According to the latest YouGov Eurotrack survey, conducted between 12 and 26 May in Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain and Italy, public sympathy has shifted decisively towards Palestinians across Europe. In every country surveyed, more respondents said they sympathised with the Palestinian side than with Israel.

In the UK, 32 per cent said [that] they sympathised more with Palestinians, compared to just 14 per cent with Israel. The same pattern was evident in France (24 per cent Palestine vs 18 per cent Israel), Germany (18 per cent vs 17 per cent), Denmark (28 per cent vs 18 per cent), Spain (33 per cent vs 15 per cent), and Italy (31per cent vs 7 per cent). This marks a clear and consistent rejection of Israeli narratives in favour of Palestinian perspectives.

The survey also found minimal support for Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. When asked whether Israel’s military response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October had been proportionate, only 6 per cent of Italians and 16 per cent of the French agreed. In the UK, the figure stood at just 12 per cent.

Across all six countries, larger proportions—between 29 per cent (Italy) and 40 per cent (Germany)—felt that while Israel was right to send troops, it had gone too far and caused excessive civilian casualties.

The data reflects growing outrage at Israel’s unrelenting bombardment of Gaza, which has killed over 54,000 Palestinians—many of them women and children—and wounded more than 120,000 since 7 October. The occupation state resumed its assault in mid-March after breaking a ceasefire, imposing a blockade that has precipitated a famine across the besieged territory.

The public’s capacity to understand the Palestinian viewpoint, even among those who may not fully agree, was notably high. In the UK, 51 per cent of respondents said they could understand the Palestinian perspective, compared with 40 per cent who said the same for Israel.

Opposition to Israel is also growing across the Atlantic. A Pew Research Centre poll in April found that more than half of Americans (53 per cent) now hold an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 42 per cent in March 2022. A separate survey by Data for Progress showed that 51 per cent of U.S. voters oppose Israel’s plan to send more troops into Gaza, and the same number believe former President Donald Trump should demand a ceasefire.

GEO Group is a publicly traded company that makes money for its shareholders by owning and operating prisons and detention facilities. Put more simply, it's a company that profits off of human misery. They have appeared in this newsletter from time to time, always in stories involving humans being subjected to inhumane conditions and horrific treatment.

Martin Vargas Arellano was being held in a GEO-run prison in California. Under this for-profit prison company's oversight, he contracted COVID-19 and died after a series of resulting complications. A recent lawsuit has been filed holding GEO responsible for this death due to gross negligence (that is, they didn't care that a human whose well-being they were responsible for might die on their watch).

This is a major case and potentially a major step in holding private prison contractors responsible when they harm people through profit-driven negligence. And, apparently, the plaintiffs keep needing to officially amend their complaint because the process of discovery has been uncovering so much material to use against GEO.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

The Trump Administration judicial crisis continues, this week involving immigrants deported to Djibouti who had not been given enough time to contest their deportations. This is the latest written order from Judge Brian Murphy of the district court of Massachusetts, who is considering holding administration officials in contempt of court.

Judge Murphy cited UN Human Rights law as well as a lack of due process as the main reasons for his ruling. The President has asked the supreme court to weigh in on this matter, as he wants to make it legally easier to deport immigrants to countries that are not their country of origin. We'll be following this story as it develops.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

As the current administration doubles down on its pursuit of authoritarian control, it has brought its first charges against a sitting member of congress by alleging that Democratic representative Lauren McIver “assaulted” law enforcement agents during the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside of the Delaney Hall ICE facility May 9. As part of a delegation that were prevented from performing a routine check of the facilities, McIver took part in surrounding Baraka, attempting to prevent his arrest.

While charges against Mayor Baraka have been dropped, the federal government is pursuing assault charges against McIver, accusing her of “elbowing” officers. Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY), a former federal prosecutor, characterized the charges as “embarrassing,” saying: “It is so clear that there’s no intent to inflict any physical harm or do anything with the necessary criminal intent. She’s in a scrum and is just trying to protect herself. And even if she did use her forearm to push an agent as part of a scrum, it would never, ever be charged against an average bystander, and certainly not against an elected official who has a constitutional right to be there.”

