Swift Backlash

Swifties Erup in Fury Afte Donald Trump Uses AI to Fake Taylor Swift Endorsement

"Swifties, now is your chance to destroy Trump and AI in one fell swoop.

Kate Green / Grant Baldwin via Getty / Futurism

Aug 19, 5:30 PM EDT   by Maggi Harrison Dupré

Swifties Assemble

Donald Trump's AI streak continues — and now, the Swifties are getting involved.

Hours after sharing an AI-generated image of vice president Kamala Harris leading a fake communist rally, the former president took to Truth Social to "accept" a fabricated endorsement from Taylor Swift and her clans of fans known as the Swifties.

"I accept!" Trump captioned the post, which featured various screenshots of X-formerly-Twitter posts that combined real images of one Trump-supporting Swift fan — a 19-year-old who, according to Wired, has sold six "Swifties for Trump" shirts on Etsy — with multiple images of uncanny valley-esque young women bearing telltale signs of AI generation.

One included image was that of a fake Swift herself depicted as Uncle Sam, captioned "TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP."

One of the posts, a fake article announcing that Swifties had joined the Trump movement following a foiled ISIS plot to bomb an Eras Tour concert in Austria, was marked with the word "SATIRE" in capital letters. Other fake images included in the lineup, however, weren't marked as fake or AI-generated. Multiple screenshots also came from a right-wing poster who regularly shares misinformation.

To be clear, Swift has yet to endorse either candidate in the 2024 race, but backed the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020 via cookies. And in any case, it's unclear what Trump was really even trying to do here, besides incur the wrath of some Swifties — which some are pointing out might not have been the smartest political move considering their big reputation for being intense and influential.

"Swifties, now is your chance to destroy Trump and AI in one fell swoop," one X user wrote. "You were made for this. You are the army we need."

It's a No

A number of Swift fans took to X to denounce the alleged "Swifties for Trump" movement (which, also per Wired, doesn't appear to be much of a real movement after all).

"Real Swifties hate Donald Trump btw," wrote one perturbed Swift fan, who added in a follow-up that "you can't be a Swiftie and support convicted criminal, that can't co-exist."

"Oh i just know [Tree Paine] is writing up a GOOD lawsuit," added another, referring to Swift's much-feared publicist.

"'Swifties for Trump' obviously don't know who Taylor Swift HATES," another fan chimed in, sharing multiple screenshots of real Swift tweets from 2020 denouncing the former president's actions during the Black Lives Matter protests and "calculated dismantling of the USPS" ahead of the 2020 election.

Swift has yet to weigh in on the possibly-illegal faux endorsement. In the meantime, rest assured, her fans are waiting in the wings to come to her defense.

More on AI and 2024: After Falsely Accusing Kamala Harris of Using AI, Donald Trump Posts AI Slop About Her on Twitter

UK
Thousands sign petition to stop CO2 pipeline

Rufus Pickles
Local Democracy Reporting Service

BBC
Getty Images
Exxon Mobil is seeking permission for an underground pipeline from its Fawley oil refinery

A petition to stop a carbon dioxide pipeline project coming to the Isle of Wight has gathered nearly 3,000 signatures.

Exxon Mobil unveiled plans on 18 July seeking permission for an underground pipeline to transport captured CO2 from its Fawley oil refinery near Southampton.

Little Atherfield resident Christopher Davis started the petition and said the project would leave a “massive scar” across the island.

Exxon Mobil has been approached for comment.

The American multinational oil and gas corporation said the CO2 would be taken to a deep rock formation in the English Channel for safe storage.

Exxon Mobil
Further public consultations are planned over the planned corridors

The corporation is looking for views on its Solent CO2 Pipeline Project, which proposes three possible routes, two of which travel beneath the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight North to South corridor is 26km long and stretches south from Lepe under the Solent seabed.

After passing to the west of Gurnard, it continues south to Little Atherfield.

The 24km Isle of Wight North to West corridor follows the same route from Lepe under the Solent seabed, before heading south west towards Dunsbury near Brook.

