#pro-palestine independents

[feckcops]

What can the Left learn from Nigel Farage?

“Farage’s mercilessness is notable. Only once did he hold back from running against the Tories – in the 2019 election when Boris Johnson’s Brexit purism and the threat of a Jeremy Corbyn-led government persuaded him to stand down ... In 2015, he almost cost the party its slim majority ...

“Contrast this with the approach of the ‘green blob’ of centre-left climate NGOs ... Their strategy was also clear: ask nicely and get what you can, not what’s needed to avert the climate crisis. Don’t take risks or rock the boat ... This focus on soft power alone – the inside game of cajoling and persuasion, being in the room and having the ear of a potentially sympathetic minister – is extremely limited ...

“The election of five pro-Palestinian independents – including Corbyn – along with four Green MPs has changed Starmer’s electoral calculation. Assumptions about the viability of independent and third party candidates have been swept away. The Greens came in second in 39 constituencies (most with a suspiciously Corbynite demographic), and some pollsters have suggested the collapse in Labour’s Muslim vote isn’t a momentary response to the party’s blunders on Gaza, but part of a longer-term trend.

“The left would do well to look to Farage for instruction. With a club in one hand and an olive branch in the other, he torments the Tories from the outside while organising sympathetic MPs within. He wages war on the party, while openly flirting with the idea of swooping in and rescuing it from the carnage he helped create ...

“If Farage was paying attention, he’d laugh at the never-ending argument on the left about whether to stay in Labour or leave ... Farage has always cultivated links with ideologically aligned MPs within the Conservative party. He’s left open the idea that he may one day join. Every vote he takes from them strengthens the hand of hard right Tory MPs. And the more viable Reform becomes, the more leverage his Tory allies have, as they can always go elsewhere ...

“The relative silence of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs wasn’t due to a moral failing, but their status as Labour MPs being in the gift of a hostile leadership. They fairly assumed that running as independents was electoral suicide ...

“Now, emboldened by the success of independent and Green candidates, these Labour MPs can be strident in their criticism of Starmer and leverage the public’s indifference towards him. They can form a leftwing caucus across party lines, exposing the prime minister’s politics by forcing him into deals with the Lib Dems. They can identify their own small boats issue, and use their platform to court controversy. And they can do all of this safely in the knowledge that they can cross the floor to the Greens or run as independents and have a decent chance of success.”

[hickeygender]

i now have a 122 mm astarion figure to paint!!!!!! ibuprofen for scale :^)

[vordemtodgefeit]

my constituency is officially a labour hold, green second majority

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

🤍🪽✨

[hearthianhatchling]

i DEEPLY need people to stop spreading misinformation that a. distracts from the issue and b. casts people who are actually decent as bad guys. the only one i can speak on is hozier which yes while his first few posts were....weak and disappointing, for his standards (having previously been VERY outspoken not just 'said something pro-palestine maybe' but like very clear), he has also shared aid links, called for people to pressure their reps for a ceasefire, and in general been anything but pro-israel. you are conflating being less radical with being pro israel and thats...hm, well, not great! someone else said it better than me but i don't want to tag them without asking first, but the gist was basically "is he a freedom rebel? no. is he a hateful supporter of genocide? also no"

you can be mad at and upset with people for taking a weaker stance than we'd like and deem necessary without conflating the issue and throwing them in with ACTUAL supporters of the oppressor. i'm sure there's more people on that list who are actually not pro-israel, i just don't really know most of them tbh

like in general - stuff like this or the super long boycott lists, PLEASE please do your own research because in the case of the latter it can actually be harmful to the movement and in the case of the former it's just, like, annoying and distracting misinformation that helps no one and only serves to make you feel better to give yourself a pat on the back

edit addition bc i forgot: it's fine to call out people for making weaker statements than they should, or to unfollow them, or stop being their fans. what i'm saying is not that you should praise and love them, but that to make claims of someone being pro-israel (in this case, but this applies to other issues too) when they're not is just...counterproductive, i suppose? i think that's appropriate here. anyhow. words mean things. yknow. words mean things.

celebrities supporting "Israel" + celebrities supporting Palestine

I found an absolutely massive 70-page list of all the people in Hollywood who've supported "Israel" (they signed the “Israel Must Defend Itself” pro-genocide IOF letter, showed support only for Israel, spread IOF propaganda, used “Palestinians are terrorists” language, etc) — but it included tons of people I've never heard of and, like, talent agents and lawyers and non-celebrities... so I went through it and got all the recognizable names + made them into a list (below the cut), because it's important to name exactly who's supporting Israel's genocide of Palestinians.

[EDIT: the doc got taken down, so I removed the link. I included every name I recognized on there in this post. Also, if you're on your dashboard, click on the timestamp below my username to view the most recent version of the post.]

Additionally, I searched for all the celebrities who've supported Palestine (not liking one post while sharing nothing, not saying something vague about both sides, but actually using language like "genocide" and "apartheid" while talking about what "Israel" is doing to Palestine), and that's below the cut too.

I compiled this not to ~cancel~ anyone (cancel culture does not exist for celebrities) or put anyone on a pedestal, but to document who with power and influence gleefully cheered on genocide, and who decided to speak out against it despite the heavily rumored gag order in the entertainment industry. You shouldn't look to celebrities for morals or politics, but whether we like it or not, these people have millions of followers — the pro-"Israel" list has more than two billion combined followers. What they say and do matters because of that scope. For better or (usually) for worse, celebrities influence public opinion.

If someone praises "Israel's" "right to defend itself" (by committing genocide against Palestinians), and they do so in front of 300 million people: that goes far beyond just being complicit.

PRO-"ISRAEL":

(I tried to include big names + people I know are popular on Tumblr)

Paula Abdul

Jaimie Alexander (Thor movies)

Gillian Anderson

Eric Andre

Judd Apatow

Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect)

Ben Barnes

Lance Bass (NSYNC)

Jessica Beil

Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars)

Bobby Berk (Queer Eye)

Jon Bernthal — also friends with Joe Rogan and Marilyn Manson

Mayim Bialik (Big Bang Theory)

Hailey Bieber

Justin Bieber — in addition to pro-"Israel" posts, he shared a picture of Gaza in ruins with the caption "Pray for Israel" and then deleted it when people pointed out it was Palestine

Jack Black

Selma Blair (Legally Blonde)

Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Tom Brady

Scooter Braun

Alison Brie

Nathaniel Buzolic (Vampire Diaries) — “Those who support Palestinians are the devil” (a direct actual quote)

Charisma Carpenter

Jimmy Carr

Gemma Chan

Kristen Chenowith

Choi Siwon (Super Junior)

Ciara

Andy Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen

Lily Collins

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Lana Condor

Bradley Cooper

James Corden

Courteney Cox

Billy Crystal

Jamie Lee Curtis — sharing aggressively pro-"Israel" content including a picture of bombed Palestinian children with the caption "Pray for Israel," and then deleted it without a word when people pointed out they were Palestinian

Viola Davis

Ariana DeBose

Dane Dehaan

Zooey Deschanel

Zoey Deutch — also openly denying the Nakba and genocide

Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)

Michael Douglas

Fran Drescher

Neil Druckmann (co-creator of The Last of Us) — also: read about how The Last of Us Part II video game is pro-Israeli propaganda

Kirsten Dunst

Chris Evans — starred in a pro-"Israel" propaganda film and then went on a press tour around IOF military bases, which included him autographing actual missiles

Dakota Fanning

Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay in The Mummy movies) — in addition to signing the IOF letter and being a proud Zionist, he's an Israeli whose parents are from Germany and Spain and yet he's played multiple Muslim terrorists and taken many Middle Eastern roles

Will Ferrell

Stephen Fry

Isla Fisher

Karol G

Josh Gad

Gal Gadot

Neil Gaiman — a few years ago he said he thinks "Israel" has the right to exist (that's the actual definition of Zionism + it does not have the right to exist, unless you support settler colonialism), and then last week, when fans specifically asked him to speak on "Israel"-Palestine, he responded by doubling down and repeating that "Israel" has the right to exist, and then absolutely nothing else about Palestine or the current attacks besides a vague "both sides are bad!!!!!" comment

Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone)

Aiden R Gallagher (Umbrella Academy)

Andy Garcia

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Jeff Goldblum

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Jack Dylan Grazer

Max Greenfield (New Girl)

Josh Groban

Jonathan Groff

Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows)

Grant Gustin

Tiffany Hadish

Jon Hamm

Mariska Hargitay

Mark Hamill — made many pro-"Israel" posts, including saying "Israel" is like the rebels in Star Wars while Palestine is like the Empire (?????)

