Tag: Free Palestine

  • Remember the Palestinian girl who stood up to Israeli soldiers? She just got arrested

    Remember the Palestinian girl who stood up to Israeli soldiers? She just got arrested

    Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi was arrested on Sunday night by Israeli forces in the West Bank, AJ Plus has reported. Tamimi’s house was raided at night while also arresting her mom. She was arrested under claims she was ‘inciting terrorism’.

    The arrest happens at a time Gaza suffers under severe Israeli bombardment, with 9,500 civilians killed, 4000 among them children.

    In the West Bank, where the Hamas has no authority, violence has soared after Gaza was attacked. On November 2, 3 Palestinians were killed during an Israeli raid.

    “Israeli soldiers raided Ahed Tamimi’s home, turned everything upside down and held her mother in another room, preventing her from being with her daughter,” Dena reported.

    The Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gabir posted a picture of Ahed caught by soldiers in her room where he was seen congratulating the IDF for capturing the ‘terrorist’. The post recieved extensive backlash for intentionally targeting innocent civilians over baseless charges..

    “ahed represents the spirit of resistance. she’s literally the definition of standing up against the oppressor……years after this photo these cowards STILL continue to arrest her time and time again not knowing there’s millions just like her,” a user wrote.

    Ahed made international headlines as the face of the Palestinian resistance when viral videos showed her confronting Israeli soldiers even slapped a soldier in December 2017.

  • ‘Genocide’: Susan Sarandon, Macklemore address thousands at March For Palestine in Washington

    ‘Genocide’: Susan Sarandon, Macklemore address thousands at March For Palestine in Washington

    On Sunday, more than 300,000 people marched in Washington to demand an end to the genocide in Gaza as well as for a ceasefire to be declared. Among these marchers were Hollywood celebrities Susan Sarandon and rapper Macklemore.

    Sarandon shared a picture where she was seen on stage wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. She shared the picture on her X (formerly Twitter) account and wrote:

    “You don’t have to be Palestinian to care about what’s happening in Gaza. I stand with Palestine. No one is free until everyone is free.”

    Macklemore gave a speech where he out rightly called what is going on in Gaza a ‘genocide’:

    “We’ve been taught to just be complicit to protect our careers, to protect our interests and I’m not gonna do it anymore. I’m not afraid to speak the truth.”

    Several prominent singers have come out to voice their support for Palestine along with posting links to foundations collecting donations for Gaza. Phoebe Bridgers shared links on her Instagram stories to the organisations that were collecting aid to provide medical relief for injured Gazans.

    Rapper Kid Cudi released a statement on his Instagram account, expressing his solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, pointing out the movement was not anti-Semitic.

    “Supporting Palestinian liberation is not antisemitic, it’s human. Palestinians deserve their freedom. This isn’t poltiics, these are real lives. And I’m just a dude who gives a f*** about humanity. I stand with the people of Palestine as they demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the ongoing genocide. My heart goes out to all my brothers and sisters of all faiths and backgrounds who are suffering. Free Palestine!”

  • Saudi opens ‘Riyadh Season’ with Shakira performance amidst harsh criticism for concerts during Palestinian genocide

    Saudi Arabia opened its exclusive entertainment event ‘Riyadh Season’ with a performance by Colombian-Lebanese artist Shakira. This was the fourth edition of the festival, with many celebrities including Portuguese football player Christiano Ronaldo, rappers Eminem and Kanye West.

    Pictures and videos of the event circulated on social media, causing an uproar. Questions were raised as to Saudia’s celebration of a festival when the Palestinians are being bombed in Gaza with more than 9000 killed in Israeli airstrikes.

    Many also expressed outrage after a man named Farkhan was removed from Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou event for waving the Palestinian flag.

  • Israel Minister Reprimanded Over Gaza Nuclear ‘Option’ Comment

    Israel Minister Reprimanded Over Gaza Nuclear ‘Option’ Comment

    An Israeli minister was suspended from government meetings “until further notice” Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, after suggesting in an interview dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza.

    The comments by Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu advocating a fierce military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks even at the cost of the lives of hostages believed to be held in Gaza also drew rebuke from families of the captives.

    Eliyahu, an ultranationalist politician part of Netnayahu’s ruling coalition, told Israel’s Kol Barama radio he was not entirely satisfied with the scale of Israel’s retaliation in the Palestinian territory after Hamas fighters carried out their deadly attacks inside southern Israel.

    The attacks killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israeli officials say.

    Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 7 has killed 9,488 people, most of them women and children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

    When the interviewer asked whether the Israeli minister advocated dropping “some kind of atomic bomb” on the Gaza Strip “to kill everyone”, Eliyahu replied: “That’s one option”.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office quickly responded in a statement, describing Eliyahu’s remarks as “disconnected from reality” and adding that Israel was trying to spare “non-combatants” in Gaza.

    In a follow-up question about the estimated 240 hostages held in Gaza, Eliyahu said that “in war we pay a price.”

    “Why are the lives of the hostages… more important than the lives of the soldiers?” he said.

    “International law, along with fundamental principles of human morality and common sense, strictly prohibits the use of mass destruction weapons,” it said in a statement, calling for the release of all the hostages.

    Following the outcry over his remarks, Eliyahu said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his statement about the atomic bomb was “metaphorical”.

    He also said that Israel was “committed to doing everything possible to return the hostages safe and sound”.

    Israel has never admitted to having a nuclear bomb.

    The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, representing relatives of people snatched to Gaza by Hamas militants, slammed Eliyahu’s “reckless and cruel” statement.

  • Armeena Khan slams Shaniera for staying silent about Palestine

    Armeena Khan slams Shaniera for staying silent about Palestine

    Actress Armeena Khan slammed philanthropist and wife to former cricketer Wasim Akram, Shaniera, for remaining silent about the genocide of Palestinians.

    Shaniera tweeted her sorrow at the recent tragedies around the world, writing:

    “Helpless. I feel so totally and utterly helpless. Ive never been scared of saying what I want or how I feel, but right now im very emotional and actually just don’t have any words left to give and i am really sorry if that offends anyone”

    To which Armeena had responded:

    “You have plenty of words to give when it’s Pakistan. Either talk about Palestine openly or keep your dramatics to yourself.”

    In a now-deleted tweet, Shaniera criticised Armeena’s response by writing: “Seriously? With the state of the world and the pain we are seeing daily, you are still throwing hate at me. For what? You don’t know me or what I am dealing with. Whatever we are, we are both mothers, you should be using your voice to promote unity and sisterhood. I think it’s about time you grew up. You are really sinking pretty low for headlines now.”

  • Lorde speaks out for Gaza, praises Palestinian singer who covered ‘Team’

    Lorde speaks out for Gaza, praises Palestinian singer who covered ‘Team’

    Grammy award winning singer Lorde has spoken out against the genocide of Gaza by encouraging her followers to protest for a ceasefire. The death toll from Israeli air strikes reached 9000 after a school in Northen Gaza was bombed, killing 20 people taking shelter there.

    Lorde shared screenshots of the protests taking place in cities across New Zealand, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    She further shared a screenshot of an open letter signed by Jewish public figures including ‘Barbie’ actress Hari Nef and filmmaker Emma Siegelman, which condemned equating criticism of Israel to antisemitism.

    Lorde also shared a video of the viral Palestinian-American singer Nemah Hasan, who was dropped by her label for calling for an end to Israel’s oppression of Israel. In the caption, the ‘Royals’ singer wrote that she was moved by Nemah singing her song ‘Team’ to highlight the Palestinian cause:

    “I was so incredibly moved by this poignant piece. I have been frozen in grief and shock. I’m aware of the dissonance between my thoughts and the words I am able to form. I am so grateful to my Palestinian sister for reminding me why I make art- it speaks when I cannot. It fills spaces where words are inadequate. She speaks through me; I speak through her.”

    Nemah, who goes by her stage name nemasis, shared this clip to write how moved she was by Lorde’s appreciation which felt like a reward after being told to remain silent on Palestine by others.

    “after being dropped by my new label for speaking up against the occupation of my homeland Palestine i was insecure. it was suggested to cooling down the pro-Palestinian posts. i didn’t stop. i kept going. i had nothing left to lose & i’m so happy i didn’t give into the pressure.”

  • ‘Sickening’: social media criticises McDonald’s Mauritius after insensitive Halloween post

    ‘Sickening’: social media criticises McDonald’s Mauritius after insensitive Halloween post

    McDonalds is facing a worldwide boycott after the fast food giant’s Israeli franchise provided free food to IDF soldiers while the Israeli army bombarded Gaza. Now the company’s Mauritius franchise has come under fire after it posted what users thought was an insensitive Halloween picture.

    In the now deleted image, fries dripping with ketchup are positioned to resemble a bloody hand. The caption reads: “Forget the freights. Savour the flavours!”