Mr Davis said the pipeline would “devastate” areas of outstanding natural beauty, and sites of special scientific interest, such as unique wetland and protected animal habitats, including those of endangered red squirrels.

Richard Quigley, Labour MP for Isle of Wight West, and Nick Stuart from Isle of Wight Council have criticised the project.

They both echo Mr Davis’s fears over the project’s impact on the island’s landscape.

The government has a general election manifesto commitment to carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, with £1bn of investment pledged for carbon capture deployment.

Over 1,000 UAW Members Go On Strike at Cornell University

ITHACA – After months of negotiations, over 1,000 UAW members have walked out on strike at Cornell University, as the university has failed to present a fair package and has not bargained in good faith, stalling and retaliating against protected union activity by the workers.

The membership, made up of maintenance and facilities workers, dining workers, gardeners, custodians, agriculture and horticulture workers and others, are facing declining real wages even as Cornell’s endowment has ballooned and tuition revenue has skyrocketed. Over the past four years, Cornell’s endowment has soared 39% to nearly $10 billion and tuition has increased 13% – all while workers’ buying power has fallen 5%. 

Many of the workers have had to move out of Ithaca to afford housing and must pay expensive parking fees to park on campus. The wage for most at the university is less than $22 per hour, far lower than what economists estimate it costs for a family to live in the region. The compensation for top administrators exceeded $12.4 million in 2022.

“Workers at Cornell are fed up with being exploited and used. The university would much rather hoard its wealth and power than pay its workers fairly,” said UAW Local 2300 President Christine Johnson. “Cornell could have settled this weeks ago. Instead, they’ve scoffed and laughed at us and broken federal law. We’re done playing around.”

UAW Local 2300 recently filed seven separate unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Cornell University, citing violations of workers’ rights and federal labor laws amid ongoing contract negotiations.

“The workers at Cornell are pushing back against the university’s arrogance and greed. With a $10 billion endowment, the administration can more than afford the members’ demands,” said UAW Region 9 Director Daniel Vicente. “Workers in Local 2300 are showing the university that they are willing to do what’s needed to win what they deserve.”

Cornell University workers are the latest UAW members standing up to billionaire class greed. Thousands of UAW members have won record contracts in the last year, including auto workers at Daimler Truck, the Big Three automakers, and Allison Transmission workers in Indianapolis, IN.

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AOC Slams Trump As Union Buster at Dem Convention

By Michael Katz | Monday, 19 August 2024 

NEWSMAX

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a member of the far-left wing "Squad" of House Democrats and a frequent GOP antagonist, laid into former President Donald Trump on Monday night as the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago.

"Chicago, we have to help [Kamala Harris] win because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends," Ocasio-Cortez said in her speech, a portion of which aired live on Newsmax and simulcast on the Newsmax2 online streaming platform.

"And I, for one, am tired about of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life."

Ocasio-Cortez said Trump can't love this country if he only fights for the wealthy and big business.

"To love this country is to fight for its people," she said. "All people, working people, every-day Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there."

AOC speaks to the middle class in her first major convention appearance

August 19, 2024

By  C Mandler

NPR


Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.

New York Representative and member of the "Squad," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, began her speech at the DNC by thanking Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for their "vision," and Joe Biden for his "leadership."

She then weaved her own story of growing up middle class in New York into the stories of the upbringings of Harris and Walz.

"There is nothing wrong with working for a living. Imagine having leaders who understand that," she told the cheering crowd.

This was the congresswoman's first major convention speech, for which she was given a primetime slot. In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the DNC crowd with a pre-recorded minute-and-a-half-long endorsement for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Ocasio-Cortez also used her time at the podium to slam former President Trump, saying, “We know Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing palms of his Wall Street friends."

"I, for one, am tired of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life," she added.

The congresswoman was also seemingly the first person on stage to reference Israel's war on Gaza, saying that Harris has been “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Following the end of her speech, the crowd cheered, "AOC! AOC!" as she walked off the stage.

WATCH: Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention

Politics Aug 19, 2024 

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the first mention of the war in Gaza from the DNC stage.

WATCH LIVE: 2024 Democratic National Convention Night 1

“And she is working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing the hostages home,” Ocasio-Cortez said to cheers in the crowd.

