IRAN GIVING ISRAEL 'A GOOD HIDING'

Mainstream media want the world to think that Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel have been ineffective and that Israel's Western-supported defence system is unbreakable.

But when UK journalist Piers Morgan (@PiersUncensored on X) recently tried to push this narrative on his show, his guest -leader of the Workers Party of Britain and political commentator George Galloway (@georgegalloway) - hit back, saying that Tehran has actually been giving Israel 'a good hiding.' He cited numerous videos on X as well as comments by Tel Aviv’s mayor as evidence.

Continued…….. Iran has managed to breach Israel's supposedly impenetrable air-defence system, striking military and intelligence sites in Tel Aviv as retaliation for Israeli assaults on Tehran. This ‘Iron Dome’ receives billions from Washington each year. In 2016, the US finalised a 10-year military aid agreement worth $38 billion to be distributed from 2019 until 2028. The deal includes $3.3 billion in foreign military financing and $500 million for missile-defence cooperation programmes.

As reported by Israeli media outlet Haaretz, Tel Aviv places its military installations within civilian neighbourhoods, a strategy it accuses groups such as H*mas of employing. For example, on 19 June, Iran says it targeted a command and intelligence centre, an attack which also damaged the nearby Soroka Medical Centre in southern Israel.

Western media emphasise Israel's 'right to defend itself' even when it’s the aggressor. Israel's 'Operation Rising Lion,' started on 13 June, aims at taking out Iranian officials and military locations. A Washington-based human-rights group estimates at least 639 Iranians have been k*lled by Israeli strikes, while Iran's latest official death toll was 224 as of 23 June. Meanwhile, Israel says Iran's strikes have k*lled 24 people and injured 21.

Yet, Iran seemingly has no right to defend itself against these assaults.

Video credit: @piersmorganuncensored

Sources

https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/beneath-the-iron-dome-iran-tests-israels-deterrence/articleshow/121978890.cms

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/18/how-has-iran-managed-to-pierce-through-israels-air-defence-systems

https://www.twz.com/news-features/israeli-airstrikes-blunt-iranian-long-range-ballistic-missile-launch-capabilities

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2025/06/217199/iran-shatters-myth-of-israels-invincible-iron-dome/

https://apnews.com/article/israel-air-defense-f0e72fa1c1dba6bc08fcc0bfb0c5a9f0

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2021-06-03/ty-article-opinion/.premium/hamas-its-israels-leaders-who-are-hiding-behind-civilians-again/0000017f-dc68-df9c-a17f-fe785e370000

https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/this-is-how-israel-uses-its-own-people-as-human-shields-47231

https://www.saic.com/perspectives/digital-engineering/hypersonic-missile-defense-requires-modeling-and-simulation-solutions

https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/nearly-430-killed-3500-injured-in-iran-since-start-of-war-with-israel-health-ministry/articleshow/121990743.cms

https://il.usembassy.gov/ten-year-memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-united-states-and-israel/

https://www.hudson.org/defense-strategy/how-israels-operation-rising-lion-dismantled-iran-within-case-study-art-deception

https://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/en/abouttheMunicipality/Pages/mayor.aspx

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ron-huldai

https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250621-israel-says-it-has-killed-three-more-iranian-commanders-as-war-drags-into-second-week

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/nearly-430-killed-3500-injured-in-iran-since-start-of-war-with-israel-health-ministry/articleshow/121990743.cms?from=mdr

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-struck-by-iranian-missiles-over-a-dozen-hurt

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-iran-maps-timeline-attacks-nuclear-sites-b2775269.html

KENYA: PROTEST THUGS ADMIT BEING POLICE GOONS

State-sanctioned political violence and the suppression of dissent seem to be on the rise in Kenya. A number of young Kenyans claim they were hired by security agencies to disrupt recent protests against police brutality. They made their claims anonymously on Kenyan news outlet Citizen TV.

On 17 June, recall, hooligans mounted on motorcycles and wielding whips and sticks attacked peaceful demonstrators in Nairobi. Suspicions that they were in cahoots with the authorities spread after a video emerged of police apparently escorting them. Some of the thugs were reportedly heard praising a governor while passing by City Hall, the seat of the Nairobi County government, suggesting instructions from political leaders.

The Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG-K) has criticised the intentional infiltration of peaceful protests by ‘hundreds of violent agitators.’ It alleges that police ‘deliberately accompanied, supported and directed their actions.’

Continued……The tendency towards political violence in Kenya is deeply embedded in its history, dating back to the colonial period. Back then, the police force was created as a tool of oppression. After gaining independence, successive governments repeatedly used the police to stifle dissent, with reforms having minimal effect on this entrenched behaviour.

