Farage aims at Abortion, “No Records” of Mandelson lobbying Govt

In this week's issue

• Far-right groups and Reform UK politicians are adopting US-style tactics to turn reproductive rights into a dangerous new culture war
• The UK government failed to keep records of multiple meetings between top officials and lobbyists from Peter Mandelson's former firm
• Trapped in the Libyan desert by armed militias, hundreds of volunteers in a Gaza-bound aid convoy are rationing water and refusing to abandon their mission
• The UK's advertising watchdog has ruled that anti-rape start-up Enough misled the public
• How a Kremlin-linked disinformation campaign exposed a dangerous vulnerability in cash-strapped newsrooms willing to publish unverified fake news
• Paul Rogers: The foundation of Vladimir Putin's war machine is finally beginning to crack
• How the British establishment made Nigel Farage's far-right politics respectable
• Plus: This week in history and what we’re reading

I was at the “Unite the Kingdom” rally organised by far-right provocateur Tommy Robinson, aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, last Saturday. How was your weekend?

There were men costumed as the Knights Templar; there was a fleet of the wheelchair-bound elderly. There were young mothers pushing prams, kids whizzing along pavements on pushbikes, dads popping open tupperware boxes and unpacking sandwiches. “It is quite a family atmosphere. Nothing to feel afraid of,” said the woman selling ‘Keir Starmer’s a W⚓’ T-shirts. “T-shirt? It’s only 10 quid.”

The crowd reminded me of an irate comment from an openDemocracy reader: “What is wrong with you people? At every opportunity you label ordinary people and people who want what is right for this country as far right. I think you need to take a good look at yourselves before you judge the rest of the country.”

I understand the reader’s sentiment. But the rally also featured flyers by White Vanguard, a self-described “brotherhood of White Europeans” dedicated to “secure the existence of our people and a future for White children.” There was the Good News Tour UK with pamphlets presaging a ‘Battle for Britain’: “This is not immigration — it’s infiltration. This is not tolerance — it is a takeover.”

That for some this was an idyllic family weekend with a few well-spent hours at a far-right rally worried me far more than if the crowd had simply been groups of lost, angry, young skinheads. The problem is not ordinary people; it is that the previously unspeakable is now commonplace.

To understand how that happens, read Sian Norris’ brilliant investigation into how Reform is making abortion – something 90% Britons and 86% of Reform voters support — into a culture war issue. Also in this issue, Ethan Shone digs deeper into Global Counsel, Peter Mandelson’s controversial lobbying firm. Nandini Archer brings us a hopeful piece about an international coalition of activists trying to get supplies to Gaza over land. Paul Rogers peeks into Russia’s faltering economy, and much more.

This week, I just want to point to how much original reporting we pack into each of these editions. If you value reporters actually going to places and speaking to people (instead of cribbing opinions from the internet), consider making a donation. We really appreciate all the help we get.

Aman Sethi, Editor-in-Chief

Abortion is becoming a new front in Reform UK’s culture warFollowing abortion decriminalisation, analysis from openDemocracy and the Fuller Project reveals the UK far right is pushing anti-abortion talking points into mainstream political debate.openDemocracySian Norris

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‘No records’ from meetings between top officials and Mandelson’s lobbying firmGovernment failed to declare meeting with top Global Counsel clients, and says no notes were taken at several meetingsopenDemocracyEthan ShoneThe Gaza convoy trapped in Libya’s desert refusing to turn backHundreds travelling in a Gaza-bound convoy are stuck near Sirte, forced to ration water and rebuild camp infrastructure, but refusing to abandon their mission.openDemocracyNandini Naira ArcherAnti-rape start up Enough falls foul of ads regulatorUK’s advertising watchdog found Enough misled public over claims its DNA kits could be admissible in rape trialsopenDemocracySian NorrisRussia targeted Milei, but undermined Argentine mediaDisinformation is never harmless. The fictions spread by Russian operatives across dozens of Argentine media outlets exposed a vulnerability that remains unaddressedopenDemocracyDiana CariboniIs Russia’s war economy starting to crack?Ukraine’s drone attacks on Moscow suggest the pressures sustaining Putin’s war machine are becoming harder to contain.openDemocracyPaul RogersHow the UK Establishment Normalised ReformIs Reform fascist, far-right or merely right wing? And do we really need to get into this?openDemocracyAman Sethi

Weekly Poll

Impact

The UK’s advertising watchdog found Enough – a start-up selling self-swab rape kits – misled the public over claims its DNA kits could be admissible in court. The watchdog’s ruling comes after experts told openDemocracy that Enough’s approach to rape risks the safety and wellbeing of sexual assault victims and survivors. Our investigations uncovered how Bristol’s universities and police force wrote to the company expressing concerns with its approach. Find out more here.

Also, our investigation into how online games and AI chatbots are reshaping online sexual exploitation was republished by two Uruguayan media outlets (La Diaria and El Observador), La Mala Fe in Peru, and will soon be featured by AzMina in Brazil. Institutional support in Uruguay included amplification by the Faculty of Psychology of the Universidad de la República and Asociación Civil El Paso, a prominent NGO specializing in child violence and abuse. Angelina was also contacted by a senator and a deputy. Media coverage further expanded with a mention on the TV program Ciudad Viva (TV Ciudad) and broadcast interviews with Angelina on Palabras Cruzadas (Radio Sarandí) and Lado B (TV Ciudad). Video excerpts from these appearances achieved significant traction on social media, with a single clip surpassing 118,000 views on Instagram and 96,000 on Facebook. Looking ahead, an interview is scheduled for June on the streaming show Campaña del Miedo (Dopamina Uy on YouTube).

Finally, our**** investigation into a Russian operation**** of disinformation and political interference in Argentina was picked up by more than 70 outlets both within and outside the country, and the author Diana Cariboni had around 10 interviews in radio stations, TV and streaming shows. A federal judge also opened proceedings to investigate the case.

This week in history

Engraving by Charles Fichot for L'Illustration, June 10, 1871

The Fall of the Paris Commune, France — 21 May 1871 On 21 May 1871, the French regular army breached the city walls of Paris to crush the Paris Commune, a radical democratic government that had ruled the city for two months. The Communards had instituted unprecedented progressive policies, including the separation of church and state, rent remissions, and the creation of worker-owned cooperatives. The brutal suppression that followed, resulting in the summary execution of tens of thousands of working-class Parisians, became a collective trauma that echoed globally. The massacre laid bare the reality of 19th-century state power — that the ruling class would deploy absolute violence to protect capitalist interests and crush self-governance.

The spirit of the Commune“When it is proposed to protect members of the public from those monuments… all Presidential hell breaks loose.”openDemocracyChris Myant

What we're reading

London Falling, Patrick Radden Keefe

No one is better at book-length investigative journalism than Patrick Radden Keefe, and fans of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain will find much to enjoy in the New Yorker writer’s latest where he expands on his 2024 long read into how 19-year-old Zac Brettler fell from a luxury flat into the Thames. London Falling takes the reader on a devastating journey through post-colonialist London, exploring how dirty money bought power and influence in the capital, while gangsters and criminals got rich off people’s suffering. But at the heart of this highly political story is a deeply personal family tragedy, as Zac’s parents try to understand why their son died, and how, and who was responsible. The answer? You are left to decide.

Sian Norris, senior investigations reporter