Support us by contributing to StratNewsGlobal on the following UPI ID
ultramodern@hdfcbank
Strategic affairs is our game, South Asia and beyond our playground. Put together by an experienced team led by Nitin A. Gokhale. Our focus is on strategic affairs, foreign policy and international relations, with higher quality reportage, analysis and commentary with new tie-ups across the South Asian region.
You can support our endeavours. Visit us at www.stratnewsglobal.com and follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
र 500 per month
र 1000 per month
र 5000 per year
र 10000 per year
Donate an amount of your choice
र 500 per month
Donate र 500 per month
र 1000 per month
Donate र 1000 per month
र 5000 per year
Donate र 5,000 per year
र 10000 per year
Donate र 10,000 per year
Donate an amount of your choice
Donate an amount of your choice
French PM Proposes New Tax For Annual Earners Over €250,000, Les Echos Reports
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu intends to introduce a tax on individuals earning more than 250,000 euros annually, aiming to secure support from the Socialist opposition for his government’s 2026 state budget, financial newspaper Les Echos reported on Saturday.
Les Echos reported that Lecornu plans two measures, each targeting taxpayers declaring more than 250,000 euros ($300,000) in income – or 500,000 euros for a couple – to raise an additional 3 billion euros in fiscal revenue next year.
A first measure would be to renew a one-off tax introduced by predecessor Francois Bayrou last year, which aims to ensure that all high-earning tax households concerned pay at least 20% of their income in taxes.
Super-Wealthy Crackdown
The minority government also wants to crack down on the super-wealthy’s use of holding companies as a piggy bank, it said, as part of a drive against tax optimisation.
Les Echos said the finance ministry had identified some 30,000 financial structures that would fall within the scope of the measure, notably for cashing in dividends but never re-distributing them, so that dividend tax can be avoided.
The holding company measure is expected to yield just over 1 billion euros for 2026, the paper said, adding that – along with other measures – the total expected additional contribution from the wealthiest individuals would be between 4 billion and 4.5 billion euros.
The finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lecornu last month became President Emmanuel Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years after parliament ousted Bayrou over his plans for a 44-billion-euro budget squeeze next year.
Without giving much detail, Lecornu on Friday outlined a wealth tax among proposals aimed at winning leftist support for the 2026 budget, which the Socialists called “insufficient” without closing the door on further talks.
With parliament divided into three blocs, none of which has a majority, Lecornu relies on rival parties to pass legislation – and for his own survival as prime minister.
The Socialists want a 2% wealth tax on France’s 0.01% in the 2026 budget as the price for their support, making Lecornu’s political survival contingent on a measure that has strong public support but alienates conservatives.
“If (Lecornu) is prepared to pursue a policy that …moves in the direction of greater fiscal justice, we will not (vote against his government),” Raphael Glucksmann, a prominent Socialist Party member, told BFM television.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Turkiye Says 137 Global Sumud Flotilla Activists To Reach Istanbul
Turkiye’s foreign ministry stated on Saturday that approximately 137 activists, who were detained by Israel for participating in a flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, are being transported by air to Istanbul.
The individuals include 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, ministry sources added.
The Turkish Airlines flight is expected to land sometime after 3:40 p.m. local time (1240 GMT), the ministry said.
More Than 450 Activists Detained
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled next week – along with activists from other nations.
Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.
“I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights”, Tajani wrote on X.
A first group of Italians from the flotilla – four parliamentarians – arrived in Rome on Friday.
“Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza”, Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome.
“We were brutally stopped … brutally taken hostage”, said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.
Zip-Tiled On Their Knees For Hours
Israel’s foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were “safe and in good health”, adding it was keen to complete the deportations “as quickly as possible”.
According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some of them were denied access to lawyers, and denied access to water and medications, as well as the use of toilets.
Activists were also “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted ‘Free Palestine,'” Adalah said.
Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave Gaza, where Israel has been waging a war since Palestinian militant group Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.
Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a “lawful naval blockade”.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Second US Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order
A second U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship unconstitutional, marking another setback for a key part of his hardline immigration agenda, with its ultimate resolution likely resting with the U.S. Supreme Court.
A three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld injunctions won by Democratic-led states and immigrant rights advocates that have stopped the Republican president’s executive order from taking effect nationwide.
