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Atheist Ireland 🖋 has written to the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, about a recent WRC ruling that has undermined freedom of expression in Ireland.


Ireland removed blasphemy from the Constitution in 2018. Public bodies should be careful not to recreate similar effects by allowing sanctions for offensive criticism of religion.

While this ruling is not technically a blasphemy law, its practical effect is similar. A person has been denied access to a service for life, because their criticism of religion was expressed in terms deemed offensive or unacceptable.

The central issue that we are raising is not whether the words used were offensive. It is whether a lifetime ban from a service, imposed after a person answered a question about religion in an informal conversation that he did not initiate, is a lawful, necessary, and proportionate restriction on freedom of expression.

In the case, the WRC rejected a challenge by a former seminarian against a yoga studio. The studio banned him for life after he responded to a question about Christmas by saying it was hocus pocus that celebrated the rape and abandonment of a child.

The WRC found that the man had established a prima facie case of religious discrimination against the Mayo yoga studio. However, it found that the studio’s owner and yoga teacher had successfully rebutted the inference of discrimination by arguing her decision was based on how he expressed his beliefs rather than what the beliefs were.

The WRC decision did not apply any proportionality test, weighing whether restrictions on this formulation of words are prescribed by law, pursue a legitimate aim, and are necessary in a democratic society. It did not try to balance the competing interests, nor did it take into account that he would not have expressed his views if he had not been asked to do so.

No doubt some people would be offended by the language he used when responding to a question. However, it is language that is consistent with the balance between freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief. Such language might have been unlawful when we had a law against blasphemy, but not since we removed that law by referendum.

The WRC only took into account the formulation of the words used, and decided that it was not discrimination under the Equal Status Act to punish someone in those circumstances. This means that people can be discriminated against if a service provider does not like the formulation of the words used when asking for someone’s opinion on a particular subject in an informal setting. This completely undermines freedom of expression.

Overview of the case

The context was that, before the yoga class started, the teacher and her clients were informally discussing things as they usually did. She asked the man if he was all set for Christmas. He said it was hocus pocus, celebrating a religious cult which has its origins based on the rape of a child. She said the Church had a good moral code. He said look at the child abuse, the paedophilia, and Tuam. She said right, well, let’s get on with the yoga.

After the class, the teacher wrote to the client saying that his continued presence constituted a threat to her clients and her business operations. She said his behaviour was disruptive to the point of causing unease among other clients. Following further correspondence, she said he was banned for life from the studio. There was no evidence presented that any of the clients of the service had left the service because of his response.

Our concerns about the ruling

Clearly, as the WRC ruling says, nobody has the right to use “any formulation of language, in any setting, without consequence.” But this ruling ignores the key question of exactly how, in this case, the “manner by which he expressed his views” crossed the line into such consequences.

He was not promoting violence or discrimination. The owner and/or others simply did not like the formulation of words he used, in response to a question, in a conversation he did not even initiate.

On this basis, the WRC has endorsed banning a client for life from a service. Restricting freedom of expression in this manner is not reflected in any legislation. It undermines freedom of expression and all our international obligations.

Article 40.6.1 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression which can only be limited by the protection of public order or morality. There was no threat to either public order or morality in this yoga class.

The whole point of the right to freedom of expression is to permit the expression of controversial views that do not cross the legal line of the proportionality test. And this includes the right to express beliefs about religious or philosophical ideas that offend, shock, or disturb.

What the European Court has said

The European Court held in Handyside v UK 1976 that:

The Court’s supervisory functions oblige it to pay the utmost attention to the principles characterising a ‘democratic society’. Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of such a society, one of the basic conditions for its progress and for the development of every man.
Subject to paragraph 2 of Article 10 (art. 10-2), it is applicable not only to ‘information’ or ‘ideas’ that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb the State or any sector of the population.
Such are the demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness without which there is no ‘democratic society’. This means, amongst other things, that every ‘formality’, ‘condition’, ‘restriction’ or ‘penalty’ imposed in this sphere must be proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued.
From another standpoint, whoever exercises his freedom of expression undertakes ‘duties and responsibilities’ the scope of which depends on his situation and the technical means he uses. The Court cannot overlook such a person’s ‘duties’ and ‘responsibilities’ when it enquires, as in this case, whether ‘restrictions’ or ‘penalties’ were conducive to the ‘protection of morals’ which made them ‘necessary’ in a ‘democratic society’.

