Tadhg Hickey & Mnar Adley: Nobel "Peace" Prize of Shame & the UK/Israeli Crackdown

[00:00:00] Imagine an award so twisted that the [00:00:03] very institution meant to celebrate [00:00:05] peace hands it to someone calling for [00:00:08] invasion. The Nobel Peace Prize has been [00:00:12] rewarded to far-right Venezuelan [00:00:14] politician Maria Corina Machado who [00:00:17] immediately de dedicated it to Donald [00:00:20] Trump and used her acceptance speech to [00:00:23] call for a US invasion of her own [00:00:25] country. Now the world is completely [00:00:28] upside down where the highest accolades [00:00:31] go to those serving empire, not [00:00:34] humanity. Machado's career has been [00:00:36] built on treason. In 2002, she [00:00:39] participated in a USbacked coup that [00:00:41] briefly overthrew Ugo Chavez, a coup [00:00:44] that that killed dozens and jailed [00:00:47] political opponent opponents. Since [00:00:50] 2003, her political groups have been [00:00:53] funded by the National Endowment for [00:00:56] Democracy, a known CIA cutout. She's [00:00:59] promised to hand Venezuela's wealth to [00:01:02] Washington. Forget the Saudis, she said. [00:01:05] We have more oil. We're going to [00:01:08] privatize everything. She bragged, [00:01:11] promising that US corporations will make [00:01:14] a lot of money if she becomes the next [00:01:17] dictator. And this is who wins the Nobel [00:01:20] Peace Prize. Machado can hang her prize [00:01:23] beside her accolades from Israel. In [00:01:26] 2018, she wrote to Benjamin Netanyahu [00:01:29] calling for Israeli military [00:01:31] intervention in Venezuela. And two years [00:01:34] later, she signed a cooperation pact [00:01:36] with the Lakood party. That's [00:01:38] Netanyahu's party pledging to work [00:01:41] together on strategy, geopolitics, and [00:01:44] security. One of her first calls after [00:01:47] receiving the Nobel Peace Prize was, of [00:01:49] course, to none other than Netanyahu [00:01:51] himself. So, at a time when Israel is [00:01:55] committing genocide in Gaza, the Nobel [00:01:58] Committee's choice sends a clear [00:02:01] message. This isn't an award for peace. [00:02:04] It's a stamp of approval from Empire. [00:02:08] And make no mistake, Washington has [00:02:11] Venezuela in its crosshairs. The US has [00:02:14] deployed 10,000 troops to the region, [00:02:19] placing a 50 million bounty on President [00:02:22] Nicolas Maduro and authorized CIA lethal [00:02:27] operations. Why? Because Venezuela holds [00:02:30] the world's largest proven oil reserves, [00:02:33] plus vast gold, lithium, colton, and [00:02:37] Iran and and iron deposits. minerals [00:02:40] that power everything from smartphones [00:02:42] to missiles. If the Bolivarian [00:02:45] revolution falls, it's the it becomes [00:02:47] open season for corporations like [00:02:51] Chevron, Exon Mobile, Hallebertton, and [00:02:54] Rathon. That's the real peace. The Nobel [00:02:57] Committee is celebrating, the peace of [00:03:00] plunder. But Venezuela hasn't stood [00:03:03] alone. When sanctions tried to strangle [00:03:06] its economy, other sanctioned countries [00:03:08] like Iran stepped in. Another sanctioned [00:03:12] nation that has refused to kneel to US [00:03:14] and British empires toran sent fuel [00:03:18] tankers, refinery parts, and food [00:03:20] shipments, breaking Washington's [00:03:22] blockade and helping Venezuela rebuild [00:03:25] its refineries. Together, Karakas and [00:03:27] Thran have reformed a south south [00:03:31] alliance of defiance nations that can't [00:03:35] be bought or bombed into submission. [00:03:37] Now, like Iran and West Asia, Venezuela [00:03:40] and South America represents keyless [00:03:42] imperialism, a country that refuses to [00:03:45] hand over the keys to its sovereignty. [00:03:48] Both have survived years of siege, [00:03:51] propaganda, and sabotage, and still [00:03:54] stand. It's no coincidence that the same [00:03:56] powers trying to destroy are targeting [00:04:00] Karakas and Dehan. They are representing [00:04:04] independence, the one thing that empire [00:04:06] cannot tolerate. And this isn't the [00:04:09] first time the Nobel committee has [00:04:11] dressed up violence as virtue. It went [00:04:15] to Angansuki [00:04:17] who later oversaw a genocide. [00:04:20] It went to Barack Obama who bombed seven [00:04:23] countries after receiving it. Jokingly [00:04:26] later, jokingly later said, "We murdered [00:04:29] some folks." It went to Henry Kissinger [00:04:31] as well, whose bombing campaigns killed [00:04:35] millions in Southeast Asia. So obscene [00:04:39] that his Vietnamese counterpart refused [00:04:42] the award. And then it went to Manm [00:04:46] Begin, Yeetszhak Rabin, and Shimon [00:04:49] Perez. These are Israeli leaders who [00:04:52] oversaw the occupation, displacement, [00:04:56] ethnic cleansing, and slow genocide of [00:05:00] our people, the Palestinian people. The [00:05:03] Nobel Peace Prize isn't a mark of [00:05:06] virtue. It's a hall of shame, a reward [00:05:09] for those who serve empire while [00:05:12] pretending to serve humanity. That's [00:05:15] what makes Venezuela's stance all more [00:05:18] powerful. While Machado aligns herself [00:05:22] with Israel, with apartheid, with [00:05:25] empire, Venezuela's revolutionary [00:05:28] governments have made Palestine a [00:05:30] national cause. Under Hugo Chavez, [00:05:33] Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with [00:05:36] Israel during the 2009 Gaza massacre and [00:05:40] formally recognized the