To feel sorry for Ed Sheeran.....

Journalists have been reporting from safe zones immediately surrounding Gaza. It’s a small area. Sudan is over 5000 times larger.

Journalist access in Sudan is exceptionally difficult. Media offices have been looted or destroyed, journalists have been killed, arrested, threatened, forced into exile, and much of the country's media infrastructure has collapsed. UNESCO reported that media infrastructure has been destroyed and journalists displaced.

Also stories of conflict involving Israel (and Ukraine) sell better in Europe and the US…

The extensive news coverage despite an unprecedented total ban on international journalists being allowed to report from inside Gaza. I wonder why that is? I wonder what more we would know if independent journalists were allowed free reign to actually report on what is going on.

The reason a disproportionate number of children have been killed in Gaza is because a. High birth rate and very young population b. Hamas uses civilians and their families as human shields and use children as soldiers, messengers, runners and lookouts c. They are embedded in residential areas with homes, schools, hospitals d. They dont give a shit about their population and in fact promote an idea of glory in martyrdom. They could have protected in their tunnels but chose not to because the propaganda value is so high, especially when it taps nicely into the blood libel. They are absolute monsters and its a bloody tragedy. And everyone knows all this. To compare it with Iran which was a completely different scenario is ridiculous. Iranians protesting dont on the whole put their children on the front line, many protesters are student age so dont have children yet.

Apologies, I cant get rid of the quote which is not relevant to my post

That’s fair.
It would be good though if pro-Palestinian supporters would recognise the role that Hamas ( and Iran) played in causing the suffering and death of Palestinians.

I think accusing someone of being a Hamas supporter is a bit of a no no.

No me neither. I've sent an email to ask what was wrong with it, as reading through the guidelines doesn't make it any clearer to me what I did wrong.

I’m not sure why @Emilesgran post has been deleted. It seemed completely reasonable.

The reason a disproportionate number of children have been killed in Gaza is because a. High birth rate and very young population b. Hamas uses civilians and their families as human shields and use children as soldiers, messengers, runners and lookouts c. They are embedded in residential areas with homes, schools, hospitals d. They dont give a shit about their population and in fact promote an idea of glory in martyrdom. They could have protected in their tunnels but chose not to because the propaganda value is so high, especially when it taps nicely into the blood libel. They are absolute monsters and its a bloody tragedy. And everyone knows all this. To compare it with Iran which was a completely different scenario is ridiculous. Iranians protesting dont on the whole put their children on the front line, many protesters are student age so dont have children yet.

Apologies, I cant get rid of the quote which is not relevant to my post

What a shame international journalists are not allowed in to verify those claims. Anyone would think Israel are trying to hide something.

The reason a disproportionate number of children have been killed in Gaza is because a. High birth rate and very young population b. Hamas uses civilians and their families as human shields and use children as soldiers, messengers, runners and lookouts c. They are embedded in residential areas with homes, schools, hospitals d. They dont give a shit about their population and in fact promote an idea of glory in martyrdom. They could have protected in their tunnels but chose not to because the propaganda value is so high, especially when it taps nicely into the blood libel. They are absolute monsters and its a bloody tragedy. And everyone knows all this. To compare it with Iran which was a completely different scenario is ridiculous. Iranians protesting dont on the whole put their children on the front line, many protesters are student age so dont have children yet.

Apologies, I cant get rid of the quote which is not relevant to my post

Ed felt he had to say something political against his wishes because he could see he was on the way to being cancelled. I don’t need to know Ed’s views, or any other non political person’s views, all I need them to do is entertain. He was blackmailed into saying something because he wants to go on making music. This feels like facism to me. It’s chilling.

Quite.

The news coverage of Gaza has been far greater than these other conflicts. Terrible atrocities are happening elsewhere too, but it’s much more challenging for journalists to safely obtain footage from these places.

The Iranian government killed children, some as young as 3, during the protests against the government.

The Iranian government killed children, some as young as 3, during the protests against the government.

I don't normally engage with whataboutisms but tell me, how many children have either of those counties recently killed. How many babies under the age of one have they killed.

The situation in the Middle East is impossibly complicated and there are rights and wrongs on both sides.
The idea that musicians and celebrities can somehow see the truth better than everyone else because they’re “creatives” is a joke.

The whole thing is farcical.

I just shake my head when I hear another wealthy, witless pop artist ‘use their platform’ to shout ‘free Palestine’ (or Fuck JK Rowling…or Fuck Trump..or whatever the current bandwagon issue is) ..before jumping on their private jet to go and quaff champers and snort coke with the billionaire record label bosses who make them famous,

These are some of the most vacuous, self interested people in our society. People who would sell out their principles and lick the boots of the billionaire promoters and stadium owners they criticise if THEY were offered the level of fame and money that Sheeran has.

These people are only ‘using their platform’ for one thing - to keep themselves topical, current and relevant. They don’t have the moral high ground here.

Shameless self promoters like Paloma Faith on the news tonight saying she would have cancelled the tour if she was Sheeran…the point is, you’re not. You are washed up and desperate to stay relevant and have suddenly decided that - in between the podcasts where you talk endlessly about yourself and tabloid articles your PR people place about you and the envelope openings you turn up to - that you simply must take a stand for the children of Gaza.

Yeah, right.

So, while I don’t feel sorry for Sheeran exactly, I would like to see more music artists know when it’s time to shut the fuck up.

Write a political song and perform it at your own concert so people can decide if that’s what they want to hear on a night out …or speak at a rally, join a march, vote…nobody is asking you to be ‘apolitical’.

But don’t hijack every joyous, happy, celebratory and inclusive music event (especially ones that are not actually about YOU, because nobody paid Sheeran ticket prices to see fucking Macklemore) and make it about YOU and your half arsed political statements.

We all know this lot will have moved on by next week, anyway. Did you know the war in Ukraine is still raging? That Black Lives STILL Matter? etc

My point was just to clarify- the Jewish people were originally from Palestine. Thanks.