David Brenner

Police urged to seek clarity on whether hate crime fire at mosque was terrorism The Green Party has called on police to seek clarity over the motives of the hate crime fire at Peacehaven’s mosque.

It's a miracle nobody was hurt. Sending solidarity to the Muslim community in Sussex and across the UK, as well as the Jewish community who are still grieving from the appalling attack in Manchester. No one should EVER feel unsafe in their place of worship
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

BISA + Brighton = perfect combo! Come and join us next year.

Making Myanmar: humanitarianism amid revolutionary state-building This in-depth study calls for a profound rethinking of humanitarianism amid contested governance, with relevance for many contexts beyond Myanmar that face such realities.

"We cannot do a project-based revolution."

odi.org/en/publicati...

Looking forward to this one by @jamesstout.bsky.social
Should be a really interesting read.

All triggered by the government’s ban on social media.. truly mind boggling!

Why is our trade union emulating the worst behaviour of our employers towards UCU staff? How many of our letters, motions, attempts to bring motions from lay members pressing for resolution have been ignored now? Solidarity with all @uniteucu.bsky.social #UnionStrong #ReclaimUCU

Congratulations to Dr Claudio Montesi on successfully defending their PhD.

Many thanks to @davidbrenner.bsky.social and Professor Alice Hills who examined the PhD.

Also many congratulations and sincere thanks to my co-supervisor at Sussex IR dept, Professor Fabio Petito.

I’ve never been one for commas but this here pretty much sums up the brave new world of marking.

Yvette Cooper: Fly your country’s flag anywhere — I do at home The home secretary’s comments follow the raising of the Union Jack and St George’s flag across the UK as part of a social media campaign called Operation Raise the Colours

Absolutely, and Labour's paddling to the far right seems even worse than what happened under Biden in the US. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

As England drowns in Union Jacks and St George’s flags, local politicians’ statements of solidarity with ethnic minorities are welcome. But their mantra-like claims that far-right nationalism is supported by only a small fraction are irresponsible, especially with Reform UK 8 points ahead in polls.

KontraS #StopGenocide @KontraSupdates ALL EYES ON INDONESIA'S DYING DEMOCRACY From the misuse of tear gas to the open fire of live bullets. From ‘foreign henchmen’ narratives to 'paid protests’ narratives. From promises of respecting dissent to silencing journalists #ProtectEachOther #StopPoliceBrutality

KontraS have posted this on twitter. Things are bad in Indonesia. Live ammo has been authorised by the chief of police against protesters.

Very nice explainer from twitter user normelpeople on what's happening in Indonesia this week and how people are feeling

Classic UK govt move: there is a useful fiction of the separation between arms companies and governments. So the UK gets to look like it did something good while materially enabling the bad stuff to happen and letting the Israeli govt cry wolf about how badly it’s treated.

Time to use your university library again. Academia will survive without citation counts and h-indexes. Could be worse 🤷‍♂️

I was seriously puzzled as to why this is happening. Makes a whole lot of cynical sense now.

UNHCR welcomes Royal Thai Government resolution providing long-term refugees the right to work UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today commended the Royal Thai Government’s adoption of a resolution that will grant long-staying refugees from Myanmar the right to work in Thailand.

This is good (though doesn't go far enough). Thai Government will grant long term refugees in the displacement camps along the Thai-Myanmar border the right to work in Thailand.

It doesn't seem to cover the many Myanmar refugees since coup. Nor will it likely stop deportations back to Myanmar.

Satellite images and videos reveal 19 rare earth mines in NDAA-controlled area of eastern Shan State near Mekong River - Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) Satellite images from May 2025 and recent video footage reveal nineteen rare earth mining sites under the control of the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA or “Mong La” army) in Mong Yawng townsh...

Important new Shan Human Rights Foundation report reveals 19 rare earth mining sites in territory controlled by the National Democratic Alliance Army, aka Mong La army, in Shan State's Mong Yawng township near the Mekong River & China border (short thread).
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...

