Mo

I’m free! I wrote this on the plane and I’m posting it just after landing at Istanbul. On Monday evening I was brought to Zurich airport in handcuffs, in a small metal cage inside a windowless prison van and led all the way to the plane by police. This is after three days and two nights in a Swiss prison cut off from communication with the outside world, in a cell 24 hours a day with one cell mate, not even permitted to contact my family. On Saturday in a police interview in the presence of my lawyer they accused me of “offending against Swiss law” without ever telling me what crime I had committed in Switzerland or listing any charges. As far as I know I have not been charged with any crime whatsoever and I was held in “administrative detention.” On Sunday morning, they took me from my cell for questioning by Swiss defense ministry intelligence agents without the presence of my lawyer, and they again refused to allow me to contact her or my family. I refused to talk to them without my lawyer and told them take me back to my cell. During my imprisonment I refused every meal and every cup of coffee or tea they offered me except the last meal, after I knew I would be going home. I accepted only water, which is the right of every human being. All of this was after I was abducted off the street around 1:30pm on Saturday while on my way to the Palestine teach-in by undercover agents, handcuffed, forced into an unmarked car and sped straight to the prison. My “crime”? Being a journalist who speaks up for Palestine and against Israel’s genocide and settler-colonial savagery and those who aid and abet it. I came to Switzerland at the invitation of Swiss citizens to talk about justice for Palestine, to talk about accountability for a genocide in which Switzerland too is complicit. But while I was hauled off to prison like a dangerous criminal before I even had a chance to say a word, the Israeli president Isaac Herzog, who declared at the start of the genocide that there are no civilians in Gaza, no innocents, received a red carpet welcome in Davos, a carpet soaked in the blood of the more than 47,000 known victims of the genocide and the thousands more still under the rubble, or who died of deliberately inflicted starvation and denial of medical care. And on this very day Netanyahu freely travels to Poland to make a mockery of the Auschwitz commemoration despite an outstanding ICC arrest warrant. That is the perverse, unjust world we live in. This ordeal lasted three days but that taste of prison was more than enough to leave me in even greater awe of the Palestinian heroes who endure months and years in the prisons of the genocidal oppressor. More than ever I know that the debt we owe them is one we can never repay and all of them must be free and they must remain our focus. The police gave me my phone back only at the gate of the plane so I’m only seeing now the extent of the overwhelming support and solidarity from all over the world. I’m deeply grateful to each and every person who stood up for me. I’m especially grateful to my lawyer Dina Raewel and her team, to our friends in Zurich who I learned afterwards demonstrated outside the prison, to my family and my colleagues at EI and so many others. I honestly had no idea what was happening outside that concrete room! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to tell the whole story of what happened, perhaps in an @intifada livestream in the next day or two, because I think it’s important for people to know the depths to which their Western so-called “democracies” have sunk in the abject service of genocidal Zionism. Right now I’m glad to be on my way home. I’m looking forward to hugging my mom and dad, taking a shower and sleeping in my own bed. Journalism is not a crime! Speaking out for Palestine is not a crime! Standing against racist genocidal Zionism is not a crime! Say it with me: From the River to the Sea Palestine Will Be Free! ❤️🇵🇸✌️

.@GovParsonMO, please do not let Missouri execute @innocence @the_MIP client #MarcellusWilliams, an innocent person — where there is overwhelming evidence that his trial was constitutionally unfair — on 9/24. shorturl.at/K7jDT

Disappointed by Labour’s compressed 4-day week? Help us campaign for a real one. We’re making progress working with businesses, politicians and organising workers for a true, reduced hours, 4-day week. With your support, we’ll make even more. Link in the reply below ⬇️

over the last few years the most senior politicians in the country have relentlessly demonised ‘lefty lawyers’, support workers and activists trying to help migrant communities. if even one of the rumoured targets is hit tonight, those politicians need to be held responsible.

🚨 BREAKING: Labour has suspended the following MPs after they voted for the SNP amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap - Apsana Begum - Imran Hussain - Rebecca Long Bailey - Ian Byrne - Richard Burgon - Zarah Sultana - John McDonnell

Horrifying to see Keir rip up decades of Equality Law Allies don’t vote Labour on Thursday

Wild Places for Tired People - A collaborative map for people with limited energy who want to be in nature created by myself and @annastarkey. Explore the map and find out how to add your favourite places at tinyurl.com/wildandtired Also please share! we need more wild!

please please help zinh evacuate ‼️ anything helps keep sharing for her

In other words they are just going to torture hostages somewhere where there are less whistleblowers

Lots of training dates coming up across the country with @Pal_action in June in London, Leicester, Bradford, Liverpool, Canterbury, Bristol, Cardiff. Register cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/…

🚨 #Gaza update: 🔴Israeli forces have killed 53 Palestinians, injured 357 in the last 24 hours, according to the MoH 🔴Emirati Maternity Hospital is the only hospital in Rafah that remains functional, although partially 🔴Only Al Ahli Arab Hospital is functioning in the north

“Honestly I’m so shocked right now, to be treated this badly” Faiza Shaheen, who was set to stand for Labour, describes hearing that her candidacy had been pulled over liking a series of Tweets which she claims Labour said would frustrate its campaign #Newsnight

Correct description of @guardian and every major Western outlet who running with this framing (almost all of them are). Israel bombed Rafah SIXTY times in 48 hours after ICJ issued ceasefire orders. Any outlet that doesn’t mention this is a genocide enabling propagandist!

Remembering when in the beginning of this hell on earth there were debates over Israel bombing hospitals because it seemed so inconceivable. Now after bombing all the hospitals, they target displaced, starved and traumatised Palestinians sheltering in designated refugee camps.

Israel burnt 5 members of my family to death in Rafah (the safe zone) when it bombed their tents: 1. Wissam Al-Attar, 29 years old 2. Hindawi Al-Attar, 29 years old 3. Hamada Al-Attar, 35 years old 4. Maisaa Al-Attar, 32 years old 5. Miada Al-Attar, 23 years old

The flour massacre, the tents massacre, the hospital massacre, the refugee camp massacre, the ‘safe corridor’ massacre, the endless massacres, in homes, on the streets, in tents, on foot— eight months of massacre after massacre after massacre.

🚨EMERGENCY DEMO - TOMORROW AT DOWNING STREET, 6PM 🚨 Following Israel's horrific attack on Rafah last night, in spite of the ICJ ruling, we have called an emergency protest outside Downing Street at 6PM on Tuesday 28th May.

REVEALED: Arts Council England’s guidelines warning arts organisations that “political statements” could break funding agreements was formulated in relation to the Israel-Gaza war Read @guardian’s exclusive uncovered by our Freedom of Information request theguardian.com/culture/articl…

We thought the first days were the worst, then we thought the starvation was the worst, but this bombing is like nothing we've seen. Today alone, Jabalia refugee camp was bombed at least 100 times.

I’m no longer performing in Brighton this week, due to the fact that Barclays Bank who fund the genocide in Palestine also sponsor the great escape. Power in solidarity.