    Social media users expressed their outrage.

    Previously, the McDonald’s franchise in the UK was criticised for hiding the replies in their comments demanding the organisation to withdraw their support for Israel.

  • ‘She knew what she was doing’: Twitter users outraged at Kim Kardashian’s insensitive Halloween costume

    ‘She knew what she was doing’: Twitter users outraged at Kim Kardashian’s insensitive Halloween costume

    Kim Kardashian is once more going viral for all the wrong reasons. The reality TV star was publicly criticised for her vocal support for Israel a few weeks ago as well as her ongoing silence on the genocide in Gaza which has now claimed close to 9000 civilian lives.

    Kim posted pictures of her family celebrating Halloween, where her sons were seen dressed as injured football stars with bruises and bandages.

    Twitter users were outraged, pointing out that the costumes bore an uncanny resemblance to photos of injured Palestinian children in football jerseys. Approximately 4000 children have been killed, as per the Gaza Ministry of Health.

    “Isn’t scary to think that an actual child in Gaza actually looks like this now? But sure Kim have fun this Halloween…” a user commented.

    “even if it wasn’t intentional, how many braincells do you need to read the room when social media is flooded with bloodied and broken children’s bodies stop looking up to these brain dead celebrities.” Another user posted.

  • ‘Horrible human’: Social media outraged after Amy Schumer targets black actress

    ‘Horrible human’: Social media outraged after Amy Schumer targets black actress

    Comedian Amy Schumer is going viral for her Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian content since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, followed by the Gaza strip getting bombarded relentlessly by the country.

    Now, an African American- Filipino actress Asia Jackson shared the hateful messages she recieved from Amy for her pro-Palestine stance.

    Asia slammed the double standards in the industry , pointing out how Palestinian-American models Gigi and Bella Hadid had to make careful statements about their support for Gaza, while Amy Schumer continues to make racist comments against Muslims and Palestinians.

    Schumer then followed Asia on Instagram and messaged her in private. In screenshots shared by Asia, Amy was seen berating the actress by calling her an anti-semite and also accused her of not understanding the backlash against Jews who feel like targets of racism right now. Mind you, never lecture a Black and Asian actress on facing fear and racism.

    Asia slammed the comedian, who has a history of making racist and abelist comments in the past, for degrading her in this manner. Especially for lecturing a woman from a minority community on racism.

    She further pointed out how Amy continues to spew racist comments from her elite mansion while the Israeli military bombed refugee camps in Gaza and murdered countless babies and civilians.

    Social media users were outraged at Amy’s unhinged behavior, and called her a ‘raging racist’.

    “Amy Schumer made fun of a black comic (for being black and made fun of him for having the disease that would go on to kill him) and then stole his material after he died. Like, not history’s greatest monster, but certainly in the discussion,” a user revealed.

  • Angelina Jolie issues second statement within one week, condemning Gaza bombing

    Angelina Jolie issues second statement within one week, condemning Gaza bombing

    The Israeli forces bombed Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza which has left over 195 killed and 120 civilians missing, bringing the death toll closer to 9000.

    Hollywood actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie shared a picture of the aftermath of Israel’s attack as well as a statement critcising Israel for attacking innocent civilians and children. Angelina urged for a ceasefire, pointing out that world leaders were complicit in these crimes by refusing to prevent these atrocities.

    “This is the deliberate bombing of a trapped population who have nowhere to flee. Gaza has been an open-air prison for nearly two decades and is fast becoming a mass grave. 40% of those killed are innocent children. Whole families are being murdered. While the world watches and with the active support of many governments, millions of Palestinian civilians – children, women, families – are being collectively punished and dehumanized, all while being deprived food, medicine and humanitarian aid against international law. By refusing to demand a humanitarian ceasefire and blocking the UN Security Council from imposing one on both parties, world leaders are complicit in these crimes.”

    In the second slide of her post, Angelina shared significant history behind Jabalia which holds one of Gaza’s largest refugee camps.

    “Jabalia refugee camp is the largest of the Gaza Strip’s eight refugee camps. After the 1948 War, refugees settled in the camp, most having fled from villages in southern Palestine. The camp covers an area of only 1.4 square kilometers, 116,011 Palestine Refugees are registered with the UNRWA in Jabalia camp alone, 75 years since the Palestine conflict.”

    Just a few days earlier, Angelina issued a statement urging her followers to help the people in Gaza who were being violently displaced by the ongoing attrocities and shared links to places that were taking donations to help the Palestinian civilians.