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Alex Carlen

@alexcarlen.bsky.social
57 followers 61 following 30 posts

Human rights research and advocacy @fairsq.bsky.social. Expect too many posts about #ReadingFC.

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Reposted by Alex Carlen
JosimarFootball @josimarfootball.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
New! Ny! Fifa and its 'relationship' with the press. A Josimar editorial. josimarfootball.com/2026/05/14/o...
josimarfootball.com
Omerta - josimarfootball.com
The press remains one of the last checks on Fifa’s power. Gianni Infantino and his media office are cracking down on it.
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Reposted by Alex Carlen
FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Andrew Tate and Conor McGregor aren't the only two far-right influencers cosying up to the UAE. Read @alexcarlen.bsky.social's excellent article on why people in the UK ought to be very concerned about Tommy Robinson tweets on Sudan and Yemen. fairsq.org/tommy-robins...
fairsq.org
What is going on with Tommy Robinson and Yemen?
Tommy Robinson A Right Wing Political Activist, Addresses The Crowds On The Big Screen At The Unite The Kingdom Rally In Whitehall, London, UK.
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Reposted by Alex Carlen
FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
"The UAE looks to be combining soft influence and potential hard levers of power in British politics. If its influence is not countered, the effects could be disastrous." @alexcarlen.bsky.social for Arab Digest explains why Tommy Robinson is tweeting about Yemen. arabdigest.org/sample-newsl...
arabdigest.org
What is going on with Tommy Robinson and Yemen? - Arab Digest
Summary: we planned to publish this newsletter about the far right influencer and his links with the UAE on 2 March but the Iran war intervened. We are publishing it now because it is an important sto...
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Nick McGeehan @ncgeehan.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Israeli NGO has documented an alarming rise in racism among Israeli supporter groups, with Maccabi Tel Aviv top of the list. The “absence of a serious and effective effort" within Israel Football Association to combat racism should be of serious concern to UEFA. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Research reveals racist chants on rise in Israeli football – with Maccabi Tel Aviv the worst offenders
Kick It Out Israel found 367 instances in the 2024-25 season – of those, 118 were observed in stands containing Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters
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Megan O’Toole @meganotoole.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
The ICJ has ruled that Israel’s Gaza aid blockade violates international law, citing its obligation to facilitate humanitarian relief for Palestinians.
middleeasteye.net
ICJ rules Israel’s ban on Unrwa and aid blockade violate international law
The International Court of Justice says Israel has obligation to ensure and facilitate humanitarian relief to Palestinians
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Good news. demonstrates the potential power of collective action by players 👍.
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Jonathan Liew @jonathanliew.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
column on robbie keane www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Standing with Maccabi’s football hooligans against local police – is that what patriotism looks like now? | Jonathan Liew
Tommy Robinson is said to be going to Villa Park as a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan. Do the politicians jumping on this bandwagon care what they are doing, asks Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
starmer is doing “everything he can” not about NHS waiting lists, the housing crisis or child poverty, but making sure violent thugs from Israel can run around birmingham launching racist attacks on football fans. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Maccabi v Hapoel called off by police after 'violent riots'
The derby between Maccabi and Hapoel is cancelled before kick-off after police say
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Nick McGeehan @ncgeehan.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
A thread on Barney Ronay's article criticising the decision Birmingham City Council and supported by West Midlands police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from traveling to Birmingham. It might be a depressing decision but it's not a terrible one. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is a terrible decision – and a depressing one | Barney Ronay
The idea that barring the Israeli club’s supporters from Villa Park will de-escalate a volatile situation just doesn’t stand up
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
There is no talk of the deradicalisation of Israeli society after the genocide. IDF soldiers who, as recently as Saturday, were posting pictures of themselves burning down Palestinian homes and celebrating can freely return to the UK and live among us. www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-idf...
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Reposted by Alex Carlen
Yemen Data Project @yemendataproject.org · 08/10/2025
The rate of civilian harm in Israeli strikes remains unprecedented. In Trump's bombing campaign earlier this year the average was 2.07 civilian casualties per strike. In seven years of Saudi-led air raids the rate was 0.76. In September, the average surged to over 32 civilian casualties per strike.
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Reposted by Alex Carlen
FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
"The volte-face increasingly looks like the last act of a piece of political theatre that allowed UEFA’s senior leadership to signal its support for the people of Gaza, while avoiding taking any action to help them." Read the analysis from @ncgeehan.bsky.social below ⬇️ fairsq.org/uefa-virtue-...