Cosecha and Pax Christi USA are both great organizations to support who are involved in this struggle in an ongoing way.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action. Emphasis original.)

A new terror tactic ICE has deployed recently has agents targeting immigrants for deportation during routine court hearings. This is what happened to Dylan, a Bronx high school student who fled Venezuela, survived a kidnapping by a cartel, and applied for asylum. Dylan obtained a work permit and driver's permit, began working as a delivery cyclist, enrolled in a school catering to new arrivals, and was helping to raise his younger siblings as his mom worked multiple jobs.

Dylan's family, peers, and the staff at his school are reeling from his abduction. His mother, Raiza, fears for his well being. Dylan was undergoing testing for chronic stomach issues at the time of his abduction and has not received any medical care since being detained. Over the course of one week, Dylan has been transferred between four states, effectively preventing his lawyers from getting in touch with him.

This newest, widespread ICE tactic works like this: when individuals show up for routine, required immigration hearings, government lawyers request that the judge drop deportation proceedings. Individuals are not informed that their asylum claims will be dropped as well in the process, leaving them without any protection when the government then immediately turns around to initiate "expedited removal" processes and arrest the person on the spot. It's a cruel, malicious attack against the immigration system as a whole. While local courts are made into ICE danger zones, deportation orders also result from failing to show up for these scheduled court dates.

Action item: search "court accompaniment for immigrants" in your area. There may be a group who can train you to be active in solidarity with your neighbors and provide protection and allyship as they navigate a hostile court system.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action. Emphasis original.)

Consistency, logic, and morality have never been hallmarks of Trump’s administration. So it should surprise no one that as part of his promised [neo]fascist immigration crackdown, ICE has continued to send immigrants to the very shelters that received threatening letters from FEMA (an agency housed under the Department of Homeland Security, along with ICE) accusing them of potential ‘illegal activity’ conducted at said shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Two things are true at once: the same slapdash approach that defines the Trump Administration writ large crops up in their core project, the detention and deportation machine. And, the evil machine is causing harm on a massive scale.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

Kingsley Wilson […] was appointed in January as deputy press secretary at the Pentagon and faced backlash from the Anti-Defamation League as well as several senators for a history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories. Last year, Wilson tweeted a neo-Nazi talking point about Jewish lynching victim Leo Frank, whose murder spurred the ADL’s creation.

The American Jewish Committee called for her removal in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) in March.

“Anyone who posts antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook should not be in public office,” the post read. “Kingsley Wilson, newly appointed @DepPressSecDOD, is clearly unfit for her role.”

She has also tweeted several times in support of the “Great Replacement” theory, whose original version contends that Jews are orchestrating the replacement of majority-white nations with immigrants of color.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America also condemned the appointment in a post on Bluesky, writing, “Antisemitism has no place in government. This administration is infested with antisemitism.”

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Here is the Department of Defense’s comment:

Dear customers,

We at the Department of Defense have a long and proud history of serving the Uniting States of America and securing the existence of its freedoms and a future for its children. We unequivocally condemn bigotry in all its forms and assure you that we do not support it in any way, shape or form.

As an organization with a commitment to its customers, we take your complaints very seriously. We have taken action by commissioning a team of 14 experts to investigate this matter thoroughly. After 88 hours of deliberation, our experts have determined that there is absolutely nothing wrong.

Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Signed,
The Department of Defense

The following appeal was issued by a coalition of grassroots, anti-war organizations including the ANSWER Coalition involved in organizing the People's Assembly for Peace and Justice

[Tomorrow], politicians from NATO countries will gather in Dayton to plot their next wars. For over 75 years, NATO has been a dealer of destruction in place like Afghanistan and Libya and threatened the entire world with devastating global conflict.

On May 25, people from across the country will gather for a protest and counter-summit — the the People's Assembly for Peace and Justice. Bus tickets from cities across the Midwest are now available!