Chelsea Handler

Julianne Hough

Hozier — said something pro-Palestine a few years ago, but is now all "well both sides are bad!!!!!! I just don't understand anything about this very complex conflict!!!!" (and now the entire band that travels with him on tour are all throwing shade at him, including sharing posts about how being neutral only helps oppressors)

Vanessa Hudgins

Sarah Hyland

Hyolyn (Sistar)

Lebron James

Lily James

Kendall Jenner

Kris Jenner

Kylie Jenner

Scarlett Johansson — also worked with many “Israeli” companies over the years including SodaStream, which operates illegally in the Palestinian West Bank (and she specifically said she has no regrets about working with them)

Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us, Critical Role)

Dwayne Johnson

Mindy Kaling

Kim Kardashian

Harvey Keitel

Candace King (Vampire Diaries) — made a big post in support of "Israel" that included calling all Palestinians "terrorists"

Joey King

Hayley Kiyoko

Karlie Kloss

Ashton Kutcher

Mila Kunis

Jo Kwon (2AM)

Taylor Lautner

Zachary Levi

Adam Levine

Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

Sam Levinson

Emily Alyn Lind (Gossip Girl)

Simu Liu

Lindsay Lohan

Eva Longoria

George Lopez

Demi Lovato

Patti LuPone

(Tumblr wouldn't let me have a list this big, so I broke it up here in the middle)

Sarah J Maas (racist booktok author with all those books like A Throne of Pissies and Shitties and half of them have a rapist as the good guy main character) — a Zionist who’s spoken about loving “Israel,” going on a “birthright trip” to “Israel,” and being "proud" of her family members who volunteered at IOF military bases and/or were in the IOF

Madonna

Howie Mandel

Katie Marovitch (Dropout/Collegehumor)

Eddie Marsan

James Maslow (Big Time Rush)

Ewan McGregor

Debra Messing

Seth Meyers

Lea Michelle

Helen Mirren

Alfred Molina

Mandy Moore

Heather Morris

Olivia Munn

Ryan Murphy

Eric Nam (American K-pop soloist) — liked pro-“Israel” posts, then when fans noticed and called him out, he canceled his upcoming tour dates in Muslim-majority countries instead of responding

BJ Novak

Con O'Neil (Our Fl*g Means Death) — liked and complemented an article where a Zionist wrote that “coming out as a Zionist” is harder than coming out as gay (it’s not said in passing — that’s what the whole article is about)

Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)

Rita Ora

Sharon Osbourne

Chord Overstreet (Glee)

Gwyneth Paltrow

Danielle Panabaker

Sarah Paulson

Liam Payne

Ron Pearlman

Josh Peck

Jordan Peele

Katy Perry

Tyler Perry

Busy Philipps

Chris Pine

Aubrey Plaza

Jonah Platt

Jesse Plemons

Ellen Pompeo

Billy Porter

Natalie Portman

Will Poulter

Lily Rabe

Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother)

Addison Rae

Bella Ramsey

Andrew Rannells

Lana Del Rey

Rick Riordan — made a big blog post about both sides being bad

Joan Rivers

Ruby Rose

Jonathan Ross

Eli Roth

JK Rowling

Ronen Rubinstein

Zoe Saldaña

Adam Sandler

Ben Savage

Kristen Schall

Noah Schnapp — Mr. "You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism" himself

Liev Schreiber

Amy Schumer — made a big post that was like "I've done so much for black people and the gays and now nobody will stand with me because I'm a Jew"

David Schwimmer

Jerry Seinfield — went to the "Israeli" military base nicknamed "Camp Shoot-A-Palestinian" and played target practice with soldiers, where the targets were pictures of Palestinians

Molly Shannon

Brooke Shields

Sarah Silverman — said "Israel" has no reason to allow food and water into Gaza and that Gazans should be grateful they were ever “given” water from "Israel" in the past, and much more

Gary Sinise

Zack Snyder

Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries)

Song Seung-hyun (actor, former member of FT Island, which currently has another member in prison for rape)

Aaron Sorkin

Jamie Lynn Spears

Regina Spektor

Ben Stiller

Sting

Tara Strong (voice actress for Timmy Turner in Fairly Odd Parents)

Harry Styles

Jason Sudeikis

Quentin Tarantino — went on a tour around IOF military bases last week (mid-Oct 2023) to “boost morale” with "Israeli" soldiers

Bella Thorne

Justin Timberlake

Phoebe Tonkin (Vampire Diaries)

Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody)

Usher

Anneliese van der Pol (That's So Raven)

Taika Waititi

Kerry Washington

Paul Wesley (Vampire Diaries) +  is also currently in his 40s dating a 22 year old who’s currently producing a pro-Zionism film

Olivia Wilde

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary, Everybody Hates Chris)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Ben Winston (director/producer for most One Direction content, James Corden's show, etc)

Reese Witherspoon

Elijah Wood

James Woods (executive producer of Oppenheimer) — "Bomb the savages who did this back to the Stone Age. There are no grey areas. Kill them all. Every Hamas savage and every Hamas supporter on earth. Bury them with the entrails of pigs."

Constance Wu

why the letter to Biden about "no hostages" is bad (in the thread)

PRO-PALESTINE:

This includes people who've spoken out this week, as well as people who've spoken out in the past.

NOTE: Anyone who used to be pro-Palestine but are now spewing "well both sides are equally bad!!!! i don't understand anything about this very complex situation!!!" bullshit (like Hozier and Will Poulter) will be removed and added to the pro-"Israel" list.

(Palestinians first, then alphabetical by surname)

Bella Hadid — "This is not about spewing hate on one or the other. This is about Israeli colonization, ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people that has been going on for YEARS!" + she got blacklisted and lost brand deals for saying this and much more

Gigi Hadid — currently being targeted by "Israel's" official state social media pages for her support of Palestinian civilians

Simi, Haze, and Fai Khadra— on their shared account, they said: "You are watching genocide. 2 million innocent Palestinians in Gaza and 1 million of those are children under the age of 15, all for your "vengeance"…where's your humanity now? Gaza is being bombed to rubble as we post…" + much more about "Israel's" genocide of Palestinians and current attacks on Gaza

Riz Ahmed — said "If we are on the side of humanity we must urgently speak up to try and avert the loss of innocent life. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza's civilians and vital infrastructure, the denial of food, water, and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. These are morally indefensible war crimes."

Leigh Bardugo (author of Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone) — shared many reports about IOF soldiers attacking civilians in Palestine, including during the Sheikh Jarrah evictions and attacks

Ally Beardsley (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared info about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza, posted pictures of themself attending pro-Palestine protests, and more

Melissa Barrera (Scream) — said "It is so fucking sad and frustrating to see so many people and most western media trying SO HARD to equate Palestinian Liberation with supporting Hamas. When they are NOT the same thing. They want us to believe this so they can continue brutally killing innocent Palestinians, mothers and children, under the pretense of destroying Hamas." + much more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza

Anthony Bourdain — dedicated an episode of Parts Unknown to Israel-Palestine, which included many scenes of Palestinians talking about the occupation, discussing "Israelis" forcibly displacing Palestinians from their homes, and more.

