theguardian.com
Pro-Palestine activist couple have UK bank account closed without explanation
John Nicholson and Norma Turner’s joint retirement savings account was shut by Yorkshire Building Society
A retired British couple who are members of a grassroots pro-Palestine organisation which had its bank account frozen have had their joint personal account closed without explanation.
John Nicholson, 70, and Norma Turner, 76, who, as treasurer and chair respectively, were signatories to the Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP) account with Virgin Money, said their account with Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) was intended as a nest egg. Continue reading...
![Protesters shout slogans and block an intersection following overnight attacks and vandalism after the death of a prominent activist, who was shot by an assailant a week ago, in Dhaka, Bangladesh [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2lofqead276vtc5647ye7sl2/bafkreiariut7ov37fceditb2wg7mwu7rysouonsnokcvicv6rdkrfwsrni)
![Violent protests have erupted in Bangladesh after the death of a prominent youth leader of last year’s student uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2lofqead276vtc5647ye7sl2/bafkreibymtvcakpcydgecbhumg4omozogytsgss7uzplx5zhqrfxrs5fxu)
![Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was shot last week in the capital, Dhaka, and died of his injuries on Thursday in hospital in Singapore. [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2lofqead276vtc5647ye7sl2/bafkreibjixlrkkaomhqgip3g2m3nvwiixm7skhxiamc77mdyziaytkafoq)
![Several buildings, including those housing leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were set on fire and vandalised overnight, according to authorities. [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2lofqead276vtc5647ye7sl2/bafkreigwhkxw5lv6rs6wycrnkfdpgudnfb4gigqzzskwkdpiuc64pj7scq)
![A fundraising email sent by AIPAC that says:
Dear [REDACTED],
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky has announced her retirement, and Illinois' 9th District will have an open primary for the first time in decades. Wasting no time to enter the race is anti-Israel detractor Kat Abughazaleh, a 25-year-old "social media influencer". Kat does not mince words when it comes to her thoughts on Israel and the bond between our two nations. Her radical foreign policy agenda includes:
• Calls for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state and labels Israel's presence in the West Bank as an "illegal occupation".
• Baselessly blames Israel for the deaths of "tens of thousands" of Palestinians, without recognizing Hamas' initiation of the conflict on 10/7/23.
• Promotes the International Criminal Court, a biased, antisemitic institution targeting Israel under the false guise of justice.
And she's not just loud, she's well-funded - Abughazaleh has already raised nearly $1,000,000, positioning her as the financial frontrunner in the early stages of this race. If we don't act now, she could win.
She poses a direct threat to our mission and the future of Israel's security.
Fortunately, we have a fighter of our own: Illinois State Senator Laura Fine.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ats4shmeia7i7ildqm3denmd/bafkreie3alhaaxwvbtdqtff5io2igfu3enefx2j6gqh7ja6rqu4une3etq)