state of [00:05:42] Palestine. Chavez condemned Israel's [00:05:45] actions as state terrorism and declared, [00:05:48] "The people of Palestine are our [00:05:50] brothers and sisters. Their struggle is [00:05:53] our struggle." He opened one of Latin [00:05:56] America's first Palestinian embassies, [00:05:58] sent medical aid to Gaz, and brought [00:06:01] Palestinian children to Venezuela for [00:06:04] treatment and education. [00:06:06] President Maduro carries that legacy [00:06:09] forward. He's backed South Africa's [00:06:11] genocide case at the International Court [00:06:14] of Justice, voted for Palestinian [00:06:16] sovereignty at the UN, and he declared [00:06:18] that all of Venezuela is Palestine. [00:06:22] In late 2024, Karakas hosted delegates [00:06:26] from more than 50 countries and 100 [00:06:29] organizations at the International [00:06:31] Conference of Solidarity with Palestine [00:06:34] under the banner from Venezuela to [00:06:36] Palestine. We will live and we will be [00:06:39] victorious. So while Venezuela sends [00:06:43] food and medicine to Gaz, the Nobel [00:06:46] Committee rewards the woman calling for [00:06:49] invasion and shaking hands with the very [00:06:52] regime carrying out a genocide. The war [00:06:56] on and this Nobel farce reveal the same [00:07:01] truth. War criminals are rewarded. An [00:07:05] empire crowns its own. As Israel levels [00:07:09] Gaz with western weapons, those same [00:07:12] powers are already setting their sights [00:07:16] on Venezuela, another independent nation [00:07:20] rich in oil, minerals, and defiance. [00:07:24] Chevron, Exon Mobile, Hallebertton, [00:07:26] Rathon, Loheed Martin. These are the [00:07:29] same corporations profiting from [00:07:31] genocide. They're sitting waiting to [00:07:34] feast on Venezuela next. So when you see [00:07:38] a peace prize pinned on a wararmonger, [00:07:42] remember it's not about peace, it's [00:07:45] about profit. And in this upside down [00:07:48] world, the true champions of peace are [00:07:51] the ones the empire fears most. Those [00:07:54] who stand with Palestine and with [00:07:57] nations like Venezuela who are resisting [00:08:01] US imperialism and every nation that [00:08:04] refuses to bow. I'm Manar Adi and this [00:08:08] is Behind the Headlines for Mit Press [00:08:10] News. [00:08:13] All right. Well, I appreciate you all [00:08:14] being here listening to my opening [00:08:16] monologue. We are now joined by T [00:08:20] Hickeyi [00:08:21] and he is a comedian, an activist and he [00:08:26] was kidnapped by Israel. He was [00:08:31] um abused like many other flotillaa [00:08:33] members. He was aboard one of the [00:08:35] flotillas, the Samud flotilla to bring [00:08:37] aid and break the siege on. I pronounced [00:08:40] your name incorrectly. I'm going to say [00:08:42] it again. [00:08:44] >> No worries. Ah, like and you you were [00:08:46] perfect in the rehearsals. Uh [00:08:47] >> I know I practiced it. Still got it [00:08:50] wrong. [00:08:51] >> Not at all. Really lovely to be here [00:08:53] with you, Manara. Really uh I've uh [00:08:55] heard lots of great things and I've seen [00:08:56] lots of great things myself. So it's a [00:08:58] pleasure to be here. [00:08:59] >> Well, thank you. It's an honor to be [00:09:00] here and I you know I want to get your [00:09:02] perspective on my opening monologue here [00:09:04] with Machado and the Nobel you know [00:09:07] prize committee who have made their [00:09:09] positions extremely clear when it comes [00:09:11] to Israel and Palestine effectively [00:09:14] supporting the live stream live stream [00:09:17] genocide. What's your take on uh on this [00:09:20] development? [00:09:22] >> I mean my take on Machado winning I [00:09:24] think I got a perverse kind of pleasure [00:09:27] out of it. if um if that doesn't sound [00:09:29] too bizarre because it's just the [00:09:32] perfect piece of evidence that you would [00:09:34] need for any young or older activist to [00:09:38] illustrate to them that the world is now [00:09:39] upside down as you say. Um if somebody [00:09:42] who has kind of prided herself on being [00:09:45] an interventionist on somebody who's [00:09:47] pro- force on somebody who's pro- [00:09:49] imperialism who is literally begging the [00:09:52] US to come and exploit and extract [00:09:56] wealth from her country. If this type of [00:09:58] individual wins the Nobel Peace Prize, [00:10:00] it's almost like the logical conclusion [00:10:04] of neoliberalism, it's the final piece [00:10:07] of the jigsaw to try and convince [00:10:09] somebody that we're fighting for the [00:10:11] world now. The world is upside down and [00:10:13] the people who rule the world are [00:10:14] laughing at us. They're making a laugh, [00:10:17] a laughingtock out of the idea of a [00:10:19] Nobel Peace Prize. somebody who's, you [00:10:21] know, based their career on being the [00:10:24] opposite of being peaceful is now the [00:10:26] recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. And [00:10:28] she goes on Fox News to to celebrate her [00:10:32] victory and and champions people like [00:10:34] Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. [00:10:37] It's just two fingers to us or whatever. [00:10:39] And I think what we need to do as a [00:10:42] global community of activists, whether [00:10:44] we're pro Palestine or whether we're [00:10:46] just pro- humanity or both, is to [00:10:49] realize that we are in a fight and that [00:10:51] the elites are laughing at us and we can [00:10:53] either allow them