Shirine Boutella (Lupin) — sharing info debunking "Israel's" lies about Islamic Jihad accidentally bombing the hospital + more about "Israel's" attack on Gaza

Alessia Cara — shared pro-Palestine resources and info on IG

Chance the Rapper — said: "Fucking disgusting. This is an American funded genocide. #gazaunderattack #palestinianlivesmatter"

Kristin Chirico (Ladylike) — sharing info about "Israel’s" attacks on Gaza + info about how "Israel’s" crimes are funded by the US

Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) — shared the quote: "We may be witnessing the total obliteration of Gaza. Political leaders refusing to speak out should feel eternal shame over the horror they are allowing to unfold. Those of us who believe in peace cannot stay silent. We must say to the Palestinian people: you are not alone."

Liam Cunningham — shared videos of himself at the protest in support of Palestine in Dublin + more about "Israel's" attack on Gaza

John Cusack — attended a pro-Palestine protest + said "We must free Palestine from a brutal occupation - people concerned for their loved ones, in a hell zone, stuck without food, water and power. Deep anguish over people being told to leave and bombed as they left. I heard people share personal accounts of family members who have been jailed, humiliated, harassed, persecuted, targeted and killed for generations."

Lucy Dacus (boygenius) — repeated support in the past + openly calling Obama a war criminal + sharing humanitarian fundraisers for Palestinians + said Free Palestine must be the part of all global liberation movements

Tracy Deonn (author of The Legendborn Cycle) — shared pro-Palestine posts including resources for how to help

Ziwe Fumudoh — shared resources about calling US Congresspeople about pressuring them to de-escalate, with "SAY NO TO GENOCIDE CALL CONGRESS NOW"

William Grigahcine (DJ Snake) — shared "Stop the genocide of Palestinians, stop the massacre, end the apartheid" + more about "Israel's" attack on Gaza

Halsey — shared the quote: "Solidarity with Palestinians means little if it only exists when they appear as victims but disappears when they resist. Those who aren't under occupation or refugees from ethnic cleansing have no right to dictate how those who are resisting those responsible for their suffering." + more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza

Lily Gao (Resident Evil) — posting pro-Palestine content and information on the occupation and how to help

Aabria Iyengar (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared "You SHOULD be watching the Genocide that's happening, BUT while spreading awareness is good but it's NOT the full picture. Work. Get on the phone with your local reps and pressure them. If you give money to any political parties? Pull it and tell them why." + more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza, "Israel" committing war crimes, etc

Lauren Jauregui (Fifth Harmony) — said "My heart is with the innocent lives lost to the perpetuation of the vile legacy of imperialism, colonization, apartheid and ignorance. [...] Those who were once the victims of persecution becoming the oppressor and being so cognitively dissonant about the hypocrisy. [...] I deeply condemn the violation of human rights and the violence of the genocidal ethnic cleansing we are witnessing in real time of the Palestinian people." + "Propaganda is a bitch and is the most well oiled tool of the empire."

Michael B. Jordan — shared the quote: "One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT & women's rights, condemn corrupt & abusive regimes and other injustices yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression." + more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza

Mia Khalifa — "If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of the Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid and history will show that in time" + more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza + she lost her podcast deal for showing support

Kehlani — shared many stories about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza + attended a pro-Palestine protest + said: "To my peers and people that are in the spaces I’m in, what the f*ck is wrong with y’all? You’re being silent for the sake of money and business… there’s an insane amount of unchecked privilege.” and much more

(Tumblr wouldn't let me have a list this big, so I broke it up here in the middle)

Guz Khan (Our Fl*g Means Death) — said "What the enforcers of apartheid and their enablers have failed to realise is that the plight of the Palestinians is an issue that resonates with the PEOPLE. You can hide behind weapons of war and have the most powerful resources known to man, the PEOPLE will demand justice" + it's strongly rumored he was let go from Our Fl*g Means Death specifically because of his open support of Palestine

Matthew Kim (Big Matthew of KARD) — said "While Im able to celebrate another birthday, there are too many innocent people in Gaza losing that privilege." + more about "Israel's" attack on Gaza

Kim Namjoon (RM of BTS) — attended multiple art exhibitions by Palestinians in diaspora who made art specifically about the occupation, "sraeli apartheid, and Free Palestine, and shared pictures of these exhibitions publicly + he owns a piece of art about Free Palestine and, in the past, has posted this art to IG ~coincidentally~ on days when the media just reported that "Israel" bombed civilians — NOTE: I included this because he's doing all this BEFORE serving his mandatory enlistment in the South Korean military, which is aggressively pro-"Israel" and known for violent bullying, being full of far-right incels, and abuse from superior officers (and harassment towards enlisted celebrities, who are isolated and cut off from all protection). Him risking his support being made known to the general public (especially since BTS fans are known for noticing stuff like this and blowing it up on social media) has much higher risks than the average Western celebrity.

R. F. Kuang (author of The Poppy Wars and Babel) — shared multiple posts on how to help Palestine, information about the occupation and "Israel's" genocide of Palestinians, etc

Zara Larsson — support going back years + "We must call out a state upholding apartheid and KILLING civilians, funded by American dollars." + much more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza

Dua Lipa — support going back years, frequently mentioning Free Palestine + "The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people must come to an end. NO MORE!! This is a human rights issue!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!"

Macklemore — said "We are witnessing an unfolding genocide in Palestine at this very moment. A US backed human catastrophe in front of our eyes." and more

Zayn Malik — said "I stand with the Palestinian people and support their resistance to colonization and protection of their human rights."

Yoshitomo Nara (artist/sculptor) — shared firsthand accounts from victims in Gaza + criticized Biden's horrible response to all this

Alexa Nikolas (Zoey 101, the one who left the show because Jamie Lynn Spears was bullying her + she later accused Dan Schneider of CSA and now has a show called Eat Predators, about exposing sexual predators in Hollywood) — has made several hour-long videos talking about Free Palestine, the occupation, and "Israel's" apartheid and genocidee in Palestine

Normani — sharing firsthand accounts from Palestinian families in Gaza during "Israel's" current attack

Dylan O'Brien — shared a video of a young Palestinian girl talking about how "Israel" bombed her whole street, along with "10 years old. Heart wrenching. #FreePalestine"

Melissa O'Neil (Dark Matter) — sharing statements from anti-Zionist Jewish people condemning "Israel's" actions + more about "Israel's" attack on Gaza

Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream) — was targeted by a far-right "Israeli" site for her repeated support of Palestine, the site attempted to blacklist her, and she continued supporting anyway

Florence Pugh — shared IG stories about "Israel's" genocide against Palestinians, including: "Bombing a hospital full of children & refugees is not a pathway towards peace. This is genocide." + sharing a lot of pro-Palestine stuff right now, including saying that "Israel" bombed the hospital

Izzy Roland (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared "We cannot and will not say today's actions by Palestinian militants are unprovoked. Every day under Israel's system of apartheid is a provocation. The strangling siege of Gaza is a provocation. Settlers terrorizing entire Palestinian villages, soldiers raiding and demolishing Palestinian homes, murdering Palestinians in the streets, Israeli ministers calling for genocide and expulsion." + more about "Israel's" attacks on Gaza

Ava Reid (author of The Wolf and the Woodsman) — shared multiple posts on how to help Palestine, information about the occupation and "Israel's" genocide of Palestinians, etc

Arundhati Roy (author of The God of Small Things) — has been writing essays and articles in support of Palestine for decades

