iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

We are surely only a matter of months away from when they have a go at firefighters for trying to save asylum seekers from the fires they started. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

independent.co.uk

RNLI closes Portsmouth lifeboat station after huge anti-migrant protests

RNLI volunteers were branded ‘traitors’ after bringing migrants ashore

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

So sad and indicative that the RNLI felt they had to have an entire webpage about why they rescue migrants from the sea. RNLI volunteers are more or less the best people in Britain. If you’re having a go at them that says everything about you and nothing about them. rnli.org/about-us/our...

rnli.org

Why does the RNLI launch to small boats in the English Channel?

RNLI lifeboat crews have always launched to the rescue without judgement or preference. Men, women and children in danger in the Channel are no exception.

061

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Oh no Dolly Parton. Seemed like one of the few celebrities who was actually a genuinely good person.

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

The reason Keir Starmer is gone is that Labour MPs are terrified of losing their seats to Reform in 3 years time. The strategy of the Labour right to stop Reform was to chase them: drape Starmer in flags, get to him to parrot Enoch Powell, frame any form of migration as per se a problem…

230

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ap... This is pretty good from @trillingual.bsky.social Fascist Feelings link a sense of perceived relative personal decline w perceived relative national decline, and the same recipe to fix them both… Expel and punish the out group.

theguardian.com

The impossible promise: are we witnessing the return of fascism?

Some of today’s far right is openly violent and undemocratic – and even in its less extreme forms, far-right populism is a profound threat. But that doesn’t mean it is just a re-run of history

011

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Really? Is this what we’re doing now? It’s 1984 Red Dawn scaremongering all over again… Apparently in this scenario they’ve conquered India!

Cover of the book If Russia Wins by Carlo Masala showing spreading red across the map of the world…

021

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

There were so many people on the Together Alliance march against the far right today in London. Media saying 500,000. We were there handing out copies of our new antifascist tabloid - we got rid of over 5000 and had a great reception. Check out weareplanc.org for info and to get copies

Front cover of the tabloid with the headline FASCISM IS EVERYBODY’S PROBLEM over a kind of steampunky zeppelin boat thing.

063

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

When you have to lock down your social media and specifically claim “this is not the end of patriotism in Bristol…” then you know it might be quite close to being the end of ‘patriotism’ in Bristol.

Facebook post from Bristol Patriots

Public Announcement from Bristol Patriots

Following Saturday's protest, I first want to say a huge thank you to the true patriots who turned up to stand with us. Your support means everything.

I also want to offer an apology regarding some of the other groups who were invited to the march by certain individuals within our community. While Bristol Patriots has always believed in welcoming anyone who shares our core views, some of those who attended on Saturday do not align with our mission.

We are aware of some of the content currently circulating online; we want to be clear that this does not represent what Bristol Patriots is about. While everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, many of the views displayed on Saturday do not align with our movement.

Second half…

Bristol Patriots

Upcoming Changes

Because of the direction things have taken recently, we are in the process of making some significant changes.

• Post Visibility: This post will remain active for 48 hours.

• Page Suspension: After 48 hours, this page will be suspended for a period of time while these changes take effect.

The Future of the Movement

I want to thank everyone who has shown such strong support for us. If it wasn't for the majority of you who stand by our true values, we never could have built this community.

This is not the end of patriotism in Bristol.
This is a time for us to reset and bring back the true British patriotism that we started with. We have huge respect for those who have supported us-this isn't the end, just a necessary time for change.

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Bristol Patriots having a shit day out today. All 40 of them, totally boxed in by hundreds of antifascists. Police turned them around and marched them back the way they came. Despite using batons and horses against antifascists, people held their ground and the fascists did not pass.