Ocasio-Cortez has been one of the most critical voices in Congress of the Biden administration’s policy on Israel-Palestine and has called for greater restrictions on military aid to Israel. But she and other progressives have also been in dialogue with the administration on its policy, which has caused her to face pushback from some on the hard left.

UAW President Shawn Fain tears into Donald Trump during DNC speech: 

‘Trump Is A Scab’

UAW President Shawn Fain contrasts the working-class policies of presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during his Democratic National Convention speech.

UAW’s Shawn Fain Blasts ‘Scab’ Trump In DNC Speech

The convention’s first day showcased the labor support lining up behind Kamala Harris’ campaign, with the crowd chanting, “Trump’s a scab!”


By Dave Jamieson
Aug 19, 2024

Labor leaders sent a message loud and clear on the opening day Monday of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: Unions stand behind Vice President Kamala Harris in her quest to keep former President Donald Trump out of the White House.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain summed up the sentiment when he removed his blazer while speaking onstage, revealing a red T-shirt that read: “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris.”

“When the UAW stands up, we know who stands with us and who stands against us,” Fain told the crowd. “Donald Trump laughs about firing workers who go on strike. Kamala Harris stands shoulder to shoulder with workers when they’re on strike. And that’s the difference.”

Delegates responded to Fain’s remarks with chants of “Trump’s a scab!”

Fain was one of a half-dozen union leaders who addressed the crowd Monday night, showcasing the Democratic Party’s close ties to organized labor.

Some of the largest unions quickly announced they were backing Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month, and the AFL-CIO labor federation of 60 unions said Harris received a unanimous endorsement from its executive council.

Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers, speaks Monday during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Organized labor is historically a pillar of the Democratic Party and could prove pivotal in driving turnout for Harris and down-ballot Democrats in battleground states such as Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Kenneth Cooper, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, urged union members to get behind the Harris campaign, noting that Harris had cast a tie-breaking vote to pass a massive pension rescue for union workers and retirees.

“She has come through for all of us,” Cooper said. “Now it’s our turn to come through for her.”

There was, however, one striking omission from the DNC’s union-heavy speaker list on Monday: Sean M. O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

O’Brien angered many Democrats and union activists when he sought and accepted Trump’s invitation to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. Trump was overtly hostile to unions and union organizing during his first term in the White House, and precious few Republicans support policies that would bolster the labor movement.

O’Brien used the opportunity at the RNC to court Republican support for unions. But his appearance, which included praising Trump as “one tough S.O.B.,” may have come at a political price: A Teamsters spokesperson told HuffPost that the DNC never responded to O’Brien’s request for a speaker slot in Chicago.

Mpox Isn't More Infectious for Gay and Bisexual Men

The director-general of the World Health Organization declared the virus a "public health emergency of international concern" in August 2024.

Madison Dapcevich
Published Aug. 19, 2024

SNOPES

Image courtesy of Getty Images

There is no evidence to suggest that gay or bisexual men are biologically more susceptible to mpox.

Rather, health experts warn that the virus is spreading within that community due largely to human habits, and the World Health Organization has previously said men who have sex with other men are a vulnerable population.

Mpox is a virus that can be spread through respiratory droplets and skin-to-skin contact, and thus sexual activities in general.

In mid-August 2024, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" because of a growing number of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African nations.

As the virus — which was formerly known as monkeypox — spread, some social media users began sharing posts that misstated scientific facts about the disease to exaggerate its danger. One such user posted (archived) headlines about the spread of the disease between men and about cases in children in an attempt to imply a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia.

That post dredged up a claim shared widely 2022, when the virus spread outside of its endemic African range to areas it isn't normally reported in — including the United States and parts of Europe. Social media posts (archived) implied then that the properties of mpox allow the virus to spread faster among men who have sex with men, or that gay and bisexual men are more susceptible to infection:

This was not true. As far as medical health experts are concerned, there is nothing about the mpox virus that targets gay or bisexual men over others. Neither does AIDS, for that matter. Transmission within such communities is largely due to human behavior — not how the virus itself behaves within infected people's immune systems.