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Badly lacked a cutting edge today. Think Monday is a must win but can’t see it myself #Readingfc
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Every single European policymaker knows this is Israel's intention and yet the arms keep flowing.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Agree with this. For all the talk of the US being in decline, it is the only global power capable of using the threat of economic (and actual) force to bend smaller nations to its will. For all the chaos, there's no reason to think it can't work. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Here’s one key thing you should know about Trump’s shock to the world economy: it could work | James Meadway
It’s hard to say if the president truly knows what he’s doing. But there is a precedent for the US causing short-term chaos and reaping long-term gain, says economist James Meadway
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sustainingsport.bsky.social @sustainingsport.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
@fairsq.bsky.social has published a damning report, making the case for the external reform of FIFA. Co-director Nicholas McGeehan joins us to unpack the long history of systemic dysfunction - from its roots in patronage and cronyism to scandals surrounding recent World Cup hosts.
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benmole11.bsky.social @benmole11.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
The folks at @fairsq.bsky.social have done truly fantastic work with the Substitute report, and this episode serves as just a taster! Thanks so much to @ncgeehan.bsky.social for your time and to @alexcarlen.bsky.social for setting it up!
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Yemen Data Project @yemendataproject.org · 04/04/2025
In just three weeks, the Pentagon has dropped $200 million worth of munitions on Yemen. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Strikes in Yemen Burning Through Munitions With Limited Success
In just three weeks, the Pentagon has used $200 million worth of munitions in Operation Rough Rider against the Houthi militia, officials said.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
"Video footage appears to contradict Israeli account of Gaza medic killings.” www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Video footage appears to contradict Israeli account of Gaza medic killings
The footage was reportedly filmed by a Palestinian paramedic killed by Israeli forces along with 14 others in March.
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David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
In a few days time that number could match the Palestinian death toll from the entirety of Operation Cast Lead (1,166–1,417). When you consider the extent to which Cast Lead shocked and appalled global civil society in 2008-09, it underlines how the current genocide is on an utterly different scale
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Massive couple of games for #readingfc this week starting tonight and then the small matter of potential EFL disqualification. There’s no world in which we should be competing for the playoffs this season, but now we are… 🙏
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
David Lammy asked about the death of a 17 year old in Israeli custody after he was kidnapped from the West Bank, responds by talking about Iran.
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Dave Zirin @edgeofsports.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Iran has qualified for the World Cup. How can they possibly send a team knowing their players could end up in an indefinite detention center for the crime of being Iranian? Why would it be different than what Trump's done to Iranian Alabama student Alireza Daroudi? www.thenation.com/article/worl...
thenation.com
With ICE Out of Control, How Can the US Cohost the 2026 World Cup?
The country has proven itself incapable of not abducting and imprisoning people entering it—boycotting US matches avoids putting teams, their families, and fans in danger.
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CNN @cnn.com · 31/03/2025
The bodies of more than a dozen aid workers have been recovered in southern Gaza from what a United Nations agency described as a "mass grave," a week after they went missing following attacks by Israeli forces.
cnn.com
Bodies of missing aid workers found in Gaza ‘mass grave’ following Israeli attacks | CNN
The bodies of more than a dozen aid workers have been recovered in southern Gaza from what a United Nations agency described as a “mass grave,” a week after they went missing following attacks by Isra...
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Nick McGeehan @ncgeehan.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
US troops are a lot safer than the Yemeni civilians they are bombing.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
I can’t make it to a game until 5th April so could we at least save disqualification until then. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Reading FC have 'full intention' of avoiding EFL suspension
Reading Football Club have said they remain in close dialogue with the EFL and have the
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Okay I’ve finally deactivated X, hoping news on the protracted #Readingfc takeover reaches bluesky (or maybe I don’t).
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
www.watanserb.com/en/2025/03/2...
watanserb.com
UAE Brokers U.S. Recognition of Somaliland for Israeli Military Base Against Houthi Threats
Donald Trump is set to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, a move that could reshape geopolitics in the Horn of Africa
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Reading FC now entering something of an end game. Either Dai Yongge sells up quickly or we head into the abyss. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Dai Yongge: Reading owner disqualified and told to sell club by 4 April
Reading owner Dai Yongge is given a deadline of 4 April to sell the club after he was disqualified under the EFL's Owners' and Directors' Test.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Slight slip of the tongue from Lammy which was then slapped down by no10 and rowed back on doesn’t fill me with hope that Labour is shifting. That said, given the horrors we’re anticipating the political cost of their unwavering support will become increasingly untenable.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
The fact that Starmer made this distinction *after* Israel massacred 174 children in 24 hours is what should disturb you.