Trump’s order, issued on his first day back in office on January 20, directs agencies to refuse to recognise the citizenship of U.S.-born children who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident, also known as a “green card” holder.
U.S. Circuit Judge David Barron said Trump’s order violated the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which states that anyone born in the United States is considered a citizen. He said the length of the court’s 100-page ruling should not be mistaken for a sign that the fundamental question was difficult.
“It is not, which may explain why it has been more than a century since a branch of our government has made as concerted an effort as the Executive Branch now makes to deny Americans their birthright,” Barron wrote in an opinion joined by two judges similarly appointed by Democratic presidents.
Court ‘Misinterpreted’ 14th Amendment
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the court had misinterpreted the 14th Amendment.
“We look forward to being vindicated by the Supreme Court,” she said in a statement.
The 1st Circuit was reviewing rulings by U.S. District Judges Leo Sorokin in Boston and Joseph Laplante in Concord, New Hampshire, who earlier this year in separate cases blocked Trump’s order from being implemented.
The 1st Circuit’s decision came after another appeals court, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in July similarly upheld a nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s order from taking effect on the grounds that it violated the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment.
The administration last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal in that case and a related one. If the Supreme Court agrees, it would mark the second time the litigation is before the high court, after its 6-3 conservative majority in June limited the power of judges to block that and other actions by Trump on a nationwide basis.
The Supreme Court at that time did not weigh in on the validity of Trump’s birthright citizenship order. But in three cases where judges had declared it unconstitutional, the court limited the ability of judges to issue so-called universal injunctions and directed lower courts that had blocked Trump’s policy nationally to reconsider the scope of their orders.
The Supreme Court’s ruling opened the door to Trump’s order taking effect in parts of the country. Yet judges have repeatedly since then kept blocking it nationwide.
Those judges include Sorokin, who reaffirmed his original decision to halt the policy nationwide, and Laplante, who issued a new injunction in a newly-filed nationwide class action, a vehicle the Supreme Court’s ruling suggested was permissible.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Centrist Republicans Caution Against Trump’s Partisan Govt Shutdown Plan
President Donald Trump’s freezing of funds for Democratic-led states has alarmed some centrist Republicans in Congress, who fear that deepening these partisan divisions could complicate efforts to end the ongoing government shutdown.
“You’re going to create a bad-faith environment here that could put us further out. They need to be very judicious,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who is involved in informal bipartisan talks to end the shutdown, told reporters in the U.S. Capitol this week.
The government shutdown entered its fourth day on Saturday, making it the fifth longest in U.S. history.
Trump warned Democrats earlier in the week that he could make “irreversible” cuts to the federal government during a shutdown, and the White House has so far frozen $28 billion in infrastructure funds that had been headed to New York, California and Illinois – all home to sizable Democratic populations and critics of the president.
Trump and his Republican allies have also taunted Democrats on social media with manipulated images of prominent lawmakers, including House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, that drew on stereotyped images of Mexicans, despite the reality that Republicans will need the votes of at least seven Senate Democrats to pass a funding bill to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance this week dismissed concerns about the images, calling them a joke.
A small band of Republicans warned that the Trump administration could end up bearing the brunt of the blame for the shutdown, heading into next year’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Tillis, a North Carolina lawmaker who announced his retirement after clashing with Trump earlier this year, said he hoped the White House was coordinating its actions with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who are trying to persuade their Democratic counterparts to support a short-term funding bill that would reopen federal agencies and fund government operations through November 21.
Others disagree with Tillis’ concerns, including Johnson, who endorsed the president’s approach.
“President Trump is just as anxious as we are to get the government back open, because real Americans are being harmed by the Democrat shenanigans. And is he trying to apply pressure to make that happen? He probably is, yeah. And I applaud that,” Johnson told reporters.
Concerns About Credibility Of Compromises
Senate Democrats, who are demanding a permanent extension of federal subsidies to help people afford healthcare insurance under the Affordable Care Act, have voted down the funding bill four times. Democrats also want protection against White House actions to withhold or cancel funding allocated by Congress.
“If OMB goes about cancelling things, just like the rescissions that were foundational to past compromises, you destroy the credibility of future compromises,” Tillis said, using the acronym for Vought’s Office of Management and Budget. “Trust, that’s how this place runs well, when it runs well.”