What the Venice Commission has said

In 2008, the Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through law) on the relationship between Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Religion. It said:

43. Freedom of expression, guaranteed by Article 10 ECHR, constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions for its progress and for each individual’s self-fulfilment. Subject to paragraph 2 of Article 10, it is applicable not only to ‘information’ or ‘ideas’ that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend shock or disturb.
44. A democracy should not fear debate, even on the most shocking or anti-democratic ideas. It is through open discussion that these ideas should be countered and the supremacy of democratic values be demonstrated. Mutual understanding and respect can only be achieved through open debate. Persuasion through open public debate, as opposed to ban or repression, is the most democratic means of preserving fundamental values.”

Conclusion

We are raising with the Minister for Justice that the Equal Status Acts, WRC procedures, and/or Departmental guidelines should be clarified to ensure that freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief are properly protected when service providers respond to controversial or offensive views.

⏩ Follow Atheist Ireland on Twitter @atheistie

Atheist Ireland Writes To Minister About WRC Ruling Undermining Freedom Of Expression

Right Wing Watch 👀 Written by Kyle Mantyla.


For the last several weeks, far-right Christian nationalist pastor Dale Partridge has been preaching on the Curse of Ham, a controversial theological theory long used to justify slavery and racism.

Originating in Genesis 9, the theory posits that black people were perpetually cursed by God to serve and be ruled by white people because Ham, one of the sons of Noah, looked upon his father when he was passed out drunk and naked in his tent.

Partridge claimed that "the African peoples . . .  and some of the people from India" are the modern-day descendants of Ham and that they have been assigned by God to be ruled over and dependent upon whites, Europeans, Asians, Jews, and Arabs, who are allegedly the descendants of Ham's brothers, Shem and Japheth.

Given that "God has sovereignly assigned different stations and trajectories to different peoples for his glory," Partridge declared that it is only proper for Africa to recolonized by "white Christians."

"The Japhethites have been blessed to be enlarged in both territory and Christian regeneration," Partridge preached. 

The Hamites have been assigned to a civilizational station of subordination and dependence. And the answer to this paradigm is not endless foreign money.

Continue @ RWW.

Dale Partridge Calls For The Return Of 'European Christian Colonization Of African Nations'

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of Two Thousand And Thirty

 

Pastords @ 52

Anthony McIntyre ☠ It was seriously disappointing but not surprising to learn that the FAI Extraordinary General Meeting voted in favour of legitimising, by normalising, the fascistic state of Israel. 

As disappointing, and more surprising, was the size of the majority. '75 delegates voted in favour (68%), 32 were against and there were three abstentions.' So at odds with Irish public opinion, it invites suspicion as to how it was obtained. 

It is not that the membership attending voted out of ignorance. Tart it up as they might in the language of sport, the inconvenience  of losing soccer points seemed more annoying to them than making serious points that sports washing of genocide or fascism is morally repugnant. 

They know what their vote means. Waffle and platitudes expressing concern for Palestinians after this amount to nothing other than a shield to protect them from criticism for the appalling decision made at the EGM.

The rogue state of Israel not only defies international law. It also defies its own law. A matter of days ago for the first time in its history the Israeli government, Netanyahu-led, said it would ignore a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court.

The move effectively blocks the proposed buyout of the Channel 13 television channel by a group of high-tech entrepreneurs led by a prominent government critic.

