When Trump’s first term began, Bezos added a slogan to The Washington Post: ‘Democracy dies in darkness’ Media barons *always* have power to turn off the lights. There is no surprise here Support independent media; now, always

Looking forward to this important day of learning, discussion and strategy from @declassifieduk.org Challenging the War Machine — join us in London or online! I’ll be there with @redpeppermag.bsky.social exploring the media’s role in contesting militarisation

Basic premise of asylum is that war + persecution impact people who are poor; ‘unskilled’; don’t have assets needed to secure visas otherwise etc. New UK laws are overly designed to punish those who lack social+financial capital (working class); reward rich elites (already hyper-mobile)

A real treat to write about Jurassic Park as anticapitalist inspiration for the new @leftcultures.bsky.social (with brilliant illustration as ever) A great project celebrating radical politics in unexpected places

🚨BREAKING: We’re deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protest groups. This is the latest in a succession of measures taken by the UK government to clamp down on protest in the UK.

It has always been genocide Israeli politicians state clear intent Palestinians livestream atrocity Millions protest, face arrest & smears Experts present data & facts Arms sales-handshakes-passive voice-excuses-denials continue ‘New’ headlines echo a truth foretold It has always been genocide

Feeling energised and inspired to action by the sharp insights, provocations, debates and ideas suggested in our rapid-fire workshop Right wing influence/ dominance in the media *can* be opposed, through alliance & action beyond media spheres… “Off the doom scroll into communities!” Great advice

Do not give up hope, do not look away, do not stop doing what you can do (and you can do a lot) to end genocide and occupation 👇

Article embracing the challenges of collaboration in research and curation — and celebrating queer sensibilities in action. (Hat tip to Halberstam!) 🚨 for academics exploring applications of queer theory, creative methods, participation intellectdiscover.com/content/jour... 🌈🎓

The @pef-online.bsky.social Conference showed in every moment that different, fair, data-driven economic (& related social) policies are on the table… but ignored by politicians locked into neoliberalism. An inspiring but painful event, as Labour sinks itself & squanders opportunity for change

I have frequently been racially harassed by police and civilians. I have been detained and cross examined by racist border guards just because I have a Muslim first name. No newspaper has ever said people like me have “legitimate concerns” about racism in Europe. We don’t get that privilege.

If you’ve somehow not left Labour yet, as a member or a voter, go now. Tell your MP why on the way out… Racist rhetoric, cruel cuts, promoting transphobia, punishing disability, illegally selling weaponry, supporting genocide, protecting private industry, refusing to tax millionaires… 🥀🥀🥀

WEER at @sohotheatre.bsky.social is astoundingly good. One of the best physical theatre/ clowning performances I’ve ever seen, complemented by archly queer pop-culture skewering from Natalie Palamides (Seeing a packed house (700+…?) for alt. theatre with affordable tickets is also magic 🪄)

Article embracing the challenges of collaboration in research and curation — and celebrating queer sensibilities in action. (Hat tip to Halberstam!) 🚨 for academics exploring applications of queer theory, creative methods, participation intellectdiscover.com/content/jour... 🌈🎓

A coalition of legal academics have drafted a letter supporting trans rights & sharing concerns about the FWS v Scottish Ministers ruling. If you work in the legal profession in the UK (eg, academics, practitioners, anyone else 'doing law') please consider signing: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Our social relationships are never unphysical. Our physical relationships are never unsocial. Our bodies are ourselves and they are situated in a social environment at the same time. The projections onto our varied bodies and minds based on this are expansive and unavoidable everywhere.

Red Pepper is entering a new era. Help shape our future at our first community forum on 5 April at 12 pm BST online. Readers from all corners of the globe are invited. 🌶️ www.redpepper.org.uk/community-co...

Left media is facing tough challenges as production costs rise & digital platforms push paid, clickbait & fact-free content @redpeppermag.bsky.social wants to hear from YOU: what’s needed now? Share your insights in our survey & community forums. First up: online, 5 April, 12-1.15pm Details ⤵️

A hard decision—but this is not the end Independent, accessible & trustworthy journalism needs investment. If we want better than “free” platforms run by millionaires fuelled by algorithms, ads & dishonesty we must build it Join our upcoming Community Consultation to forge a stronger left media

Will be thinking long on #TheYears, so thoughtfully staged & layered. Both tribute to feminist movements & indictment of how the bourgeois can benefit while removed; mistaking knowledge of global liberation struggle for engagement. Complex complexities. Incredible cast.

Local independent news co-operatives like Bristol Cable doing essential work. Institutional racist police forces are not going to hold themselves to account — only communities can do that

Only a few filmmakers make art, fewer still can make serious work that captures & revels in the utter bizarreness of human emotion & everyday life. A rare gift Anyway. Here are my parents enjoying David Lynch’s invitation to loose their heads in his work (Manchester International Festival 2019)

It's been obvious for some time that the scale of Israel's mass slaughter of civilians in Gaza has been grossly underreported. This won't stop the denialists here and elsewhere, of course.

