Friday, January 10, 2025

Dawn Butler MP: Social media companies abandoning the use of independent fact-checkers is a danger to society

'When social media companies fail to tackle hatred and abuse, and fail to censor fake news and conspiracies, there is a risk of creating a group of people who are bad actors who can put people in danger'

Opinion
Dawn Butler

Today
Left Foot Forward

This week, I read the very concerning news that Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style “community notes”. This effectively means that the accuracy, misinformation and disinformation of posts will be left to users, instead of moderators.

I was absolutely startled to see many of my worst fears play out in real time. Meta’s updated hate speech guidelines now allows users to call people mentally ill based on their sexuality or gender identity. It really makes me wonder what sort of world we are now living in that this can be deemed acceptable.

The reality is as a country our protections have been slowly stripped away, leaving us vulnerable and naked to the far right, right wing, narcissists that often shout the loudest.

Let me explain further, there is money in clicks, so social media platforms promote negative content that generate more clicks than positive content. The war on woke was actually a war on decency and respect, encouraging people to discriminate and abuse people, especially if they are from a legally protected characteristic.

There is a thin line between free speech and hate speech and the reality is what the far right wanted was to encourage hate speech. Remember the arguments around critical thinking? How the Tories argued that we did not need to teach critical thinking in schools. Let me be clear, the only way to identify fake news, and dis and misinformation is if you have the ability to think critically about what you are reading.

As someone who has slowly reduced my activity on X, due to it becoming a cesspit of racism, misogyny, and far-right content in recent years (which I’ve highlighted with my ‘Block of the Week’ feature on social media), this latest move by Meta is very disappointing and I believe it puts us all at risk.

In my personal experience, while I mostly receive hate, racism, threats and abuse on X, the comments I receive on Facebook and Instagram are often positive and uplifting – and even when there is disagreement, it is often constructive and respectful.

So, in my view, anything that seeks to make Facebook and Instagram more like X is unwelcome and unwise. Far from weakening regulations, I have long called on successive Governments to strengthen regulations to ensure social media companies tackle racism and abuse on their platforms.

What has happened in the first month of 2025 completely highlights why my calls were necessary.

I’m not the only one who is concerned by this – the co-chair of the independent body that reviews Facebook and Instagram content has said herself she is “very concerned” about how Meta’s decisions will affect minority groups.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt said “We are seeing many instances where hate speech can lead to real-life harm, so we will be watching that space very carefully,”. I agree – and I’ve seen this first hand, having reported several death threats made against me on social media in recent years.

I do wonder whether these changes are also motivated by corporate greed by cutting spending. Getting rid of 40,000 moderators will save a lot of money, but for what purpose? Or maybe there is a fear of missing out on the far right and their influence online. It can be all of these and also trying to dominate the next generation of Large Language Models by ensuring inbuilt toxic views and biases. After all, Meta said they used to moderate less than 1% of content – it seems odd to change their business model over such a small percentage!

The stark truth is, we are at the precipice of a very real crisis of truth, decency, and accountability online. Which is directly affecting democracies around the world. There are currently organisations who boast of being able to win elections through online manipulation of content. I believe that the right-wing are trying to destroy all the principles that we need to protect ourselves from being manipulated by mis and disinformation online, all under the guise of ‘free speech’.

We have also seen certain publications that are aligned with right-wing political views push misleading or sensationalised narratives, especially during election periods. It can lead to the normalisation of prejudice, hatred and misinformation in our politics.

In some way the right has been smart as there has been a cold calculation of what is needed to manipulate a whole generation of people and systems. To paraphrase Edmund Burke, bad people are uniting.

How many times have we heard right-wingers talking about ‘lefty lawyers’ in recent years? Whether it was during Brexit, or when standing up for the rights of migrants. There are also regular efforts to undermine the Human Rights Act, which could erode our fundamental rights, including protections against hate speech and abuse, holidays and working hours.

So how can we tackle this dangerous rise, it can not be by facts alone because, many of the people who promote and believe the lies are not interested in the truth. Readers may remember the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 United States presidential election, falsely claiming of a paedophile ring at a restaurant backroom linked to members of the Democratic Party. One man even turned up there with a gun and fired at the shop! It shows the very real-life risks of disinformation. The pizza place did not even have a backroom.

We must arm our children with wisdom. It was extremely welcome that Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, launched a review of the curriculum in secondary schools last year to embed critical thinking and arm children against conspiracy theories. without critical thinking, children won’t be able to dissect what they are seeing online and work out what is truth from fiction.

We need to make clear there is nothing wrong with being ‘woke’ (which means being alert to injustices and discrimination). Imagine someone tells a man they are entitled to be paid the most in their organisation, just because they’re a man. That’s wrong, unjust, and misogynistic – but if a young man has not been taught about fairness and equality, they may fall into the trap of thinking they are being hard-done by.

And we need to talk about the risks of unlimited ‘free speech’. Because hate speech is not free speech, no one has the right to abuse someone online. When you let people do whatever they want with no limits, you create a dangerous environment where mis and disinformation get treated as truth.

So, when social media companies fail to tackle hatred and abuse, and fail to censor fake news and conspiracies, there is a risk of creating a group of people who are bad actors who can put people in danger. This includes Incels, who are an ever-increasing threat online and real-life to women.