It has been described by legal analysts as the most brazen attempt yet by the Netanyahu government to legitimise defiance of the country's Supreme Court. Even Don Diaper, leader of America's Madmen, has avoided going as far as to say he will ignore SCOTUS. The Israeli president, genocide enthusiast Isaac Herzog, accused the government of going a step too far:

I have made this clear before, and I will repeat it again and again: Refusing to comply with a court ruling is a red line that must not be crossed under any circumstances.

All said with a straight face and averse to irony, as if he has forgotten that he refuses to comply with the rulings of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
 
The Zionist Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, also sharing Herzog's aversion to irony, accused the Israeli Supreme Court of being "drunk with power". Like Herzog he is having a laugh. Karhi is a member of the most power crazed government in Israeli history.

This is the turd that the FAI is now trying and shine up. James Connolly might have sardonically taunted the FAI whoop it up for sporting liberty.

In response, Irish Sport for Palestine, the group behind the Stop the Game campaign, described the decision a "disappointing indictment of the Football Association of Ireland" that "does not reflect the will of the Irish public or professional players".

We respect the secret ballot. However, serious questions remain about how this vote was brought forward, including the denial of an initial request for proper debate on the match, the failure to address the questions brought by co-proposers before requisitions were sent, the three-week delay between receipt of requisitions and them being deemed ineligible, the wording of the motion, and the misrepresentation of the PFA's position.

The FAI increasingly looks as crooked as FIFA.

Even though I am a soccer fan rather than GAA, I still think the ideas of metaphorically taking a hurl to the heads of the charlatans of the FAI is not such a bad idea.

⏩Follow on Bluesky.

Whoop It Up For Sporting Liberty

Geordie Morrow ðŸ–Œ with a painting from his collection of art work. 

Oil On Canvas

⏩Geordie Morrow is a Belfast artist.

A New Day Yesterday

Dixie Elliot ✊Sinn Féin's 'Irish Unity Bill' is yet another case of that party trying to look busy doing nothing.
 
They know what they signed up to in the so called GFA. That the British government decides when the time is right to hold a referendum on Irish Unity. So it doesn't matter if this bill is overwhelmingly passed, the British will just ignore it.
 
More recently this is what Sinn Féin signed up to in order to get the Unionists back into Stormont so that Michelle O'Neill could become the Colonial First Minister.

The very first line tells us in no uncertain terms that the British government is committed to strengthening NI's place in the Union, that they will never be neutral on this issue and that this is a position held on a broad, cross party basis in Parliament.
 
In the part highlighted in blue, the British state quite clearly that on the basis of all recent polling they see no realistic prospect of a border poll leading to a United Ireland.
 
It is their belief following the restoration of the devolved institutions that NI's future in the UK will be secure for decades to come and as such the conditions for a border poll are unlikely to be objectively met. 
Thomas Dixie Elliot is a Derry artist and a former H Block Blanketman.
Follow Dixie Elliot on Twitter @IsMise_Dixie

Busy Doing Nothing

Pádraig Drummond ✊ Some months ago my good friend Mags Glennon, gifted me Óglach Seán McKearney & Óglach Eugene Martin: 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book.



I've read it several times since, and with each reading I've found something new to admire. It is a beautifully compiled tribute. Not only to two young Volunteers, but to two lifelong friends whose bond carried them from childhood innocence to comradeship in one of the most defining chapters of modern Irish history.

More than a story of conflict, it is a story of friendship, brotherhood, family, love, loyalty and conviction. It reminds us that before Seán and Eugene became Volunteers of the East Tyrone Brigade, they were simply two boys who grew up side by side, sharing the same dreams and the same roads.

This has been a labour of respect for some time now. I only hope these words have done justice to Seán, Eugene, and the enduring bond they shared.