Susan Sarandon — said “Being against the occupation of Palestine does not make one anti-Semitic.” + shared multiple posts about Israel's war crimes, including "Israel's" use of white phosphorus in Gaza

Emma Seligman (director of Shiva Baby and Bottoms) — outspoken about her support for Palestine + attended multiple protests + is sharing a lot of resources and info about supporting Palestine (also: she said her name was accidentally included on the Zionist "no ceasefire" letter to Biden because she thought it was the other letter (the one asking for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid) and she fought to get her name removed from the bad letter)

Rekha Shankar (Dropout/Collegehumor) — shared resources for contacting US government officials about calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza, and more

Sza — shared infographics about the occupation and Free Palestine, including ones that explained the entire history of "Israel's" invasion of Palestine since 1948 + spoke out about the violence in Sheikh Jarrah in 2021 + more "Israel's" attacks on Gaza

Sabaa Tahir (author of Ember in the Ashers) — posting about how to help Palestine, information about "Israel's" genocide and apartheid of Palestinians, etc

Emma Watson — shared a quote about showing solidarity with Palestinians from activist Sarah Ahmed, who was harassed by C*nary M*ssion, a site dedicated to doxxing anyone who speaks out against "Israel’s" government.

Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) — shared info and resources daily since Oct 7 in support of Free Palestine

Xiran Jay Zhao (author of Iron Widow) — posting nonstop about the occupation and "Israel's" attacks on Gaza, they've attended pro-Palestine protests, and more

After Emma Watson made her post mentioned above, she was targeted in the media by "Israel," and in response, a group of celebrities released a joint statement in support of Watson and Palestinians, saying: “We recognize the underlying power imbalance between "Israel," the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid" (excerpt of statement).

These celebrities included:

Gael García Bernal

Peter Capaldi

Steve Coogan

Liam Cunningham

Miriam Margolyes (Prof. Sprout in HP)

Matt McGorry

Michael Malarkey (Vampire Diaries)

Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings)

Mark Ruffalo

Susan Sarandon

Ramy Youssef

(I took all the names I recognized — read the full list here)

Examples of "Israel's" foreign propaganda machine hitting pro-Palestine influencers:

tiktoker @/thewizardliz (who has 4.8 million followers and is a beauty influencer originally from Chechnya) — made several pro-Palestine posts, but then deleted them all and said in a story: "Guys I didn't want to delete my posts. But I was just called and told that I'm playing with my life by speaking on these things and that I should delete, I shouldn't involve myself in politics, but I stand with what I said."

tiktoker @/carawatsca shares that she lost a brand deal for being pro-Palestine, and that this same brand attempted to bribe her to post pro-"Israel" content and delete everything pro-Palestine

Celebrities who signed the good letter to Biden — not the Zionist letter, but the one calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and immediate international aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and saying that the US is "aiding and abetting Israel's war crimes":

Riz Ahmed

Mahershala Ali

Mo Amer (comedian)

Rowan Blanchard (Girl Meets World)

Cate Blanchett

Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

May Calamawy (Moon Knight)

Jessica Chastain

Margaret Cho

Ryan Coogler (director of Black Panther)

David Cross (Arrested Development)

John Cusack

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, Bottoms)

America Ferrera (Barbie, Superstore, Ugly Betty)

Andrew Garfield

Ilana Glazer (Broad City)

Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory)

Oscar Isaac

Dua Lipa

Macklemore

Rooney Mara

Rachel McAdams

Natalie Merchant

Miguel

Alyssa Milano

Hasan Minhaj

Victoria Monét

Indya Moore (Pose)

Sandra Oh

David Oyewolo

Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds, Princess Bride)

Florence Pugh

Joaquin Phoenix

Mark Ruffalo

Susan Sarandon

Michael Shannon

Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development)

Rachel Sennott (Bottoms)

Yara Shahidi (Black-ish, Grown-ish)

Wallace Shawn (Princess Bride)

Jon Stewart

Kristen Stewart

Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Wanda Sykes

Channing Tatum

Lena Waithe

Jesse Williams

Shailene Woodley

Ramy Youssef

(I took all the names I recognized — read full list here)

The letter said: "Half of Gaza's two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. […] As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days — resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes. Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. […] The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail."

Celebrities who signed the open letter in the UK calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and condemning "Israel": 

Khalid Abdalla

Steve Coogan

Liam Cunningham

Charles Dance

Miriam Margolyes

Maxine Peake

Tilda Swinton

(over 2,000 more people — I took all the names I recognized; after it was released it became an open letter anyone can sign so it's now full of random people's names)

Their joint statement said: "Gaza is already a society of refugees and the children of refugees. Now, in their hundreds of thousands, bombarded from air, sea and land, Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale.  Dispossessed of rights, described by Israel’s minister of defense as “human animals”, they have become people to whom almost anything can be done. Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."

Celebrities who signed the Letter Against Apartheid in support of Free Palestine (2021):

Mahershala Ali

Brian Cox (Succession)

Bella Hadid

Rebecca Hall

Miriam Margoyles (Prof. Sprout in HP)

Yann Martel (author of Life of Pi)

Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings)

Mira Nair (Indian American filmmaker)

Kathy Najimy (Hocus Pocus)

Thandiwe Newton

Boots Riley (director of Sorry To Bother You)

Run the Jewels

Saeed Jones (author of How We Fight For Our Lives)

Stellan Skarsgård (Thor, Mamma Mia)

Ocean Vuong (poet)

(I took the names I recognized — read full list here)

This letter said: "We call for an immediate and unconditional cessation of Israeli violence against Palestinians. We call for an end to the support provided by global powers to Israel and its military; especially the United States, which now provides Israel $3.8 billion annually without condition. We ask all people of conscience to exercise their agency to help dismantle the apartheid regime of our time. We ask governments that are enabling this crime against humanity to apply sanctions, to mobilize levers of international accountability, and to cut trade, economic and cultural relations.  We call on activists, and especially our peers in the arts, to exercise their agency within their institutions and localities to support the Palestinian struggle for decolonization to the best of their ability. Israeli apartheid is sustained by international complicity, it is our collective responsibility to redress this harm." and more

Celebrities who condemned "Israel" for labeling Palestinian non-profit charities as “terrorists” (2021):

Claire Foy

Peter Gabriel

Richard Gere (has also been very vocal about supporting Palestine over the years)

Ian McEwan (author; Atonement)

Simon Pegg

Philip Pullman (author; His Dark Materials)

Mark Rylance

Irvine Welsh (author; Trainspotting)

(I took the ones I recognized + read full list here + I didn’t include a few who are also in other pro-Palestine lists on this post)

---

Please add more if you know of any, but NOT if it's something along the lines of them just liking a post or trying to say both sides are bad. Please also include what they said/shared — now is the time when speaking out is most important.

Feel free to add any pro-"Israel" people as well. I'm keeping an eye on the notes and will update it.

HOW TO HELP:

US and Canada residents: find a protest near you here

BOYCOTT THESE COMPANIES — THIS IS ALREADY WORKING AND AFFECTING THEIR STOCKS

contact your local representatives and tell them you will not vote for someone who approves of genocide

a thread of ways to support Palestine

text CEASEFIRE to 51905

combat propaganda online, in person, or even by just having a conversation with one person — do not underestimate the power of word of mouth. tell everyone you know how you feel about Palestine; don't just read about it and despair while doing nothing. being on the right side of history has never been popular or easy.