The right-wing wants to destroy all of the principles we have in place to ensure we have a friendly, warm, informed and inclusive society – all under the guise of free speech and expression. We cannot allow it to happen, and I will do my part to fight against it. The antidote is always positivity and kindness.

And in the meantime, I encourage others to join me by supporting those new and growing social media companies, that take their social responsibilities seriously and clamp down on hate. And let’s not forget that these platforms scrape people’s data and use it to build AI models.

We can stop this if we move away from dangerous platforms, or if you can’t leave, flood it with kindness.

Grooming gangs: ‘The Tory dead cat strategy is to weaponise Islamophobia’

Naushabah Khan

9th January, 2025

What does an American billionaire, a convicted criminal and the Conservative Party all have in common? Muslims apparently. They can’t get enough.

Wild claims from Elon Musk, who found his new champion in Tommy Robinson as he ditched his mate Nigel, sent UK politics in a tailspin.

Now the top tier of the Conservative Party seem to be scrambling to say the most anti-Muslim commentary they can get away with, in what must be the most disgraceful game of political chicken in a long while.

They could have stood up for their colleague and my friend Jess Phillips MP and called out Musk’s dangerous fixation on a woman in politics, who actually has a track record in tackling violence against women and girls. They chose to legitimise and give it a platform instead.

Back when things were normal (remember those times?), Musk’s interference would have been called out from both sides of the political divide and decent Conservatives would have called it un-British.

They would have understood how dangerous it is to pit communities against each other in this manner. But what does a political party that has nothing left to offer the country do? So devoid of ideas, a political project even, it resorts desperately to a dead cat strategy.

‘Sinister weaponisation of Islamophobia’

In this case, they have been gifted one from the far right and, for the good of the country, they should think very carefully about how they proceed.

Ramping up the anti-Muslim rhetoric, something which has become mainstream, can only have far-reaching and dangerous consequences. Yet, it seems, the party of Burke and Peel have no moderation. In fact, they seem set on embracing it belt and braces.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, long – awaited legislation which strengthens safeguarding and welfare for British children, is the latest casualty of this approach.

The Conservative’s wrecking amendment that called for an inquiry into child grooming gangs, following similar calls from Elon Musk, would have killed the Children’s Bill before it even started; halting important legislation that would bring forward the biggest child protection laws in generation.

And this is despite a previous seven-year independent review which concluded in 2022. But it is the sinister weaponisation of Islamophobia that has surrounded the debate, which has been more telling.

Whether it’s the divisive language used by the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Jenrick, who has also recently become obsessed with cousin marriage (I assume a major issue for his constituents?), describing Britons of Pakistani origin as ‘people with alien cultures’ and ‘medieval attitudes towards women’ responsible for grooming gangs.

Or Kemi Badenoch, who has not only defended him, but also suggested that the failure to back an inquiry into grooming gangs would enable people to “smear all British Muslims”. Could we say this about any other group of people?

Would a failure to back an inquiry into Jimmy Saville enable smears against innocent Christians? Catholics? white people? DJ’s or BBC employees? This is culture wars at its worse and places the UK at a dangerous precipice.

Why now?

Now let me be clear, child sexual abuse and exploitation from grooming gangs should be taken incredibly seriously. There should be no special treatment based on race, ethnicity or religion when it comes to the law and the safeguarding of our children should be our absolute priority.

But let us not be fooled into thinking that ending violence against women and girls is what is driving Tommy Robinson, Elon Musk, or even, the senior leadership of the Conservative and Reform parties.

This is pure and simple political opportunism on the backs of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

A simple search on Hansard demonstrates that prior to January 8 2025, Kemi Badenoch has never raised the issue of grooming gangs in Parliament despite her previous role as the Minister for Women and Equalities from 2022-2024.

Similarly, Robert Jenrick failed to raise this issue once during the fourteen years of a Conservative government, in which he served as a Minister.

Furthermore, there have been several inquiries and reports into grooming gangs since 2013 at both a national and local level, which have investigated the scale and scope of organised criminal sexual abuse and proposed new measures to enhance safeguarding practices.

Victoria Derbyshire’s recent analysis highlighted that despite multiple reports and inquiries under the previous Conservative Government, they failed to implement many of the recommendations of the national child sex abuse inquiry.

Challenging bad faith actors

The victims of abuse deserve justice and they deserve action, implementing much needed reforms. As Professor Alexis Jay, Chair of the child abuse inquiry, puts ‘We’ve had enough of inquiries, consultation and discussions…’

So, if it’s not about the victims, why then the sudden interest? The fact is I know many Muslim colleagues who wanted to speak out, but they know, as do I, that simple act would mean being on the receiving end of abuse and anonymous threats of violence and rape.

This is precisely the culture of fear that these bad faith actors want; all while bemoaning and insisting cancel culture exists and the white cliffs of free speech are crumbling into the English Channel as migrants are scrambling over its corpse.

So that’s why they are so interested and that’s what they want.

Cancel culture doesn’t exist, migrants aren’t evil and if you like picking on minorities because it’s politically advantageous you need a hobby or some friends.

.

Naushabah Khan

Naushabah Khan is the MP for Gillingham and Rainham and a former councillor in Medway.