In 2022, it was true that mpox spread faster within some communities of men who have sex with other men, giving public health officials reason to issue public warnings to the LGBTQ+ community. Put another way, men who have sex with other men were found to be more susceptible to the virus compared to other people, simply because of who was infected and where, not because of biological properties of the virus. Transmission can simply be explained by human behavior. (More on that below.)

A leading adviser to the WHO told The Associated Press in 2022 that the "unprecedented outbreak" that year likely began through sexual transmission during two raves in Spain and Belgium.

"We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission," Dr. David Heymann said.

As we have previously reported, mpox is a DNA virus related to smallpox in the poxvirus group. (DNA viruses are those that have genomes that can be replicated by the host, meaning that they use the host to make copies of themselves to further spread through the body during the course of infection.) Mpox infections are rare, but they can lead to serious complications that begin with flulike symptoms and progress to a widespread rash on the face and body.

Though not easily transmitted between people (the virus mainly spreads from infected animals to humans), human-to-human transmission occurs through the swapping of bodily fluids and touch — including sexual activities if contact is made with the lesions of an infected person — as well as shared personal items, such as contaminated clothing and bedding. Health experts recommend avoiding contact with anyone who is exhibiting symptoms, and for symptomatic individuals to isolate at home and talk to a health worker.

"Stigmatizing people because of a disease is never ok. Anyone can get or pass on monkeypox, regardless of their sexuality," the WHO said.

With regard to the 2022 outbreak, the WHO issued a public health advisory for men who have sex with other men.

"Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. It is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men. Anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious is at risk," the global health agency said.

Although a sizable amount of mpox cases in 2022 were confirmed in men who have sex with men, there is no evidence to suggest that gay or bisexual men are biologically more susceptible to the virus. Rather, health experts warn that the virus is spreading within that community due largely to human habits. Regardless of a person's sexuality, they can become infected with mpox through sexual contact — or any physical contact, for that matter — with an infected person either via respiratory droplets or by touching skin lesions and bodily fluids.

Gaza Protesters Breach Democratic Convention Fence In Chicago

AFP
 August 20, 2024
Chicago, US

Riot police officers block a road as demonstrators take part in the rally March on the DNC on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024. (Reuters)

A small group of around 100 demonstrators broke off from a larger march involving thousands of people

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Kamala Harris Makes Debut At Democratic Convention In Chicago, Lauds Biden's 'Historic Leadership' | WATCHnext »

Donald Trump Posts Image Of Fake Taylor Swift Endorsement



Protesters against Israel’s war in Gaza briefly breached the outer security fence of the Democratic convention in Chicago, hours before US President Joe Biden was set to pass the torch to new nominee Kamala Harris.

A small group of around 100 demonstrators broke off from a larger march involving thousands of people and targeted the metal barriers surrounding the United Center on the first day of the party gathering

Police in blue helmets with shields and carrying black batons prevented them from getting to the inner cordon. One demonstrator clad in black was carried out by their arms and legs by several officers, an AFP correspondent saw.

Protest groups have called for mass demonstrations throughout the week against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war on Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly October 7 attacks.

Chicago police said in a statement that protesters “breached a portion of anti-scale fencing along the Democratic National Convention’s outer perimeter.” “Law enforcement personnel were immediately on-scene and contained the situation. At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees,” police said.

Police later advanced on a park near the convention center to clear it of demonstrators. Chants of “Free Palestine” and “Let’s March” continued as about half a dozen holdout activists, one wearing a pink gas mask, began to leave.

The Gaza war has been a hugely divisive issue for the Democratic Party ahead of the November 5 election. It has threatened to alienate Muslim and Arab-American voters, once a reliable Democratic voting bloc, particularly in key battleground states

Thousands march against Gaza war at Democratic convention

By Andrea Shalal and Bianca Flowers for Reuters

A protest to demand reproductive justice, defend the rights of trans and queer people and demand a ceasefire in Gaza on the eve of the Democratic National Convention at the United Centre in Chicago, Illinois, on August 18, 2024. Photo: AFP / Matthew Hatcher

Thousands of mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago on Monday as President Joe Biden arrived for the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, in a show of force against his administration's support for Israel in the Gaza war.