Haymarket Books is currently giving away the ebook for "Palestine: A Socialist Introduction" for free

support Palestinian art, cuisine, businesses, and culture — Shop Palestine, Al’Ard Palestinian products, Palestinian recipes from Mariam, a Palestinian home cook in diaspora, etc

donate to Lebanese and Syrian funds or Palestinians in diaspora if you really feel like giving money, but know that nothing will reach the people in Palestine until the blockade ends — and we can end it if enough of us pressure international politicians, particularly in the US, France, the UK, Canada, etc

US residents: Tell Congress to Stop the Gaza Genocide

UK residents: Tell the UK government to Protect Palestinians and Healthcare Workers

[eightwithcapitale]

CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT AND DEMAND A CEASEFIRE FOR PALESTINE:

For Eu look up: Voices in Europe for peace

For Usa look up: US campaign for Palestinian rights

BOYCOTT LIST: Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc), Chevron (including Caltex and Texaco brands), Siemens, Carrefour, AXA, SodaStream, Ahava, RE/MAX, PUMA, Coca Cola, Starbucks, McDonalds and Isreali produce in your supermarkets

OTHER RESOUCES: https://Arab.org/clicktohelp/ https://gazaesims.com

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

[the-quiet-fire-of-defiance]

The Māori tino rangatiratanga [sovereignty, self-determination] flag flying alongside Palestinian flags. The tino rangatiratanga flag is black at the top and red at the bottom, the two colours separated by white lines forming a koru (spiral). The Palestinian flag has three horizontal stripes (black, white and green) with a red triangle on the left.

"Pro-Palestine protest at Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Rarotonga"

A young child holding an ili (Samoan woven fan) that says Samoa for Palestine

A young boy holds a sign reading Justice the seed, peace the flower / Ko te mana whakaaiko hei kākano, kia puawai mai te maungarongo. Beneath is artwork of a fist breaking free from chains below blooming flowers.

Left: the 1975 Māori Land March. Right: the 2018-2019 Palestinian Great March of Return.

If we want to free Hawai'i... [Hawaiian flag] we must also free Palestine [Palestinian flag]. Credit to @ainamomona

A young Māori boy holding a sign that reads MANA MOTUHAKE [independence/autonomy] 4 PALESTINE

A Fijian woman holding a sign that reads Food is not a weapon of war! Stop starving Palestinians! Behind are two more signs. One says CEASEFIRE NOW and the other says DON'T STOP TALKING ABOUT GAZA

A group of Fijians holding candles and wearing shirts that read STOP THE GENOCIDE

Left: a diagram of Palestinian land loss between 1946 and 2009. Right: a diagram of Māori land loss in the North Island of Aotearoa between 1860 and 2000.

A sign reading TANGATA WHENUA [indigenous people] FOR PALESTINE [tino rangatiratanga symbol, Palestine flag symbol]

Three Pasifika people holding signs. The first says MAI LE VAITAFE AGA'I I LE SAMI! [Samoan: from the river to the sea] FREE PALESTINE! The second sign says FROM OUR PASIFIKA OCEAN TO THE RIVER TO THE SEA FREE PALESTINE. The final sign shows the Palestinian and Tongan flags and says 'OFA KI PALESITAINE [Tongan: Love to Palestine]

A group of Pasifika holding signs and banners. They say "HOW MANY MORE KILLINGS IS ENOUGH FOR YOU?" "KŪ'E! KŪ'E! [Hawaiian: Resist! Resist!] PASIFIKA STANDS WITH PALESTINE" "'OFA KI PALESTINE" "FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE" "WHERE IS YOUR HUMANITY?" "SAMOANS FOR PALESTINE" "FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA" "KŪ'E KŪ'E KANAKA WITH PALESTINE" "FREE PALESTINE CEASEFIRE NOW"

A West Papuan man holding two signs. The first says WEST PAPUA STAND WITH MYANMAR. The second says WEST PAPUA STAND WITH PALESTINE

Two signs. The first says PACIFIC ISLANDERS FOR PALESTINE. The second says #FREE PALESTINE #FREE WEST PAPUA #FREE CONGO #FREE SUDAN

A Palestinian flag decorated with Samoan patterns. Words say 'AGA'I MAI LE VAITAFE E O'O ATU I LE SAMI FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA #Sāmoans4Palestine

A tweet from Tamatha Paul (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Awa) on 29 June 2023. Another big win this week, courtesy of @Just4Pal and @nikau4poneke, we [Pōneke Wellington] will be Sister Cities with the Palestinian city of Ramallah 😍 Free Palestine!!!

A Pasifika woman holding two signs. The first says FREE PALESTINE FREE PALESTINE END THE APARTHEID! END THE BLOCKADE! END THE ETHNIC CLEANSING! CEASE STATE SANCTIONED VIOLENCE! CEASE COLONIALISM! BOYCOTT ISRAEL! From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! The second sign has pictures of Palestinian and West Papuan flags. It says pacific islanders stand in solidarity with Palestine! #FREEWESTPAPUA #FREEPALESTINE CEASE COLONIALISM

A sign that has the tino rangatiratanga flag at the top and Palestinian flag at the bottom. It says Mai te awa ki te moana [from the river to the sea] MĀORI LAW STUDENTS For a FREE PALESTINE

A Pasifika woman holding a sign decorated with Pacific symbols. It says LONG LIVE PALESTINE - PASIFIKA 4 PALESTINE - FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA PALESTINE WILL BE FREE

Another Samoan fan. This one says PALESTINE WILL BE FREE

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

The ADL is not a trusted source. Not on antisemitism. And not Palestine or Israel. An independent audit of the ADL’s antisemitism data, as well as the editors of Wikipedia, all agree.

The ADL mislabels antisemitism in service of the Israeli government’s hate campaign against Palestinians. It distorts its own data and manipulates its findings. In doing so, the ADL has caused incalculable harm to Palestinians and those who defend Palestinian rights. It has also chosen to minimize the terrifying growth of organized white supremacy, and ignored white nationalism’s increased threat to Jewish people. The ADL’s distorted data makes Jews less safe. We all deserve better.

On the same day that news broke that Wikipedia’s editors had declared the ADL unreliable on issues related to Palestine and Israel — and likely antisemitism as well — Jewish Currents published an investigation into the ADL’s data, pointing out that “serious statistical analysis [should be] done by an organization not beholden to Israel advocacy.”

The Jewish Currents’ audit of the ADL’s own data proves that, once the ADL’s anti-Palestinian and pro-Israeli government bias was removed, white nationalists are the driving force behind all forms of antisemitism. The audit also showed that the ADL’s reporting may “significantly undercount right-wing antisemitic incidents.” In short, the ADL’s attempts to smear the movement for Palestinian freedom not only provided cover for the real source of antisemitism (white supremacy), but actually minimized the “stunning growth of organized white nationalism.” None of this makes anyone safe.

On the same day, in a near unanimous vote, Wikipedia editors declared the ADL to be “generally unreliable” on Palestine and Israel, adding it to a list of sources of propaganda or misinformation that includes the National Inquirer and Newsmax. Wikipedia editors also said that “the ADL should not be cited for factual information on antisemitism as well because it acts primarily as a pro-Israel organization and tends to label legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitism.”

