WHAT’S IT ALL FOR? RAPPER STANDS AGAINST MASSACRES

Recently, California-born rapper LaRussel took the stage at BottleRock festival, in Napa Valley, and called for a free Palestine. But his solidarity didn’t stop there. His performance also highlighted the years-long massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the oppression of Africans.

LaRussel isn’t the first rapper to draw attention to the atrocities, but many, including ourselves, wish more celebs would raise awareness. If you could choose any artist to highlight any African issue, who and what would it be?

Video Credit @larussell

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UNVEILING BRITISH HYPOCRISY ON MIGRANT INTEGRATION

In a recent TV interview, British right-wing politician Nigel Farage took a swipe at UK Muslims for regularly hitting the streets to vent their anger at Israel’s barbarous campaign in Gaza. He alleged that they didn’t subscribe to British values, in fact loathed them, and cited polling (commissioned by another right-wing figure) that suggested nearly half supported H*mas. He claimed it amounted to a disastrous failure of integration.

Well, here in Kenya we know a thing or two about British values and the failure of integration - of Brits to integrate into Kenyan society, that is. Of course, this wasn’t just a failure to integrate, but a series of atrocities against the native population. African Stream’s William Sakawa looks at why Britain should be the last country to preach to migrants about integration.

What other examples in Africa or globally can you cite?

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‘YOU’RE A MURDERER’ - KAMALA HARRIS DISRUPTED!

A coalition of activist groups in southern California disrupted a live 4 June recording of US Vice President Kamala Harris on late-night talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!,’ calling her a ‘m*rderer.’

The activists (from @cgs4afreepalestine, pasadena4palestine, @jewishantizionistnetwork, @codepinkcoachellavalley and CodePink Southeast LA
) called out the Biden-Harris administration for continuing to fund Israel’s military onslaught that has k*lled more than 36,000 Palestinians since the 7 October escalation in the 76-year Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Continued….. Many have criticised Harris, the first Black woman to serve as US vice president, for talking about women’s rights while the US has funded and armed Israel, k*lling about 24,000 women and children so far. Further, the attacks have wounded at least 83,000 Palestinians, while an estimated 10,000 people are buried under rubble.

The complete recording of the 4 June action showed security guards forcibly removing the activists and assaulting a few.

Video credit: @codepinkalert (IG) @codepink (TW)

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SOUTH AFRICA AIMS FOR NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

South Africa’s President says he won’t rule out working with anyone to form a government of national unity. Cyril Ramaphosa believes it’s the best option after his African National Congress failed to secure an outright victory in the general election. They only got 40 per cent of the vote, and now have to look for partners to form a government.

On Thursday night (June 6th), Ramaphosa said there had been preliminary talks with five political parties. They include the Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the National Freedom Party (NFP).

Continued….. Not on that list is Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the party of former ANC leader and former republican President, Jacob Zuma. Even though they came third in the ballot, the two parties fell out after Zuma announced his association with newly-formed MK, while refusing to renounce his ANC membership. However, there’s speculation the two sides could meet today (June 7th).

It’s just one of many hurdles facing Ramaphosa, who now has to work with factions strung out across the political spectrum. The white-led DA, for example, has opposed 10 of 12 bills introduced to parliament by the ANC in recent years. The two parties have vastly different views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel’s assault on Gaza.

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Spain has become the first European country to apply to join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of violating the 1948 UN Gen*cide Convention in the Gaza Strip.

Spaniards have rallied in the streets for months in support of the Palestinian people. Now, Spain seeks to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow the ICJ’s 24 May order to stop the offensive in Rafah.

‘Our sole goal is to put an end to the war and to advance on the road of applying the two-state solution,’ said Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on 6 June, adding, ‘For that to happen, we must all support the court.’

Once admitted, Spain can make written submissions and speak at public hearings. Since January, five other countries have applied to join South Africa’s case, while several others have expressed an intention to intervene.

Continued…. Spain’s request follows its formal recognition of a Palestinian state on 28 May in a joint announcement with Ireland and Norway. Slovenia has also joined these European countries. In total, 143 countries have recognised a Palestinian state—74 per cent of the UN member states—but none of the Western powers, including the United States, have done so.

Israel has faced increasing international criticism for invading and striking Rafah, a city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, where Israel had early on ordered Palestinians to flee to avoid attacks. However, since 6 May, Israel has struck tent camps housing 1.5 million Palestinians, k*lling dozens. Israel also has ignored the ICJ’s 26 January order, k*lling an additional 10,000 Palestinians.

In total, Israel’s military onslaught and escalated siege has k*lled over 36,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, since the 7 October escalation in the 76-year Israeli occupation of Palestine.

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WILL ‘COLONIAL’ COALITION RULE SOUTH AFRICA?

There are fears a new coalition government could take South Africa back to ‘colonialism.’ That’s what pan-African author and public speaker, Joshua Maponga, dreads if the African National Congress strikes a deal the white-led Democratic Alliance.

The ANC needs to find partners after getting only 40 per cent of the vote in last week’s general election. While the natural choice would have been the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) or the Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK), there’s a push by some to instead work with the DA. That’s despite it being opposed to most of the ANC’s policies, including those to redress damage caused to the country’s indigenous Black people by decades of racial oppression.

Many believe any agreement would be tantamount to ‘selling out’. It’s the view of Joshua Maponga, who says when ‘colonialists’ are back in power, Blacks will be ‘destroyed...arrested and sent to court.’ Is this what you think too?

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The US House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 247-155 on 4 June to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity since 8 October in the Gaza Strip. 

So far, Israel’s military onslaught and escalated siege have k*lled more than 36,000 Palestinians.

The legislation targets ICC officials involved in investigating, arresting, detaining or prosecuting anyone from the United States and its allies. The sanctions would include prohibiting property transactions within the US and blocking or revoking visas.

The Senate is up next to vote on this bill. US President Joe Biden called the ICC’s pursuit of arrest warrants ‘outrageous,’ but he released a statement on Monday opposing the bill.

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SUDAN ARMY CHIEF VISITS VILLAGE MASSACRED BY RSF

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has visited a hospital in Wad al-Noura, following the atrocity committed there earlier this week by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary.

RSF fighters stormed the village in vehicles, using heavy weapons on the population. They killed over 100 people, mostly civilians, and injured some 200. Video of dozens of bodies wrapped for burial appeared online after the massacre. The governor of Darfur province confirmed that women, children and the elderly formed the majority of the victims.