to continue laughing [00:10:55] at us and to cow to to bow down to to [00:10:59] authority or we can fight back in our [00:11:01] numbers. And I'm excited that I feel [00:11:03] like there's never been more people [00:11:05] right now who have woken up to the way [00:11:08] that the world really works. The way [00:11:09] particularly the western perspective, [00:11:11] the racist, orientalist, capitalist, [00:11:14] exploitative mindset, so many people are [00:11:18] waking up and you can choose to go back [00:11:20] to sleep if you want. But if you are [00:11:23] awake, you have got this moment now [00:11:26] where you can try and be part of really [00:11:28] changing things and challenging the [00:11:29] system. I have to say I'm excited by [00:11:31] that. [00:11:32] >> I'm excited too. And you know, we've [00:11:34] seen just this massive wave of people [00:11:37] around the world who have woken up maybe [00:11:40] we've even disagreed with in the past [00:11:42] and they are now standing in solidarity [00:11:44] with uh Palestine and just you know what [00:11:47] this genocide has also done is kind of [00:11:49] pop help people pop through those [00:11:51] propaganda bubbles [00:11:53] >> and see the US empire for for what it is [00:11:56] and maybe say okay maybe we were lied to [00:11:57] about these previous wars as well. [00:11:59] really there's no such thing as a [00:12:00] humanitarian intervention. Um but then [00:12:03] you have people um like Bono from [00:12:07] YouTube. Yeah, Bono from YouTube and [00:12:10] other celebrities who have uh stood with [00:12:14] apartheid Israel even in the face of a [00:12:17] genocide. Um and he's Irish. I mean what [00:12:19] what is your take on that? [00:12:22] >> I mean Bono is the most unirish person I [00:12:24] can think of. First of all, he's [00:12:26] extraordinarily cockshore, which is very [00:12:29] unirish. Like, if you know any Irish [00:12:30] people or if you've been to to Ireland, [00:12:32] we're falling over ourselves to [00:12:35] apologize for our very existence. Like, [00:12:37] we're a very humble type of person. And [00:12:39] that's the first and foremost way that I [00:12:42] just don't recognize Bono as one of my [00:12:44] kin at all. But the most fundamental way [00:12:46] and the most embarrassing way to be [00:12:48] serious for a moment is that it really [00:12:50] is quite embarrassing for Irish people [00:12:52] to see somebody so in the public eye to [00:12:55] kind of renounce his own identity in a [00:12:57] way like if you don't see the [00:12:59] Palestinian struggle in the Irish [00:13:01] struggle. They're they're so comparable [00:13:04] in so many ways. The exact same colonial [00:13:06] playbook that was used to dehumanize [00:13:07] Irish people and to destroy Irish [00:13:10] culture and way of life is being meated [00:13:12] out against the Palestinians right now. [00:13:14] except on a scale that even the Irish [00:13:15] can't identify with. So Bono has sold [00:13:18] his soul in in my opinion. Bono has made [00:13:21] the decision that his own corporate [00:13:22] interests and his own deals with Israeli [00:13:25] banks are more important to his own [00:13:27] soul. I think um and that's the juncture [00:13:30] that we're at. I mean that's where [00:13:31] Ireland is at right now as a country. We [00:13:34] have a we have a reputation for being [00:13:36] pro Palestine. I think our government [00:13:38] are they're not particularly Zionist. uh [00:13:41] they're no more soulless than any other [00:13:43] government in Western Europe, but what [00:13:45] they are is completely dependent upon [00:13:49] the US. Ireland is almost like a vassal [00:13:52] state of the US at this point. And we're [00:13:55] so scared that if we, you know, if we [00:13:57] piss off the US, if we piss off Donald [00:13:59] Trump, then our economy will will go to [00:14:02] pieces overnight. So, we're at this [00:14:03] juncture where it's literally our [00:14:05] pocketbook or our soul and we're [00:14:08] fighting for our own soul and our own [00:14:10] identity. I think as as a people that [00:14:12] not not only overcame our own colonial [00:14:15] struggles but stand with oppressed [00:14:17] people all over the world. That's what [00:14:18] Irishness is to me. That's what Irish [00:14:20] republicanism is and and Irish [00:14:22] anti-imperialism. And uh that's the [00:14:24] fight that we're in right now. And it's [00:14:25] we're at that juncture. That's what our [00:14:27] presidential candid candidacy is about [00:14:29] at the moment. We're we're in the midst [00:14:30] of a presidential election. Um and I [00:14:33] think that's the case all over Europe [00:14:34] and the world. Gaza has exposed us all [00:14:36] has exposed everyone and there's there's [00:14:38] going there's no going back. It's going [00:14:40] to be a before Gaza genocide world and [00:14:43] an after Gaza genocide world. I'm [00:14:45] absolutely convinced of that. [00:14:47] >> That's a very good point. And you know, [00:14:49] every single Irish person I've ever met, [00:14:51] even here in the United States or when [00:14:53] I've traveled abroad, every single one [00:14:56] of them without question, you know, they [00:14:58] find out I'm Palestinian. I'm [00:15:00] Palestinian American. I lived under [00:15:01] Israeli occupation. I witnessed the [00:15:02] brutality of the, you know, the [00:15:04] apartheid state. And they find out I'm [00:15:06] Palestinian and they just are just going [00:15:08] nuts. like we are we love the [00:15:10] Palestinian people. We stand