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FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
"The whole house will be shocked to learn the worrying news that Laila Soueif was admitted to St Thomas Hospital last night. Can the Foreign Secretary update us on whether the PM has now spoken to the Egyptian president to secure the release of Alaa?" Thank you @calummillerld.bsky.social
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Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 25/02/2025
Laila Soueif, 68, has been on hunger strike since September 29, 2024, demanding the release of her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, from Egyptian prison. Despite completing his sentence, his release was denied, and his detention was extended until 2027.
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Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Awful and cowardly as this is, it should dispel any notion that large companies are an engine of social progress. When they say, "we believe our people are our greatest asset," they are lying. When they give public support to a progressive cause, it's marketing. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
independent.co.uk
Google Calendar removes Black History Month, Pride Month, and Women’s History Month
Tech giant continues to fall in line with Donald Trump’s DEI crackdown
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
As someone who chose to watch our home game vs Shrewsbury instead of Real vs City tonight, it was nice as well as incredibly depressing to read this in the guardian today. Becoming harder and harder to see a positive way forward for the club.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Terrifying www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
NHS staff barred from workplace for considering Palestine demonstration
An investigation found the pair had no case to answer and that the trust had breached its own disciplinary policy
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
The international rules based order, where the world hegemon carves out exceptions for itself and it’s proxies. Same as it ever was. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Trump imposes sanctions on ICC, accusing it of targeting US and Israel
US president has been critical of court since it issued war crimes arrest warrant for Netanyahu, who welcomes executive order targeting ‘lawfare’ against Israel
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
I think they are semi privatising/deregulating state capacity, not constricting it.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Have to say that one thing this app has in common with the other one is that 90% of my Discover feed is Americans posting about America.
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Reposted by Alex Carlen
FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Making The World Great Again: FairSquare's @ncgeehan.bsky.social on FIFA’s role in the new authoritarian world order. fairsq.org/external-ref...
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
"Authorities in Egypt arrested 26 people on Saturday who work for the east Cairo factories of T&C Garments, a Turkish-Egyptian clothing manufacturer that supplies goods to global brands including Levis, UNIQLO and Tommy Hilfiger." mada38.appspot.com/www.madamasr...
mada38.appspot.com
Authorities arrest 26 workers as thousands strike for fair pay at supplier for international brands
Authorities in Egypt arrested 26 people on Saturday who work for the east Cairo factories of T&C Garments, a Turkish-Egyptian clothing manufacturer that supplies goods to global brands including Levis...
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FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Some of the FairSquare team with Laila Soueif and Peter Greste this morning outside 10 Downing St, calling on Keir Starmer to take action to Free Alaa. FairSquare has been working with Alaa's family and @freealaa.bsky.social since 2022, and will continue to do so until he is free.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
“If the Qatar World Cup was considered a form of sportswashing for an authoritarian state with a poor human rights record, then this is sportswashing for an imperialist capitalist US administration whose racist and misogynistic traits are not so underlying.”
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FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy should visit Alaa Abd el-Fattah in prison during his Egypt visit, 13 NGOs say. FairSquare, Amnesty, HRW, PEN, RSF and more urge the Foreign Secretary to “do your utmost to visit Alaa in prison and to return with him to the UK”. fairsq.org/david-lammy-...
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Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
My latest for the @theguardian.com: "Donald Trump’s Return to Power Lays Bare the Lie that Sports Don’t Matter." Sports are politics by other means, and in the coming years, sports will be vital political terrain. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/j...
theguardian.com
Donald Trump’s return to power lays bare the lie that sports don’t matter | Jules Boykoff
The Democrats find themselves out of power because they failed to embrace spaces where community connection is forged
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Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 13/01/2025
On Day 106 of her hunger strike, Leila Soueif has begun daily visits to Downing Street to remind Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the urgent need to secure the release of her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, from prison in Egypt. Video is below.
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Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
It's one minute to midnight on Biden's presidency; he doesn't have to answer to another power broker, lobbyist or donor so long as he lives. And so the only conclusion can be, like so many US politicians, that he simply places no value on Palestinian lives. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Biden plans to send $8bn arms shipment to Israel
The weapons consignment, which needs approval from House and Senate committees, includes air-to-air missiles.
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Alex Carlen @alexcarlen.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Aiming to watch more Arabic films this year. Really enjoyed #مندوب interested in similar recommendations.
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Jonathan Liew @jonathanliew.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
will vote for any political party that forces the darts to play over Christmas so ordinary hard-working Britons don’t have to wait four days for it to start again
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