The Ballad Of The Blackwater Boys

Hearken, O' hills of Blackwater's shore,
And hearken, O' winds that wander Slieve Gallion;
Raise now your voices with oak and ash,
For two noble sons of Éire are remembered.
♞♜♝
Not yesterday was their story fashioned,
Nor in the fleeting hour of mortal breath;
Its roots lie deep beneath the stones
Where the Red Hand first guarded Ulster,
Where O'Neill's banner kissed the morning,
And the harp of Tara answered the raven.
♞♜♝
The earth remembers.
♞♜♝
Before the sword was placed in willing hand,
Before the oath was spoken beneath silent stars,
They were but children,
Laughing beneath orchard boughs,
Following streams through meadow grass,
While skylarks climbed towards heaven
And their mothers called them home at dusk.
♞♜♝
In Collegelands first cried Seán,
A son of Kevin and Maura,
Born where memory walked beside every hearth.
His cradle was rocked
By tales of Easter's flame,
Of men who would not bend the knee,
Of Éire's ancient sovereignty.
♞♜♝
Not many moons thereafter
Eugene entered the world,
Son of Benedict and Annastatia,
Quiet of speech,
Steadfast in heart,
His eyes already reflecting
The steadfast hills of Tyrone.
♞♜♝
The Almighty bound them early,
As oak is joined to earth
And river finds the sea.
♞♜♝
Together they crossed the schoolyard gate,
Together they knelt before the altar,
Together they chased the leather ball
Across fields bright with summer rain.
No envy dwelt between them,
No falsehood darkened their friendship,
For each strengthened the other
As twin oaks standing against the western wind.
♞♜♝
Seán, fleet-footed upon the green,
Could send the ball soaring
Like a hawk riding the mountain air.
His laughter carried farther than the curlew's cry,
And every comrade sought his company.
♞♜♝
Eugene fashioned timber with patient hands,
Finding beauty where others saw only labour.
Strong as the ash,
Gentle as falling snow,
He spoke little,
Yet every word bore honesty.
♞♜♝
But dark clouds gathered beyond the horizon.
♞♜♝
The ancient wound of Éire's
Had not been healed.
The stranger's law still ruled the valleys;
The mailed fist still guarded the gates.
Justice was measured unequally,
And many honest homes
Knew the weight of fear before the dawn.
♞♜♝
The young beheld what their fathers had borne,
And what their grandfathers before them.
They saw doors broken,
Families scattered,
Voices silenced beneath the truncheon,
And truth answered by the rifle.
♞♜♝
Then awoke within them
The old inheritance.
♞♜♝
Not hatred.
Not hunger for glory.
But the solemn burden
Passed from generation unto generation,
♞♜♝
As flame is carried from one candle to another,
Unbroken through the centuries.
♞♜♝
So they stood among the Volunteers,
Not for silver,
Nor for the praise of men,
But believing they answered
The ancient call of their people.
♞♜♝
Brief were their years,
Yet full were their deeds.
♞♜♝
The spring blossoms had scarcely opened
When destiny summoned them.
Upon a May evening
The road received them,
And Éire gathered two more names
Into the long roll of her faithful dead.
♞♜♝
The bells of the Moy answered.
The piper mourned.
The Blackwater flowed in silence,
As thousands came walking,
Bareheaded beneath heaven,
To bear witness
That honour had not departed from the land.
♞♜♝
No monument of polished granite
Can equal such remembrance.
♞♜♝
While children still play
Beneath the orchard trees;
While the Blackwater runs to Lough Neagh;
While the old songs are sung
Beside winter fires;
While Éire remembers her own,
♞♜♝
The names of Seán McKearney
And Eugene Martin
Shall not fade.
♞♜♝
For stone may weather,
And bronze may darken,
But the memory of noble hearts
Endures in the soul of a nation.
♞♜♝
May the green hills keep them.
May the rivers speak their names.
May every generation yet unborn
Know that two friends walked together,
Lived together,
And now forever rest together,
♞♜♝
Among the heroes of Éire.
♞♜♝
I measc na laochra go deo.

⏩Pádraig Drummond is an anti-racism activist.

The Ballad Of The Blackwater Boys

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of Two Thousand And Twenty Nine

 

A Morning Thought @ 3202


Azar Majedi ★ What Awaits People - War or Peace?

