The title above is taken from Henry David Thoreau’s seminal 1849 essay , Civil Disobedience. One of the most influential ever written. Read by Gandhi and Martin Luther King who both declared its influence upon them, it’s as relevant today as it ever was. Particularly on this day! Election day 2024. Thoreau beseeches us to make voting a symbol of […]
In moving scenes yesterday we finally saw Julian Assange step off a plane onto Australian soil. His joy was visible as his wife Stella rushed into his arms and Julian lifted her off the ground in an embrace before they kissed. He also embraced his father. It brought tears to my eyes to see all this happen because, as Stella […]
BSNEWS editor Alison Banville: In 2019 I attended a talk in London by UN special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, who, after visiting Julian in Belmarsh prison, was so shocked by his deteriorated condition that he immediately spoke out declaring that Julian’s life was at risk: “In my view, this case has never been about Mr. Assange’s guilt or innocence, […]
Journalist, rapper and activist Lowkey has been an indispensable source of crucial information on Palestine, not just since the horrendous genocide in Gaza began, but for years preceding it. His voice is needed more than ever now when even blatant mass murder is being sanitised by the huge propaganda machine that includes the corporate media whose collusion with intelligence agencies […]
Everything I feel about Israel’s heinous onslaught of Gaza is contained in this video (below article) from Owen Jones’ Youtube channel as he responds to the terrorist state’s latest atrocity, the bombing of a tent camp in Rafah full of women and children. But isn’t that the Zionist entity’s speciality? killing the most vulnerable , the most innocent, the most […]
This month I’m celebrating 20 years being vegan! I was in my first year of university in March 2004 when my then boyfriend and I made the change from vegetarian. I never went back. From that day to this it has continued to give my soul peace. I remember feeling a sense of profound lightness of spirit to know I […]
The exceptionally articulate lawyer representing the Arab League at the International Court of Justice has presented a devastating case against Israeli arguments for their claim to Palestinian land and against their ongoing genocide in Gaza.
We have lost the greatest journalist of our time. John Pilger has passed away. And what can one possibly say about this great man that will do him justice? Where are the words that can convey how inspirational and important he was? Not only his unparalleled journalism, but the man he was, made John universally admired and respected, because his […]
Shane McGowan died yesterday. An event which we dreaded would happen much sooner than it did touched the souls of not only those who admired his musical and lyrical genius but of those who recognised that a very special person has been in our midst. What can I say about Shane? The greatest lyricist, a true poet, a punk spirit, […]
I wrote to David Gritten (no I’d never heard of him either) the BBC ‘journalist’ who wrote a piece for their website about the horrific attack on the Syrian military academy on October 6th. The attack was carried out by NATO funded Islamists who waited until the recruits had gathered with their families for the graduation ceremony in order to […]
It’s fascinating to watch how easy it is for the corporate media’s institutional bias to successfully direct the dumb gaze of the sleepwalkers to its chosen angle so that the parameters of debate are squeezed and narrowed until they include only its own perspective. In this case it’s, ‘is Russell Brand a hypocrite?’
The following article by BSN editor Alison Banville was published in The Morning Star. A few days ago I joined a large crowd gathered outside the Department of Transport in London. There were ornate union banners being held aloft proudly emblazoned with ‘Manchester RMT’, ‘Liverpool, Branch no 5 est. 1913’, ‘Wigan RMT’ and, most movingly for me as a girl […]
