Pro-Palestinian protesters, police clash in Basel during Eurovision

Pro-Palestinian protesters, police clash in Basel during Eurovision
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators waves Palestinian flags and burn flares during a demonstration against Israel outside the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest’s grand final in Basel on May 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 17 May 2025
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Pro-Palestinian protesters, police clash in Basel during Eurovision

Pro-Palestinian protesters, police clash in Basel during Eurovision
  • Blows were exchanged and police used tear gas and rolled in a water cannon truck as they strived to block demonstrators
  • Israel’s National Security Council issued a warning to Israelis in Basel about the demonstration

BASEL, Switzerland: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed with riot police in Basel as the Swiss city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday, AFP journalists at the scene witnessed.

Protesters demonstrating against Israel’s participation in the contest while it ramps up its war in Gaza clashed briefly with police in the center of the city shortly before Israel’s Eurovision entrant Yuval Raphael took to the stage at the St. Jakobshalle venue across town.

Blows were exchanged and police used tear gas and rolled in a water cannon truck as they strived to block demonstrators from marching through the center of the northern Swiss city, thronging with Eurovision fans.

According to Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS, the confrontation began when police intervened to stop an altercation after two men rushed toward the protesters waving Israeli flags.

Israel’s National Security Council issued a warning to Israelis in Basel about the demonstration, advising them to “avoid confrontations with demonstrators and to keep Israeli identifiers low-profile in public spaces.”

Amid a sea of Palestinian flags, hundreds of demonstrators, many wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, carried signs stating: “No Music for Murder,” “Stop Genocide,” and “Singing while Gaza Burns.”

Some of the protesters burned giant Israeli and US flags, while others set off red and green smoke in the air.

One woman, her face smeared with red, cradled a seemingly bloody bundle representing the children dying in the war raging in the Gaza Strip as police in riot gear looked on.

At a time when Israel is dramatically ramping up the brutal war in Gaza, the protesters were demonstrating against the participation of the Israeli act, which is among the favorites in Saturday’s final.

Raphael survived the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, hiding beneath dead bodies as Hamas gunmen attacked a music festival, killing hundreds.

During her performance of her song “New Day Will Rise” on Saturday, loud whistles could be heard in the arena, according to an AFP photographer in the hall.

There have been a number of smaller protests against Israel throughout Eurovision week in Basel, and demonstrators interrupted Raphael’s act during a dress rehearsal for one of the semifinals.

Earlier this week, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said it had filed a police complaint after filming a protester apparently making a “throat-slitting gesture” at the country’s delegation during the Eurovision opening ceremony parade on Sunday.

Israel launched an intensified offensive in Gaza on Saturday aimed at “the defeat of Hamas,” the Islamist militant group that launched a deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.

The stepped-up campaign in the war that has already left tens of thousands dead came amid growing international concern over worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where an Israeli aid blockade continues to restrict aid.


Man arrested in UK for displaying ‘Palestine Action’ poster

Man arrested in UK for displaying ‘Palestine Action’ poster
Updated 7 sec ago
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Man arrested in UK for displaying ‘Palestine Action’ poster

Man arrested in UK for displaying ‘Palestine Action’ poster
  • Protester is latest person arrested after British authorities criminalized the pro-Palestinian direct action group under anti-terrorism laws
  • The ban came into force after activists sprayed paint on military aircraft at a Royal Air Force base in protest against the war in Gaza

LONDON: An anti-war protester was arrested in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Friday for showing support for a pro-Palestinian group that was recently banned in the UK.

The 64-year-old man was accused of holding a poster during a demonstration that allegedly displayed support for Palestine Action, local media reported.

The group was proscribed this month under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, after Palestine Action activists sprayed paint on two military aircraft after breaking into a Royal Air Force base on June 20. It means that membership or support for the group is now a criminal offense.

The ban came into force on July 5 and since then dozens of people have been arrested across the UK for showing support for the group.

Police Scotland said the man in Glasgow was arrested “in connection with an offense under the Terrorism Act for displaying a sign expressing support for a proscribed organization.”

Protesters chanted “let him go” as he was led away to a police van, The Herald newspaper reported. His arrest follows two others in the city in recent days involving people accused of showing support for the group.

More than 70 people were arrested in cities across the UK last weekend during protests against the banning of Palestine Action.

After MPs voted in favor of proscribing the group, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it had a “long history” of criminal damage.

“The UK’s defense enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk,” she added.

However, the ban was widely criticized by UN experts and human rights groups as draconian and for conflating protest with acts of terrorism.

Hundreds of politicians and campaigners signed a letter this week condemning the decision as “a major assault on our freedoms.”


Argentines commemorate Jewish center bombing, demand justice

Argentines commemorate Jewish center bombing, demand justice
Updated 5 min 9 sec ago
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Argentines commemorate Jewish center bombing, demand justice

Argentines commemorate Jewish center bombing, demand justice
  • “Impunity persists, terrorism too” was the slogan for Friday’s 31st commemoration of the AMIA attack
  • In June, a judge authorized a trial in absentia against ten Iranian and Lebanese defendants — former ministers and diplomats

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Hundreds of Argentines gathered Friday to commemorate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center that killed dozens, demanding justice for a crime for which there has not yet been a trial.