in [00:15:11] solidarity. Israel is a genocidal [00:15:13] apartheid regime. [00:15:15] >> Yeah. [00:15:15] >> You can't find that here even on the [00:15:17] streets of America. So the solidarity is [00:15:20] so loud and we love it and we're so [00:15:23] proud of our Irish brothers and sisters. [00:15:26] But [00:15:26] >> and if you come and visit us, if you [00:15:28] come and visit us, um like you're so [00:15:30] welcome and I'll show you around Cork [00:15:32] and particularly the north Ireland. But [00:15:34] uh the thing I'm finding with [00:15:35] Palestinian friends in the diaspora [00:15:37] Palestinians when they come here they [00:15:38] they they want they start looking at [00:15:40] house house prizes. [00:15:42] >> I've actually heard that before. Yeah. [00:15:44] It sounds like Ireland is a place where [00:15:46] where we are welcomed and we are [00:15:48] rejoiced and we we appreciate that. [00:15:50] Yeah. So [00:15:50] >> we understand. We understand. Let's just [00:15:52] put it that way. We understand. [00:15:53] >> Yeah. Well, that's very kind of you. Um [00:15:55] we really appreciate that. And you know, [00:15:57] right now we have uh countries like the [00:16:00] UK who are basically cracking down on [00:16:03] all of the solidarity. I mean just today [00:16:06] the UK [00:16:08] um removed Hayatam, this is an HTS alada [00:16:14] affiliated group operating inside of [00:16:16] Syria. They removed them off the terror [00:16:18] list, right? But then they've designated [00:16:22] groups like Palestine Action who have [00:16:24] disrupted Israel's weapons factories and [00:16:27] and their um operations as the [00:16:30] terrorists. [00:16:31] Like so much irony in that. Talk to me [00:16:35] about that. I mean, I I as an Irish [00:16:39] person again, like there's this perverse [00:16:42] sense of watching Britain kind of in [00:16:45] this ongoing [00:16:47] uh making a fool out of itself process [00:16:50] that began with Brexit and again now [00:16:53] seems to be coming to its zenith with [00:16:57] this Starmer government that has just [00:17:00] lost its own sense of self. It's [00:17:03] extraordinary to me watching Britain to [00:17:08] make the decision to leave the EU [00:17:10] because apparently it wanted to take [00:17:12] back control of its country, take back [00:17:14] control of its borders, which obviously [00:17:16] is a kind of a post empire [00:17:20] uh racist kind of longing for an [00:17:22] imperial past that apparently was [00:17:23] brilliant. But obviously most of the [00:17:25] rest of the world, particularly in the [00:17:26] global south, would say that it was just [00:17:28] about genocide and wealth extraction and [00:17:30] and the Irish would agree with that. But [00:17:33] you have this nostalgia for empire and [00:17:35] you take your country back apparently uh [00:17:37] which has been an economic disaster for [00:17:39] Britain. And then it seems in the last [00:17:41] two years what you do is you you you [00:17:44] switch the the levers of power from [00:17:47] Brussels to Tel Aviv because it feels [00:17:50] like Britain is back under the control [00:17:52] of a foreign government again and it [00:17:55] just happens to not be the EU anymore [00:17:57] and it's it's Israel. I mean, I I I I [00:18:00] again, maybe it's because I'm Irish or [00:18:02] I'm pro Palestinian or maybe I'm just a [00:18:04] human being still with a brain and a [00:18:06] soul, but the last week the British [00:18:10] media have been exclusively focused, it [00:18:12] seems to me, on an Israeli football club [00:18:16] and whether their fans should be allowed [00:18:18] to travel to Birmingham for a match or [00:18:20] not and whether that amounts to [00:18:21] anti-semitism. like Britain and the [00:18:25] British media and the British [00:18:26] establishment should be absolutely [00:18:28] ashamed of themselves that they're [00:18:30] focusing on the concerns of a Zionist [00:18:34] like football club with [00:18:38] supporters that hit the streets of [00:18:40] European cities [00:18:42] shouting and singing songs about raping [00:18:45] and murdering Arabs. And this is the [00:18:49] main point of discussion in the British [00:18:52] establishment, in the British media. [00:18:54] Britain should be looking and hanging [00:18:56] its head in shame at not just the [00:18:58] historical role that it played in [00:19:00] creating all this horror and hell for [00:19:02] Palestinians with the Balfur Act and so [00:19:05] and so so on. and moreover its shameful [00:19:11] role in providing diplomatic cover, [00:19:14] weapons and money for this racist [00:19:16] aparathite rogue state to continue its [00:19:19] extermination [00:19:21] and starvation of a civilian population. [00:19:23] Britain as always is guilty of rank [00:19:26] hypocrisy and as always has its [00:19:29] priorities all wrong. But I would call [00:19:32] on the British patriots, you know, who [00:19:34] have been tormenting me and other Irish [00:19:37] Republicans and anti-imperialists for my [00:19:40] whole life, my whole career, you know, [00:19:42] the Britain First Brigade. Where are [00:19:44] they? I mean, how could you be Britain [00:19:47] first and have your spiritual leader [00:19:49] Tommy Robinson over on a jolly in Tel [00:19:52] Aviv at the moment? How could you be [00:19:53] Britain first when most labor [00:19:56] politicians are prioritizing the Israel [00:19:59] lobby are happy to go after activists at [00:20:03] the behest of the Israel lobby. It [00:20:06] doesn't seem like it's Britain first at [00:20:07] all. It feels like it's Israel first in [00:20:09] Britain at the moment. And and I would [00:20:11] just call on on the the British patriots [00:20:14] to stand up and take back control of [00:20:16] your country again. [00:20:19] And we're seeing a very prime example of [00:20:21] this Israel first uh that you described [00:20:24] in this recent arrest by the Met police [00:20:27] of this British Palestinian NHS doctor [00:20:30] Rahim Al Adwan. She was arrested today [00:20:34] um for a speech that she gave a pro [00:20:37] Palestine at a pro Palestine [00:20:39] demonstration in London and they say [00:20:41] that it was incitement against Israel [00:20:43] and implied support for resistance [00:20:45] forces. Um, can I get your reaction to [00:20:48] this news and what you make of this [00:20:50] incredible wave of authoritarianism [00:20:53] sweeping the UK right now? [00:20:57] >> Well, again, it's just extraordinary to [00:20:59] me that, you know, before we get on to [00:21:02] Rakma, who I'm very proud to say I've [00:21:04] met several times and I'm I'm friends [00:21:06] with. Um, you know, say if you look at [00:21:10] Bob Villain and the Glastonbury [00:21:12] controversy. So Bob Villain, they have [00:21:15] lyrics in their songs that challenge the [00:21:17] British establishment, like really spicy [00:21:20] lyrics about the Queen and other aspects [00:21:23] of, you know, um, the British [00:21:25] establishment, as I say, that, by the [00:21:27] way, I would agree with. And I think [00:21:28] it's like really strong punk music, but [00:21:31] it's very challenging. If you were a [00:21:32] British nationalist or a proud British [00:21:34] imperialist, you would find a lot of [00:21:36] their lyrics, you know, challenging. [00:21:39] They've never once had any issue [00:21:41] whatsoever. They've never been banned. [00:21:43] They've never been censored. Nobody took [00:21:46] any notice of them in the British [00:21:48] establishment. Suddenly, they started [00:21:49] criticizing Israel and they were having [00:21:51] their visas revoked. They were like a [00:21:54] national scandal. And again, I thought [00:21:56] to myself, where is the British [00:21:58] establishment? Where are the British [00:21:59] patriots? They're losing their mind over [00:22:02] Israel. Like just so bizarre. And in the [00:22:05] case of Rakma, I think the problem with [00:22:09] her and and activists like her is that [00:22:11] she's unrepentant. And what what the [00:22:14] British establishment and I suppose the [00:22:16] Israel lobby wants is repentance. They [00:22:19] want us to say sorry for making their [00:22:22] Zionist feelings uh a bit hurty. They [00:22:26] want us to say sorry for being pro [00:22:27] Palestine. They want us to say sorry for [00:22:29] being anti- genocide. And the best of [00:22:33] us, I think, and the most thoroughgoing [00:22:34] like Rakma won't do that. And it feels [00:22:38] to me like it's a personal thing with [00:22:40] West Streeting. It's a personal thing [00:22:42] with some of the hierarchy of the Labor [00:22:43] Party. They want to make an example of [00:22:45] her because she is unrepentant. Because [00:22:48] she is a problem for them, because she's [00:22:50] very articulate. She's a doctor. She [00:22:53] states her case very, very clearly. [00:22:55] She's Palestinian. And she they want to [00:22:58] get rid of people like that. They want [00:22:59] to suppress people like that. So I urge [00:23:01] people to stand with her, but I also [00:23:04] urge people in around her to to be more [00:23:07] like her. The moment that you start [00:23:09] making peace with Zionists, I think, and [00:23:11] trying to assuage them in any way, then [00:23:13] they savage you, as happened with Jeremy [00:23:15] Corbin. So stand up and be proud of our [00:23:18] position. It's not a radical position. [00:23:21] Our position is we're against the murder [00:23:24] of babies. We're against the targeting [00:23:26] of healthare workers and journalists. [00:23:29] were against US imperialism [00:23:32] and all its machinations. We don't have [00:23:34] to be ashamed of that at all. That [00:23:36] should actually be the orthodox [00:23:37] uncontroversial position. [00:23:40] >> Absolutely. And you took a very um noble [00:23:42] stance with what you just said. You uh [00:23:45] boarded the Sumud Flatillaa a few weeks [00:23:47] ago. you just returned home and you were [00:23:50] subject like you and all the other [00:23:52] flatillaa members that were um arrested [00:23:54] and detained, kidnapped I should say, uh [00:23:57] were um you know you faced a lot of [00:23:59] abuse, zip tied. You were a forced to [00:24:02] watch hours of October 7th propaganda. [00:24:06] Tell us about what has happened what [00:24:08] happened when you were kidnapped and [00:24:10] what has happened since you've returned [00:24:12] home. [00:24:14] I yeah, I think we were saying [00:24:15] beforehand, I'm a kind of a delayed [00:24:17] reaction guy. So, I I would probably [00:24:19] process what happened months down the [00:24:21] line. I would say the main thing I'm [00:24:23] dealing with since I came home is I I [00:24:25] mean, this might sound stupid, but I [00:24:28] didn't quite get my head around how [00:24:29] worried my family would be. Um, and they [00:24:33] were really traumatized. And I think [00:24:34] I've talked to one or two um Leila [00:24:36] Hagazi in in the US today about it. And [00:24:39] I think none of us were prepared for the [00:24:41] fact that we wouldn't be able to get any [00:24:42] messages