The Senate left town after failing to pass a funding measure on Friday, setting the stage for the shutdown to last until at least Monday. There were no signs that Republicans and Democrats could reach a deal to reopen agencies anytime soon, raising the spectre of a prolonged closure that could lead to an erosion of key government services, including air traffic control.
“We’re all Americans. We shouldn’t be targeting different areas in ways that would be viewed as punitive. That’s just not what we do,” said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Trump critic who the president tried to oust from office in the 2022 election.
“Let’s not further divide people, politically. This is already stressful enough, and we just don’t need to do that,” Murkowski added.
Democrats have been riled by Trump’s use of the shutdown to single out his opponents for mockery and insults.
“Obviously, I don’t agree with the insults. But there have been plenty of insults in both directions. Let’s be fair,” said Republican Senator Susan Collins, who said both sides need to stick with the facts and work to end the shutdown that becomes more harmful with each passing day.
“Does it help when the Democrats are ridiculing and insulting the president?” she asked.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Palestinians In Gaza Hope Trump Will Pressure Israel To End Conflict
On Saturday, weary Palestinians in Gaza held onto hopes that United States President Donald Trump would continue pressuring Israel to end the two-year war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced over two million people.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict, while calling for more talks on several key issues, was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
Gaza Resident Hopes ‘We Will Be Done With Wars’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel, and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive, which has killed more than 66,000 people, after Hamas militants staged a cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom are alive.
“God willing, this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
The assault has destroyed much of the enclave, while aid restrictions have helped trigger a famine in parts of Gaza.
A U.N. Commission of Inquiry and numerous human rights experts have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s government denies this, saying it has been acting in self-defence.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza; it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in the central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said, “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
Resident Worries That Netanyahu Will ‘Sabotage Deal’
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and U.S. mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends on October 7, two years after it began.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
US Border Patrol Raid Targets Citizens, Families Amid Chicago Crackdown
This week, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducting a late-night raid in Chicago rappelled from helicopters onto rooftops and forced entry into an apartment building. Authorities stated the operation targeted gang members, but it also resulted in the detention of U.S. citizens and their families.
The show of force highlighted President Donald Trump‘s unprecedented use of Border Patrol agents as a surge force in major cities, rerouting personnel who would normally be tasked with guarding America’s borders with Mexico and Canada.
Naudelys, a 19-year-old Venezuelan woman, says she was in her apartment with her 4-year-old son and another couple with a baby when agents knocked down their door during the raid early Tuesday. Agents told them to put up their hands and pointed guns at them, she said.
Naudelys, whose husband was arrested and detained by immigration authorities three months ago, said she tried to record the scene, but an agent knocked away her phone.
The Spanish-speaking agents told them to go back to their country and made a sexualized remark about Venezuelan women, she said. One of the agents hit a man in front of her son, and she begged him to stop, she said.
“My son was traumatised,” said Naudelys, who requested her last name be withheld.
She said authorities alleged her friend’s partner is a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, something she disputes.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes Border Patrol, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Naudelys’ account of the raid.
As part of the raid, some U.S. citizens were temporarily detained and children pulled from their beds, according to interviews with residents and news reports. Building hallways were still littered with debris two days later.
Trump, a Republican, has vowed to escalate immigration enforcement in Chicago and other Democratic strongholds that limit cooperation with federal operations. Border Patrol – staffed with some 19,000 agents and under less pressure with border apprehensions at historic lows – has increasingly taken on a new role in major cities, led by Gregory Bovino, the agency’s commander-at-large.
The incident in the city’s South Side neighbourhood, which authorities said resulted in dozens of arrests, was one of the highest-profile immigration actions in Chicago since the Trump administration launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in the city last month. Hundreds of agents swarmed the apartment building, opens new tab during the raid on Tuesday, including some rappelling down to the roof from Black Hawk helicopters, according to NewsNation.
Agents Took Children From Their Parents
A DHS spokesperson confirmed the operation, saying it focused on alleged members of Tren de Aragua and that border agents partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities arrested at least 37 people on immigration violations, most of whom were Venezuelan, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the two people arrested were alleged members of Tren de Aragua. The department identified six people with criminal histories, ranging from battery to marijuana possession and said two people were suspected of being involved in a shooting.