40 far right with union flags surrounded by cops on every side boxes into a small huddle

425566

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

What a world of Orwellian bullshit we inhabit. We’ve been told for years that it was only the “illegals” that people objected to and of course they had nothing against the good ones who come legally Turns out - no we just don’t want brown people. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

theguardian.com

UK puts emergency brake on study visas for four countries’ nationals

Shabana Mahmood says UK’s generosity abused as study visas halted for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

So the British Museum has removed the word “Palestine” from some of its exhibits after a complaint from UK Lawyers for Israel. Who out of the British Museum and a tiny pro-Israel lawfare group would we imagine to be the expert on ancient history? And yet… www.middleeasteye.net/news/british...

middleeasteye.net

'Erasing history': British Museum criticised for removing references to ‘Palestine' from exhibits

Move condemned by scholars and activists as part of a ‘systematic’ attack on Palestinian cultural identity

282

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Was Trump’s whole seizing Greenland plan, like the tariffs, an attempt to extract concessions by going in hard with an insane threat? This strategy relies on people thinking he just might be crazy enough to do it Then ppl scrabble around to placate him and he walks away with most of what he wants

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Jesus Christ. The world is actually being run by a toddler. He wants a Nobel Peace Prize because Obama got one and Obama made fun of him in front of everyone at the White House Correspondents dinner in 2016.

Tweet from @nickschifrin

NEW: @potus letter to @jonasgahrstore links @NobelPrize to Greenland, reiterates threats, and is forwarded by the NSC staff to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. I obtained the text from multiple officials:

Dear Ambassador:
President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state]

"Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a "right of ownership" anyway? There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President
DJT"

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Kind of insane that this is where we are. Democrat governors calling for civil resistance and mutual aid against immigration raids www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2Z3...

youtube.com

Tim Walz Calls for Mass Resistance Against ICE in Minnesota

YouTube video by electron media group, inc.

131

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Worth reflecting in current fuss about defence spending numbers - Trump whinging about how Europe doesn’t pay its way blah blah… … that EU defence spending is greater than China. And if you include the UK in European defence, it’s even more.

Graph of defence spending by country 2024 taken from Statistica.com modified to show collective EU and UK plus EU numbers

United States 997bn
UK + EU 424bn
EU TOTAL 343bn
China* 314bn
Russia* 149bn
Germany 88.5bn
India 86.1bn
United Kingdom 81.8bn
Saudi Arabia* 80.3bn
Ukraine 64.7bn
France 64.7bn

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Trump’s fascist domestic policy and his fascist foreign policy are joining up. Domestically, he has a private army of immigration goons invading cities with large non-white populations and rounding people up and kidnapping them And of course now murdering them if they get in the way.

Masked ICE agents take away a handcuffed person in Minneapolis.

150

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Not to mention… Are we *trying* to start a war with Russia? Sending British troops to Ukraine and then helping seize their ships in international waters? Remember when the fear of nuclear annihilation meant that we avoided direct war for 45 years?

020

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Is there an illegal US-backed war we won’t rush to join? Apparently the UK is now joining in with the illegal overthrow of a foreign head of state and the imposition of sanctions to pressure them to hand over all their oil to Trump.

UK confirms support to US seizure of Russian flagged oil tanker
The UK Ministry of Defence has just confirmed the
UK has provided "enabling support" to the US during its operation to seize the Bella 1 / Marinera vessel.
Its statement said:
"UK Armed Forces provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to U.S. military assets interdicting the Bella 1 in the UK-Iceland-Greenland gap following a U.S. request for assistance. RFA Tideforce provided support for U.S. forces pursuing and interdicting the Bella 1, while the RAF provided surveillance support from the air.
The UK and U.S. defence and security relationship is the deepest in the world and the
UK provided enabling support in full compliance with international law."

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

This is Smedley Butler At the time of his death he was the highest decorated US marine in history. He served in the military for 34 years. He also single handily saved the US from a fascist coup in the 1930s (long story). Anyway, for no particular reason he came to mind today…

Black and white photo of Butler In uniform

262

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Fuck me. They’re going to “run Venezuela”. I assumed they were going to do try and do some quick regime change and install the opposition. Looks more like they’re doing an Iraq.

000

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Some extremely classic old school American imperialism to start the new year. It’s an oil war! How retro!