Register for the People's Assembly here

Pittsburgh, PA
Bus departs at 6:00 a.m.
East Liberty, exact location TBD
Buy your ticket here

Louisville, KY
Car caravan departs at 8:00 a.m.
Meeting point: 236 Woodbine St
Contact to reserve a seat: louisville@pslweb.org

Columbus, OH
Car caravan departs at 9:30 a.m.
Location: Mayme Moore Park, 867 Mount Vernon Ave
Contact to reserve a seat: pslcolumbus@proton.me

Chicago, IL
Bus departs at 5:30 a.m.
140 S. Columbus Dr. in downtown Chicago
Buy your ticket here

Cincinnati, OH
Car Caravan departs 9:30 a.m.
5033 Glencrossing Way
Contact to reserve a seat: psl.swohio@gmail.com

Please make an urgently-needed contribution today to help cover the costs of this demonstration and conference. If you are not able to attend the protest, your generous donation can help cover the costs of other attendees' bus tickets.

(Taken from an email sent to me two weeks ago by the ANSWER Coalition. Emphasis original.)

Mohsen Mahdawi is a legal permanent resident of the United States. In April Mahdawi went to his naturalization interview in Vermont, the final step on his path to obtaining U.S. citizenship. But instead of receiving his citizenship, Mahdawi was kidnapped by armed and masked DHS agents in plain clothes who prevented him from interacting with his lawyer. DHS had planned to fly him to Louisiana, but he missed the flight and was instead held in a prison in Vermont, which he credits with his speedy legal process compared to students who have been held in similar situations for months.

In this, his first interview since being freed from prison, Mahdawi goes into detail about his ordeal at the hands of ICE and his family and friends’ suffering in Palestine, and it is well worth watching the full interview to hear Mahdawi speak about his life in his own words.

His final message is: “The same message that the Gazan people have been sending to us, we’re gaining strength from them… No more universities for students to attend or to graduate from in Gaza, a painful reality. They are sending us a message that there is so much more to hope for than giving up on the idea of justice and surrendering to fear and to violence. So, I say, stay strong, and we will celebrate under the sun in a matter of a very short time.”

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

Momodou Taal, who left the U.S. in March rather than allow the current administration to deport him, speaks to In These Times about a wide range of topics, including his lawsuit against the current administration’s executive orders targeting international students.

Taal articulates one of the many connections between the targeting of immigrants and the administration’s attempts to silence the pro-Palestine/anti-genocide movement: “On the campaign trail, Trump said, if you were seen at these 'pro-Hamas’ protests, we will find you and we will deport you. So Trump is making good on his promise… what we’re essentially saying in this country now is we cannot critique another government anymore, let alone the American government.”

Taal sees the current repression, however, as a sign of weakness rather than strength: “the fact that we have the largest empire in history, the most militarized empire in history, fighting against students, repressing students and compelling and forcing universities to clamp down on students, for me, that’s not a sign of strength on their part. It’s a sign that they’re losing their ideological battle.”

There is far more in this interview than will ever fit into a short blurb—check out the rest at the link above.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

“The guards don’t just walk up to people and be abusive, but if you annoy a guard or something they’ll threaten to send you to Guantanamo or El Salvador.”

This is a quote from a Venezuelan man being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center, an ICE prison in El Paso that Amnesty International has been investigating. Along with local legal aid and service providers, whose funding has been cut in the past few months, Amnesty International has written a full report on EPSPC, and it’s a harrowing tale filled with abusive prison guards, rotten food and contaminated water, lack of legal services, and a myriad of other human rights abuses.

Amnesty investigators who visited the prison also heard stories of family separation and children being left alone without supervision or support. Prisoners have been denied legal representation and access to the law library inside the prison, as well as due process. Read more from Amnesty’s report at the link above.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

Since 2021, the state of Texas, under Republican Governor Abbot and a pliant legislature, has been running their own, state-level far-right anti-immigration machine. They call this expensive, dangerous boondoggle “Operation Lone Star.” You may recall the floating death buoys in the Rio Grande, the deployment of National Guard soldiers, the construction of a border wall, and other dangerous, expensive stunts that serve only to put lives at risk on both sides of the border.

Turns out, building a round the clock hate machine is expensive, and even though the state has taken in over $50 million in donations, the money collected from yearning fascist sympathizers has barely put a dent in the $11 billion these Texas xenophobes have spent since 2021.

The House of Representatives is now considering a bill that would reimburse Texas for this costly boondoggle. The House of Representatives is considering paying them back at a time, it should be noted, when Congress is considering deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. Priorities, priorities.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)