In the worst such attack in Argentina’s history, a car bomb on July 18, 1994, killed 85 people and injured more than 300 at the seven-story Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires.

Two years earlier, an explosion at the Israeli embassy killed 29 and wounded 200.

“Impunity persists, terrorism too” was the slogan for Friday’s 31st commemoration of the AMIA attack — the second such event attended by President Javier Milei, a staunch defender of Israel.

Survivors and victims’ relatives hope there will be movement under Catholic-born Milei, who has already visited Israel twice since taking office in December 2023, and has professed a deep interest in Judaism.

In April 2024, an Argentine court found Iran and Hezbollah were responsible for what it called a crime against humanity.

It ruled the likely motive for the attacks was the cancelation by the Argentine government under then-president Carlos Menem of three contracts with Iran for the supply of nuclear equipment and technology.

In June, a judge authorized a trial in absentia against ten Iranian and Lebanese defendants — former ministers and diplomats.

No date has been set.

Iran has always denied any involvement and has refused to hand over any suspects.

The Memoria Activa organization, which represents victims’ families, rejects a trial in absentia as it believes it “essential for the accused to participate” for the whole truth to come out.

The AMIA itself is in favor, but has cautioned that “holding a trial only for it to end... in some sort of nullity or a declaration of unconstitutionality would once again be very painful for everyone.”

Both organizations have been highly critical of the Argentine state’s handling of the case.

Last year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica, found the state responsible for not preventing, or properly investigating, the AMIA attack.

It also blamed the state for efforts to “cover up and obstruct the investigation.”

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, investigating accusations of a cover-up against former president Cristina Kirchner, was later found murdered.

No one was ever charged over his death.

Argentina is host to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with nearly 300,000 people living mostly in Buenos Aires.


Philippine government brings one-stop service for overseas Filipinos to Riyadh 

Philippine government brings one-stop service for overseas Filipinos to Riyadh 
Updated 18 July 2025
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Philippine government brings one-stop service for overseas Filipinos to Riyadh 

Philippine government brings one-stop service for overseas Filipinos to Riyadh 
  • Around 898,000 overseas Filipino workers live and work in the Kingdom 
  • Philippine officials plan to take ‘service caravan’ to Jeddah, Alkhobar, as well as Qatar, UAE

MANILA: The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers launched on Friday the Middle East leg of its “service caravan” in Riyadh, as officials seek to provide an all-in-one stop of essential government services for overseas Filipinos in the region. 

Saudi Arabia is the leading destination for overseas Filipino workers, with about 898,000 of them currently living and working in the Kingdom. 

The DMW collaborated with other government agencies to bring them the Serbisyo Caravan, or service caravan, an outreach program that offers various state services. 

“The Serbisyo Caravan here in the Middle East is part of the government’s ongoing program to bring vital services directly to our OFWs,” Rommel Romato, the Philippine consul-general in Jeddah, told Arab News. 

“By gathering multiple agencies in one place, the caravan makes it easier and faster for OFWs to access assistance without needing to make special trips to the Philippines.” 

The services include welfare counseling, free legal consultations, business support assistance, as well as registration and processing of official documents, among other things that are usually only available within the Philippines. 

Many Filipino nationals in the Saudi capital flocked to take advantage of the service caravan, with large numbers queuing since Friday morning, as seen in a video posted by the DMW on Facebook. 

“We want to regularize this program as we expand our diplomatic and consular services to millions of OFWs abroad,” Romato said. 

Philippine First Lady Louise Marcos arrived in Riyadh on Friday to oversee the launch of the outreach program. As part of the working visit, she will also meet with Filipino migrant workers in the Kingdom, according to Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro. 

Though Philippine officials first launched the service caravan in Hong Kong last month, Friday’s service marks the first time it was brought to the Middle East.

After Riyadh, the DMW is set to take the caravan program to the Saudi cities of Jeddah and Alkhobar, as well as Qatar and the UAE in July and August. 

Around 20 percent of Filipino migrant workers are in Saudi Arabia, while about 13.6 percent live and work in the UAE, and another 6.2 percent are in Qatar.


UK police hunt suspects after anti-migrant protests turn violent

UK police hunt suspects after anti-migrant protests turn violent
Updated 18 July 2025
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UK police hunt suspects after anti-migrant protests turn violent

UK police hunt suspects after anti-migrant protests turn violent
  • Eight police officers were injured and three vehicles were damaged, Essex police said
  • Essex police on Friday insisted officers would “continue to support those communities that want to peacefully protest“

EPPING, UK: Police promised Friday to track down suspects behind violence at a protest outside a southeast England hotel believed to house asylum seekers, after officers and vehicles were attacked.

The violence followed several demonstrations in recent days in the town of Epping which flared after police charged an asylum seeker with sex offenses.