“Zuckerberg [believes] that he knows better than the rest of us and that his company’s services are good for us. He is not acting as a mercenary capitalist. He is acting as a megalomaniacal ideologue” Informed, historical analysis of #Meta (ignore the headline) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The same headline must have been repeated over a dozen times already - America ‘trying’ to get a ceasefire in Gaza while its ally Israel, the one America arms and funds, commits another massacre

Dangerous & notable that so many journalists & Labour MPs are dodging talking about the explicit racism in Reform/ Musk/ Jenrick etc “calls” for new rape gang inquiry It’s a shift from response to Braverman/Sunak (April ‘23). As with ‘24 riots, they will not name Islamophobia Only fuels the fire

📽️ Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat traces how colonial & capitalist subterfuge pulled jazz icons into battles over Congolese independence, Cold War geopolitics & UN power Its compelling beats skip across time & place, drumming into life a complex mosaic of archive clips with reverberations for today. 5⭐️

The work of a generation of historians - to sweep aside jingoistic fairytales and give us a richer, more accurate understanding of our colonial histories - will continue unabated. And over time, the embittered, chauvinistic backlash against their work will fade into background noise.

Right wing political parties continuing to fuel anti-migrant sentiment on the “hell site”

Brilliant to see @redpeppermag.bsky.social active on here, proud to help edit an independent magazine punishing for the international left since 1994! Lots of ways to support & get involved — start with a follow & get reading so many great articles!

Tomorrow in Manchester near Arndale. There was a massive police action over the weekend targeting Traveller youth

i’m facilitating a year-long reading group where trans* studies meets critical disability studies—happy to share the “syllabus” with anyone who is interested! today our group worked through “becoming trans, becoming disabled” (puar 2015) and “becoming disabled, becoming trans” (durban 2017).

The struggle for trans rights, dignity & justice is international. So much to learn from Argentina, global learning & solidarity is how we win From 2022, for @redpeppermag.bsky.social #TransAwarenessWeek

Dear Editors — If you’re considering publishing an article about issues related to transgender people, then perhaps you should consider assigning that article to a transgender journalist. Don’t have any transgender journalists in your newsroom? @transjournalists.org has several valuable resources:

The struggle for trans rights, dignity & justice is international. So much to learn from Argentina, global learning & solidarity is how we win From 2022, for @redpeppermag.bsky.social #TransAwarenessWeek

X-odus is partly due to repulsion over Musk, partly horror at our own complicity in waiting so long to leave. (He’s achieved goals *explicitly* stated since the 2022 takeover & played us all: who cares about X stock value when your own wealth is +$54 billion & you hold keys to gov spending)… 1/2

The Pig Catcher is a community newspaper from the revolutionary How To Catch A Pig project, aiming to “play a key role in fighting against the horrible fascist press dominating the UK” 🐷📰 Honoured to write “Solidarity Beyond Borders” for its launch issue. PDF 👇 siobhanmcguirk.com/wp-content/u...

As more people are breaking up with their X and migrating here, I’m sharing some of my writing so you know who I am… First up: How a London museum is revolutionising practices of archiving, education & community support for Shado Mag shado-mag.com/do/reinventi...

Written in 2016, just after the last time. Multiple truths can be true… The biggest one continues to be: America refuses to see its own face

Peckham Library is just a beautiful place to write. Always busy but peaceful, inspiring in its displays and design. What a pleasure to sit serenely in a spaceship pod ‘quiet zone’, thinking silently with others on the power of words… great job, Southwark!

Wrote this in 2016, resharing as commentators once again ask, “Why Trump?” A lot has changed, of course… denialism over US history & social norms as present as ever TL;DR yea, white supremacy; military expansion; Christian fundamentalism; misogyny; neoliberalism etc *are* relevant

British Museum says it “safeguards” stolen artefacts for a global public… Harder to justify when you’re actively destroying the planet. Or is the plan just for millionaire survivors of climate catastrophe to see the Parthenon marbles in BP-branded UV-proof pods floating on the sea above London? 🧐

So many people walking around Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, just going about their business with prominent Palestine flags on pins or hats, or wearing a keffiyeh… This everyday assertion of public opinion is absolutely essential in the fight for justice

Hundreds of thousands in the UK will today march for peace, opposing the oppression, dehumanisation & genocide of Palestinians. Acts of love They will be targeted by agitators who know only to hate difference; who crave nationalist power Fascism rules through fear ¡No pasarán!

A horrifying act of violent displacement, through demonisation: 4 million Afghans living in Pakistan are being hounded with deportation orders; homes bulldozed, widespread harassment Borders and nationalisms are deadly the world over

“when war becomes that profitable, we’re going to see more of it” - Chalmers Johnson, 2005

Do not look away; do not be silent Call your MP, blockade a weapons factory, talk to your neighbours, march through your city, sign a petition, speak up at work, amplify Palestinians, know your history, keep asking questions, shut down racism, name genocide when you see it Do not look away

“Aren't Arabs terrified? Aren't Iraqis terrified? Don't Arab and Iraqi women weep when their children die? Does bombing strengthen their determination?“ - Tony Benn, 1998

Borders & nations are inventions. Quick history for @redpeppermag.bsky.social 'Politicians deny centuries-long migration to obscure that ‘border control’ is a very recent invention. They do this to create scapegoats who distract from policy failures & to stoke xenophobic divisions among workers’