint in an interview.
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Also read | Bangladesh Army chief unveils plan to restore ‘normalcy’ in country

Muhammad Yunus, who has been charged by the Awami League government in over 190 cases, accused the fleeing Sheikh Hasina of destroying her father, ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's legacy.

The economist is known for his expertise in microfinance and has his work had lifted lakhs of people out of poverty. Once seen as Sheikh Hasina's potential rival to the country's prime ministership, she accused him of “sucking blood” from the poor.

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner was convicted on charges of embezzling $2 million (more than 16 crore rupees) from the workers welfare fund of Grameen Telecom, one of several firms he founded.

Muhammad Yunus said violence and vandalism by the protesters is the expression of anger against Sheikh Hasina and “an expression of damage she has done”. He also expressed hope that the same students and young people will be leading Bangladesh in the right direction in future.
Also read | Sudden escalation, losing grip caught Sheikh Hasina off-guard

Muhammad Yunus explained that seething anger against Sheikh Hasina could not be expressed in a political way due to a series of rigged general elections. “So that came out as a simple demand for quota changes. It immediately caught up because the government behaved the same way, attacking them rather than listening to them because they are not in a listening mood at all,” Yunus told The Print.

The professor is not sure of what role the opposition party will play as they never had a chance to fairly contest the general elections. Main opposition party Bangladesh National Party (BNP) led by ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, who will be released after Hasina fled, has been under constant attack from the government.

Yunus, currently on bail, hoped to see a lot of changes once a fair general election is held in Bangladesh. As an advice, he asked Bangladeshis to be wary of past mistakes and stick to democratic principles. "As long as we stick to that you remain a strong country. We can be a beautiful country,” he added.

According to The Daily Star, Yunus has accepted a proposal by the coordinators of the protest movement to make him the chief advisor of the soon to be formed interim government.

OPINION: Hasina’s exit likely to continue economic crisis and lead to trade slump for Bangladesh

Now ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in happier times sitting with former US Secretary of State, John Kerry / US State Department

By Ananta Shesha August 6, 2024

Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on August 5 2024. Hasina who oversaw a harsh crackdown on violent student protests that claimed over 300 lives between June 7 and August 5 2024, was reportedly given a 45-minute ultimatum by her military leadership to resign.

She subsequently left Bangladesh onboard a military helicopter and later boarded a C130 military transport aircraft which landed at India’s Hindan airport in the evening. Hasina is then believed to have travelled further and is likely bound for a final destination in London.

Hasina’s fifteen year tenure in power was largely marked by remarkable economic growth, with Bangladesh becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. Hasina was also able to establish and balance strong bilateral ties with both India and China despite their rivalry. Her shrewd foreign policy and balanced approach, not only brought in both Indian and Chinese investment to the Bangladesh economy, but also helped its national infrastructure.

However, since 2020, the COVID-19 related economic downturn and its after-effects imposed severe restrictions on the Bangladesh economy and led to several structural problems such as a sharp fall in its foreign reserves, accumulated debt, liquidity issues and lower than expected remittances. 

The situation deteriorated further to the extent that Bangladesh had to seek a bailout loan package of $4bn from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While the IMF approved the loan, it required Bangladesh to adhere to its guidance on implementing several austerity measures, especially in the public finance and power sectors.

These austerity measures were coupled with a constant vigil and repeated monitoring visits by IMF delegations before the release of each tranche of funds from the loan. Yet, while the student protests were directly aimed at a controversial quota reserving a 30% job quota for descendants of Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war freedom fighters - the underlying issue was public rage against the economic downturn, the sharply rising cost of living and lack of lucrative career opportunities in the country - which was exacerbated by the seemingly unfair quota.

In the first half of 2024, Bangladesh was able to mitigate several of its central economic problems with the implementation of the IMF’s recommendations and subsequently receiving the millions of dollars in tranches of the loan attached to them. 

