I4C Trouble with Daly and Wallace

In today's episode, Mick and Clare address the riots in Dublin last week. They also talk about the blatant dehumanisation of Palestinian lives, racism and the importance of persevering.

This week Clare and Mick are back in Strasbourg for another plenary session. They call out the EU's hypocrisy and cynicism in commemorating the International Day on the Rights of the Child and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women while refusing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Are Palestinian children and women less deserving of rights and safety? They also discuss a vote on changing the EU Treaties that would push the EU towards further militarisation, the same day the Irish government announces it plans to abolish the Triple Lock. Lastly, they talk about the rise of the far-right and what they think the reasons for their success are.

This week we continue to discuss the catastrophic situation in Gaza. We comment on the right to self-defence and whether Israel is entitled to claim it, the genocide convention and what can Ireland and other EU states do to end this massacre.We also talk about Cuba and the US blockade against the island.

It's been over a month of unrelenting bombing, death and horror in the Gaza Strip. And it's been over 75 years of Israeli impunity and colonial violence. Every new death could have been avoided with yesterday's ceasefire. Shame on the EU for refusing to call for one: a ceasefire is not a radical demand, it's the bare minimum!While it's difficult to talk about anything other than the genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinians, we take some time to discuss the Commission's recommendation to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia.Lastly, if you're interested in hosting an event with Mansoor Adayfi in Ireland between the end of November and January, please get in contact with Nicolas: nicolas.jeanne@europarl.europa.eu

On this final episode we hear from Andy Worthington, Investigative journalist and activist, who tells us about the plight of the 16 men who have been cleared for release but continue to be detained in Guantánamo. He urges EU governments to take action to end this deplorable situation.And our last speaker is Moazzam Begg, former Guantánamo Bay detainee, who shares some of the horrors he witnessed and explains the prisoners' deep pain and trauma from being cut off from their families for years.

On this third episode we hear from two remarkable legal experts:Alka Pradhan, Human Rights Counsel at the Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions,  explains the US’s use of Guantánamo as a legal black hole. She also emphasises the urgent crisis in medical care affecting the men still in Guantánamo, an aging detainee population quickly deteriorating after years of torture and harsh conditions.Our second guest is Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. After a historic technical visit to Guantánamo, her report concludes that detainees have sustained “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law."

While the European Council gathers in Brussels to assess the situation in the Middle East, Mick and Clare explain that calling for anything less than an immediate ceasefire is an abnegation of collective responsibility. Which EU values is the Commission representing? What will it take for the EU to demand an end to collective punishment? The gap between European citizens' views and the actions of our institutions continues to widen.

This second episode of the series welcomes human rights attorney Beth Jacob. Beth has represented Guantánamo detainees since 2005. She helps us understand what this facility is and why so many men are still stuck there despite having long been cleared for release. Most importantly, she gives us an insight into the detainees' enduring humanity, their creativity and resilience in the face of such horror and injustice.The second guest is Valerie Lucznikowska, from September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Having lost her nephew in 9/11, she shares with us her drive to turn grief into action for peace. An incredibly moving and brave testimony.

We’re finally releasing the “Close Guanánamo!” series, a podcast adaptation of an event we recently hosted: the most significant gathering ever assembled on Guantánamo in the European Parliament.This series is a unique opportunity to learn about the horror and lawlessness of this detention facility from those who experienced it. You’ll hear from former detainees, US military and civilian lawyers, the UN rapporteur, 9/11 families and other international experts and firsthand witnesses.The event aimed to call for the closure of the detention camp and seek the urgent involvement of EU countries in searching for viable relocation options for the 16 men who have been approved for release, never convicted of any crime, but who have nowhere to go. Guantánamo is a terrible crime scene that the EU can help bring to an end, once and for all.This first episode features Mansoor Adayfi, former Guantánamo detainee and author of the book "Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo"; together with James Yee, former Muslim chaplain at Guantánamo, wrongly accused of espionage and placed in solitary confinement.

After over a week of horror in Gaza, enabled by the EU’s continuous support for Israel and its shameful failure to call out Israeli war crimes and push for a ceasefire, we’re back to discuss what’s happening in Palestine. In addition, we talk about Clare’s recent trip to Bulgaria, the growing political culture of ostracising dissenting voices and the EU’s proposal for the Ukraine facility being a debt trap for Ukrainians.Long live Palestine, long live Gaza!