View all articles by Naushabah Khan

Canada: Trudeau Leaves Liberals in the Lurch

Labour Hub Edito

JANUARY 10, 2025

By George Binette

After weeks of speculation and months of plunging poll ratings, Justin Trudeau’s announcement on 6th January came as little surprise. Trudeau, who turned 53 on Christmas Day, will soon be vacating Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, his de facto residence for nine years. In the meantime, however, the Canadian House of Commons will not reopen on 27th January as previously scheduled with the nation’s Parliament prorogued until 24th March.

The intervening two months will provide Liberal Party members with the opportunity to elect a successor to their leader of the last dozen years, who first gained the premiership in 2015. In 2021 Trudeau gambled on a snap election in the hope of consolidating his position after two years at the helm of a minority administration. Instead, he again found himself at the head of a minority government with the Liberals holding 160 of the 338 seats (the next Parliament will have 343), having won a slightly smaller share of the popular vote than the opposition Conservatives for the second consecutive election.

Since autumn 2021, the Liberals have lost seven of those 160 seats through defections and by-election defeats last year that claimed two historically safe Liberal seats – one to the Tories in metro Toronto, the other to the main Quebec nationalist party in Montreal. By late 2024, the New Democratic Party (NDP), a rough approximation to a west European social democratic formation, had indicated that it would no longer support the Liberals in a confidence vote. The NDP had previously opposed two Tory motions of no confidence in the Trudeau government, the most recent at the start of October.

The Trump Factor

Trudeau’s personal popularity was already in freefall prior to Donald Trump’s victory in November’s presidential election and now hovers barely above 20%. More than two dozen MPs, including Cabinet ministers, had already signalled their intention to stand down at the next federal election. But the Canadian PM’s late November visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate proved an exercise in public humiliation that may well have hastened his departure.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada unless the Ottawa government takes unspecified steps to stem the flow of synthetic opiates and ‘illegal’migrants across the US border. Trump is presumably joking when he talks of Canada becoming the 51st state of the USA, but few Canadian politicians believe the tariff threat is in jest.

Among those voicing alarm has been Trudeau’s erstwhile ally and personal confidante, Chrystia Freeland, who until mid-December was both his deputy and Finance Minister. She resigned in spectacular fashion, issuing a scathing letter that was surely the final nail in Trudeau’s political coffin.

Poisoned Chalice

Freeland is now widely regarded as a frontrunner to succeed Trudeau, alongside former Bank of England chief Mark Carney, who has never been elected to political office, but has recently served as a special advisor to Trudeau’s administration. To date, there seems little of substance to distinguish between Carney and Freeland, both pillars of a highly educated liberal establishment, though Carney has yet to set out his leadership stall.

Freeland’s resignation letter hints strongly that she will push for austerity as an ostensible response to Trump’s threats. She argues that Canada should keep its “fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”

There could be another half-dozen candidates for the Liberal leadership, according to commentators at the CBC (Canada’s state broadcaster), but whoever eventually emerges as the winner in the Liberal leadership contest looks set to inherit a poisoned chalice. So far, Pierre Poilievre, historically one of the most right-wing Canadian Tory leaders, has been the main beneficiary of Trudeau’s woes. Opinion polls in recent months have shown the Conservatives ahead by 20 or more points and the universal assumption is the Tories will command a solid majority in the next Parliament after an election that must take place by 20th October.

Post-Pandemic Immigration Backlash

What factors drove Trudeau’s protracted fall from his position nearly a decade ago as the “poster boy” for a vague centre-left in the G7? The passage of time, combined with the accretion of scandals, had done much to erode his reputation prior to the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic. His administration’s handling of the health emergency contrasted favourably with the record of its neighbour under Trump and contributed to a modest recovery in the Liberals’ fortunes.

But by the start of 2022, mounting anger over extensive Covid-related restrictions and vaccine mandates had fuelled anger among independent lorry drivers culminating in a truckers’ blockade of Ottawa and roadblocks near some border crossings with the US. Soon after, Canada proved far from immune to the international inflationary surge unleashed as restrictions eased and in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While the official inflation rate has now dropped to 1.9% (November 2024), so lower than that of the US or Britain, this masks the sharp rise in housing costs, which shot up by nearly 20% in two years. In addition, Canada’s unemployment rate – in contrast to the US – has risen since April 2023, reaching 6.8% in November last year. A predictable media narrative has developed blaming the shortage of affordable housing and pressures on social welfare provision on notable but far from dramatic increases in immigration.

Levels of overt hostility to immigrants have not reached proportions seen in the US and much of Europe, but in this sparsely populated nation of some 41.5 million opinion polls suggest that a clear majority want tighter restrictions on migration for the first time since the 1990s. Trudeau’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, had already announced a cut of more than 20% in the target for new permanent residents in 2025, but this has done little to stifle criticism from an aggressively confident Conservative party.

The Legacy

Trudeau’s nine plus years atop Canadian politics will undoubtedly pale in comparison with his father’s 15 years as prime minister. The younger Trudeau’s premiership was always likely to prove a triumph of style over substance. Symbolically, at least, he served as a pillar of liberal tolerance, especially on race and immigration. in stark contrast to the first Trump presidency. Notable elements of his legislative legacy include the legalisation of cannabis and a controversial move towards assisted dying along with a carbon tax programme that has proved both ineffectual and politically damaging. (Canada is the lone G7 nation with higher carbon emissions than 30 years ago). His first administration did, however, see significant investment in childcare provision and a sharp fall in child poverty rates.