After hours of peaceful demonstrations, dozens of protesters broke through part of the perimeter security fence, drawing riot police to the site, a Reuters witness said.

The Democratic National Convention security team did not respond to a request for comment on whether the protesters were arrested.

"Law enforcement personnel are currently on scene and more information will be provided when available," said a Chicago city spokesperson.

Chanting intensified ahead of the fence breach, as protesters reached a neighbourhood park on Chicago's West Side and paused to amplify their calls for a ceasefire. Amid the noise, the crowd turned its frustration toward Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to the Democratic candidate as "Killer Kamala".

A person films the crowd during the protest rally in Chicago. Photo: AFP

Chicago police formed a perimeter around the park on foot to contain protesters, with some police personnel on bikes.

Still, the umbrella group "March on the DNC" drew fewer supporters than expected to a park outside the convention arena, hours before Biden was to address the gathering.

They started a two kilometre march near where Democratic delegates will nominate Harris as their candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in November's presidential election.

Organisers had expected tens of thousands of protesters - enough to fill the park and the march route - Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for March on the DNC, said on Monday. By afternoon though, several thousand protesters had gathered for speeches and the park was only half full.

The coalition of more than 200 groups includes those advocating for a variety of causes from reproductive rights to racial justice. Many people were coming from Palestinian and Arab communities in Illinois and neighbouring states, organisers said last week.

Roman Fritz, at 19 one of the youngest Wisconsin delegates, wore a scarf imprinted with the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh pattern. He planned to participate in the march but had no plans to disrupt the official events later, and said he supported Harris as the party nominee to beat Trump.

Dozens of Muslim delegates and their allies, angry at US support for Israel's offensive in Gaza, are seeking changes in the Democratic platform and plan to press for an arms embargo, putting the party on guard for disruptions to high-profile speeches at the convention.

Some protesters were doubtful that the party will change its platform.

"It'll never happen," said Mwalimu Sundiata Keita, who travelled from Cincinnati, Ohio, to join the protest. "It's the policy of the party to support Israel, and until that policy changes, that's the way it's going to be."

Senan Shaqdeh, 54, a member of the executive committee of the Palestinian American Organisations Network, said additional buses from as far away as Florida were expected to deliver more protesters to the site of the march throughout the day.

"The Democratic Party should not expect business as usual," Shaqdeh said.

Another large protest was scheduled for Thursday, when Harris is due to formally accept the nomination. Pro-Palestinian groups have for months protested the Biden administration's military and financial support for Israel during its war against Hamas, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel launched the offensive after it was attacked on 7 October by Hamas militants who killed 1200 people, according to Israel tallies. The protests swelled on US college campuses in the spring, with police clearing student encampments, at times after confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters.

"The Democrats are the ones in power," Abudayyeh said on Monday. "It's their war. They're responsible for it, they're complicit, and they can stop it."

-Reuters

 

Trump shares fake AI posts of Taylor Swift fans endorsing him

The people depicted in the photos were obviously AI-generated, but it's unclear whether Donald Trump knew that. — Picture via TruthSocial/@realdonaldtrump

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Monday, 19 Aug 2024 9:00 PM MYT

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 — US Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump has shared posts depicting images of fans of pop star Taylor Swift aka Swifties endorsing him.

The trouble is that those images were AI-generated and Swift very likely had nothing to do with them, but that didn’t stop Trump from declaring “I accept!” on his social media.

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An X (formerly Twitter) account that reposts Trump’s posts from TruthSocial, another social media site primarily catering to right-wing or US Conservatives, shared Trump’s latest post that depicts various obviously faked AI posts.

While Swift has not as yet publicly endorsed any of the US 2024 presidential candidates, she did publicly endorse Joe Biden in the last election and encouraged her fans to turn up to vote.

As of press time, Swift has yet to make a statement about the fake posts. This is not the first time Swift has been the subject of fake AI posts as Taylor Swift searches were temporarily banned on X after a proliferation of deepfaked porn videos featuring the singer.