These IMF recommended measures only served to sharply raise prices of essential commodities such as electricity for both households and businesses across Bangladesh, further adding to brewing discontent among the masses.

While the Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff announced that the military would now oversee the transition of power to an interim government after Hasina’s exit, it is unclear to what extent the interim government will be able to preserve the relative stability of its predecessor regime. 

If the instability and economic impact of the unrest during the violent student protests are any indicator, the future for Bangladesh doesn’t bode well. Remittances from the Bangladeshi diaspora, denominated in foreign currencies, has been a key source for foreign reserves for the government in Dhaka. How and to what extent this will continue is unknown.

During the protests, the government's brutal crackdown threatened this source as various diaspora organisations called upon all Bangladeshi nationals and people of Bangladeshi origin to refrain from sending funds back to the country in order to pressure the government. 

Furthermore, the European Union(EU) which was, until the last week of July in the process of discussing the details of a potential trade deal with Bangladesh, suspended the talks citing excessive use of force by Hasina’s regime and associated human rights concerns. It is now unclear how the EU will perceive the interim government and the successive administration of the country, and if the talks concerning the trade deal will pick up anytime soon.

Bangladesh’s bilateral trade with its neighbours will also likely be affected, at least in the short term - in the process freezing production as well as imports and exports, with an outsized impact on its textile industry. 

Bangladesh relies on Indian cotton for its textile industry, the import of which might be disrupted following the unrest and current uncertainty in the country. 

Sheikh Hasina’s arrogance led to downfall, says former Bangladesh foreign secretary

'Her government fell due to the pent up anger. Look at the way she handled the quota protests in which at least 300 people were killed'

Devadeep Purohit Calcutta Published 06.08.24

Shamser Mobin Chowdhury, former foreign secretary of Bangladesh.

Sourced by The Telegraph

Shamser Mobin Chowdhury, former Bangladesh foreign secretary who had also been the ambassador to the US and Germany, spoke to The Telegraph after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and Bangladesh was pushed to the brink of political uncertainty.

Q: Street protests, coups, failed coups and sudden regime change are not new in Bangladesh. Did the country witness anything like this before?

Chowdhury: This was not a military coup per se. The army was made to step in. They spoke to the Prime Minister and conveyed that they could not defend her anymore, which resulted in her resignation.

Something similar had happened to H.M. Ershad on December 6, 1990, when the army generals told him to step down.

Q: Can the uprising against Ershad be equated with what happened to Hasina?


Chowdhury: One cannot forget two key differences between December 1990 and August 2024.


First, the movement against Ershad was championed by two main political leaders in the country — Awami League’s Sheikh Hasina and BNP’s Khaleda Zia. This time, the students led the movement.


Second, Ershad was not forced to leave the country and he even contested the general elections held in February 1991. This time, an elected Prime Minister had to flee the country and the air force facilitated her exit.


Q: Did you expect that the Hasina government would crumble like this?


Chowdhury: The general mood in the country was, something has to happen. But frankly, I could sense only this morning that something like this would happen.


Q: Some images from Dhaka depict a sense of relief among the people. Wasn’t Hasina liked by the people?


Chowdhury: Her government fell due to the pent up anger. Look at the way she handled the quota protests in which at least 300 people were killed. She antagonised lakhs of people, who lost their near and dear ones, with her insensitive comments. Even when she agreed to talk to the protesters, she said, if they want, I am willing to sit with them. This is arrogance.


Her dismissive attitude towards anything and everything — including her senior cabinet colleagues — led to her fall. One person cannot run the government of 170 million people.


Q: An interim government will replace the Awami League regime. Do you think it will result in a return to normalcy?


Chowdhury: I don’t think it will happen overnight. More than 300 lives were lost. I don’t know how these wounds can be healed.


Besides, the interim government is likely to be a mixture of progressive and non-progressive forces.


So, I am not sure how smooth the transition would be.


Q: What would be the biggest challenge facing the interim government:


Chowdhury: Maintaining stability and order in the society.