As the Trudeau premiership enters its final weeks, both his national and global status are much diminished, but he also embodies the intractable challenges faced by the centre-left across the advanced capitalist world as it proves both unable and unwilling to address ever increasing inequality through redistributive taxation and maintain working class living standards amidst environmental crises.

George Binette, a Massachusetts native, is a retired union activist, vice-chair of Camden Trades Council and former Trade Union Liaison Officer of Hackney North & Stoke Newington CLP.

Image: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Source: 170923-D-DB155-040. Author:DoD News, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Trump is a terrifying prospect amid California wildfires

As the wildfires kill ten people, president-elect Donald Trump denies the reality that climate change fuels the Californian fires

California has a history of destructive wildfires (Photo: flickr/ slworking2)

By Camilla Royle
10 January 2025

SOCIALIST WORKER Issue

Two weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration as United States president, wildfires are ripping through California.

The Los Angeles fire chief reported that the fires had killed two people and had seriously injured many more, including a 25 year old firefighter. More than 1000 homes and other buildings have also been engulfed by flames and tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate.

The fires have been whipped up by the strong Santa Ana winds, which blow dry air from the desert towards California. But high temperatures due to climate change are also making fires like these a regular occurrence.

Fires have reached the wealthy residents of the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were among those affected. And the fire department destroyed up to 200 abandoned cars on the world famous Sunset Boulevard.

While California’s most glamorous residents have watched their mansions burn, the fires could also harm people living more precarious lives.

Los Angeles county is facing a housing crisis. It has 75,000 homeless people, including many who live outside in tent encampments—one of the highest rates anywhere in the US. People living outside are especially at risk from smoke due to wildfires.

In 2020, when Trump was last in office, California was hit by unprecedented fires during an especially hot, dry summer. But Trump denied that climate change was the cause and said that people in California were to blame for not sweeping up leaves from the forest floor.

According to officials in his administration, Trump repeatedly refused to release disaster aid to states he deemed hostile, including the generally Democrat-voting California.

There are fears that he could repeat this in his second term.

Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin is a climate sceptic who doesn’t support the agreement to limit temperature rise made at the Paris Cop talks in 2015. He said in 2014, that he was “not sold yet on the whole argument that we have as serious a problem as other people”.

Zeldin is a backer of fossil fuels and cars. When he unsuccessfully ran to be governor of New York, he opposed a ban on fracking, called for more oil and gas pipelines and promised to repeal a tax on petrol.

Trump has said that Zeldin will rip up regulations “to unleash the power of American businesses”.

An American president who denies the reality of climate change is a terrifying prospect after a year of rising temperatures and disasters.

World’s richest 1% burn through their fair share of annual carbon budget in just 10 days

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ two private jets spent nearly 25 days in the air over a 12-month period

Olivia Barber

Today

Left Foot Forward

The world’s richest 1% have used up their fair share of the annual carbon budget just 10 days into the new year.

In less than a week and a half, the consumption habits of the super-rich, including using superyachts and private jets, produced 2.1 tonnes of carbon emissions.

It would take someone from the poorest half of the world’s population three years to use the same amount of carbon.

In 2015, at COP21 in Paris, world leaders committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

The EU’s Copernicus climate change service has published data today which shows that 2024 is the first calendar year where global temperatures are 1.5°C above this level.

By 2030, the richest 1% are set to reduce their individual consumption emissions by just 5%, compared with the 97% cuts needed to achieve the 1.5°C goal.

Walmart owners’ superyachts produced as much carbon as 1,700 Walmart shop workers

Previous research by Oxfam found that, on average, 50 of the world’s richest billionaires took 184 flights in a single year. It would take an average person 300 years to produce this amount of carbon.

Jeff Bezos’ two private jets spent nearly 25 days in the air over a 12-month period and emitted as much carbon as the average US Amazon employee would in 207 years.

The Walton family, heirs of the Walmart retail chain, own three superyachts that in one year produced as much carbon as around 1,714 Walmart shop workers.

While the super-rich are responsible for producing more than twice as much carbon pollution than the world’s poorest, it is the poorest who are suffering the most serious consequences of climate change.

Taxes on private jets and superyachts could have raised £2 billion in 2023

Chiara Liguori, Oxfam GB’s Senior Climate Justice Policy Advisor said: “The future of our planet is hanging by a thread, yet the super-rich are being allowed to continue to squander humanity’s chances with their lavish lifestyles and polluting investments.”

Liguori added: “Governments need to stop pandering to the richest polluters and instead make them pay their fair share for the havoc they’re wreaking on our planet.

“Leaders who fail to act are culpable in a crisis that threatens the lives of billions.”

The charity has calculated that fair taxes on private jets and superyachts in the UK could have raised up to £2 billion in 2023 to help tackle climate change.

Liguori said: “As global temperatures continue to climb, the UK must show how it will generate its own share of new, fair funding to meet the escalating climate finance needs and fight inequality – significantly higher taxes on polluting luxuries like private jets and superyachts is an obvious place for the government to start.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

‘The rich are on course to destroy all our lives’

World’s wealthiest 1% have already burned through their share of the entire annual carbon limit, Oxfam warns

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, January 7, 2025

Elizabeth Short
Friday, January 10, 2025

MORNINGSTAR UK

THE world’s wealthiest 1 per cent have already burned through their share of the entire annual carbon limit, a damning analysis of super-rich climate destruction has revealed.