out whatsoever. So that's the [00:24:45] key thing that really upset my family [00:24:47] because I suppose I'm so vocal online [00:24:49] and they were worried that they might [00:24:50] make an example out of me. And when they [00:24:52] couldn't uh get through to me and they [00:24:54] didn't hear from me, they were starting [00:24:56] to fear the worst that I don't know that [00:24:57] I would be physically tortured or or [00:24:59] whatnot. So, but that's all part of the [00:25:02] fear game that the Israelis play. It's [00:25:05] um and I should say I should preface [00:25:06] what I'm about to say by saying that [00:25:09] what we experienced is really nothing on [00:25:12] what Palestinians experience all the [00:25:14] time. And we're very aware of that. And [00:25:15] it's not just a mantra. It's something [00:25:16] that we need to be very, you know, uh [00:25:18] consistent when when we're speaking [00:25:21] about this because we will never [00:25:23] experience what it's like to to have the [00:25:25] full, you know, uh um torture situation [00:25:30] because we have passports of privilege. [00:25:31] though, you know, the Israelis know that [00:25:33] whatever they do to us, we were going to [00:25:34] get out. And for me, I'm I'm lucky. I'm [00:25:37] going to have the opportunities to speak [00:25:39] to people like yourself, but there are [00:25:41] many Palestinians that don't have that [00:25:43] opportunity. They don't have the [00:25:44] passports. And it re I really found it [00:25:46] chilling when I was incarcerated and, [00:25:49] you know, they they weren't letting me [00:25:51] sleep. They didn't give us access to [00:25:53] medicine. We couldn't see doctors. We [00:25:55] couldn't get a message out. Um, you [00:25:58] know, people needed their insulin and [00:25:59] they were left without insulin for days [00:26:01] on end. No drinking water, you know. Um, [00:26:05] you're you're kind of frightened into [00:26:07] thinking you're going to be there [00:26:08] indefinitely. And I mean, I was trying [00:26:10] to keep myself sane more than anything [00:26:12] else. But I was lying on my bed with [00:26:14] like there's 11 or 12 other lads kind of [00:26:17] low-key losing their mind in the room [00:26:20] with me. And I just thought to myself, [00:26:21] if they're treating us like this with [00:26:23] the passports that we have, like I don't [00:26:27] even want to think about what they're [00:26:29] doing to Palestinians, many of whom are [00:26:31] children, in these torture camps right [00:26:34] now. And that was the most chilling [00:26:36] thing I I could possibly imagine. And I [00:26:38] suppose if they thought that by treating [00:26:40] us bad, it was going to turn us off this [00:26:44] kind of mission to try and document and [00:26:47] expose their crimes and their their [00:26:50] atrocities and to advocate for the [00:26:51] Palestinian cause. Obviously, the [00:26:53] opposite is the case. I think a 100,000 [00:26:56] people have already signed up for the [00:26:58] next flotilla mission. So, Israel has [00:27:01] got one trick. It's to escalate their [00:27:04] violence, their hatred. You know, I'll [00:27:06] give you one very quick example. When we [00:27:08] were pretty much causing a riot on one [00:27:10] of the wings of our prison to try and [00:27:12] get Patty, a 75year-old Irishman, his [00:27:16] insulin, instead of bringing a doctor, [00:27:18] they brought SWAT teams, you know, with [00:27:21] dogs and guns. And that's Israel. They [00:27:23] don't have a diplomatic empathetic bone [00:27:26] in their body. All they know is violence [00:27:29] and then escalated violence. And that's [00:27:31] that's all they do. They said, "We don't [00:27:33] have any doctors for animals." They view [00:27:35] us as obviously they view Palestinian [00:27:37] Palestinians as animals or less than [00:27:39] animals I would say and their allies. [00:27:41] And I think that level of hateful [00:27:44] um ideology has a shelf life. And I I do [00:27:48] believe that that the Zionist entity is [00:27:51] is entering its final days. I do believe [00:27:53] that. [00:27:55] And you know, the ceasefire has been in [00:27:57] place for about a week now, and Israel [00:27:59] has killed, [00:28:01] I would say, 100 Palestinians since the [00:28:04] ceasefire was announced. They've [00:28:07] violated it what, over 90 times since [00:28:10] the ceasefire was announced. Um, where [00:28:14] do you see this going? [00:28:17] >> I mean, the ceasefire for me from the [00:28:19] Western perspective is kind of like it's [00:28:21] a it's an attempt at hoodwinking. It's [00:28:23] kind of like trying to tell the [00:28:24] activists who have dedicated a lot of [00:28:28] time and energy over the last two years. [00:28:30] It's trying to assuage them and kind of [00:28:31] say, "Look, we've got this peace plan. [00:28:34] You know, everything's going to be [00:28:35] dandy. Israel's going to stop all this [00:28:38] killing stuff that you've been seeing on [00:28:40] your phones. I mean, it may not be real [00:28:41] anyway. It's probably AI. But if you [00:28:43] have seen some stuff that you feel is [00:28:45] real, that's going to stop. We've got a [00:28:47] peace plan. It's a hoodwink. It's [00:28:50] obviously not real for the reasons that [00:28:51] you've just outlined. We the the [00:28:53] extermination hasn't stopped. The [00:28:55] starvation hasn't stopped. So, I think [00:28:57] it provides a kind of a a kind of a [00:29:00] crossroads for the pro Palestine, [00:29:03] pro-humanity community. Either