Guardian headline

• Venezuela
Venezuelan president Maduro captured and flown out of country following large scale' US attack, Trump says - live
US president says the United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against
Venezuela'
• Full report: Trump confirms attack on Venezuela and says Maduro captured
Amy Sedghi (now) and Hamish Mackay (earlier)
Sat 3 Jan 2026 10.07 GMT

181

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Just learnt from Behind The Bastards w @iwriteok.bsky.social that the Battle of Cable Street resulted in Mussolini pulling his £60,000 a year (£3.5m today) to British fascists bc he thought Mosley was a failure This makes Cable St even more of a body blow to the fascists than I had realised!

191

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

This event yesterday was excellent Looking forward to reading the book There’s so much stuff that has come out of the spycops enquiry - tens of thousands of pages Huge amounts of things I didn’t know and that you won’t know unless you’ve really been paying attention

Image advertising the book talk for Disclosure at the Cowley Club in Brighton

Kate Wilson discussing her book Disclosure:
Unravelling the Spycops Files and what we have learnt from the ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry.

Following revelations about Mark Kennedy and the growing spycops scandal, Kate took on the Metropolitan Police for breach of human rights - and won. She had a one-year relationship with 'Mark Stone in 2003, but years later discovered he was a police officer, part of a unit that infiltrated political groups, forming sexual relationships and spying on hundreds of innocent civians. Hear her discuss how it took her over a decade to uncover part of the eerie truth about Britain's secret political police, what we have learnt from the disclosure of thousands of secret police files, and why her story and fight matter to all of us.

Kate Wilson is a life-long campaigner and her landmark victory in the trial Wilson v the Commissioner' established that British undercover police operations targeting her movements were unlawful and
'unnecessary in a democratic society', and consistently violated basic human and political rights.

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Well Tommeh’s carol concert-cum-bigot fest only managed to draw a couple of thousand. (Which is still a couple of thousand too many) Who knows? Maybe coked-up hooligans aren’t as into sing-songs as he thought?

Aerial shot of the Tommy Robinson rally showing the stage with two huge crosses either side and a sparse crowd thinning out towards the back.

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

This is actually an amazing speech And so astounding that this is where we are - that you can’t present a silly/serious Radio 4 programme and think trans ppl might not be evil without getting the sack.

021

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

This is actually a pretty good song Happy that the Christian Nationalists only gathered a couple of thousand today (although being “happy” about that is in itself kind of bleak) youtu.be/liRd9pjSBDA

youtu.be

BILLY BRAGG - PUT CHRIST BACK INTO CHRISTMAS

YouTube video by Billy Bragg

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Today Christian Nationalist wannabes take to the streets of London, but don’t be worried - “it’s only a carol concert” Totally normal. Nothing to see here. If you want a taste of where this leads…

Homophobic Christian Nationalist mob targets London's gay district

9 October, 2025

Photo of men in matching black tracksuits with KING’S ARMY in gold

A homophobic religious mob calling themselves the 'King's Army' organised an intimidating mob in the streets of London's Soho - the heart of London's LGBT + community, home to many LGBT+ bars, clubs, and meeting places - shouting anti-gay and Christian Nationalist slogans to passersby.

The group marched in a military formation wearing black tracksuits while shouting 'Jesus Saves' repeatedly on Old Compton Street, London's busiest street for LGBT+ venues.

074

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Tommy Robinson wants to put “the Christ back in Christmas” So when did the collection of racists and hooligans that make up the UK far-right suddenly decide it’s all about Jesus? Excellent article on the American $$ behind their sudden conversion: humanists.uk/2025/09/17/r...

humanists.uk

Rising Christian nationalism: a threat to us all

Scenes on Saturday of Christian preachers denouncing ‘Secular Humanism’ from the main stage of Tommy Robinson’s radical right Unite the Kingdom rally in London may have been surprising to see on the s...

000

Reposted by While Rome Burns

Brighton Antifascists @brightonantifa.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Antifascists from Brighton travelled to Croydon yesterday to support Croydon Community Action against a planned demonstration by Horley Patriots. The Horley racists, who have mobilised large numbers locally to intimidate migrants housed in local hotels, on this occasion failed to show up at all!

Victory in Croydon! Horley Patriots no show! Image shows antifascists holding signs expressing solidarity across borders.

