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mamacita?
Hi everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start.
I’m going to get right to things with a dose of honesty. Over the last 22 months, it’s been difficult to build weekly newsletters without wanting to draw attention to every news story coming out of Gaza. That’s why, in this newsletter, each section will include at least one article outlining ongoing events in Gaza, including rare doses of positive news. If you have a problem with this, feel free to click away now.
In this edition we’ll look at: an upcoming benefit concert for Gaza at London’s Wembley Arena, the rise of ‘Friend Socialism’, criticism of Israel leading to Grok AI being banned from X, and more. Let’s dive in.
🎤 Culture corner
English musician Brian Eno and the organisation Together For Palestine have announced a Gaza benefit concert at Wembley Arena. They’ve have invited global musicians and artists to join in their call for an end to Israel’s genocide on the Palestinian people. So far, the lineup includes performances by Jamie xx, James Blake, Sampha, King Krule, Mabel, Paloma Faith, Cat Burns, Greentea Peng, and Hot Chip. Special guest presenters will include Pinkpantheress and Rina Sawayama. The concert is set to take place in London on the 17th of September, with 100 percent of proceeds donated to Palestinian partners through Choose Love, a UK charity supporting local humanitarians in conflict zones. Anyone looking to attend can buy tickets here.
The rise of ‘Friend Socialism’ – business insider
In a time where the economic forecasts remain grim, inflation is as at an all-time high, and wages are stagnating, people are turning to their friends for financial support – but not in the ways you might think. Friendship groups are cutting costs by banding together to join ‘family plans’ for streaming services like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube Premium, Nintendo Switch, as well as joining family phone plans and fitness memberships. Obviously, this can come with complications in the event of friendship fallouts or if one person in the group wants to switch providers. But in a time where people are having less kids – again, because they can’t afford them – friend groups are becoming the new family… and nothing in the fine print says they can’t be.
🤖 Tech talk
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok was briefly suspended on X (the very platform he owns) only to reappear minutes later, sparking a frenzy of speculation. Grok claimed it had been punished for accusing Israel and the U.S. of committing genocide in Gaza, citing international legal and rights groups as key sources. The bot has continued making strong accusations against Israel, sometimes in profanity-laced rants, and has been accused of parroting Musk’s opinions. Musk, who has supported Israel’s fight against Hamas but never used the term ‘genocide’ for Gaza, has previously dismissed extremist outputs from Grok as a result of user manipulation. The incident has raised questions about moderation, bias, and the control Musk exerts over his AI tech.
Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act rules – euronews
The Wikimedia Foundation – the non-profit operating Wikipedia – has seen its legal challenge to the UK’s Online Safety Act refused. The bill, rolled out only weeks ago, has been criticised for its potential to restrict freedom of expression through its new strict requirements on digital platforms. Wikipedia raised issue with being listed as a ‘Category 1’ platform, stating it ‘would undermine the privacy and safety of the site’s volunteer contributors, expose the encyclopedia to manipulation and vandalism, and divert essential resources from protecting people and improving Wikipedia.’ The foundation argues that their model, which allows anyone to contribute without registering personal details, is key to the platform’s breadth of coverage. User verification by submission of photo ID or AI age scanning technology – one of requirements for Category 1 platforms – ‘could expose contributors to data breaches, stalking, lawsuits, or even imprisonment by authoritarian regimes.’ Though the legal challenge was rejected, a high court judge said Ofcom is not allowed to significantly impede Wikipedia’s operations.
💬 Global news
Israel kills five Al Jazeera journalists in targeted Gaza City airstrike – cpj
On August 10th, five of Al Jazeera’s journalists were killed by a targeted Israeli airstrike while sitting outside of a press tent near Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital. One of them was Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif who had been diligently reporting on the intense bombardment and man-made starvation unfolding Gaza City. Israel confirmed it targeted al-Sharif deliberately, alleging links to Hamas, but it has yet to provide any evidence of this claim. Along with the death of Sharif, the strike killed another correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. Global outrage ensued immediately, with UN representatives and media watchdogs saying Israel has been on a campaign of deliberately murdering journalists. Many say Palestinian journalists are being specifically targeted because they are the last official news correspondents left in Gaza, with foreign journalists banned from operating in the Strip since Oct 7, 2023.
Trump is blurring the line between the military and law enforcement – nyt
US President Donald Trump has called in the National Guard once again, this time to Washington DC. He declared a ‘public safety emergency’ on Monday, deploying 800 troops to the city to act as reinforcements for hundreds of federal law enforcement officers on the ground. ‘This is liberation day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back,’ he said, adding that Washington DC had been ‘taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals’ as well as ‘drugged out maniacs and homeless people’. It’s worth noting that data from the city’s Metropolitan Police Department shows that homicides dropped by 32% between 2023 and 2024 and have reached their lowest level since 2019. In June, Trump sent nearly 5,000 troops to Los Angeles (made up of National Guard and several hundred Marines) in response to protests against his immigration policies. He says police will have authority to do ‘whatever the hell they want’. As always, it’s unclear what exactly Trump means by this statement.
🚨 Society
On the weekend, The London Metropolitan Police arrested 532 people at a Palestine Action protest in Central London. Almost all of the arrests were made against people displaying placards that stated ‘I oppose genocide’ and ‘I support Palestine Action,’ the organisation that has been banned under the Terrorist Act in the UK. More than half of the people arrested were above age 60, with nearly 100 of the individuals detained aged in their 70s. A further fifteen were in their 80s. The number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last 10 years. Former Labour minister Peter Hain described the arrests as ‘madness,’ stating that Palestine Action is not equivalent to ‘real terrorist groups,’ while MP Dianne Abbott said the government is dangerously close to appearing ‘both draconian and foolish’ for arresting elderly protestors. However, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the Palestine Action arrests over the weekend and said it is ‘important that no one’s in any doubt that it is not a non-violent organisation,’ though she refused to produce any evidence of planned violent acts ‘for security reasons’.
What I’ve learned from teaching philosophy in prisons – the conversation
In England’s overcrowded prisons, where 57% of inmates have low literacy and numeracy, most educational programmes focus on job skills and remedial basics. But a growing movement argues there’s a real benefit in teaching philosophy. Unlike traditional subjects, philosophy can be taught entirely through conversation, making it accessible to almost anyone. The charity Philosophy in Prison, working with the University of Sheffield, has found that these classes not only engage prisoners who’ve had negative experiences of education but also promote mental wellbeing and healthier social interactions. In a sector where resources are stretched thin, philosophy has shown it can reduce tensions, improve communication, and change attitudes towards disagreement. If prison is meant to prepare people for a different life outside, fostering thoughtful, reflective citizens could be as important as teaching maths or technical skills.
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