The spokesperson declined to say whether agents had warrants to forcibly enter homes, saying that because Tren de Aragua has been labelled a terrorist organisation, “there are sensitivities on what we can provide without putting people at risk.”
“This operation was performed in full compliance with the law,” the spokesperson said.
Four U.S. citizen children were taken from their parents during the raid because the parents lacked legal status, DHS said, alleging that one of the parents was a Tren de Aragua member.
“These children were taken into custody until they could be put in the care of a safe guardian or the state,” the spokesperson said.
Naudelys said authorities released her and her son later that day because she had a pending asylum case. Her apartment was boarded up when she returned, she said. Workers opened it for her, but her possessions were gone, she said.
Cassandra Murray, 55, a resident, said she heard loud blasts as the raids occurred.
She said her Venezuelan neighbours arrived about two years ago. At the time, thousands of Venezuelans who had recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border were being bused to Chicago and other cities by the state of Texas.
“They never made us feel unsafe,” said Murray. “They needed somewhere to live, too.”
One resident, who asked not to be named, reported being made to lie down on the ground by agents during the raid and having his hands zip-tied.
Gil Kerlikowske, who was commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2014-2017 and a former Seattle police chief, said border agents have different training and protocols than local police and worry that more aggressive tactics could erode trust.
“Policing an urban environment is totally, completely different,” he said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have also come under scrutiny over the use of tear gas against protesters at one of its Chicago facilities and the fatal shooting of a Mexican man.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Islamic Jihad Supports Hamas’ Reaction To US Gaza Proposal
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally that also holds Israeli hostages, on Saturday endorsed Hamas’s response to a U.S. plan to end the Gaza war, potentially facilitating the release of Israeli captives still held by both organisations.
“Hamas’ (reaction) to Trump’s plan represents the position of the Palestinian resistance factions, and the Islamic Jihad participated responsibly in the consultations that led to this decision,” the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad, which is smaller than Hamas but seen as more hardline, said in a statement.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, on Friday accepted certain key parts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.
Hamas’ stance, and its backing by Islamic Jihad, may raise the spirit of Gazans, who had watched one ceasefire effort after another fail as Israeli strikes pulverised the strip over the past two years, created a humanitarian crisis and displaced millions.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive, it saves the people, and thank God that they (Hamas) agreed. This is enough, good people. We are tired, I swear to God, we are tired, tired,” said Palestinian Saoud Qarneyta, 32.
Other Palestinians were cautious, expressing fear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would ultimately withdraw from any plan to end the war.
“What is important is that Netanyahu does not sabotage this, because now that Hamas agreed, Netanyahu will disagree, as he usually does,” said Jerusalem resident Jamal Shihada.
The Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson issued a warning on Saturday for residents of Gaza City, saying it remained a “dangerous” combat zone.
He urged residents in a post on X to avoid going north in the enclave or nearing any areas where the military operates.
News website Axios earlier reported that the Israeli military will shift to defensive operations in Gaza and halt its plan to seize Gaza City.
Israeli airstrikes persisted early on Saturday, but they were less intense after U.S. President Trump had called for a halt to the bombing, saying Hamas was ready for peace.
Israeli fire killed six people across the Gaza Strip, local authorities said. One strike killed four people in a house in Gaza City, while another killed two others in Khan Younis in the south, medical workers and local authorities said.
Worldwide Support
Netanyahu’s office said early on Saturday that Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’ response.
Shortly after, Israeli media reported that the country’s political echelon had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza.
Trump’s plan and Hamas’ reaction won support around the world, from Australia to India to Canada.
The Israeli military chief of staff instructed forces in a statement to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan, without mentioning whether there would be a reduction of military activity in Gaza.
Hamas responded to Trump’s 20-point plan after the U.S. president gave the group until Sunday to accept or face grave consequences.
Trump, who has cast himself as the only person capable of achieving peace in Gaza, has invested significant political capital in efforts to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and left U.S. ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage.
Trump said on Friday he believed Hamas had shown it was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and he put the onus on Netanyahu’s government.
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Before Israel’s latest announcements, families of those being held by Hamas in Gaza called on Netanyahu “to immediately order negotiations for the return of all hostages.”
