Latest news with #Solidarity
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israeli attacks
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israeli attacks NewsFeed Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israeli attacks Hundreds of thousands of Iranians were seen protesting in cities across Iran on Friday over continued Israeli attacks.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Paul Murphy returns to Ireland after being held in Egypt
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who was detained twice in Egypt while participating in the Global March to Gaza, has returned to Ireland. He was among a group of participants in the march from Ireland who flew back to Dublin. Speaking to journalists at Dublin Airport, the People Before Profit/Solidarity TD said that "this phase of the global march to Gaza is finished". However, he said that the international campaign for Gaza will continue and will focus next on the meeting between EU foreign ministers and Israel's foreign minister in Brussels next week. Mr Murphy said that all of the Irish people involved in the march "are fine" but there are others still detained in Egypt and for that reason he had to be careful "in terms of what comments we make about Egypt". He said he still does not have his phone back following his detention. Earlier, Mr Murphy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme that no other Irish citizens were currently detained in Egypt. Mr Murphy said it was not initially clear to him that he was being detained. "For the first three hours or so, it was just a slow, bureaucratic process. Things were taking a long time. I asked to leave and was told I couldn't. The whole time they had my passport, and it became clear that I was being detained, as unfortunately hundreds of have been in Egypt, and many people deported. "Yesterday, in total, I was in the police station for nine hours," he added. The TD for Dublin South West said that there would be no renewed attempt for the group to continue their march to Rafah, and that they were disappointed that they had not succeeded. Have now been released, thanks again for all the support. Others from #GlobalMarchToGaza still detained. Will comment further when I've left Egypt. Free Palestine 🇵🇸 — Paul Murphy 🇵🇸 (@paulmurphy_TD) June 16, 2025 "Obviously, we are disappointed that we didn't get to Rafah. But, we have had probably the largest international people-powered coalition for Palestine in a very long time." Hundreds of people went to Egypt for the Global March to Gaza, an international initiative intended to exert pressure for an end to an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory and draw attention to the humanitarian crisis there. Mr Murphy said that pressure needed to be put on western governments to get Israel "to stop what they are doing".
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dozens of MEPs to attend Budapest Pride in defiance of Viktor Orbán
Dozens of MEPs are expected to attend the Pride march in Budapest later this month, in defiance of the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has tried to ban the event. In a debate in the European parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs from liberal, left and green groups pledged to be in Budapest on 28 June for the parade to show solidarity with gay Hungarians. The pledges came after the city's mayor said the event would go ahead, circumventing a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ+ marches. Gergely Karácsony said on Monday that the march would be a municipal event – and a celebration of freedom – so 'no permits from authorities are needed'. 'In this city, there are no first- or second-class citizens … neither freedom, nor love can be banned, and the Budapest Pride cannot be banned either,' Karácsony said. Iratxe García Pérez, the Spanish leader of the Socialist group in the European parliament, addressed gay people in Hungary directly during the debate on Wednesday: 'We see you, we hear you and on 28 June we will march with you in Budapest, side by side, proud and loud.' Tineke Strik, a Dutch Green MEP, who recently led a delegation of lawmakers to Hungary, said she and 70 European deputies would be in Budapest. 'Me and 70 colleagues will do what the commission won't. We will come to the Pride. We will show the Hungarians that they are not alone.' Amsterdam's mayor Femke Halsema and a junior Dutch minister have also said they will attend the event, according to local media. The European commissioner for democracy and justice, Irish politician Michael McGrath, who took part in the debate, did not respond to repeated requests to join the event in Budapest. McGrath confirmed the commission was examining the Hungarian law that outlaws Pride marches over its compatibility with EU law and provisions on fundamental rights. 'The European commission is ready to use all its tools to ensure that EU law is upheld right across our union,' he said. The commission is already taking legal action against Hungary over a 2021 law that bans LGBTQ+ content from schools and primetime TV, meaning pupils wondering about their sexuality cannot access help, while shows or adverts reflecting themes of tolerance may be impossible to air during peak viewing hours. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion In a significant step, a senior legal scholar – known as an advocate general – at the European court of justice sided with the commission, finding that the Hungarian law banning LGBTQ+ content was based on 'prejudice that homosexual and non-cisgender [transgender] life is not of equal value'. The court follows the advocate general's opinion in most cases. Kinga Gál, a member of Orbán's Fidesz party and vice-president of the far-right Patriots for Europe group, said the debate was 'nothing new' and 'perfectly fits into the witch hunts and hysteria we have experienced for several years about Hungary'. In the right-leaning parliament, Hungary found vocal support in far-right and nationalist MEPs from France, Italy, Spain and Germany. Christine Anderson of the Alternative for Deutschland party, said: 'Where you see scandal, I see reason, common sense and decency,' while accusing the commission of running an 'inquisition'. MEPs from the centre-right were muted in support of gay rights, focusing on concerns over freedom of assembly and democratic standards. 'Opposition is rising in Hungary and Orbán is clearly afraid,' Tomas Tobé, a Swedish member of the European People's party, said. 'They are doing everything they can to limit freedom of speech, restrict freedom of assembly and prevent people from determining their own future.' The EPP is allied to Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider who is widely seen to present the most serious electoral challenge to Orbán since his return to power in 2010.
