We protested against the Counter Terror Expo
Last month, we went down to the ExCeL centre to protest against the awful Counter Terror Expo. Counter terror powers are used to criminalise communities and, increasingly, protesters. Under terror laws pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested, the Prevent strategy is a racist endeavour and counter-terror powers have been used on our borders. The counter terrorism narrative is used to demonise, harass and criminalise minoritised communities, especially those from the Palestinian or Kurdish communities.
We went down with CAAT and Netpol to let the public know about the worrying nature of the event, highlight the arms companies that were attending and carrying out a bit of street theatre, which you can see here.
What we were not expecting was to be invited inside, which led to CAAT’s media coordinator and Netpol’s Campaign Coordinator being given a tour of the Expo. You can read the blog post about their surreal visit and the inaccurate security briefing given about CAAT’s media coordinator here. Declassified went inside as well and you can read their take on this disturbing expo here.
We joined a range of groups to discuss a campaign against the Saudi World Cup
We joined an online meeting with other concerned groups and football fans to discuss building a coalition to oppose the World Cup being hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2034. Also in attendance were Newcastle Fans Against Sportswashing and Equidem, who have just released a report on forced labour in Saudi Arabia that you can find on their website. We discussed the issues around the awarding of the tournament to Saudi Arabia and various ideas for a campaign to oppose it. There are plans for another wider meeting in September so please reply to this email if you want to get involved in the campaign.