Domestically, the prime minister is caught between growing pressure to end the war — from hostage families and a war-weary public — and demands from hardline members of his far-right coalition who insist there must be no let-up in Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom are alive.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. Its assault has destroyed much of the strip, while aid restrictions have triggered a famine in parts of Gaza, with conditions dire across the enclave.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Gaza Aid Flotilla Leveraged Cameras, Data To Capture Global Attention
When Israeli soldiers boarded a Gaza-bound flotilla on Wednesday night, two Glasgow web developers tracked the vessels in real time, drawing millions of global viewers.
As grainy footage from onboard cameras broadcast the raids live on the flotilla’s website, the developers updated the status of the vessels in real-time and posted short videos of each takeover. The clicks were unprecedented, they said: the site registered 2.5 million visits on Wednesday and 3.5 million on Thursday.
“I have never seen numbers like that – not on a website I’ve ever made,” said Lizzie Malcolm, the co-director of Rectangle, a design and software development studio that helped track the vessels on behalf of the organisers.
New Flotilla En Route
The Global Sumud Flotilla was seeking to breach an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, which has been decimated by a two-year Israeli assault.
It consisted of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The flotilla failed to reach Gaza – the boats were intercepted and escorted to Israel. But over the course of ten days, it emerged as the highest-profile opposition to Israel’s blockade. Buoyed by that publicity, another flotilla of 11 boats has already set sail.
Through a sophisticated social media campaign, updated boat-tracking technology, savvy website design and grassroots organising, the mission gained massive attention and support, energising a global movement to lift the blockade.
While Israel says its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas militants in the coastal enclave, and officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a provocation, the flotilla has widespread support.
Wednesday’s seizure triggered protests in cities across Europe and as far afield as Argentina, Mexico and Pakistan, and drew criticism from politicians and leaders from Colombia to Malaysia.
Creating A Movement
Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 when Hamas took over the territory, but efforts by activists to raise awareness have gained traction since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, which was triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel.
This latest campaign has gained more attention than ever before.
The flotilla benefited from, and contributed to, a wider political shift since June, which has seen nations including France and the UK recognise Palestinian statehood in reaction to Israel’s offensive, said Dan Mercea, a professor of digital and social change at St George’s, University of London.
“The cultural impact is beginning to show. That is not just the flotilla, but they are making a difference.”
An attempt in June by the March to Gaza group, in which activists were scheduled to march to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza, was disrupted when Egypt deported dozens of activists. Other, smaller flotillas have tried to breach the naval blockade, but their efforts have garnered less attention.
Then, in June, organisations including the March to Gaza held a meeting in Tunis, in which they discussed clubbing together.
“The idea was that a bigger thing was needed. There were discussions about how to communicate with people and an exchange of knowledge,” said Antonis Faras, from the Greek contingent of the March to Gaza movement.
Huge Support From The Start
The Global Sumud Flotilla was born, and it had a clear mission: to break Israel’s blockade.
The organisation had huge support from the start. When it sent out an invitation for people to participate, it received 20,000 applications, Faras said. In Italy, a charity called Music 4 Peace began collecting aid donations, with a target of 40 tons. In five days, they collected more than 500 tons.
Across Europe, missions started to prepare. The Greek contingent sourced 25 boats from across Europe. When it asked for donations, it received more than it could carry.
In Italy, local organisers cultivated relationships with unions, who supported the flotilla with strikes and actions at various ports. That grassroots connection paid off on Wednesday: within hours of the Israeli interception, people were on the streets in protest, and the unions had called a general strike for October 3.
The movement was broken down into countries, each one with its own press spokesperson.
“The protests’ success stems from the fact that every region meticulously worked on their territory… this structure proved to work,” said Maria Elena Delia, a spokesperson for the Italian delegation.
A Live Feed To The World
The flotilla sent regular updates on X, Telegram and Instagram and held press conferences via Zoom with activists on the boat. Nelson Mandela’s grandson was on board. Thunberg gave interviews from the ship’s deck.
It had live feeds from the boats and improved ship tracking devices. In Glasgow, Malcolm and her partner Daniel Powers, who collaborated with the London-based Forensic Architecture research group, benefited from added layers of tracking capabilities, including backup from Garmin devices and even cellphones should other methods fail.