[unsolicited-opinions]

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib writes on Twitter about Secretary Blinken's NYT interview:

The "pro-Palestine" movement's role in prolonging the war on Gaza: Though many are angry with Secretary Blinken’s responses during his interview with the New York Times about Gaza, some of the points he shared are absolutely salient and accurate. I have said this time and again and received immense backlash for doing so: Hamas’s war strategy, statements, behavior, and goals regularly shift and oscillate based on international public opinion, the actions of the “pro-Palestine” solidarity movement, and political statements by world governments, leaders, and institutions against Israel’s war. To be clear, I’m not in any capacity saying I endorse the horrendous war that Israel’s been waging on Gaza, killing a large number of civilians (including my family) and failing to achieve strategic and lasting results 15 months later. However, Hamas refused to engage in pragmatic negotiations to end the war it started, pulled back several times from closing a ceasefire/hostage deal, and thought that mass civilian casualties would delegitimize Israel and force it to end the war. Many are uncomfortable with Secretary Blinken’s remarks because he shed light on the reality that “pro-Palestine” rhetoric and pressure on Israel has inevitably or perhaps indirectly resulted in a strengthening of Hamas’s position and the overall worsening of the situation for Palestinians in Gaza. I have said time and again that even if folks wanted to attack and criticize Israeli actions, they should call upon the Islamist group to release hostages and negotiate and off-ramp from the war to implement political transformation. Instead, the “pro-Palestine” and international solidarity movements completely ignored Hamas’s criminality against Palestinians and Israelis alike while failing to promote pragmatic, realistic pathways forward to save the most Palestinian lives and make it clear that Hamas’s actions are unpopular, unsupported, and condemned. Secretary Blinken is right on the money with his remarks. The “pro-Palestine” movements across the world after October 7 bear a significant responsibility for prolonging this war and directly contributing to the massive suffering of Palestinians in the coastal enclave. This dereliction of duty delegitimizes almost the entirety of the premise upon which current “pro-Palestine” activism is built. Take a step back and never, ever speak for, over, or on behalf of the Palestinian people!

Haviv Rettig Gur says he agrees:

I agree with Ahmed. We might assess the war differently, but we assess the future the same. When the dust settles, when the rebuilding begins, the old truths everyone likes to ignore will reassert themselves. We'll be back at square one, with the same problem as before. Israel can't rule the Palestinians for all time, nor can the war ever end as long as Palestinian ideological factions like Hamas consistently undermine every attempt at peace-making. Anyone who doesn't understand how catastrophic Hamas has been to the Palestinian cause is of no use to the Palestinian cause. 90% of Israeli Jews now tell pollsters that the fundamental impulse of the Palestinian national movement is to annihilate them. Imagine for a moment that I personally would like to see Palestinian independence in my lifetime. What am I supposed to do with the reality that that statistic describes? How do I urge my fellow Israelis to once again ante up in a game that they have learned from repeated bitter failure - and from Hamas's own consistent rhetoric - is meant to bring about their destruction? And Hamas did that. It was Hamas (with some help from Arafat) that convinced even most progressive Israelis, through explicit word and endless bloody deeds, that withdrawal or compromise would only bring more bloodshed. As long as Israeli Jews believe that, believe what Hamas tells them, they will remain immune to the moral emotions of foreigners. This is the profound folly at the heart of the pro-Palestinian movement. It wants to pressure Israelis to withdraw while Hamas tells Israelis that it will come for their kids from any inch of land they abandon. The pro-Palestinian movement has not yet noticed that it and Hamas are sending Israelis opposite messages, making opposite demands, and so canceling each other out in the Israeli psyche. And it is Palestinians, always Palestinians, who are the first and greatest victims of this folly. Even their defenders are mostly just corralling them into that same old trap. If you can't separate the Palestinian cause from Hamas's cause, or, indeed, if you share Hamas's yearning to see us destroyed, then you're no defender of Palestine. You are one of its destroyers.

[unhonestlymirror]

Seen an interesting thing:

It's not really clear what anon means by "pro-israel". "Hating on Arabs/Muslims" or "Hating on genocide of Jews"? Let me remind you,

Ukraine is historically the land where Jews could live peacefully until the notorious russian empress Catherine the Second put the Sedentary Band on Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. That meant that Jews were deported from villages to cities, the Jews had to take russian-like surnames and names in order not to be arrested or killed - and then, russia organized pogroms all over those cities, including Vilnius, Kyiv, Miensk and Odesa. Jews could not leave the Sedentary Band without being arrested and/or killed. Russia put all sorts of bans and restrictions on Jewish traders, too. As you can see, the soviet union idea has much deeper roots than it seems.

That's why, after the Sedentary Band was cancelled, a large amount of Jews fled away: some to Poland, some to America, some to russia, some to Palestine. In russia, which is originally the biggest antisemit, life sucked pretty much, enough for many already russian-speaking Jews leaving it later and once again migrating to Poland, America, Palestine, etc. So technically, russia, as the biggest sponsor of Hamas, is at fault for both murders of Jews by Islamists and Jewish "occupation" of Palestine, lol.

After soviet pogroms, Holocaust happened, which was followed by even more soviet pogroms, actively financed by russia (go read about Lithuanian Jewish actor Andrei Mironov or Ukrainian composer Isaac Iosifovich Schwartz) - and unfortunately, some Ukrainians actively participated in killing Jews. After Ukraine has gained its independence from russia in 1991, we made sure that Ukrainians will never forget the misery, grief and pain which was brought upon Jews, both by Nazi, communists and just Ukrainian antisemitic collaborants. When I was a kid, every year, we had excursions to Babyn Yar museum - the place where hundreds of hundreds of Jews, including kids and their moms, were brutally murdered.

Ukrainians are "pro-Israel" because we understand what it's like, to be genocided, to be victim-blaimed, when the whole world turns its back on you just because your enemy is richer and more popular. Ukrainians don't hate Muslims or Palestinians - Ukrainians are disgusted by mass murders and rapes Hamas brought upon the Jews and Druzes and random tourists, some Ukrainians actually were killed on October 7, too. Ukrainians know what "Never Again" means. Ukrainians hate rapists and murderers. That's why we are "pro-Israel", бо інакше це треба бути повним дебілом (although it's much more correct to say we are "pro-Jews" since most of us is totally unaware of whatever happens in Israeli government). Despite understanding the anger of those Palestinians, who have to live through war and lose their loved ones because of their idiotic Hamas, we, as a currently genocided nation, actively support the right of Israel to strike its rapist and mass murderer back. We are also thankful to Israel for seriously damaging Iran's production of "shaheds" which kill Ukrainians almost every day.

The idea itself that Ukrainians support Israel because some Israeli happen to know russian language is insane and sounds like a conspiracy theory. Those Ukrainians who believe that "evil zionists are committing genocide" are just either chronically online or those, who didn't study school history properly, or those with prorussian mentality, or ✨️businessmen✨️. Or all of these together. Which is not a lot of people, thanks God. Hope this helps.

P.S. We don't hate Muslims and Arabs. Ukraine has pretty good relations with Turkey, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. Many Ukrainians I know are fond of UAE in particular because people there are hardworking and like to study and apply the knowledge to make the world better.

[cazort]

Why I'm Enthusiastic About Kamala Harris

I've seen so much negative talk about Trump and we all agree with that, but I want to highlight what I like most about Kamala Harris and why I'm actively enthusiastic and excited about voting for her:

She is pro-abortion rights and pro- comprehensive sex ed

She would appoint good Supreme Court Justices.

She respects people with a diverse range of political views and would include some voices from both progressive and conservative perspectives in her administration.

She is unambiguously pro-LGBTQ rights, including not just on gay rights but also trans rights.

She would represent continuity with the Biden administration, an administration that I think has done a good job on most issues.

On the issue of Palestine/Israel/Gaza (where I am most critical of Biden), I think Harris is a significant improvement over Biden, and also offers the better path of the only two viable candidates, towards ending the genocide. She has spoken out against the civilian deaths and she has snubbed Netanyahu which is a huge plus in my book.

She has shown a willingness to change her views, such as how she moved from being opposed to decriminalizing sex work in 2008, to being supportive of it in 2019, and being initially skeptical of marijuana legalization in 2010, but coming to support it in 2015. I like a candidate who can change their views, but more importantly, she is changing in a direction I like.

She would be good on the economy; she opposes tariffs, and would continue the Biden administration policies which have led to economic prosperity.

She has a solid and fairly diverse track record of experience, working as attorney general for the largest state, then senator for that state, then VP.