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Paul Murphy among Irish citizens to return from Egypt
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy has returned to Ireland after being detained in Egypt while attempting to march through the country to Gaza. Mr Murphy, who said his passport was confiscated during his detention, was among 10 people returning to Dublin Airport after participating in the large 'March to Gaza' demonstration to deliver aid into the blockaded enclave. Advertisement He was first detained on Friday while on the march, but was later released. People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy at Dublin Airport after returning from Egypt where he was participating in the March to Gaza (Niall Carson/PA) He said he was later detained again on Monday after attempting to retrieve his phone from a police station. The TD for Dublin South West said his phone has still not been returned by Egyptian authorities. Speaking to reporters after being greeted at Terminal 1 by his partner and child, Mr Murphy said while participants had not reached Rafah, they had succeeded in highlighting their cause. Advertisement He said: 'Just yesterday, 38 people were killed while queuing for aid. This has become a pattern now, more than 300 people in the last three weeks.' Asked about Independent Ireland's characterisation of the protest as a 'publicity stunt' that interfered with Mr Murphy's time in the Dáil, he replied: 'People can make their own judgment on these things. 'First of all, this is not my stunt at all – there were 4,000 people participating. This is probably the biggest global co-ordinated march for Palestine that we have seen.' Mr Murphy said he had been in the Dáil on Thursday before leaving and would be back after arriving home on Tuesday. Advertisement He said most people in the country want 'politicians to do everything they can to stop this genocide'. People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy is welcomed home by his wife Jess and their child Juniper at Dublin Airport (Niall Carson/PA) Asked about the treatment of protesters in Egypt, Mr Murphy and other participants told reporters it was clear that they had the support of the Egyptian people. He said: 'Obviously, we're disappointed with the stance that the Egyptian state took. 'I'm fine, all the Irish people are fine. There are still some non-Irish people who are detained out there so we're hopeful that they're released as soon as possible and we have to be kind of mindful in the fact that they're potentially still in detention. And there's other Irish people that want to come home in terms of the comments we make about Egypt.' Advertisement They stressed that the focus was not about how they were treated and was instead about Israel's military campaign in Gaza, and added they would 'absolutely' go again. However, Mr Murphy said there was acceptance that another march through Egypt would not reach Rafah and that attention now moves to the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday which will also be attended by the Israeli foreign affairs minister. Asked about the response of Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris to the detention of Irish citizens in Egypt, Mr Murphy said: 'He rang me on Saturday morning when I finally had an Egyptian phone and expressed well wishes and I understand he did issue a statement later on that day which was welcome. 'From our perspective, it would have been preferable if that statement had come when people were still in detention, but the main thing I'm asking Simon Harris to do – and I think we're asking Simon Harris to do – is not to do more for us. Advertisement 'It's to match his strong words of criticism of Israel with actions – to fully implement the Occupied Territories Bill, to stop the overflights of weapons going through our airspace and to stop our Central Bank authorising the sale of Israeli Bonds in the European Union.' People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy at Dublin Airport after returning from Egypt where he was participating in the March to Gaza (Niall Carson/PA) Speaking to reporters before a Cabinet meeting which was held prior to Mr Murphy's return, Mr Harris said the Occupied Territories Bill would go to Cabinet next week, adding that it would be published and go before the Foreign Affairs Committee this month. However, Mr Murphy and other opposition figures have criticised the exclusion of services from the bill – which is instead focused on banning the trade of goods between Ireland and illegal Israeli settlements. Meanwhile, Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson said the party had written to the EU's anti-fraud watchdog requesting an investigation into Ireland's failure to inspect 'high-risk flights' into Shannon Airport. Speaking to reporters at Leinster House, she said there had been a 'lack of credible action from the Government when it comes to Gaza' as she focused on flights. She said she had written to the watchdog, known as Olaf, to request that it inspects the Government's protocols and procedures for investigations of high risk aircraft that are travelling through Ireland. 'Under EU legislation, the Government has an obligation to inspect high-risk aircraft,' she said. Ms Stephenson said this means military-contracted flights or aircraft using known military transport routes, for example to Azerbaijan before being sold to Israel. She said the Government had an obligation to conduct EU tax and customs duties and inspections to collect relevant duties if the flight is leaving the EU through Ireland. 'Whether the Government is doing that is a different question – because we've been told they can't possibly inspect flights.' Ms Stephenson said she wrote to Olaf last week and informed the Attorney General about the referral on Monday. She said she is yet to hear back but added that she did not expect Olaf to be 'fast moving'.
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Systemic govt failures, not BEE to blame rising unemployment in SA, says economist
JOHANNESBURG - The debate over the effects of broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) continues, as some push back against claims that affirmative action is to blame for rising unemployment. This follows a report by the Free Market Foundation and trade union Solidarity, which links the country's high unemployment rate to B-BBEE policies. However, numbers from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) tell a different story, showing that employment has grown from 8.9 million in 1994 to 16.7 million in the first quarter of 2025. Of these, more than 12 million jobs are held by black South Africans. According to Stats SA, the number of employed black people has increased from 5 million in 1994 to 12 million in the first quarter of 2025. While more black people are employed now than three decades ago, they still experience the highest rate of unemployment compared to other racial groups. Solidarity argued that B-BBEE had contributed to rising unemployment among black South Africans. However, political economist Dale McKinley disputed the claim that B-BBEE was responsible, instead attributing the issue to systemic government failures. "What I don't agree with is that you can blame BEE [black economic empowerment] for the lack of growth in the economy as a whole. Those are structural problems in our economy that go way beyond a particular BEE policy, that go through apartheid legacy and racial and class divisions that are very deep." In his presidential newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa also refuted claims that B-BBEE had failed to address unemployment.