On Thursday, June 18,  after about a week of consultations, speculation, various and sometimes contradictory analyses from the mainstream media, Israeli media, and on social media, the US-Islamic Republic Memorandum of Understanding was finally signed electronically by Trump and Pezeshkian, the president of the Islamic Republic. 

It was agreed that two delegations from the US, headed by Vance, and from Iran, headed by Ghalibaf and Araghchi, would meet in Switzerland on Friday 19th for the "next phase" of negotiations. This meeting was cancelled due to Israel's failure to comply with the Memorandum of Understanding. Israel attacked southern Lebanon in violation of the signed Memorandum. The Islamic Republic also closed the Strait of Hormuz once again.

The June 19th meeting was cancelled. The dispute escalated, but finally, on Sunday, June 21, the US and Islamic Republic delegations met in Switzerland with the mediation of Qatar and Pakistan. Vance described the meeting as very positive. But the Islamic Republic has postponed the continuation of the talks until the ceasefire in Lebanon is observed, and has conditioned the opening of the Strait of Hormuz on the ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s exemptions from sanctions on oil exports.

Contrary to Vance’s very positive tone, Trump has threatened Iran that if it does not silence its proxies in Lebanon, the US will attack and occupy Iran even more aggressively than before. The Israeli defence minister has also announced that the Israeli army will remain in Lebanon.

With that said, this contradiction, confusion and lack of coherence begs the question: has all the fuss about the memorandum of understanding, its contents and the debate about the victorious and the defeated gone up in smoke? And will Trump’s boasting and self-glorification after signing the memorandum at a dinner in Versailles during the G7 summit turn into the countless jokes of his presidency? Trump ensured that the document would be signed at the Palace of Versailles, where US President Wilson signed the Armistice Agreement that ended World War I. A show of grandeur and power!

This was entirely predictable, given that Israel had all along declared that it was not bound by the agreement. In recent days, we have witnessed harsh criticism of Trump and the memorandum, from some Israeli politicians and media outlets, and from sources affiliated with the Zionist billionaires who are Trump’s financial backers. On the other hand, some US politicians, including J.D. Vance and Hillary Clinton, have taken a harsh line against Israel. Publicly harsh and controversial criticism is a rare phenomenon in US-Israeli relations. It seems that a faction is forming within US ruling class that intends to throw Netanyahu under the bus and hope that all the filth and mess would go away. These events exposes the delicate and precarious situation in which the US and Israel find themselves.

Is peace possible?

Not only this memorandum, but any kind of agreement between the US and the Islamic Republic and Israel will be completely fragile. In the last two years, Israel signed a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and has not remained committed to it for a single day. It also violated the ceasefire in Lebanon. On the other hand, Trump changes his mind every day, and even the mainstream media cannot publish his promises with certainty. But a shaky peace and a cold war can be established for a period.

It must be stated that in this world full of chaos, war and destruction, talk of lasting peace is nothing more than a dream and an illusion. To achieve lasting peace, the root cause of war, killing and destruction must be addressed and eliminated. As far as the US and Israel's war against Iran is concerned, achieving peace is a very complicated matter. The problem here is that the war against Iran did not happen overnight. It has been a long-term project in the making. If we accept that the war and slaughter we are witnessing in the region is being waged with the aim of creating a new Middle East and a Greater Israel, the war will not end until this project is shelved.

Furthermore, the project to destroy and change the landscape of the region was clearly formulated and expressed by the US government in 2001 with a plan to bomb 7 countries. The details of this project have been leaked for years. Five countries, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and Libya, have been “sufficiently” ruined; Lebanon and Iran are undergoing the planned destruction and transformation. Therefore, until this vast project is completely and definitively ended or shelved, the risk of war will hang over Iran.

It is necessary to briefly look at the history of the division of the region and the formation of Israel in order to better understand the root of the problem and the main issue of the current tension and conflict. The current war is the result of a century of continuous wars. The new Middle East and Greater Israel is not a new project. It did not start on October 7, 2023. This was a project, the general plan of which was drawn after the First World War; not necessarily in these words, or in all the details. But the colonial plan of Britain and France, with the agreement of the Allies after the end of the First World War, was to divide the region in such a way that their undisputed dominance over the whole region would be maintained and consolidated. Therefore, they divided the region based on their interests and power.