A new study by charity Oxfam has analysed the “global carbon budget” — the amount of CO2 that can be emitted without exceeding the international target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Its findings showed that while the richest capitalists had already exceeded that limit in the first 10 days of 2025, it would take someone from the poorest half of the global population nearly three years to use up their share.

Inaction will continue to have deadly consequences, the charity said — and eight in 10 deaths from heat will occur in low and lower-middle-income countries.

Oxfam estimated that by 2050, emissions by the 1 per cent will cause crop losses that could have provided enough calories to feed at least 10 million people a year in eastern and southern Asia.

Emissions from the ultra-wealthy are also causing trillions in economic losses -– the impact on low and lower-middle-income countries over the past three decades has been three times greater than the total climate finance provided by wealthy nations.

To make a start on attempts to meet the 1.5°C goal, the richest 1 per cent would need to cut their emissions by 97 per cent by the end of the decade, the charity said.

It suggested that this could be done by introducing wealth taxes alongside a ban, or heavy taxation, on private jets and superyachts.

The charity urged governments to make rich polluters pay, and for climate finance to be boosted significantly for countries such as those in the global South bearing the brunt of climate impacts.

Oxfam International’s climate change policy lead Nafkote Dabi said: “The margin for action is razor-thin, yet the super-rich continue to squander humanity’s chances with their lavish lifestyles, polluting stock portfolios and pernicious political influence.

“This is theft — pure and simple ― a tiny few robbing billions of people of their future to feed their insatiable greed.”

Extinction Rebellion’s Marijn van de Geer said: “On the same day as the announcement that 2024 has been confirmed to breach 1.5°C, the elite 1 per cent has already burned through their share of their annual global carbon budget.

“Not only are they flying us all to extinction in their private jets, which accounts for an enormous and disproportionate share of transport emissions, they are also whispering in the ears of our politicians, news editors and judges; controlling the narrative that climate breakdown isn’t real, or certainly isn’t as urgent as scientists say it is.

“We cannot achieve a fair transition away from fossil fuels as long as the elite 1 per cent holds all the power over decision makers, so we must expose what they are doing, which is exactly what we are intending to do this year.”

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil also issued a rallying call, saying: “We live within a system that serves the few over the many, and the rich are on course for destroying all our lives if they carry on unopposed. We must get organised and resist.

“We need a revolution in politics and economics, and we need to reclaim Parliament from the corporations and billionaires, whilst prioritising the interests of ordinary people.”

Egypt unveils ancient tombs and burial shafts in Luxor discovery

By: TII team
Date: January 10, 2025

Recently discovered artifacts by the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage are now on display at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut’s Funerary Temple in Deir al-Bahri, located on the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor, Egypt, January 8, 2025.

Photo: AP

LUXOR,— Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities announced several significant archaeological findings on Wednesday, including ancient tombs and burial shafts dating back over 3,600 years.

The discoveries were made near the iconic city of Luxor, at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut’s funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri, located on the West Bank of the Nile River.

The findings were revealed by the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage, which collaborated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities on the excavation project. According to a statement from the foundation, the excavation has been ongoing since September 2022.

Among the discoveries were bronze coins bearing the image of Alexander the Great, dating to the Ptolemaic era, specifically the reign of Ptolemy I (367-283 BC). In addition to the coins, archaeologists uncovered children’s toys made from clay, cartonnage, funerary masks, winged scarabs, beads, and various amulets that would have been used in burial rituals.

Zahi Hawass, an internationally renowned Egyptologist, commented that these findings could help “reconstruct history” and provide insight into the religious and social practices of ancient Egyptians. He emphasized that the discoveries shed light on the kinds of programs and ceremonies that were held within the temple.

The excavation also uncovered the remains of Queen Hatshepsut’s Valley Temple, as well as rock-cut tombs from Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (1938 BC – 1630 BC). Burial shafts from the 17th dynasty and the tomb of a figure named Djehuti-Mes were also unearthed. Furthermore, parts of the Assassif Ptolemaic Necropolis were exposed, providing new information about the burial practices of the period.

Many of the tombs, which date to the Ptolemaic era, had been previously looted. Despite this, the archaeological team was able to recover several important artifacts, including pottery tables used in offerings of bread, wine, and meat.

Among the most intriguing discoveries were burial shafts dating to around 1580 BC to 1550 BC. Inside these shafts, archaeologists found intact anthropoid wooden coffins, including one belonging to a child. The child’s coffin has remained undisturbed for over 3,600 years. In addition, war archery bows were found in the burial chambers, suggesting that the tomb owners may have had military backgrounds and played a role in driving out the Hyksos, foreign rulers who once occupied Egypt.

Another significant find was the tomb of Djehuti-Mes, a royal official during the reign of Pharaoh Ahmose I (1550 BC – 1525 BC). While few artifacts were recovered from this tomb, the funerary stelae bearing the official’s name revealed key historical details about his life and his role in overseeing the palace of Queen Teti Sheri.

The excavation also uncovered a portion of the extended Ptolemaic necropolis, which had been built using mud bricks over the remains of Queen Hatshepsut’s temple. While much of the necropolis was uncovered earlier in the 20th century, the new findings are considered a significant contribution to the understanding of the site.