Some of the worst excesses of police brutality occurred in June-July 2024 during mass rallies against planned tax increases backed by the IMF. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights says police killed 60 people and injured hundreds. The youngest victim was 12-year-old Kennedy Onyango, who succumbed to gunshot wounds.

Video credit: Citizen TV Kenya

Sources

https://www.amnestykenya.org/police-reforms-working-group-statement-on-yesterdays-anarchy-in-the-capital-city-of-nairobi/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ0fEDuW_wU

https://democracyinafrica.org/kenyas-brutal-police-have-been-exposed-again-why-the-system-fails-people/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSz0TCiFOrk

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/africa/east-africa-the-horn-and-great-lakes/kenya/report-kenya/

https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/03/17/ballots-bullets/organized-political-violence-and-kenyas-crisis-governance

https://apnews.com/article/kenya-police-shooting-photos-protest-nairobi-439b1736908a2b1feeac741af3736ee8

https://www.africanews.com/2025/01/01/kenya-ruto-admits-security-abuses-amid-kidnapping-outrage/

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/kenyas-electoral-violence

https://democracyinafrica.org/the-war-on-youth-activists-in-kenya/

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250615-kenya-protests-reignited-by-custody-death-but-gen-z-movement-remains-divided

‘ISRAELI STRIKES ON IRAN ARE EMPIRE’S BIDDING’ - EX-GADDAFI SPOX

Israel’s bombing of Tehran is more than a series of military strikes - it’s a declaration of imperial war. That’s the view of Moussa Ibrahim (@_moussa_ibrahim on X), former spokesperson for pan-African icon Muammar Gaddafi. In this video, filmed on 13 June as Tel Aviv’s Operation Rising Lion was getting underway, he explains how the Israeli attacks are not self-defensive but a projection of Western power, with Israel acting as a ‘forward base’ for US and NATO interests in West Asia. With Washington having since bombed Iranian nuclear sites, his words were predictive.

Continued….. Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/middleeast/israel-iran-strikes-intl-hnk

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/von-der-leyen-tells-netanyahu-that-israel-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-and-expresses-concern-about-iran-s-nuclear-and-missile-weapons/ar-AA1GNdWs

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/13/middleeast/israel-attack-iran-nuclear-program-explainer-intl

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/oil-at-100-a-barrel-u-s-role-in-iran-israel-fight-fuels-market-jitters/ar-AA1HdpSM

ISRAEL: AFRICANS DENIED ACCESS TO BOMB SHELTERS

Video circulating online allegedly shows Africans and other foreign nationals in Israel being denied entry to bomb shelters during recent retaliatory missile strikes by Iran. While a few comments suggest the shelters were simply full, many are sceptical about whether it is truly a question of capacity or prejudice. Other recent videos also show foreigners being barred from entering underground facilities - with some Israelis claiming they’re for ‘Jews only.’ Palestinians and Bedouins in particular have also reportedly faced discrimination.

On 15 June, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed the nation, saying: ‘The missile doesn’t distinguish, but neither do the first responders, the Home Front Command officials, security forces who come to help us - they don’t distinguish.’

Continued……. Judging by the videos that are emerging, the Israeli bomb shelters certainly do distinguish - or rather, discriminate. Among those said to have been denied shelter are Palestinian medics, including uniformed nurses.

State-level discrimination - in the form of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their lands for over seven decades - has arguably been a part of Israel since its foundation. The past 20 months of Tel Aviv’s US-backed onslaught on Palestinians in the Occupied Territories only confirm that view.

But there are other examples. In 2013, Israel's Health Ministry launched an investigation after it emerged that Ethiopian-Jewish immigrant women had been given long-acting contraceptive injections - without their full consent or knowledge. Many of these women reported that they were pressured to accept the injections as a condition for immigration, with some stating they were misled to believe the shots were routine vaccinations.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BASl0zTq9is&t=1s

https://www.news18.com/viral/were-foreign-workers-barred-from-israeli-bomb-shelters-viral-videos-stir-online-debate-ws-l-9399933.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/17/not-for-you-israeli-shelters-exclude-palestinians-as-bombs-rain-down

https://www.yahoo.com/news/not-israeli-shelters-exclude-palestinians-205222290.html

https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f1614

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/20/israel-again-included-in-un-blacklist-for-grave-violations-against-children

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/palestine-blames-us-bias-for-israel-s-disregard-for-warnings-against-rafah-onslaught/3206764

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-at-site-of-deadly-bat-yam-missile-strike-vows-iran-to-pay-very-heavy-price/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nurse-workers-palestinians-denied-entry-israeli-bomb-shelters

KENYA: 20 KILLED IN COP CUSTODY SINCE OJWANG!

