‘The Hitler of Our Time!’ Trump Confronted Inside DC Steak House
Original article by Jon Queally republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
“They feast while Gaza starves!” said members of the peace group CodePink to the far-right president and his cabinet.
Local peace activists in Washington, DC were swiftly ejected on Tuesday night after confronting President Donald Trump and several members of his cabinet who were dining in a steak and seafood restaurant, but not before they castigated the men for “feasting” in opulence while the people of Gaza “starve” under the brutal humanitarian blockade imposed by the US and Israeli governments.
The small group of CodePink activists chanted “They feast while Gaza starves!” and “Trump is the Hitler of our time!” as Trump looked on just several feet away inside Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab restaurant, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others.
“He’s terrorizing Gaza and communities all over the world!” one activist in the group shouted at Trump while the president looked on and then shooed them to go away with a point of his finger and then a gesture to his Secret Service detail.
“While Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and others feasted at a steakhouse, we stood our ground and told them the truth,” said Olivia DiNucci, the group’s DC organizer, in a statement following the confrontation. “Two years into genocide, Gaza is under evacuation orders, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are in the crosshairs, and the Pentagon proudly calls itself the Department of War. Trump looked us in the eyes, and we made sure he would never dine in peace while communities are under siege.”
CodePink said a Trump administration “prioritizing war and the wealthy over the needs of the American people and human rights abroad” should not be able to dine in luxury when it is causing so much pain and misery both abroad and in communities nationwide in the US, including the capital.
The group specifically condemned ongoing “support for the genocide in Gaza, reckless and illegal military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, and the deployment of troops and ICE agents within US borders. As well as the growing threat of occupying U.S. cities with the deployment of the National Guard.”
With National Guard troops now deployed in Los Angeles and Washington, DC—and with the Trump administration announcing the launch of what it dubbed operation “Midway Blitz” in Chicago this week—CodePink said there is growing anger nationwide over the president’s authoritarian and fascist tactics that are reminiscent of how Adolf Hitler intensified his violent grip on power in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 40s.
“We hope he sees our faces in his mind, for a long time,” said one group member who confronted Trump in the restaurant. “Because he looked us all in the eyes as we were standing there. We will continue to fight for DC. We will continue to fight for a free Palestine every single day.
The activists received high praise online for their disruptive efforts.
“Pretty gutsy in my opinion. I don’t know how they got so close,” said journalist and writer Tim Shorrock.
“Amazing!” declared writer Polly Sigh. “My hats off to these brave protesters for saying it right to his ugly orange face.”
In its statement, CodePink said that while Trump’s authoritarian march at home and warmongering abroad continues, “the very programs that support struggling Americans—healthcare, education, and addiction treatment—face severe cuts.”
“This agenda, funded by a bill providing massive tax cuts for the super-rich, is being paid for by a working class that cannot afford it,” said the group, who added that their small disruption of a dinner for some of the world’s most powerful men “represents the frustration of a majority of Americans who reject these priorities.”
Original article by Jon Queally republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
[Mayor of London] Sadiq Khan: After the far right’s march on our streets, Londoners must show Trump we reject his politics of fear
These are dark times, but those who seek to divide us will not win. The capital’s soul and spirit are as inclusive and optimistic as ever
…
President Donald Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years. When he came to the UK on his first state visit, I highlighted how the president had deliberately used xenophobia, racism and “otherness” as an electoral tactic, introducing a travel ban on a number of Muslim-majority countries and praising white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Six years later, the tactics we see from today’s White House seem no different. Scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities. These actions aren’t just inconsistent with western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.
…
The president and his supporters often talk about the importance of free speech, painting a picture of Britain as a dystopian society where repression means our rights are under threat. Nothing could be further from the truth. This week, I’m sure many Londoners will speak up to tell President Trump and his followers that we cannot be divided by those who seek to sow fear. That we are determined for our city to stand strong as a bastion against hate, and shine bright as a beacon of hope. That we see strength in our diversity, not weakness. And that we hold our progressive principles high with pride, rather than hiding them in shame.
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Gaza-bound flotilla ships to gather near Malta before sailing to besieged Gaza
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Ships of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla will gather near Malta before sailing together across the Mediterranean toward the Israel-blockaded territory, organizers said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.
“More than 50 ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla already set sail from several ports in Tunisia, Italy, Greece and Libya,” the International Committee to Break the Israeli Siege of Gaza said in a statement.
“The ships are scheduled to gather at a rendezvous point near Malta before sailing together toward the shores of Gaza,” it added, without specifying a date.
The committee said the flotilla ships carry relief supplies, medicines, baby formula, and hundreds of activists and supporters from more than 40 countries.
“Many Arab activists and supporters are on board, as well as dozens of public figures, parliamentarians, doctors, and community leaders from North African countries.”
The aid flotilla also includes dozens of participants from several other countries, including Türkiye and Malaysia.
“This flotilla, given its unprecedented size and diversity, is expected to represent a turning point in efforts to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza,” the committee said.
The current convoy is the largest of its kind, aiming to challenge the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where famine conditions have taken hold under Israel’s months-long closure of all crossings.
The Israeli army has killed almost 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable, and led to starvation and spread of diseases.
READ: Prominent Brazilian presence in Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza
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Gaza death toll nears 65,000 as hunger deaths climb to 428
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At least 64,964 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, as the death toll from hunger climbed to 428, including 146 children, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, Anadolu reports.
In its daily update, the ministry said 59 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 386 people were injured, bringing the total number of injuries to 165,312.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the statement added.
The ministry said 112 people were injured by Israeli army fire while seeking humanitarian aid in the past 24 hours. According to the ministry, at least 2,497 aid seekers were killed and over 18,294 others wounded by the Israeli army since May 27.
It confirmed three new fatalities over the past 24 hours, one of them a child, caused by severe malnutrition, bringing the famine-linked death toll since October 2023 to 428, including 146 children.
The ministry said at least 150 Palestinians, among them 31 children, have died of hunger since August, when the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in Gaza City. The IPC warned that the crisis would spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in central and southern Gaza by the end of September.
READ: UK government urged to ‘prevent and punish’ Israel’s genocide after UN’s Gaza report
Israel has sealed Gaza’s crossings since March 2, preventing food and aid trucks from entering despite hundreds waiting at the border. The move has exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave, leaving residents without access to basic supplies.
The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 12,413 people and injured 53,271 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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