I don’t want to be too shrill about this but I think the BBC, ITV and Sky have disgraced themselves in their coverage of the anti-refugee protests. A massive failure of judgement. But now we know the next time a progressive protest “isn’t news” that it’s nothing to do with numbers

Hpaji hte Shălawt (Education for Liberation) YouTube video by Kachinland College

Most universities compete for students with individual career and lifestyle promises. Informal higher education providers in war-torn Kachin State, Myanmar, appeal to a communal desire of national liberation: “lead the nation with truth and knowledge!”

www.youtube.com/watch?si=Q9f...

It's simple, if you throw paint on a plane then you get proscribed and any 80 year olds defending you get arrested.

If you ask people to burn down hotels, and they try, you get an interview in the Telegraph and positive coverage in the BBC.

That's sensible, proportionate policing.

Lots of good events happening this weekend #MilkTeaAlliance! So as usual here is our roundup of what's coming up.

1st our thanks & congratulations to @myanmar-now.bsky.social for their 10 year anniversary!

Like many media outlets they have suffered to report on #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar 🙏

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The story of Kachin rare earths becoming more bizarre by the day.

Gotta appreciate the honesty.

I clearly remember from history class how it really was the fault of Germans that weren’t friends with NSDAP voters… if they had only reflected on their behaviour!

Rakhine State sees 'dramatic' hunger rise after aid cutbacks One of Myanmar's most conflict-ravaged states has witnessed a "dramatic rise in hunger" after United States aid cuts pushed by President Donald Trump during a punishing civil war, the World Food Progr...

AFP | One of Myanmar’s most conflict-ravaged states has witnessed a “dramatic rise in hunger” after United States aid cuts pushed by President Donald Trump during a punishing civil war, the World Food Programme said Tuesday.

Myanmar military junta using European technology for drone attacks, report says Junta obtained ‘anti-jamming’ product made in Europe through a Chinese company, research finds, triggering calls for tighter sanctions

#Myanmar now ranks third globally for drone events — behind only Ukraine & Russia — as the junta ramps up investment to counter opposition forces.

A new @theguardian.com piece using #ACLED data examines the conflict’s scale: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Four people in Tokyo holding open umbrellas in front of them with the Burmese character for eight on them representing the 8th Aug, 1988 the date of the uprising.

four people walking side by side up a long flight of steps in Yangon holding open umbrellas which have the Burmese character for eight on them representing the 8th Aug, 1988 the date of the uprising.

Crowd of people gathered, many are sitting on the floor behind open umbrellas with the Burmese character for eight on them representing the 8th Aug, 1988 the date of the uprising. A man plays music on a guitar & red flags with the stylised peacock & white star are flown. this is the flag that some peoples defence forces fight under

Two men stand outside a Junta building in Myikyina city, on the gates a banner made of a sheet is hung up. one of the men is holding a Kachin independence flag, the other the flag of the Kachin state civilian movement.

Well the weekend is here #MilkTeaAlliance

Opening the thread with some of the protests been happening to commemorate the the 37th year since the 1988 uprising.

We reaffirm our support for the peoples of Myanmar against the junta & recognise those that have given so much already
#8888Uprising
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Guest Column | The Risks of Romanticizing Rebel Governance in Myanmar No matter how legitimate their struggle against the junta, we need greater scrutiny of how ethnic armed groups administer the territories they conquer, says David Scott Mathieson.

Mathieson puts his finger on the sore spot, as he does best. A must-read for anyone interested in Myanmar’s emerging political orders.

www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/gues...

Best café in Thailand!

Eye on rare earths, Trump handing Myanmar to China - Asia Times The US Treasury Department’s decision to lift sanctions on allies of Myanmar’s military junta last Friday (July 25) marks a stark reversal of decades-long

"The idea that the US could gain a meaningful foothold in #Myanmar’s rare earth sector is not just naïve; it is nonsensical. Worse, it risks playing directly into China’s hands," writes @davidbrenner.bsky.social asiatimes.com/2025/07/eye-...