The cameras on board gave people a rare live view on Wednesday night as the Israeli navy demanded that the captains turn off their engines as soldiers boarded the boats with guns and night vision goggles. As part of an agreed safety protocol, the activists sat in life vests, their hands in the air.
Malcolm and Powers watched the images from their studio in Glasgow as the night went on, updating the list of boats and changing their status one by one from “sailing” to “intercepted”.
“We have seen how much people want to watch this. It does something. There is something positive in this – you are really willing them to get there,” Malcolm said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Several Arrested After Police Scuffle With Protesters Outside Chicago ICE Facility
Police on Friday detained several individuals as hundreds of protesters gathered outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in suburban Chicago, which has been a focal point for demonstrations since a federal immigration enforcement surge commenced last month.
Tensions have been high in recent weeks in Chicago as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up his efforts to deport immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, arresting many without criminal records.
This week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the Trump administration had requested the Pentagon to send troops to the Democratic-run state.
Outside the detention facility in Broadview, behind barriers erected by ICE, protesters initially stood peacefully on Friday, singing Christian hymns and Jewish morning songs. Then Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commander who is leading the federal enforcement effort in Chicago, arrived with agents in gas masks and armoured vehicles.
Protesters began jeering and scuffling with police, some shouting obscenities.
Illinois State Police officers, some carrying rifles, night vision goggles and clubs, made several arrests, including of an elderly woman, who appeared to hyperventilate as she was shoved to the ground and handcuffed.
“It’s outrageous. I’m just out here silently protesting, and they’re pushing us off the street and sidewalk, and they’re using violence against us,” said Kevin Ryan, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate.
An Illinois State Police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Escalating Protests
People in the Chicago area have staged repeated protests condemning the stepped-up federal presence, and the facility in Broadview, a majority-Black village about 13 miles west of Chicago, has become a focus of them.
On at least four occasions, about a dozen demonstrators sitting on the ground attempting to block ICE vehicles from carrying detainees into the facility have been repelled by heavily armed ICE agents using physical force, chemical munitions and rubber bullets, evoking combat scenes.
Protesters have decried what they call similar heavy-handed policing in other Democratic-run cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered Department of Justice officials on Monday to “defend ICE facilities, specifically in Portland and Chicago.”
At Broadview, masked ICE agents have regularly fired volleys of rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper powder into the crowd.
Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said earlier this week that the clouds of tear gas were affecting residents who lived near the facility, and that a fence ICE had erected without village approval was blocking access for emergency vehicles. The city’s police department has opened two criminal investigations into ICE officers’ actions at the facility, including allegedly targeting the vehicle of a local TV news reporter.
“We will not allow sanctuary politicians or violent rioters to stop us from enforcing the law,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on Wednesday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Munich Airport Gradually Reopens Following Late-Night Drone Sightings
Munich Airport announced on Saturday that it was slowly resuming flight operations from 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), cautioning that delays were likely to persist throughout the day, hours after both of the airport’s runways had been shut down for the second time in under 24 hours following reports of a drone sighting.
The airport advised travellers to check with their airlines as it prepared for the restart, two hours later than originally scheduled, after the Friday evening closure.
Dozens of flights had been diverted or cancelled, stranding some 6,500 passengers, authorities said.
European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings that some authorities have blamed on Russia. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Flight Ops Hit
Authorities have yet to attribute Thursday’s or Friday’s drone sightings to a specific actor.
“German air traffic control restricted flight operations at Munich Airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice,” a statement on the airport website read.
In a later update, the airport said 23 flights were diverted, 12 flights to Munich and 48 departures were cancelled or postponed.
“As on the previous night, the airport and airlines took care of the passengers,” it added. “Camp beds, blankets, drinks and snacks were handed out.”
The previous evening, the captain of a London-bound aircraft whose departure was cancelled told passengers that runways had been closed “because of drone sightings near the take-off and landing runways” and that police helicopters were aloft.
The airport website showed that due arrivals had been diverted starting at 8:35 p.m. (1835 GMT).
Munich airport was closed for several hours late on Thursday and in the small hours after unconfirmed drone sightings that disrupted dozens of flights.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt promised earlier on Friday to bring forward legislation making it easier for the police to ask the military to shoot down drones.
(With inputs from Reuters)