Swift had allegedly considered legal action but various AI services including OpenAI have blocked her name as a prompt to forestall any lawsuits so it begs the question which service was used to create those fake posters.

From paradise to hell: Turkish village stunned as forest fires turn olive trees and beehives to ashes


A local resident looks at damages on the site of a burnt barn following a wildfire in the Sancakli village, in Turkey's western province of Izmir on August 18, 2024. — AFP pic

Monday, 19 Aug 2024 

SANCAKLI (Turkiye), Aug 19 — A picturesque village perched high on the slopes of hills offered a stunning sea panorama on Turkey’s western coast — until the engulfing flames turned the scene from paradise to a nightmare.

Fires have ripped through forests and steep valleys around Turkey’s third most-populous city Izmir in recent days.

Abdullah Ozata was desperate to see the scale of the damage when he returned to his nearby village of Sancakli, one of the areas where residents were evacuated to avoid the rushing flames.

“Twelve of my sheep and 50 chickens have perished in the blaze” that roared across the landscape, he told AFP, while showing the remains of burnt animals, turned into ash.

“I lost all my livestock,” the 43-year-old lamented as he walked among the debris. “I neither have another job nor another source of income.”

Two officials from the finance ministry photographed the damage and recorded Ozata’s loss for the compensation claim.

“The gendarmerie evacuated us against the human loss but I lost my animals,” he said.

“Our village was pretty, it was like a paradise, but it has turned into a hell”.

After four days of raging flames spread by strong winds, the fire has largely been brought under control, authorities said Sunday.

But the fire — the biggest Turkey has seen yet this summer — has left huge areas of charred and blackened land, destroying olive trees, gardens and beehives.

At least 43 buildings were damaged in Izmir, while 26 people were hospitalised with injuries related to the blaze.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said that efforts to douse hotspots were continuing but that the flames were now largely controlled in one place.


This photograph shows a helicopter carrying water to fight a forest fire, with windmills in the background in Turkey's western province of Izmir on August 17, 2024. — AFP pic


’Hide-and-seek’

Gokhan Cekmez was evacuated during the fire, but defied official orders to slip back into the village through a river in an effort to battle the flames.

“I played hide-and-seek with the gendarmerie, and without me and other villagers, the scale of the damage would have been much more serious,” the 35-year-old said.

“The outside help was not enough. We tried hard to put out the fire with pots and plates.”

In Sancakli the water was just beginning to run again on Sunday, after pipes were burned by the blaze, and authorities were still repairing the electricity cables damaged by the fire.

Local administrator Ilhan Kaya said agriculture and animal breeding were the only source of income for the 200-strong village.

“The villagers have to survive with the help of the state for at least six months, we will wait for the burned areas to turn green,” Kaya said.

Gulhan Arasa, wearing a flowered headscarf on the terrace of her three-storey house, was still haunted by the nightmare of the fire.

“I wish authorities would let me (help), even though I am a woman, I would take a hose and work to extinguish the fire,” she said.

“We were panicked when we were besieged by the flames that literally spread in seconds,” she said.

Arasa and her family, who rely on animal husbandry for their income, managed to keep around 100 sheep and goats in their shelter during the fire.

“Thank God, they’re all alive. We didn’t let them out because we were circled by the flames,” she said.

But other than that, she said, “everything has turned to ashes.”

“We expect the state to cover our losses. We want new saplings to be planted instead of our burnt saplings, we want trees to be planted instead of our burning trees.”

“God will help, the soil will renew itself, but when? I don’t know.” — AFP

After anti-immigrant riots, what do British Muslims need to feel safe?

Volunteers rebuild the fence outside the Southport Islamic Society

 Mosque after it had been torn down by violent protesters.


By Hasan Ali Special contributor
August 19, 2024|Southport, England

Nearly three weeks after the Southport Islamic Society Mosque came under attack by anti-immigrant rioters, the building is still on high alert. Security guards in black uniforms patrol the premises, and few worshippers have yet felt safe enough to return to attend prayers.

The mosque, in northwestern England, was the first to be assaulted by far-right mobs hurling bricks and other objects and setting fires in the street, signaling the start of a nationwide wave of rioting. Though the violence has now died down, its impact here lives on.