we can be [00:29:06] hoodwinkedked by empire again and allow [00:29:09] ourselves to kind of to tail off and [00:29:11] say, "Look, we've been doing this a long [00:29:12] time. we're tired and I'm sure it'll [00:29:16] improve now that there's a ceasefire has [00:29:18] been called. Or we can refocus and kind [00:29:21] of think to ourselves, what do we need [00:29:23] to do now to stand with Palestinians as [00:29:26] they seek proper justice and liberation [00:29:31] for their cause? And I I think it's it's [00:29:33] a moment where some people who aren't in [00:29:35] it for the long haul might feel the [00:29:37] desire to fall away and other people [00:29:40] will look at it as an opportunity to [00:29:41] like take a helicopter view almost and [00:29:44] see that Gaza is just the beginning. [00:29:46] We're we're in the midst of as I was [00:29:48] saying at the start in a fight for our [00:29:50] own humanity and our own futures and [00:29:53] without being cheesy about it like we're [00:29:54] fighting for the world that our kids are [00:29:57] grow going to grow up in as well. I mean [00:29:59] one of the main motivations for me even [00:30:01] though I really missed my kids [00:30:02] unbearably and my heart was broken when [00:30:06] I was on the flotilla thinking about [00:30:07] them but I did go on the flotilla for my [00:30:10] kids in a way because I love them and I [00:30:13] want them to grow up in a world that [00:30:14] doesn't normalize looking the other way [00:30:16] when people are being mass murdered and [00:30:19] starved to death. I want them to grow up [00:30:21] in a world where they believe that they [00:30:23] are just as good, no better or worse [00:30:27] than any other kid in a in a truly [00:30:30] egalitarian world. That's what I'm [00:30:32] fighting for. It's not here right now. [00:30:34] It's not achievable tomorrow, but that's [00:30:35] what I think we need to fight for. So, [00:30:39] some kind of half-hearted pissy [00:30:42] ceasefire and peace plan that doesn't [00:30:44] actually really include Palestinians at [00:30:46] all and doesn't have Palestinian [00:30:48] self-determination [00:30:49] seemingly in at any stage of this peace [00:30:52] plan is nothing to get excited about. [00:30:54] It's nothing to to kind of rest on our [00:30:56] laurels about. It should be just a [00:30:58] juncture where we refocus and and take [00:31:01] the fight all the stronger and all the [00:31:03] more determined to US imperialism and [00:31:06] the Zionist entity [00:31:08] >> and that's obviously why all of us are [00:31:10] in this movement whether it's journalism [00:31:12] or activism or you know aborting these [00:31:14] flotillas or speaking up or you know [00:31:15] organizing the protests or the sitins or [00:31:17] disrupt you know all of this we're all [00:31:19] in this because we want our children um [00:31:21] to have a better future and teach them [00:31:23] that you know we don't sit idly by while [00:31:26] a major oppression is taking place. And [00:31:29] I know that this is rooted in your Irish [00:31:31] background. I know you mentioned it kind [00:31:33] of in the beginning, but could you um [00:31:35] kind of explain more why the Irish are [00:31:37] just so different? I mean, you Irish are [00:31:39] just different. You're you're built [00:31:41] different. Why are you built so [00:31:43] different from the rest of the Western [00:31:45] uh countries when it comes to standing [00:31:48] up for Palestinian human rights? [00:31:50] >> We're different because we've been [00:31:52] through some of the same that [00:31:54] you've been through. I mean, that's [00:31:55] basically it. In terms of the European [00:31:57] context, the Irish are unusual because [00:32:01] we know colonialism. We know [00:32:03] dehumanization. We know what it's like [00:32:05] to be ripped off our land because the [00:32:08] colonizer deems us to be ethnically [00:32:11] inferior. You know, we know all that [00:32:13] stuff. We, you know, in terms of our [00:32:15] language, our culture, our way of life, [00:32:18] they're still under threat in many [00:32:20] cases. We're trying to rejuvenate our [00:32:22] language at the moment with with some [00:32:24] success actually. But the decolonizing [00:32:26] process is a long road as you know. It's [00:32:28] it's a marathon. It's not a sprint. And [00:32:31] I think when most Irish people, it's not [00:32:34] even an intellectual thing. It's a [00:32:35] spiritual kind of connection in our [00:32:38] bones and in our DNA. When we see people [00:32:41] being mass murdered and slaughtered, [00:32:43] when we see civilian population being [00:32:46] starved to death, and there's no reason [00:32:48] for this so-called famine. You know, [00:32:50] there was a famine in my country, too, a [00:32:51] so-called famine. But the British, a bit [00:32:54] like the Israelis and the Americans at [00:32:56] the moment, were happy just to let Irish [00:32:58] people die, you know, um because they [00:33:00] were in the way. Um that's a man-made [00:33:03] starvation. That's not a famine. If [00:33:05] you're an Irish person, you see what's [00:33:07] going on in Gaza at the moment, and you [00:33:09] identify with the colonizer and not the [00:33:12] colonized, I I don't think you're Irish [00:33:14] at all or I think you've lost your mind. [00:33:16] So the the connection with Palestine is [00:33:18] deep. It's real. Um if you travel to [00:33:22] West Belfast today or many parts of [00:33:25] Ireland, but particularly West Belfast [00:33:26] in Derry, you