The formation of Israel was put on the table very quickly. The Balfour Declaration, which gave the Zionists the opportunity and power to organise terror and war to make it possible to establish the state of Israel in 1948, was signed by Britain in 1917 and addressed to Lord Rothschild (the largest banker and one of the most important, influential and decisive Zionists in the formation of Israel). The declaration stated: “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people….”

War, killing, genocide and destruction have since become an integral part of the history of the region. Since the establishment of Israel, the region has not had a peaceful day. In this sense, it can be said that the project of the new Middle East and Greater Israel has been on the table of Western imperialism for a century.

Losers and winners so far

According to friends and foes of America, Trump practically announced his defeat against the Islamic Republic by signing this memorandum. On social media, political commentators with different political tendencies are talking about Trump's defeat. The mainstream media, especially in Israel, are talking about the "high cost of a fruitless war for America."They are trying to be “politically correct” when talking about America's defeat up to this stage.

Every tendency is trying to put its political interpretation on this memorandum. But the facts are clear. America started the war with the aim of destroying Iran ("returning it to the Stone Age") and turning Iran into another Syria, in other words, balkanisation of the country which is means nothing but the implementation of a dark scenario in Iran. They explained this situation with the word "regime change". It is said that Trump/the US government thought that this would be a quick operation. The situation took a different form.

The US is in a situation where it sees the continuation of the current war as being very detrimental to its interests. That is why it has signed this memorandum. A document that practically shows that the Islamic Republic has strengthened its political position vis-à-vis the US and Israel and in the region compared to before the war. The US has agreed to lift sanctions and pay $300 billion in compensation and release Iran's frozen assets. Islamic regime has agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz which was open before the war.

But to achieve even a temporary peace, it is necessary for the US to tame Israel. Or, to be more precise, the current anti-war faction in the ruling class to tame the war-mongering faction. This is difficult to predict. The fact that their differences and disputes have become public indicates how sensitive the situation is and the impasse they currently seem to be stuck in.

It is clear that we and all freedom-loving and conscientious people want an immediate end to the war. The war has brought incredible hardship and misery to the people. Poverty is rampant on an incredible scale. Millions of workers have been made unemployed. The scarcities of food, medicine, and essentials, along with skyrocketing prices, have made people's lives a hundred times more difficult and arduous than before. This war has brought nothing but poverty, misery, death and destruction, to the people. The war has greatly increased the regime's repressive power and has changed the balance of power between the regime and the people to the detriment of the people. This war must be stopped.

If the war is considered a great disaster for the people and society, it has been a blessing for the Islamic Republic. Israel and America (the Mossad and CIA narrative) pushed this war forward with the promise of “freedom and progress” for the people and Iran. A scenario was written to make the war seem acceptable. A handful of mercenaries from Iranian national fascists, Kurdish and ethnic national fascists, and some so-called leftist groups that have jumped on the bandwagon of US/Israel Regime change entered the field of war propaganda.

They blew the trumpet of war in demonstrations, conferences, speeches, and radio and television interviews. They displayed heinous scenes of fascism, thuggish-ness, and unscrupulousness as mercenaries. They begged Trump and Bibi to bomb Iran. With every bomb that tore apart a child, youth, and elderly, destroyed water and electricity supplies, and the arteries of the economy and people's lives, they danced and shouted: "Tank you Trump!""Tank you BB!" and waved Israeli flags in the streets. This group is the main losers of the war so far. They have no dignity or credibility left. They are known to the people as a bunch of unscrupulous mercenaries. They are a losing card!

The bitter irony is that in his explanatory speech about the memorandum in front of millions of viewers, Trump made these mercenaries into a piece of junk. He ridiculed them and called them “stupid”. They are exploding with anger. These mercenaries, namely Iran International and other Mossad/CIA "regime change" media have acted in such a manner that will take them a long time to recover from. This is called premature death.

