→ Farmer protests spread to the UK
Hundreds of farmers have gathered for this protest against Welsh Government farming policies in Carmarthen. pic.twitter.com/VjxpoeutfG
— Farmers Weekly (@FarmersWeekly) February 8, 2024
One of the curious features about the European farmer protests was why they had not taken off in the UK. Liam Stokes explained on UnHerd that this might have been due to farm size, but also fears in Britain that farmers would not garner MUCH public support. Stokes warned, however, that the relative passivity of UK farmers should not be mistaken for complacency: unhappiness and anxiety characterises a lot of the farming in Britain. Now, his premonition may be coming true: Welsh farmers have led a convoy of tractors outside of the office of the rural affairs minister in Wrexham. They come after protests further south over changes to government support and new regulations. How will Rishi Sunak respond if they spread to England?
→ New poll: Muslim support for Labour plunges over Gaza
A new poll has found that Labour is losing significant support among British Muslims over the party’s handling of the Gaza war. According to Survation, only 60% of Labour-supporting British Muslims said they would vote for the party, marking a 26% drop in support since the last election in 2019. Following this week’s announcement that Labour was forced to withdraw support for Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali over his Israel comments, this poll makes will make for difficult reading. Like Joe Biden and other Left-leaning leaders in the West, Keir Starmer is struggling to manage the increasingly bitter divide among his voter base over the conflict.
→ Harvard student hunger strike
In one of the bravest acts of protest since 7 October, more than 30 pro-Palestinian Harvard students participated in a 12-hour hunger strike on Friday. The strike was conducted to support the 17 hunger striking students at Brown University, who refused to eat for eight days after the Brown corporation refused to divest from Israel. According to the Harvard Crimson, the 17 students ended their strike at 5 pm on 9 Feb, along with the Harvard demonstrators and more than 200 other Brown students who fasted for 32 hours. A whole day without food? That’s a level of self-discipline that would make Jack Dorsey proud.
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SubscribeA 12 hour hunger strike? Was it overnight?
Courageous guys. Go to bed without dinner!
I practice intermittent fasting. Twelve hours without food is literally my every day outside of holidays. <slaps forehead>
They started the ‘hunger strike’ at 5am and ended it at dinner-time the same day?
12 hours? You sure it wasn’t just Ramadan?
OMG! this is too funny!
“In one of the bravest acts of protest…”
Well done!