We joined 150 antifascists who turned out in Croydon versus zero(!) far right. Well done to Croydon Community Action!

1144

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Not enough people seem to appreciate that Dope magazine, with a current circulation of 40,000 copies, is one of the largest circulation anarchist papers in the world ever. Also it's really good. www.dopemag.org

Front cover of the latest issue of Dope. A beautiful illustration of a woman holding a blue parrot on a bright red background with the large yellow words WE ARE THE ANSWER. Cover art by Dinelli.

083

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

That is an insane headline. Now is Trump just being characteristically volatile? Or is he being savvy in seeing which way the wind is blowing and moving with it? Either way, it looks like an amazing win for Mamdani which will hopefully keep the Federal Gestapo out of NYC.

Trump's praise for Mamdani upends Republican talking points, explodes heads across political spectrum

Republicans and pro-Trump media outlets were gravely disappointed by the lack of fireworks at Friday’s Oval Office meeting between New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, and Queens native Donald Trump, who had attacked the democratic socialist as “a 100% Communist lunatic,” before showering him with praise at the meeting Mamdani requested.

Trump repeatedly stepped in to defend Mamdani from hostile questioning from outlets like the New York Post and Fox News, When Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich pressed Mamdani about whether he considers Trump to be a “fascist”, the president offered the mayor-elect an unusual life raft. “That’s OK,” Trump said while tapping Mamdani’s arm. “You can just say it, it’s easier than explaining it.”

020

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

In this day & age it’s nice to find something that can bring everyone together “Freedom from British rule is the single most popular secular festival anywhere in the world. Every six days, somewhere celebrates freedom from British rule” podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e... @empirepoduk.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com

307. Austen vs Brontë: Unmasking Slavery Heiresses

Podcast Episode · Empire · 13/11/2025 · 42m

071

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Still relevant bc the same shit keeps coming around ...or gets worse. 2012 me: "In a way a little similar to George Orwell, it always makes me feel almost patriotic to observe the general lack of overt patriotism in this country." whileromeburnsjournal.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/p...

whileromeburnsjournal.wordpress.com

Poppies are opiates that make you forget: the politics of remembrance and the rise of nationalism

This is a previously unpublished piece from 2012. It seemed relevant now.1 “The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” – Milan Kundera. It is true that often…

051

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Zohran Mamdani shows one way to resist fascism. Where the far-right is weak is that it is backed by billionaires and produces zero tangible benefits for working people. All it does is say - “Look over there! An immigrant!”

podcasts.apple.com

BONUS - Zohran: The Final Stretch

Podcast Episode · Chapo Trap House · 30/10/2025 · 17m

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Putting this in context it is kind of astonishing. Someone who calls himself a socialist just won Mayor of New York. A Muslim just won Mayor of New York. Someone who is willing to say Israel is committing genocide just won Mayor of New York. www.dsausa.org/statements/z...

dsausa.org

Zohran Mamdani Wins! National Political Committee Statement - Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s win is a win for the working class. NYC DSA and Zohran proved a better world is possible. Join DSA to help build it.

000

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

An amazing victory in New York. All the more impressive that all the billionaires and right wing maniacs weren’t able to come up with anything to stop him.

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Another arrest in connection with the Peacehaven mosque arson. Also it’s now being handled by counter-terror police, although still not being called a terrorist attack (presumably bc the victims are Muslims). www.brightonandhovenews.org/2025/11/04/a...

brightonandhovenews.org

Another arrest as terror police take over Peacehaven mosque arson case

Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) are now leading the investigation into the arson at the Peacehaven mosque

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

It’s really interesting seeing corporations lean into dystopianism.

Billboard in front of some office buildings

Billboard has giant AI face of a woman staring straight ahead

Billboard says:

STOP HIRING HUMANS
The Era of Al Employees Is Here
ARTISAN

000

While Rome Burns @while-rome-burns.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

This is an excellent history of Lewes Bonfire that draws out the contradictions of the event - a strange survival of another time that has somehow been passed down with mutating meanings And as is generally the case with history - nothing is really as of as great antiquity as people like to believe