She has worked to combat over-incarceration and cruel treatment of people in prison, doing things like reducing mandatory minimum sentences and working to reduce recidivism, opposing solitary confinement, ending private prisons, and ending cash bail. She has also pledged to use the president's clemency powers to release a lot of people who have been imprisoned unjustly or given unfairly harsh sentences.

She has a concrete plan to enact immigration reform that would adequately fund the processing of asylum applications and fix the backlog of immigrants at the border. And the plan has broad bipartisan support.

On top of this she also has already done some things to address the root causes of migration in Latin America, particularly people fleeing Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador

She is pro-net-neutrality.

She supports universal healthcare, but also has concrete recommendations for how to improve the current status quo.

She is pro-science, including on issues like climate change, COVID, vaccinations, and health and nutrition. Her mom was a scientist!

She is pro-Ukraine, wanting to keep Russia out of Ukraine and ensure Ukraine wins their war of defense and maintains their independence.

She is across-the-board better on women's issues, not just reproductive rights but also sexual violence and domestic violence, workplace equality and the pay gap, and women's issues in Latin America (which is related to the immigration pressure I mentioned above.)

She generally takes stances on foreign policy I agree with, being skeptical of leaders (Putin, Orban, Netanyahu) I want us to be skeptical of, and working with and looking up to the ones I want us to work with and look up to (Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron). She already has a working relationship with many of these leaders too, and has a reputation of being both personable and tough, just what I'd want.

She's smart, well-educated, and surrounded with smart, well-educated, and wise people. Her campaign is stable and well-run, and I trust her to put together a team of competent advisors and run this country competently, probably even more so than Biden has done, and Biden has done a pretty decent job, exceeding my expectations even.

Harris also has an impressive list of endorsements. I can't possibly be comprehensive here, but it includes people as diverse as the most progressive Democrat Lawmakers (Bernie Sanders and AOC), some of the most conservative former GOP legislators (Jeff Flake, Liz Cheney), and over 100 former GOP staffers including a disturbing number of insiders from the Trump administration. This is telling! You don't see this sort of whistleblowing and defection from within the Biden administration.

The fact that Harris has racked up endorsements from people spanning the whole political spectrum from solid-right to solid-left and everything in between, impresses me. This is the sign of someone who is going to be good at getting people to work together, someone who will listen to a wide range of viewpoints and develop better policy and take better courses of action as a result. It's what I always want in a president.

In some elections I have been frustrated that I'm voting for a "lesser of two evils" but this time around I actually feel actively enthusiastic about Harris. I am excited to vote tomorrow and excited to finally be done with this election, and I am cautiously optimistic that it is going to turn out really well.

I encourage everyone to vote and make sure to make sure everyone close to you is also voting!

[unrelaxing]

From a country where voting is not a choice, but a duty, it's interesting seeing American discourse every four years on whether or not voting matters. This year there's an added layer, because Joe Biden has been supporting Israel's genocide against Palestine. Now there's a pervading sentiment - both in and out of the US - that voting for Joe Biden supports Palestinian genocide, and it's an American's moral duty to withhold their vote in support of Palestine.

I guess the question I ask is: how is withholding your vote effective activism?

If you don't vote, and Trump wins, he says he will deport pro-Palestine demonstrators. He says he supports Israel's right to defend itself. If you vote independent, and Trump wins the same thing happens.

If Biden wins, he will continue his support of Israel.

So: Is voting really the battleground for the Palestinian genocide, when either outcome leads down the same road?

And what other battles are being fought in this presidential race?

Gun laws - Biden passed "the most significant gun safety legislation in more than two decades", the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It includes enhanced background checks for gun purchasers, and prohibits individuals convicted of domestic violence towards a romantic partner from purchasing a gun (wherein the past a 'boyfriend loophole' had existed, wherein the law only applied if an individual was convicted of domestic violence against a spouse or cohabitant). Trump has promised to overturn Biden's new laws.

Healthcare - Uninsured Americans are at an all-time low under Biden's administration, with only 7.6% of Americans being uninsured in the second quarter of 2023. The number of people who signed up to Obamacare in 2024 is at 21.3 million - and Trump plans to repeal it.

Climate change - Biden's Inflation Reduction Act invests 300 billion dollars towards clean energy. Electricity generation from renewable energy sources — including wind, solar and hydropower — surpassed coal-fired generation in the electric power sector for the first time in 2022, making it the second-biggest source behind natural gas generation. At a recent dinner with oil executives and lobbyists, the Republican promised to eliminate Mr Biden's new climate rules and environmental regulations if they donated $1bn to his campaign.

Much has been said about Trump's second term beyond the above three points. @batboyblog posted a very clear and concise graphic on Trump's plans for his second term.

The BBC has also posted about Trump's plans for his second term, which I'll screenshot:

Trump is now a felon, but I was really shocked to learn about how little impact this has on his ability to run as president. His supporters are likely to stay by his side, because they believe in these policies.

Biden does not have the same luxury. I don't think he should have the same luxury. Still, I feel like it's important to point out that Trump and Biden's opinions on Israel and Palestine align, but there are a plethora of other issues they do not align on. As a voter, as an activist, when given two political parties, why would you choose based on the similarities as opposed to the differences?

Ways to help Gaza.

Vetted gofundmes.

Other links to help Palestine.

[legalkimchi]

Please learn more than just a Phrase.

I don't expect people to be subject matter experts on issues of global politics.

But false equivalency is rampant in online discourse regarding three major conflicts in the world today. I am using the word conflict in this post, however, when applicable, i will use other words to describe specifics. (Nuance folks... it's a thing)

So i start off with an assumption that most people don't understand the basics of most international events. As an american, i only know some of the stuff that is happening within my own nation. This is not an insult to you, dear reader. Rather, it is a position we all must realize we are in. You do not understand most world issues.

You just don't.

you aren't there. it isn't your life. you don't have the academic background.

I saw a post recently calling for "freedom for Palestine, Sudan, and Congo."

And it bothered me. Not because i am opposed to peace, (how is asking for ceasefire a bad thing?) but rather because i believe simplifying the conflicts with this wording showcases the ignorance of the differences.

Not all conflicts are the same.

In palestine, we have a convoluted mess where two groups claim a territory as home. getting into the in-depth story of this conflict takes time. Foundational elements of it take place thousands of years ago, but the conflict itself is only about 75 years old. So it is a long and short story. Currently, the sovereign state of Israel is engaging in a genocide in Gaza. Asking for freedom for palestinians makes sense. they live in an apartheid state and would like a state of their own. they wish to be free of occupation. you can argue with the details, be pro-israel, or whatever, but that is the basic ask of palestinians. (if you want to get into anti-semetic regional sentiment or the desire of certain groups to eradicate the israeli jewish population or Israel as a nation that's a different topic, not the point of what i'm talking about.)

In the Congo and Sudan, it is a different story.

Let's start with the Congo. First of all, Which Congo?

Let's please understand that there is the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo is a former french colony. Then there is Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some of us might remember this country as Zaire.

the DRC is the congo we are talking about in the news. This was a former belgian colony and the atrocities committed by the belgians there rival any genocide in human history. i've seen estimates between 5 million and 20 million deaths. some estimates state the population of native congolese were cut in HALF. since the turbulent start of the country after their independence in 1960, the country knew relative peace until the 1990s. Then a mixture of a weak central government and the Rwandan Civil war (which had it's own genocide you may have heard about) spilled over into what was then Zaire. Zaire dissolved, and the DRC took it's place, But the wars have been raging off an on since then. earlier this year, more civil war violence erupted AGAIN. This displaced millions, AGAIN. while the DRC is a bit of an autocratic and repressive regime, the rebel groups are groups with ties with the Rwandan government and the other group with ties to Isis. It's awful all the way down.