Eight police officers were injured and three vehicles were damaged, Essex police said.

The unrest, which police blamed on people from “outside of our community,” comes a year after anti-immigration riots rocked the UK in the wake of the fatal stabbings of three young girls in the northern town of Southport.

Then, rioters targeted hotels housing asylum seekers in several different English cities, infamously attempting to set fire to one in Rotherham, northeast England.

Essex police on Friday insisted officers would “continue to support those communities that want to peacefully protest” but would not tolerate “acts of violence and vandalism.”

“After last night I’ve got a team of specialist detectives today that are combing through the body-worn video CCTV to identify those who are responsible,” Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper told AFP.

“And what I can say is if you’re one of those individuals you can expect a knock on the door.”

Hooper said the “selfish individuals” behind the violence were mostly “from outside of the area” and had traveled to Epping “intent on causing criminality.”

Right-wing agitators, including far-right activist Tommy Robinson, have been sharing posts and videos about the situation on social media.

Footage of Thursday’s protests showed masked people pelting police vans and jumping on them, as well as clashing with officers.

The disturbances came after police charged 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence.

The charges stem from allegations he tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl as she ate pizza at a restaurant in Epping, just northeast of London, on July 7 and again the following day.

He has pleaded not guilty, and appeared in court for a hearing on Thursday.

An asylum seeker from Ethiopia, he arrived in the UK irregularly after crossing the Channel on a small boat at the end of last month.

In the wake of the incident, local officials have called for the Bell Hotel to no longer house asylum seekers.


Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain

Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain
Updated 18 July 2025
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Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain

Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain
  • The altercations were sparked after a 68-year-old pensioner said three men of North African origin attacked him without provocation on July 9
  • The conservative-led city council organized a protest against insecurity, which quickly escalated when far-right groups joined with hostile slogans against immigrants

MADRID: The rare anti-migrant violence that recently rocked a Spanish town demonstrated how online disinformation feeds xenophobic hate speech, which leapt from screens to real life with the support of politicians, experts said.

Last weekend’s unrest in the southeastern town of Torre Pacheco pitted far-right groups against immigrant residents, mainly of Moroccan origin, but a heavy police presence prevented serious confrontations.

The altercations were sparked after a 68-year-old pensioner said three men of North African origin attacked him without provocation on July 9.

Two days later, the conservative-led city council organized a protest against insecurity, which quickly escalated when far-right groups joined with hostile slogans against immigrants.

That day, and for several nights, riots broke out in the streets of the southeastern city of 40,000.

Authorities have arrested 14 people, including three suspected of involvement in the attack on the retiree.

Also among those detained is the leader of the far-right “Deport Them Now” group, who allegedly called for a “hunt” of migrants on social media.

The sudden outbreak of violence took Spain by surprise but anti-migrant discourse had already been brewing, partly due to disinformation circulating on social media.

AFP’s digital verification team in Spain has debunked many false claims linked to immigrants, mostly concerning public benefits they supposedly receive and alleged attacks by foreigners on Spanish customs.

For Alexandre Lopez Borrull, a professor in communication and information science at the Open University of Catalonia, disinformation in such cases is “the fuel and the spark at the same time.”

The narrative “is fueled over a long period of time” and when a specific event occurs, it can act as a spark in scenarios like the one that played out in Torre Pacheco, he said.

A video purporting to show the assault on the pensioner, along with a list of alleged attackers, quickly circulated online — both debunked by AFP.

Elisa Brey, a sociology professor at Madrid’s Complutense University, likened the phenomenon to criminals setting off wildfires.

“It’s hot, there’s a temperature alert, and an arsonist passes by and throws a match. That is what happens with disinformation,” she said.

Experts also emphasized the role of politicians, particularly the far-right Vox party, in fanning the flames of anti-migrant rhetoric.

Vox has long connected immigration to crime and recently proposed, echoing other EU political parties and far-right activists, that some migrants be deported as part of a broad “remigration” plan.

Foreigners make up 14 percent of Spain’s population, up from only 1.6 percent in 1998.

In events like the violent protests in Torre Pacheco, malicious discourse seeps through different layers of social media before erupting into the public sphere, Brey explained.

First, it simmers at an “underlying” level on less visible platforms like Telegram, before jumping to more popular networks such as X and TikTok. Politicians then amplify the message through public statements, she said.

Vox’s leader in the southeastern Murcia region, which includes Torre Pacheco, blamed the unrest on “illegal immigration,” claiming that migrants had assaulted the elderly and committed sexual violence against women.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into his comments to determine if they constitute a hate crime.

Social media was used in a way that, “in the end, it led to these events,” added Marcelino Madrigal, an expert in online platforms and cybersecurity.

Madrigal also detected that parties were shifting their position on immigration with an eye on political gain at a time of speculation about early elections in Spain.

“With disinformation about immigration, the aim is to destabilize a government or a country as well as present yourself as an alternative to save us from a problem that does not exist,” he said.