Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
Politicians deliberately provoking language sets off race riots
SOLOMON HUGHES points at the Establishment as the inspirers of recent race riots and explains why Brits have a blinkered view of US politics
GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS: (L to R) Tim Walz speaks during the Democratic National Convention yesterday; Demonstrators during an anti-racism protest organised by Stand Up to Racism in Cardiff on August 10 2024
After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
The June 2025 attacks on Iran have heightened the risk of a wider war, exposed the fiction of a rules-based international order and left ordinary Iranians trapped between external aggression and internal repression, says the Committee for Defence of Iranian People’s Rights
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
IN 1978 Margaret Thatcher said non-white migration meant voters are “afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture.”
The fascist National Front was growing. Thatcher was accused of trying to win their votes by using their language. Labour general secretary Ron Hayward said Thatcher used “National Front talk” and was “fighting dirty” on race in the upcoming election.
In the last round of fascist-led riots, this process worked in reverse: instead of mainstream parties opportunistically borrowing far-right language, the racist rioters used slogans written by the mainstream parties.
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