Society and the Islamic Republic after the War

The course of the war so far has placed the Islamic Republic in a stronger position. In practice, the assassination of the leader and a large part of the Islamic government, which was interpreted and announced as the biggest blow to the regime, led to the strengthening of its cohesion and integrity. A kind of transformation has taken within the regime. It placed power in the hands of a faction known as the "hardliner" and practically marginalized elements such as Rouhani and Zarif, the so-called state-reformist faction, and Ahmadinejad, the figures who were considered rivals to the other faction.

The conditions and results of the war weakened the people's position against the regime. The dangers and losses resulting from the war placed the people in a more precarious and fragile situation. The regime, benefitting from people’s weakened position and using the pretext of war conditions, has tightened its grip on the people's throats and imposed more severe repression on the society. This war has changed the balance of power between the people and the regime in favour of the regime.

People had succeeded in pushing the Islamic Republic back in some areas during the uprising four years ago and the subsequent struggles. The most important achievement was gained by the women's liberation movement, which effectively led to the de facto overthrow of the Islamic Hejab and sexual apartheid. This is an important socio-political and cultural achievement that should be discussed separately, but it should be noted that the Islamic Republic has not been able to regain this huge stronghold. Many reports and films from Iran cite that during the war, women were present in the streets without Hejab, and at night in many parts of Tehran, people gathered, played music, danced, and women appeared with and without Hejab.

But in other areas, the regime has succeeded in pushing back workers and protesting people. In recent years, we have witnessed many workers’ protests, where as in the current situation, the possibility of protest has become much more difficult. Reports indicate that the regime’s forces of repression are standing on street corners and attacking any kind of protest. Number of political prisoners executed has risen. In practice, the Islamic Republic has tightened its grip on people's throats.

In the absence of a progressive, powerful, socialist and organised force that can fight against American imperialism and Israel, Islamic Republic’s resistance, defence and fighting back has elevated its stature among the world, among those who oppose and are disgusted by the genocide, killing and destruction. The vast masses of people around the world, people who are fed up with the slaughter and barbarity committed by Israel*, who are also disgusted with the bullying of the US and the West worldwide; now look at the Islamic Republic with a positive view. In the absence of a progressive, leftist, organised and well-equipped power in the world, the Islamic Republic has emerged as the only force of resistance against America and Israel. The Islamic Republic has completely won the propaganda war.

Regardless of whether the obstacles to this memorandum of understanding are removed or another agreement is reached, people must maintain their awareness of the war, its dangers and protect themselves from the attacks of the Islamic Republic; A very difficult and arduous task. But this is the only way out of the limbo we are stuck in. Focusing on being prepared, vigilant, and work on maintaining solidarity and organisation are our only guarantee for getting out of the impasse that is facing us.

*According to various polls worldwide, Israel is the most despised country in the world: Europe & North America: Disapproval rates are notably high in Western Europe. 78% in Spain, 76% in the Netherlands, 73% in Germany, and 69% in the UK hold negative view of Israel. In the United States, 60% of adults hold an unfavorable view of Israel.

Asia & Middle East: 97% in Turkey, 86% in Indonesia, and 86% in Malaysia have very negative views of Israel. In Japan, 60% of the public are against Israel.

⏩ Asar Majed is the Chairperson of Organisation for Women’s Liberation.

The Memorandum Of Understanding Is Up In The Air!

Kate Rice ✍ with a poem.

Of Meat And Men

War Makes Meat Of A Man
the white marbled slab of wealth
whole and without cut
in its red brick abode
♞♜♝
 you are no such prime slice
 bloody and tender and quick to rot
 diced and piled high
 on No Man’s Table
♞♜♝
meal of cheap cuts 
shoulder and shank 
broiled and stewed soft 
to feed the few 
 ♞♜♝
you are easy to buy
and easy to carve
butcher shop gristle
cut the baby fat off you.

⏩Kate Rice is a peace baby.