will see as many or more [00:33:30] Palestine flags than you will Irish [00:33:32] colors. Um and you will see murals on [00:33:34] the wall in West Belfast about the [00:33:37] Palestinian struggle and the Irish [00:33:38] struggle and the way that they're [00:33:39] connected together. But I would say you [00:33:43] don't have to be Irish. You don't have [00:33:45] to be from a colonized country to [00:33:48] connect deeply with the Palestinian [00:33:50] cause right now because it is the cause [00:33:52] of humanity. I mean, Nelson Mandela said [00:33:54] it was the moral issue of our time. And [00:33:56] that that becomes more true with every [00:33:58] passing year, I think. And it's it's at [00:34:00] its most true right now. So, it helps to [00:34:03] be Irish. It helps to be colonized, but [00:34:06] I think you just have to have a pulse [00:34:07] really to see that the Palestinian cause [00:34:10] right now is the cause of humanity. It's [00:34:12] a just cause. And that's why we should [00:34:14] never coto or we should never be [00:34:16] embarrassed to be pro Palestine. And the [00:34:19] the companies and the corporations and [00:34:21] the nations that want to criminalize us [00:34:24] and want us to cout, they're the ones [00:34:26] that should be criminalized. They're the [00:34:27] ones who should be called out. They're [00:34:29] the ones who should be boycotted, not [00:34:31] us. [00:34:34] >> And Ty, you're also a comedian. This is [00:34:37] my final question for you. How easy has [00:34:39] it been for you to be a comedian with [00:34:42] your politics, to tour around the world, [00:34:45] to play the shows? What has been your [00:34:47] experience and your successes? Um, as an [00:34:50] Irish comedian, [00:34:52] >> I suppose in terms of comedy, I haven't [00:34:54] done much standup in the last couple of [00:34:56] years. I struggle with kind of um [00:34:59] standing on a stage and making jokes at [00:35:02] the moment. Um, and that's no shade on [00:35:05] people who who are doing standup. [00:35:07] They're maybe just better at it than I [00:35:08] am at finding the funny on on stage. I [00:35:11] find that easier online because I feel [00:35:13] like satire and I'm building a a full [00:35:16] new satire show at the moment called Now [00:35:19] H not on our watch with Nicole Jenn. [00:35:22] We've shot a first few episodes of it [00:35:24] and we're hoping to just make that show [00:35:26] ourselves and not go to the Netflixes [00:35:29] and the BBC's of the world anymore. Not [00:35:31] that they'd have us anyway, I suppose, [00:35:32] at this point. But, uh, just to not to [00:35:34] keep trying to get crumbs off the king's [00:35:36] table, just to try and make stuff [00:35:37] ourselves. That's really been the goal. [00:35:40] But, I I suppose like I'd always been [00:35:42] making satire, but never in my life that [00:35:44] I would imagine it would have the reach [00:35:46] at it has had in the last year or or [00:35:48] more. Not just for me, but for many of [00:35:50] my my friends and and colleagues online [00:35:53] as well. It just feels like satire [00:35:55] reaches people um to tell them the truth [00:35:58] about the way the world works in a way [00:35:59] that I can't reach them when I'm just [00:36:01] kind of pontificating or chatting to [00:36:03] camera. It really is such a useful [00:36:06] useful tool at the moment. But um but I [00:36:09] suppose to to conclude on the comedy [00:36:11] front, it's worth reminding people. I [00:36:13] suppose that when I started off making [00:36:16] sketches about this cause or or or the [00:36:19] genocide, it was actually Palestinians [00:36:21] who who told me to do it. Like you're [00:36:23] saying, I was very nervy about saying or [00:36:26] doing anything like comedic about a [00:36:29] genocide. I mean, I had been making [00:36:32] sketches, comedy sketches about the [00:36:33] British Empire and and whatnot, but like [00:36:36] this was a distant thing. I was making [00:36:38] sketches about, you know, the partition [00:36:40] of India. I mean, the the the the wounds [00:36:42] aren't so raw as an ongoing live stream [00:36:45] genocide. But actually, it was my [00:36:47] Palestinian friends in Ireland that [00:36:48] said, "Get in there. Satire has a huge [00:36:51] role to play, and you'll never find [00:36:54] anything as easy to satarize as Israeli [00:36:56] propaganda." And boy were they right. [00:37:02] >> That's true. There's too much in there. [00:37:05] And they're just such a propagandized [00:37:07] society that [00:37:09] >> they kind of just out themselves, you [00:37:11] know, like they don't have to do much [00:37:12] work. [00:37:13] >> Well, this is it. I I what I said at the [00:37:15] time was like I I I believe that these [00:37:17] people are satarizing themselves. I'm [00:37:19] not sure what much I how much I can add, [00:37:21] but apparently apparently there was a [00:37:23] little to go. [00:37:25] Well, you're doing an incredible job and [00:37:26] we really appreciate all of your [00:37:28] activism and your efforts to expose the [00:37:30] Israeli propaganda machine. I mean, I as [00:37:33] a Palestinian um you know, commend you [00:37:35] for all that you've done and we [00:37:37] appreciate the solidarity and we hope to [00:37:40] support your new show. [00:37:41] >> Oh, thank you so much. Well, absolute [00:37:43] pleasure pleasure talking to you and uh [00:37:45] yeah, look, ally for life. So, so please [00:37:48] reach out. I'm happy happy to do my [00:37:50] little bit. [00:37:51] >> Thank you so much.