POLICE PROTECT FAR-RIGHT THUGS FROM PROTESTERS

Thousands of Brits have taken to the streets to protest against far-right riots that have rocked England and Northern Ireland.

This footage shared by TikTok user @talktoflorence shows eight men being shielded by police as anti-fascist crowds gathered to protect an asylum rights legal firm in Brighton. It’s reported around a dozen other counter-protests were held across the UK.

However, the clip has left people asking: where was the police protection when thugs terrorised migrant communities?

There’s been a week of violence since the killing of three girls in Southport by a knife attacker, initially misreported to be a Muslim immigrant.

Video credit: @talktoflorence

NIGERIA: ‘END BAD GOVT! PPL ARE SUFFERING!’

Here’s a powerful clip of a Nigerian protester explaining why people have hit the streets across the country, demanding an end to bad governance. In short, Nigerians are suffering while the country’s leaders appear to mock them. She says:

“You are approving budgets of billions upon billions. You are buying jets for the president, and people cannot afford transport fares. That is wickedness.”

The cost of living in Nigeria has soared, jobs are scarce and underpaid, and government corruption is rampant.

It’s a situation facing many Africans, not just Nigerians. Similar protests in Kenya have met with some measure of success, with the leadership there bowing to demands to scrap planned tax hikes - though not until numerous protesters lost their lives in a crackdown. Attempts to protest in Uganda, though, were quickly stifled.

Continued….. In Nigeria, some of the protester have been accused of having a more radical agenda - after Russian flags were waved at protests in Kano and Kaduna states. Some have equated this with calls for a coup, with Nigerian Defence Chief General Christopher Musa warning that, “We will not relent in pursuing those that have continued to encourage an unconstitutional takeover of government.” Indeed, some 90 alleged flag-wavers have already reportedly been arrested.

Where do you see Nigeria’s #EndBadGovernance protests going?

Video credit: @newscentral

UK RIOTS: TIME FOR BLACK AND BROWN TO UNITE!

Every cloud has a silver lining, they say… could Britain’s race riots lead to greater unity among the country’s ethnic minorities? That’s the hope of TikToker Dami Zain (@Damazain). In this video, she urges the African diaspora to stop its internal squabbles. She also wants to see more bridges built between Black and Brown communities, because unity is strength. And, we would add, diaspora Africans need to reconnect with the mother continent. Do you agree with this sister? Giver her a follow if you do.

FRANCE'S HIJAB BAN 'VIOLATES RIGHTS' - HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Not only is France violating the rights of people of religious faith during the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, it's also violating women's rights. That's according to Human Rights Watch's director of global initiatives, Minky Worden, seen in this clip.

France's law banning the hijab (a veil for Muslim women) and other religious symbols in schools dates to 1989. In 2010, France banned any full-face covering. Already a contentious domestic issue, France extended the law to Olympic athletes representing the European country because they are on a 'public service mission.'

Continued….. For example, the policy forced French-born African-descended sprinter Sounkamba Sylla to find creative ways circumvent this law. At the last minute, the 26-year-old member of France's 400-metre women’s and mixed relay teams donned a blue baseball cap with additional fabric sewn on for complete hair coverage. That allowed her to sail down the Seine River with the other 572 members of the French delegation for the Games' opening ceremony on 26 July.

Sylla's supporters view the baseball cap as a partial victory, but insist it infringes on religious freedoms.

Have a watch, and let us know what you think.

Niger has followed Mali in cutting ties with Ukraine following a Ukrainian Defence Ministry intelligence agency press representative admitting Ukraine provided support to rebels that killed Malian armed forces and Russian operatives on 25-27 July in Tinzaouatène, northern Mali, close to the Algerian border.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Senegal also expressed unreserved support for the Malian rebels, leading Senegal’s foreign ministry to summon the ambassador.

Continued….. Ukraine now says it had nothing to do with the attack. It called Mali’s move to cut diplomatic ties ‘hasty and shortsighted.’

The Sahel has been grappling with a security crisis since NATO armed rebels to overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Sahel, an arid region south of the Sahara Desert, is now the global epicentre of terrorism, with 43 per cent of terrorism-related deaths. Western militaries didn’t turn the tide, leading to the wave of revolutionary coups that swept Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The trio are now engaging non-Western partners like Russia, Iran, China and Turkey in their fight against terrorism and in their struggle to develop their countries.

'RACIST RIOTERS DON'T KNOW THEIR HISTORY'

Days of far-right protests across the UK have seen over 400 people arrested. But those who claim migrants are the ‘cause’ of Britain’s problems, should remember history.

In this viral clip, content creator ‘The Black Karen’ points out how migrants have long benefited Britain. Victory in World War Two was in no small part thanks to India’s massive volunteer force fighting alongside the Allies.
We also shouldn't forget the 500,000 Africans that joined their ranks to defeat Hitler.

After the war, people from the colonies and Commonwealth arrived in the UK to help rebuild the country. Large numbers of migrants came from the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

The UK’s story is one of continuous and evolving migration with each group shaping the UK’s diverse and dynamic society.

@elainethepain880

WHEN AKALA SHUT DOWN TOMMY ROBINSON

As Britain today sees a surge of right-wing riots targeting black and brown people, mosques and migrant hotels, it is essential to analyze the origin of this hate. In this throwback video, rapper and activist Akala makes a case for why racism is more of an elite creation than it is a working-class one. In Europe, with worsening economies, the ruling elite responsible for running down the countries have found a convenient scapegoat: migrants. During a public discussion, he was intellectually laying the smackdown on English far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Akala also gives a powerful example of how racism manifests itself in society.