In a separate development, Egyptian and American archaeologists recently unearthed an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials in the South Asasif necropolis near Luxor. The tomb, which dates to the Middle Kingdom, was found near the Temple of Hatshepsut and is expected to offer further insights into Egypt’s rich ancient history.

In 2023, antiquities officials announced the discovery of at least 2,000 mummified ram heads dating from the Ptolemaic period, along with a palatial structure from Egypt’s Old Kingdom. These finds were made at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos, located in southern Egypt. The discoveries further enrich the archaeological understanding of this historically significant region.

(Credit: AP | Reuters)

Copyright © 2025 The Insight International. All rights reserved

SAS covered up its crimes in Afghanistan

Despite attempts at a cover-up, an ongoing inquiry shows the SAS had a 'golden pass allowing them to get away with murder' during the West’s occupation of Afghanistan

The SAS in Afghanistan has been accused of having a deliberate policy of murder

By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Wednesday 08 January 2025

SOCIALIST WORKER Issue 2937

The SAS special forces had a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder” during the West’s occupation of Afghanistan.

An inquiry into SAS night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013 heard the damning revelations, which it published on Wednesday, from a former senior special forces commander.

The officer identified as N1785 was operations chief of staff for the SBS, another British special forces unit.

A letter by N1785, dated April 2011, said, “One of my team, an officer, has been told by an individual from [redacted] that there is in effect an unofficial policy amongst [redacted] the to kill wherever possible fighting aged males on target, regardless of the immediate threat they pose to our troops.

“In some instances, this has involved the deliberate killing of individuals after they have been restrained by [redacted] and the subsequent fabrication of evidence to suggest a lawful killing in self-defence.”

The officer reported his concerns to the Director of Special Forces—the head of the SAS and SBS.

In 2011, the officer wrote that the SAS and murder were “regular bedfellows” and described the unit’s descriptions of killings as “quite incredible”. When asked by the inquiry if he stood over his accusation of murder, he replied, “Indeed.”

The officer reported his concerns to the Director of Special Forces—the head of the SAS and SBS. But the special forces were determined to protect themselves.

One document says there is “anecdotal evidence suggesting extrajudicial killings carried out by members” of UK Special Forces in Afghanistan. But the briefing note, which says the release of the information would cause “severe damage”, reveals that the evidence was stored in a “security compartment”.

There were plenty of crimes to cover up. Another senior SBS officer said, “I thought and think that on at least some operations the SAS was carrying out murders.”

A junior SBS officer described a conversation with a member of the SAS who had recently turned from Afghanistan. He was told that a soldier put a pillow over someone’s head before killing them with a pistol.

He said, “I suppose what shocked me most wasn’t the execution of potential members of the Taliban, which was of course wrong and illegal.

“But it was more the age and the methods and, you know, the details of things like pillows”.

He said that, according to the conversation he’d had, some of those murdered by the SAS were children. When asked by the inquiry if some of those killed were as young as 16, he replied, “Or younger, 100 percent.”

The SBS officers raised doubts about the reliability of SAS operational reports from Afghanistan, fearing the truth about the murders would come to light.

One of the senior officers, who worked the SBS headquarters in Poole, wrote to another senior officer on 9 February 2011. He said, “If we don’t believe this, then no one else will and when the next WikiLeaks occurs then we will be dragged down with them.”

The previous Tory government was forced to set up the inquiry after BBC Panorama reporting into the SAS.

The inquiry’s revelations come as up to six members of the SBS are being investigated over an operation in Libya two years ago. And last week it emerged that nine special forces personnel could face prosecution for war crimes in at least two separate incidents in Syria in the last decade.

The SAS are killers for British imperialism with a history of murder and cover up.

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey will take place on February 5th and 6th 2025, at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Brussels, Belgium.

The Tribunal will address allegations of severe human rights violations and war crimes committed by the Turkish government and Turkey-backed forces in north and east Syria, also known as Rojava. These accusations include actions that may constitute crimes against humanity under international law, such as the forced displacement of populations, the use of banned weapons, targeted assassinations, torture, and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage.

The Tribunal’s proceedings will provide access to first-hand testimonies, expert analyses, and a wealth of evidence regarding the situation in Rojava. Coverage of these proceedings will serve as a crucial tool for raising awareness, promoting accountability, and amplifying the voices of victims.

Some of the key issues to be addressed during the tribunal include:

Forced Displacement of Populations: Testimonies will highlight cases of forced displacement, particularly in Afrin and Ras al-Ayn, where Kurdish residents have been driven from their homes in violation of international humanitarian law.

Use of Banned Weapons and Targeting of Civilians: Evidence will be presented regarding the alleged use of banned weapons, such as white phosphorus, against civilian populations and infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.

Targeted Assassinations and Civilian Massacres: Cases such as the assassination of Hevrin Khalaf, a prominent advocate for peace, and the massacre at Taqal Baqal will be addressed, shedding light on violent acts against non-combatants.

Manipulation of Essential Resources — the Alouk Water Station: Reports on the deliberate disruption of the Alouk water station – which provides water to over one million people – will be presented, highlighting the impact on public health and humanitarian conditions.

Destruction of Cultural Heritage and Religious Sites: The systematic destruction and looting of cultural sites, including sacred Yazidi shrines, will be documented as violations of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property.

Torture and Unlawful Detention: The Tribunal will showcase reports of torture and arbitrary detention, including the emblematic case of Nadiya Sulaiman, as part of a broader strategy to repress the cultural and ethnic identity of the population.