Sudan has had an ongoing civil war for over 20 years. I remember this because i helped lead some anti-genocide protests regarding Darfur when i was in college 20 years ago. I've been following this conflict for nearly my entire adult life. you may have heard about this with regards to the Save Darfur coalition regarding the genocide in Darfur. Well, that genocide has continued (albeit with less intensity) for 20 years. the civil war lasted until 2021, but restarted in a different form in late 2023. the conflict is now between two different sides of the military government fighting each other.

It is an awful conflict full of awful leaders. Sudan's government suffered a revolution in 2019 from a dictator, only to have that government overthrown in a coup by the current dictator. The Sudanese military is supported by folks like Russia and North Korea. you might see that among the other countries that support sudan, bunch of communist countries, and you might think "hey, maybe al-Burhan is a leftist".

no... no he is not.

He is a military despot. He has no ties to any real ideology. He just runs sudan as a military dictator.

So who is opposing him?

The Rapid Support Forces. and you may be thinking "ok, so they are the good guys? trying to overthrow the dictator?"

No... They are the ones that instigated the Genocide in Darfur.

This is a situation is "no matter who wins, the people of Sudan lose."

So when folks claim these are all the same. Or wonder why folks talk about one and not the other.

there are reasons. These are very different conflicts. Please learn about them. It matters more than spouting some 4 word slogan calling for "freedom."

Find out what the people of these areas actually need. Learn more about what is happening. My description above is incomplete. I may even get some things wrong. I am trying to keep informed, but I am not an expert, nor do i live there. Raise voices from the region and find out if there are ways to help.

[panther-os]

beating my head against the walls in Latine

here's eight things that atp will have me immediately closing out of any fic, AleRudy edition:

1.

❌ "the los vaqueros"

ah yes the famed and feared las almas battalion of Mexican special forces. the the cowboys

✅ "los vaqueros"

✅ "the vaqueros"

2.

❌ "the los vaqueros base"

✅ "los vaqueros' base"

✅ "the vaqueros' base"

3.

❌ "corporal alejandro vargas and sergeant rodolfo parra/major rodolfo parra"

look, fuck the military as an institution and also fuck the devs for using American rank structure for members of the Mexican army but

it takes roughly 2 years in the army to advance to Corporal. the equivalent in the Mexican army is Cabo, and Google will not give me the requirements for it no matter how I ask

it takes 3-6 years to advance to Sergeant. From what I can tell, the Mexican equivalent is also Cabo (where Sargento Segundo is closer to Staff Sergeant)

it takes 10-12 years to advance to Major, the equivalent is Mayor (not the English word mayor like of a city, don't be like those white people)

it takes 22-24 years, a bachelor's degree, and officer school to become a Colonel and it takes 18-20 years and a whole mess of leadership courses nearly equivalent to a degree to become a Sergeant Major

put some goddamn respect on their names

✅ Colonel Alejandro Vargas and Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra

✅ Coronel Alejandro Vargas and Sargento Primero Rodolfo Parra

4.

❌ Fuerza Especiales

❌ Fuerzas Especiale

this is just not understanding Spanish grammar

✅ Fuerzas Especiales ("Special Forces")

❎ Fuerza Especial ("special force")

5.

❌ Sin Nombre ("without name")

Alejandro literally corrects Soap on this one in the game

✅ El Sin Nombre ("The Nameless")

6.

❌ "Alejandro Vargas, leader of Mexican Special Forces"

the leader of Mexican Special Forces is the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional - the Secretary of Defense - and Fuerzas Especiales is composed of three brigades, 74 independent battalions (like Los Vaqueros), 36 amphibious special operations groups. Colonels command single brigades at most.

Alejandro is capable of leading Mexican Special Forces, but it would require him to retire from the field and get more of a desk job, with far more politics than I think he'd have patience for

✅ "Alejandro Vargas, leader of Los Vaqueros - a battalion of Fuerzas Especiales stationed in Las Almas"

7.

❎ "our ancestors, the Aztecs"

look, indigenous identity is weird sometimes and I don't know enough specifics about the culture around it in Mexico to have a solid opinion, but I'm also very fucking tired of people thinking the only indigenous groups in Mexico are the Nahua (Aztecs) and Maya. if they're on the Texas border and their families have always lived there, their heritage is most likely seven different Apache nations/language groups in a trench coat with some Spanish conquistador on the side. they're most likely not related to any famous indigenous chiefs or other figures, but it's very possible they can trace their Spanish ancestry back directly to nobility

for example, I am related to absolutely none well-known Tsalagi or Kwikipa people as far as I'm aware, but I am a direct descendant of the brother of King Ferdinand the Catholic, which also means I'm a direct descendant of the guy who started the Inquisition (and now I'm Jewish (and pro-Palestine for those who want to know) so take that, colonizer)

also while Bayardo is Mexicano, Alain is Cubano, please be respectful when talking about the actors or when in their instagram lives and just. don't make assumptions y'all

8.

❎ "Los Vaqueros" is a nickname from the people of Las Almas, the battalion's actual name that is on all the paperwork and dog tags is more likely numerical or describing their role/location - like "11th Battalion" or "The Borderline Battalion" or something like that. maybe even both, like "The 11th Border Battalion"

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Crown prosecutors have dropped assault and harassment charges against a woman who pulled the hijab of a protester at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Ottawa in May, saying it needed to balance the public interest in prosecution and the reasonable prospect of conviction.  As part of the reasoning given for withdrawing charges on Thursday, assistant Crown attorney Moiz Karimjee said the Crown considered a number of factors, including that the victim was chanting "From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free," which he said could be reasonably inferred to be "a call for genocide of the Jewish people." Karimjee noted Hayfa Abdelkhaleq was chanting the phrase outside Ottawa City Hall on May 14 when Lorna Bernbaum approached her and pulled her hijab. Bernbaum was on her way to a celebration of Israel's Independence Day when she encountered Abdelkhaleq, who was waving a Palestinian flag and protesting Israel's assault on Gaza. Video showed Bernbaum, 74, giving the middle finger to the camera before she pulled down Abdelkhaleq's headscarf, revealing her hair.  Abdelkhaleq responded by shouting, "Shame, shame on you," as Bernbaum walked away. Following an investigation by the Ottawa Police Service's hate crime and bias unit, Bernbaum was charged with criminal harassment by threatening conduct, assault and mischief. 

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[sissa-arrows]

If what’s happening in France right now was happening in the Global South there would be talks about sending troops to bring democracy in France.

The leaders and big figures of the opposition who support Palestinians are getting summoned by the police one by one for refusing to call October 7th a terrorist attack (for the record a lot of them say that it was a war crime because it targeted civilians but not a terror attack so they don’t even support what happened).

All while letting Zionist who actually called for mass murder on live TV get away with it.

But you know what? As strange as it sounds it’s actually a good sign. One of the most violent day for Algerians during the war of liberation (17 October 1961) happened less than a year before the independence just a couple months actually (the independence was on July 5th 1962 but it was signed in March 1962). Because that’s how the colonizers behave and think. The crackdown in France, the new German law forbidding the use of Arabic and Hebrew at pro Palestinian protests, the crackdown in US universities… a wounded dying beast always get more violent. They are scared so they try to silence us harder. They know that it’s a matter of time that the fall of colonialism, imperialism and white supremacy will happen in our lifetime so they try to scare us into stopping the fight.

Don’t get me wrong it will be hard and won’t happen overnight but their reactions are convincing me that we will see a Free Palestine a Free Global South a Free world in our lifetimes.

(P.S: ​tagging the post with Palestine because my previous post being positive about the outcome seemed to help some people who felt hopeless so I hope this one will help too. That being said we don’t have the right to give up the fight and we shouldn’t give up hope either. None of us is free until all of us are.)