Continued….. Christopher Alder was a former Black British paratrooper killed in UK police custody in 1999. Footage later revealed British police officers laughing and making monkey noises over his dead body.

To add insult to injury, authorities then gave Christopher’s family the wrong body to bury and only told them about it more than a decade later.

His appalling treatment was 25 years ago, but recent racist riots put to question whether much has improved since then.

ISRAELI TV EXPOSES PALESTINIAN PRISONER R*PE

An Israeli media outlet, Channel 12, has aired footage allegedly showing the r*pe of a Palestinian prisoner by Israeli soldiers at the infamous Sde Teiman detention facility.

The leaked images are said to capture the moment a detainee was forced to lie down while soldiers surrounded him with riot shields. They inflicted injuries so badly that their victim needed hospital treatment.

Nine reservists were arrested over the incident, which in turn saw mobs storm the site, demanding their release. A lawmaker in the Knesset even said soldiers should be allowed to r*pe detained Palestinians. Meanwhile, on 7 August, dozens of Israelis disrupted a court session deliberating a case brought by a human rights organisation over abuses at Sde Teiman.

Continued…. Former prisoners and Israelis who’ve worked at the facility report a litany of torture, including r*pe, beatings, being urinated on and detainees losing their limbs due to prolonged use of handcuffs. These abuses were highlighted in an April 2024 report published by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN agency for Palestine.

Sde Teiman doubles as an Israeli military base and detention centre for Palestinians arrested in Gaza. Many are held indefinitely without charge, and the site’s been dubbed Israel’s Guantanamo Bay.

Credit: Keshet 12 (Israel)

People across the UK have rallied en masse in response to the recent vile outpouring of racist, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic violence, intimidation and abuse seen in the UK, especially in England.

This photo shows one such gathering in Walthamstow, East London, where thousands showed up to form a wall of resistance against right-wing extremists. They chanted ‘fascists gone’ and held signs reading ‘stop the far right’ and ‘refugees welcome.’

In the front row, you can see brothers from the UK-based grassroots organisation Forever Family- @foreverfamilyuk. Forever Family’s mission is to combat racism, inequality, and injustice and promote self-sufficiency and community defence.

Continued……Similar protests, with huge turnouts, have been seen across the UK, including in major cities such as Bristol, Birmingham, and Liverpool. More are organised for the weekend.

It is, of course, very heartening to see all this. Grassroots community action is no doubt the way forward. But can the UK truly eradicate its racism problem when politicians and the media - the establishment - have been so complicit in letting it take root?

Anyway, shoutout to @foreverfamilyuk and all the anti-racist demonstrations for standing tall.

Picture credit: @respectrebellionff @foreverfamilyuk

VENEZUELAN CITIZENS DISPUTE VOTE-RIGGING CLAIM

The US government has ramped up its agenda to overthrow Venezuela’s democratically elected government that represents Chavismo, or the Venezuelan path to socialism, self-determination and Latin American integration laid out by former President Hugo Chávez (1954-2013). The US has refused to recognise the ratified results of the 28 July elections won by the incumbent President Nicolás Maduro, instead deeming opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzáles Urrutia the winner.

The US and Venezuela’s right-wing opposition have denounced the election as rigged without providing evidence to support their claims.

The opposition has set up an election results website, showing Gonzáles received nearly 70 per cent of votes. However, many, including the head of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, have pointed out inconsistencies and even forgery in the opposition’s tallies.

Continued….. In this clip from the 2 August episode of our flagship podcast programme, ‘Pan-African Attitude,’ Venezuelan political scientist and photojournalist Rosana Silva (@nawseas on IG and X) debunked these allegations. Let us know what you think.

UK RACE RIOTS EXPLAINED

The explosion of racist violence in the UK this month has been a long time coming. Our man Ahmed Ghoneim’s (@Ahmed.Ghoneim.official) sums up what’s happened, why it’s happened and why it matters - in another double-barrel edition of Africa in 90. Give him a shoutout in the comments if you appreciate his work.

NIGER PRESIDENT: FRENCH SPIES TRY TO DESTABILISE NIGER

Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tiani (@PresidenceNiger on X) announced on 3 August that he’s been alerted that French spies are plotting to destabilise Niger, citing former French spy Vincent Crouzet (@VincentCrouzet4 on X and @VincentCrouzet6 on IG).

The Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) is a French agency charged with intelligence and covert operations, or the French equivalent of the United States’ CIA or the United Kingdom’s MI6. It grew out of a previous French intelligence agency that conducted secret, destabilising missions across Africa.

Continued….. Crouzet is now a whistleblower who also writes spy novels based on his time in the DGSE. The 60-year-old spent much of his career in Mozambique, South Africa, and especially in Angola, where he worked to support Jonas Savimbi and the anti-communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebel forces. His latest novel is about a proxy war between Russian operatives and the DGSE in Mali and the Central African Republic.

Niger is the latest African country to end military ties with France after an anti-imperialist coup in July 2023 connected Niger to the revolution unfolding across the Sahel. Niger has also been revoking France’s mining contracts over its large uranium deposits. The landlocked state is the first African country to cut ties with US Africa Command (AFRICOM), which hosts US military bases and military-to-military activities across the continent.

U.S. PRESIDENTS’ HISTORICAL IMMUNITY IN WAR CRIMES

TikTok influencer Afeni (@factsandfire) reminded people that US presidents have perpetrated destruction worldwide with impunity.

Just a few examples include the illegal CIA global torture programme launched during the Bush administration. Then, in 2017, International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda requested an investigation into war crimes committed in Afghanistan since the US/NATO invasion in 2001. However, former President Donald Trump’s administration revoked her US entry visa in 2019 and followed up with financial sanctions in 2020.