Of Meat And Men

Christopher Owens ðŸ”– In some ways, the musical underground of the 1980’s is far more influential today than at the time.


Thanks to the internet and downloading in the early 00’s, it was possible to read about bands like Cocteau Twins and Godflesh in forums and then check the music out for yourself. You didn’t need to know someone with a cool record collection, nor did you even need a record store! You could download the discographies of obscure acts like Dif Juz, Meat Whiplash and Flipper, read their Wikipedia entries and become an expert instantly.

By the end of the decade, tons of those bands have reformed, garnered critical appraisal far greater than they had initially experienced and had their catalogue repressed on vinyl. All’s well that ends well, I hear you say.

But something was lost in the process: context, literacy, connections.

And, in this new book from the acclaimed writer/music commentator, Simon Reynolds muses on all of this while reexamining links between groups one may not have thought of before.

From how Cocteau Twins and early REM share a lack of conventional singing through to how the likes of Tad, Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana were a response to the punks discovering classic rock as well as an entrenchment of the more macho elements of rock music, there is much to rediscover and reappraise.

And some angles that can cause arguments . . . 

One bit that did irk me was his surface level critique of Steve Albini’s persona during this period. While some of what he said/wrote has been correctly attacked, it’s important to remember the context of the time. As one commentator wrote:

...it's worth mentioning that you sort of had to be there to understand how some of this sort of bullshit fit into the cultural miasma that was 'punk rock' in the '80s.This was before 120 Minutes...Hot Topic...'American Idiot.' Punk rock was a fairly anarchic and unstructured community full of completely ungovernable people where bad behavior was not only tolerated, but often encouraged. You had this massive gamut of subcultures within the subculture - from the very rigid and codified dress code and lifestyle of the skinheads to the ascetic straight-edge kids to the 'how many of these can I take and still stagger onstage in a wedding dress and a cow's head?' performance ethic of bands like the Butthole Surfers.
I watched a girl come out of the bathroom at 688 and throw a cup of hot piss at Henry Rollins one night because she really liked the band. Two friends of mine came out of a night club in Miami and saw Nick Cave standing in the alley. When they said 'Hey, Nick! We love you! Nick!' and he turned his back on them they got pissed and beat him up. y'know, because they loved him. Punk rock was for fucked up people...It wasn't just suburban teenagers with edgy haircuts and skateboards. It was hustlers, fuckups and untreated psychotics, it was addicts and dwarfs and that girl with one arm and a snake tattooed on her cheek.
Why does this matter? Because the terms of rebellion weren't so codified then. 'Right' and 'wrong' were pretty fluid in a lot of people's minds … How fucked up a spectacle could you make? How outrageously could you behave? These were hallmarks of quality before it all got codified into 'How many records can you sell?

Yes, it’s now considered ‘edgelord’ terrain in the online sphere. Back then, it can be argued, that one way of responding to political conservatism was through the dark underbelly. As one ages and matures, we should confine such interests to memory (although the popularity of true crime would suggest otherwise).

Similarly, while correctly noting how most of the music scene was often passively political,(directly or indirectly) he neglects to discuss how this ended up in a situation where according to Andrew Calcutt:

A new political order has emerged in which the victim is supreme, and adults are treated more like children. Meanwhile, many adults are more likely to think of themselves as victims, or to identify with the motif of the authentic, innocent child. The result is a convergence between on the one hand the spontaneous development of a cultural personality which is victimized and childlike, and on the other hand the remoulding of the individual’s relationship to the state in accordance with his supposed immaturity. The convergence of these trends is facilitated by the already existing non-adult language provided by the counterculture and the pop culture which succeeded it.

Regardless, although not on a par with other Reynolds books like Retromania or Rip it Up and Start Again this is still an immersive read that celebrates an eclectic moment in time as well as critiques it.

Simon Reynolds, 2026, Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984–1994. White Rabbit Press ISBN-13: 978-1399618373

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist and is the author of A Vortex of Securocrats and “dethrone god”.

Still In A Dream 📚 Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock, 1984–1994

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