Over the past two weeks, 20 Kenyans have died in police custody. That’s according to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). It’s a grim and shocking statistic. But, given that Kenya’s been rocked for two weeks by protests against lethal police brutality following the death in custody - on 7 June - of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang (whose body bore all the hallmarks of torture, according to his autopsy), it highlights the impunity and sheer contempt with which police in the country act. IPOA chair Ahmed Issack Hassan called the deaths a sign of a deepening crisis and systemic lack of accountability.

Continued….. Sources

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/113411-ipoa-records-20-more-deaths-police-custody-after-albert-ojwangs-killing

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/kenya/10941227/Kenyans-five-times-more-likely-to-be-shot-dead-by-police-than-by-criminals.html

https://www.voaafrica.com/a/rights-groups-say-118-people-killed-by-kenya-police-last-year/7582859.html

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-uk-funded-anti-terrorism-police-unit-headquarters-opened-in-kenya

http://declassifieduk.org/the-militarisation-of-us-africa-policy-how-the-cia-came-to-lead-deadly-counter-terrorism-operations-in-kenya/

JUNE 25. KENYA MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF ANTI-IMF BILL PROTESTS

A year ago, all of Kenya, not just Nairobi, rose as one. Thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets to reject an IMF-backed finance bill that sought to squeeze an additional $2.7 billion from the poorest, slapping levies on everything from bread to sanitary towels. The pressure worked: President William Ruto backed down and did not assent to the bill. Join us LIVE as we revisit the scene to count the gains, name the betrayals and assess the fight not just for a different Kenya but, continent-wide, against neoliberalism. See you there!

INDIANAPOLIS OFFICERS ASSAULT BLACK MAN

Police violence against Black people in the US just never ends. This video shows a recent incident when an Indianapolis officer shoots 25-year-old Devin Hunt, a Black man, with an air launcher, reportedly laden with chemical irritants, then slams him to the pavement.

The police say Hunt was arrested after officers came to break up a fight between him and another person. However, Hunt disputes that, saying there’d only been an exchange of words. He says the confrontation had long ended by the time police got involved.

While Hunt survived his brush with police brutality, many others have lost their lives. In 2020, the police k*lling of George Floyd (1973-2020) sparked the largest nationwide uprising in US history.

Police brutality is a long-standing and widespread problem in the US - and disproportionately affects Black people.

Continued……. This is made clear by data published by Mapping Police Violence. According to the non-profit organisation, in 2024, US police killed 1,374 people, of whom 339 were Black (around 25%). This is a significantly larger share than that of Black people in the US population (around 14%). They also found that Black people were 2.8 times more likely to be k*lled by police than White individuals.

Video credit: Mikishia Watson/James Fletcher (Facebook)

Sources

https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/

https://ktvz.com/cnn-regional/2025/06/18/man-calls-for-firing-of-impd-officers-in-his-arrest-caught-on-viral-video/

https://www.indystar.com/videos/news/crime/2025/06/20/devin-hunt-25-shot-by-impd-officer-steven-rzuski-with-less-lethal-gun-before-arrest-punched-dragged/84287161007/

https://indyliberationcenter.org/impd-assault-devin-hunt/

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/impd-addresses-viral-video-showing-officer-tackle-shoot-projectiles-at-man-in-downtown-indianapolis/531-39f6bc9a-6192-4975-ab3c-dc5ca972902a

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html

THEY TRIED TO SET MICHAEL JACKSON UP!

Michael Jackson died on this day 16 years ago. The King of Pop passed away in 2009 due to an overdose administered by a physician who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

In this 2021 clip, singer and rapper Aaron Carter (1987-2022), brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, recounts the moment when FBI agents appeared unannounced in his California hotel room to pin sexual assault charges on Jackson. Carter explains that his mother was trying to pressure him into telling the FBI that Jackson had done something inappropriate, even though, he insists, he had done nothing of the sort.

Continued………. Allegations of child sexual abuse had dogged the pop star in 1993 and 2003, but he was never found guilty. According to Carter, Jackson was simply one of the kindest men he had ever met. For many, the allegations tainted Jackson’s legacy. But, for his fans, stories like Carter’s correct the record.

More than a global icon, Michael was a visionary whose dance, voice and message transcended borders.

Continue to rest in peace Michael

Video credit: @djvlad (X) and @vladtv (IG)

The flaw of capitalism is not a scarcity of wealth. It’s that, in practice, this wealth never trickles down to promote equality or equity. Instead, it’s hoarded by the few to consolidate their power and deepen social divides. Vast sums are channelled into conflict rather than invested in human dignity, justice and the well-being of all.

Today, the US-backed onslaught on Palestinians in the Occupied Territories since 7 October 2023 continues to devastate lives. The Lancet Medical Journal in 2024, projected an estimated 186,000 deaths could be attributed to the siege. Meanwhile, approximately 770,000 people in the US are without shelter or food - 32% of them are Black, while Black people make up just over 14% of the population. The official US poverty rate stands at 11.5% - with over 37-million Americans living in poverty.