“You can never say when this sort of thing might happen again,” says local resident Muhammad Ayman. “So there is fear, but our faith in Allah gives us a lot of courage.”

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Compassion

The anti-Muslim riots that swept Britain recently have died down. But Muslim leaders say that only a more measured approach to immigration by the government and the media will reassure them that a calmer mood will prevail.

Bolstering that sentiment have been non-Muslim locals who were quick to show their support and sympathy for their neighbors. The morning after the attack, dozens of them came to the mosque to express solidarity, says Farrukh Ahmad, the mosque’s muezzin, who calls the hour of daily prayers.

“They came here even before we came here,” Mr. Ahmad recalls. “They came with brushes and shovels, and they tried to clean our road and our car park,” he says. “Plus, they sent us loads of food and flowers and cards. And it wasn’t just our neighbors. People have come from Bolton, Manchester, Preston, and all over to share in our sorrow. And they are still coming.”

Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
Ibrahim Hussein, chair of the Southport Islamic Society Mosque, speaks to the media after violence broke out outside the mosque.

His words are echoed by Ibrahim Hussein, the chair of the mosque. “The community is wonderful,” he says. “We’ve been here for 30 years, and none of this [rioting] has ever happened before. We’re always passing by and saying good morning, good evening. There is nothing between us but respect.”

The riots broke out following the killing of three little girls, stabbed as they attended a dance class a few hundred yards from the Southport mosque. False reports that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant spread across social media, sparking nationwide violence against mosques and hotels sheltering asylum-seekers.

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It was later announced that the attacker was neither an immigrant nor a Muslim.
Facing the facts

The British government, led by Keir Starmer, formerly the country’s top prosecutor, has promised stern punishment for those found guilty of committing or inciting acts of violence. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has announced that 1,024 people have been arrested and 575 charged nationwide. Around 100 have been convicted and sentenced so far.


Among those convicted last week was a middle-aged woman who responded to a photograph of white and South Asian people clearing up outside the Southport mosque by urging fellow members of her Facebook group to “blow the mosque up with the adults in it.” She was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment.

Still, there remains a sense among British Muslims that much needs to change if they are to feel safe. To start with, says Mr. Hussein, “the language of the media has to change, and the politicians have to watch their words because whatever they say ends up resonating. When they talk about immigration, they talk about it in a derogatory way. They just should calm down a little bit.”

Belinda Jiao/Reuters
People hold signs at a protest against racism outside the Reform UK party's headquarters in London, Aug. 10, 2024. Reform UK politicians have expressed hostility toward migrants and Muslims, though the party denies fostering bigotry.

For Zara Mohammed, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, only a clear-eyed appraisal of past immigration policies can serve as a basis for healing. “We have to tackle the root of the issue,” she says.

Ms. Mohammed accuses the previous Conservative government of “not only inciting hatred against migrants and asylum-seekers,” but also allowing former Home Secretary Suella Braverman to talk of an “Islamist takeover” and letting Lee Anderson, the former party chair, claim that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was under the control of extremists.

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This kind of language, Ms. Mohammed argues, has been co-opted by some tabloid newspapers to sow divisions in British society, helping to create an atmosphere of mistrust that can be exploited by far-right activists.

This can be addressed only if the media report on Muslims with greater nuance and accuracy, says Faisal Hanif, who tracks media coverage of Islam for the Centre for Media Monitoring. Riot reporting threw up numerous examples of “journalists excusing the violence or at the very least providing a context which they would not afford to Muslims in a similar situation,” he says.

Thousands of anti-racism protesters have gathered across the country in response to the riots. But though these counterprotests have done much to restore trust among British Muslims, who make up about 6% of the total population, there remains a sense that there is work still to be done.

“From a government point of view, there needs to be positive engagement and work with Muslim communities, as well as ensuring that our mosques and places of worship are kept safe,” says Ms. Mohammed.

“And of course the ... most important thing ... is keeping our communities united and together,” she adds. “It’s in that spirit that we’ve seen so many people come out against racism. ... We know that doesn’t represent the Britain we all love.”