These issues highlight the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for media coverage to ensure that the international community remains informed and engaged.

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey is a vital opportunity for the media to play a central role in amplifying the voices of victims, promoting justice, and holding those responsible for human rights violations to account.

The invitation for media participation at the Tribunal is issued by Midya Abdah, Centre for Research and Protection of Women’s Rights in Europe; Haike Geisweid, Association for Democracy and International Law (MAF-DAD); and Ceren Uysal, European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights (ELDH).

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rojava_cities.png Rojava cities. Author: WikiEditor2004, licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

KURDISTAN

News from the front--from anarchist comrades in North-East Syria!

Jan 8, 2025

From Têkoşîna Anarşîst
January 7, 2025

05-06/Jan/2025

# NES

Heavy clashes in Eufrates region
A massive SNA attack on the strategic hill near Tishrin dam was repelled by the SDF, inflicting heavy losses in SNA ranks. Air units of the SDF (drones) published videos of 2 armored vehicles and another military vehicle being destroyed. After the clashes, turkish planes bombed the area, damaging some of SDF’s armored vehicles.

SOHR numbers of the clashes
Over the last 2 days SOHR documented the deaths of 85 SNA militias and 16 SDF fighters.
Since the beginning of the fighting around Manbij city SOHR counts as killed: 25 civilians, including five women and two children; 203 Turkish-backed militiamen; 57 members of SDF. Reports on the ground suggest higher numbers.

Turkish bombings continue
Turkish campaigns of drone strikes and artillery fire continue targeting positions beyond the front lines, especially in Kobane countryside and in the occupied M4 strip between Ain Issa and Til Temir.

# Syria

Security operations continue
Security forces aligned with the transitional goverment continued security operations, mostly targeting people that had important roles with the old regime, like secret police and military personnel.

Local security committees
After the unrest of last week, local security committees are organizing checkpoints in multiple cities in coordination with HTS command. Residents stand guard outside shops and homes, armed with light weapons to fill the security vacuum.

Israels illegal occupation
Residents of Quneitra protested against the Israeli occupation of their homes and the lack of action from Syria’s new authorities and the international community. Israeli forces have demolished homes and prevented farmers from going to their fields in some areas. On at least two occasions, Israeli troops reportedly opened fired on protesters.
The United Nations has accused Israel of violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement by entering the buffer zone, but the new Syrian Govn. is in no rush to confront Israel.

# Foreign Policy

Turkey: HTS can guard ISIS
In an attempt to lessen the importance of the SDF’s presence, Turkish FM stated that the new Damascus administration can take over ISIS prisons.

US sanctions relief
US announced a sanction relief for Syria, issuing waivers to aid groups and companies providing essential services, such as water, electricity and other humanitarian supplies for next six months.

France support the kurds
After the visit of French FM to Damascus, French President Macron stated that “France will not abandon Kurdish freedom fighters in Syria.”

*** Analysis ***

The extreme instability of the last month seems to be slowing down. This is a dangerous time, where the international media attention starts to withdraw, forgetting once again what is happening in Syria. The heavy clashes of Manbij countryside are the new normality, as well as the intensified artillery attacks of Turkish army, as well as the constant drone strikes all over north east Syria. In the big cities of Western Syria the transitional government is tightening their control, with security operations targeting mainly old regime loyalists for now.

The unstable situation of the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheik Mekhsud and Ashrafia in Aleppo is slowly (but silently) escalating tensions. SNA fighters dropped some explosive devices days ago before being shot by local defense forces. Today, a crowd chanting slogans aligned with the transitional government marched towards the kurdish neighborhoods. YPG forces fired warning shots in the sky to disperse the march, and for now it stopped there.

The local militias from Suwayda “Men of dignity” and “Mountain brigade” made statements rejecting sectarian factional armies and condemning the deadly clashes that took place recently in the south of Syria. It is not clear to us if the clashes where with HTS supporters (as we reported recently) or with old regime loyalist groups. Or maybe with both, reports seem confusing and our lack of trusted sources from southern Syria makes it difficult to get a good grasp of the situation.

The fatigue and exhaustion after more than a month of frantic activity are also weighing on everyone. In these times we can see the dynamics of war switching from sprint to marathon, where endurance and resilience become critical. Those who can’t withstand the pressure, those who break, will open small windows of opportunity for their enemies. SDF has repeatedly proven its strength in this long term race, so now is time to wait for enemy mistakes. As Sun Tzu wrote 15 centuries ago: “To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
---------------------------------

Weekly Highlights 28.12.24 – 03.01.25

Clashes in Manbij countryside
Heavy clashes continued in Manbij countryside, with SDF holding ground against the SNA offensives around Qereqozah bridge and Tishreen Dam. Several armored vehicles of turkish proxy forces were destroyed, including tanks and other advanced equipment like radars, even an (in)famous UAV Bayraktar TB2.

HTS government
The cabinet of the transitional government is getting filled with HTS leadership and close circles of Ahmed al-Sharaa, that is acting as a de facto president of Syria. Names of important Jihadist fighters are being published as heads of ministeries and other important state institutions. Al-Sharaa also announced that HTS will be dissolved in the transition process, probably as a strategy to get rid of the terrorist label and gain legitimacy as new government.