Continued…….. Despite this, Israel remains the largest recipient of US aid since the Second World War. The US government continues to exploit the labour of the working class, heavily taxing it without delivering on health and other basics. Washington prefers to funnel resources into conflicts - including the recent unprovoked attacks on Iran - while US citizens endure hardship at home. Ironically, while Israelis benefit from universal healthcare, with free access to medical services, US citizens, whose taxes fund Israel’s wars of aggression, struggle. Over 44,000 die each year due to lack of insurance.

So, as African Stream draws to a close - largely because capital has been invested to ensure platforms like ours are suppressed - our final instalment of Wednesday’s Wisdom features a lyric from Tupac Shakur (Keep Ya Head Up, released 1993). His words remind us that our fight is for dignity - and against a political elite that possesses both the means and the will to perpetuate human suffering.

It’s vital that we remain resolute in our resistance and reclaim our futures from those determined to keep us divided and subdued.

Image credits: @misanharriman

Sources

https://nlihc.org/resource/hud-releases-2024-annual-homeless-assessment-report

https://www.debt.org/faqs/americans-in-debt/poverty-united-states

https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-announces-israel-iran-ceasefire-2025-06-23/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/26/us-health-insurance-system-doctors

https://pnhp.org/news/lack-of-insurance-to-blame-for-almost-45000-deaths-study

https://www.internationalinsurance.com/health/systems/israel/

MOZAMBIQUE’S INDEPENDENCE GOLDEN JUBILEE

Today, Mozambique celebrates a golden jubilee - 50 years since it broke free from the chains of Portuguese colonial rule. It was on 25 June 1975 that nearly four centuries of colonial rule came to an end. However, freedom came only after a bitter armed struggle, spearheaded by Eduardo Mondlane, who led the Marxist Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (FRELIMO).

Mondlane was assassinated in 1969. His replacement was the charismatic guerrilla commander Samora Machel, who saw the struggle for independence from Portugal through to completion and became the country’s first post-colonial president.

Machel’s time in office was far from easy. He fought rebels from Resistência Nacional Moçambicana (RENAMO), who were backed by Malawi and racist regimes in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa.

Continued……. They targeted rural populations and destroyed key economic and social facilities, such as power stations and bridges, crippling Mozambique’s economy. This forced Machel to sign a non-aggression pact with the South African apartheid regime.

While Mozambique kept its end of the bargain, apartheid South Africa continued to support RENAMO through the Malawian government.

In 1986, Machel died in a suspicious plane crash over South Africa. Allegations of Pretoria’s involvement in the tragedy abounded.

In the following years, South Africa’s support for RENAMO dwindled. In 1992, the group signed a peace deal with FRELIMO to end the brutal civil war that had claimed more than a million lives.

Since then, Mozambique has enjoyed moderate economic growth and social development. Its biggest challenge is an insurgency that has been raging in the country’s Cabo Delgado region since 2017.

However, with the resilience and tenacity they have shown in the past, we are confident that the people of Mozambique will triumph over this challenge too.

Here’s to 50 years of Mozambican independence - may the next 50 shine even brighter! A luta Continua!

Kenya's transformation into an authoritarian police state progresses apace. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) has issued a directive banning all live coverage of protests in the country. Broadcasters will face regulatory penalties if they defy the order. Media-freedoms defenders say the measure is intended to control the narrative and hide state brutality from public view.

The ban comes amid widespread rallies marking the one-year anniversary of a massive protest in Nairobi. On 25 June 2024, Kenyans, particularly from the ranks of Gen Z, erupted in protest against planned tax hikes pushed for by the IMF. What began as economic dissent quickly escalated. Protesters stormed parliament, and state forces responded with lethal brutality. At least 60 people were killed and dozens more went missing, according to rights groups. The crackdown sparked demands for justice, police reform and accountability.

Continued……Today's protests across the country have brought together thousands of Kenyans commemorating the fallen and decrying ongoing injustices and police brutality. They want justice for the victims of the protests in 2024, as well as for more recent victims - including blogger Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody (with signs of torture), and vendor Boniface Kariuki, who was shot in the face during a rally.

This isn't the first time that CAK has ordered a stop to live coverage during protests across the country. In 2018, major TV stations were taken off the air to stop them broadcasting the mock inauguration ceremony of opposition leader Raila Odinga - amid unrest over disputed, and boycotted, elections (won by incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta with 98%!).

Sources

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/kenyan-tv-stations-to-stay-shut-after-covering-opposition-inauguration-idUSKBN1FK1JK/

https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-06-25-ca-orders-stop-to-live-coverage-of-protests?