Negotiations SDF-HTS
A delegation of SDF command met with a delegation of the transitional government, including al-Sharaa and other relevant HTS members. They negotiated possible integration of SDF in the new Syrian army that is being organized. An agreement was not reached, but negotiations remain open.

SNA facing problems
Two main factions of SNA (Sultan Suleyman Sha and Hamza divisions) left the SNA coalition to join the ranks of the new Syrian Army under the influence of HTS. Many fighters are dying in the front lines of Manbij countryside. Other fighters and groups are defecting to return back to their homes, now free of the Assad regime, often getting arrested and imprisoned by SNA military police in the attempt.

Women’s resistance
The newly appointed ministry of women affairs in the HTS transitional government, Aisha al-Dibs, declared that islamic law (sharia) should guide Syria and that she won’t let feminist NGOs operate. Many women’s organizations, like the newly founded Syrian Women’s council, made statements criticizing it and remarking the role and the importance of women in the revolution.

ISIS resurgence
ISIS has been increasing their activity and attacking security checkpoints in many different parts of Syria as well as Iraq. They also spread a call for their followers to do attacks in US, Europe or Israel. One message called to “Prepare your belts, silencers, knives, and explosives”. The International coalition has been conducting precise bombings in different locations in Syria.

Repression of minorities
The protests that sparked in several cities after the tomb of an historic Alawite scholar was desecrated were met with military repression, with big convoys of HTS fighters being sent to disperse protests. Some clashes with armed protestors were reported. The druze community also stated their intentions to not integrate their militias into the new Syrian army, challenging the call of the transitional goverment to surrend all the weapons to the transitional goverment.
---------------------------------

03-04/Jan/2025

# NES

Manbij Front
SDF repelled a massive attack, killing 72 jihadist fighters. 11 SDF soldiers were also killed. Turkey continues to bomb the area and the already heavily damaged Tishreen Dam.

SNA order to kill
Allegedly, an internal information letter was sent to military police of SNA and several of their militias. The letter calls on them to execute any traitor attempting to defect to the enemy or caught trying to flee their area.

Turkey-Syria borders to HTS
Control of the Hammam border crossing between Turkey and Syria in Jindires area, in occupied Afrin, has been handed out to HTS as part of agreements to normalize the situation with the new administration in Damascus.

# Syria

Murderous past of justice minister
Shadi Al-Waisi was recently appointed as minister of justice. He has been identified in a video from Idlib in 2015, this video has been verified. In the video a woman is executed with a head shot in the middle of the street by armed men after Shadi Al-Waisi reads a “judicial” sentence from a smartphone.

Syrias education system
Syria’s new Ministry of Education has published 12 new documents reshaping the country’s education system. They are pushing a religiously driven worldview on what was once the Middle East’s most secular nation.

Tensions in Suwayda
Recent clashes between armed factions in Suwayda involving the armed group “Men of dignity” and another group that is apparently aligned with HTS took place. They left at least 4 deads. Protests followed the incident, some claiming support for an HTS goverment some against it. Some also denounced the sunni-islamist biased changes of educational curriculum.

Clashes on the Lebanese border
Clashes with the Lebanesse army broke out next to a blocked border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, with at least 1 Lebanese soldier badly injured. The Lebanese army claims they shot in the air as warning after a bulldozer moved to reopen the border-crossing, and armed men responded by firing at their positions. Some reports claim the armed men to be HTS fighters, other suggest smuggling networks. Allegedly, clashes resumed again later.

HTS security operations
HTS military personal conducted several raids and security controls after the Alawites protest last week. Some of those raids are evolving to clashes after facing armed resistance, allegedly from old regime loyalist. The Syrian Observatory of Human rights (SOHR) is reporting more than 100 arrested, some reports suggest summary executions of many of them.

# Foreign Policy

French and German FM in Damascus
Ms Baerbock and Mr Barrot are the first european FMs to visit the new governemnt in Damascus. They explained that they can see a renewed relationship between Europe and Syria, but under the condition of gender equality and protection of minorities. HTS officials receiving them refused to shake the hand of the German FM.

# Analysis

The recent handover of strategical border-crossing points in Afrin to HTS is a very relevant development, it shows the will of Turkey to sacrifice SNA militias in exchange for better relations with HTS. Those border crossing points are a big source of tax revenue for the militias that control it, cutting down their access to funds and giving them to HTS will not just improve their economical situation but also reinforce the centralized control that the HTS transitional goverment is attempting. And of course, Turkey is expecting HTS to not forget that they are helping them with that, gaining a better diplomatic position in future negotiations.

The visit of the French and German foreign ministers to Damascus indicates that Europe is willing to accept the transitional goverment as legitimate respresentation of Syria. The video with the akward moment when Baerbock offers her hand and the reception delegation and they refuse to shake her hand, has been circulating a lot. It is a clear indication of the misogynist approach that this transitional goverment has. At the same time, they orchestrated a press conferance with an unveiled women talking on behalf of the White Helmets, a rescue organization with close ties with HTS and Turkey. This is clearly a move for media spectacle, since any pictures ever seen of women working with White helmets has been always with veil and gloves, and always as having an auxiliar role. This adds to other examples of HTS tokenizing women to appear moderate and aligned with inclusive values, but it is clearly nothing else than a facade.

Revolutionary greetings!

your fellow anarchist comrades from NES

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment