Mehdi Hasan delivers powerful speech at Wembley, accuses media of failing Gaza journalists
London: Award-winning British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan delivered a powerful and emotional speech at a packed Wembley Arena, where over 13,000 people had gathered for the ‘Together For Palestine’ fundraising concert. Hasan, the CEO and editor-in-chief of the media company Zeteo, used the platform to highlight what he described as the systematic silencing of Palestinian voices and the failure of Western journalism in covering the ongoing violence in Gaza.
Speaking to thunderous applause, Hasan said that for the last 23 months the world has been misled and manipulated, not only by Israel but also by the mainstream media in the West. He accused international outlets of failing in their duty to tell the full story of the “genocide in Gaza” and said it angered him when people demanded that Israel should allow more journalists into the besieged territory.
“Yes, Israel should. But Western media must stop acting as if there aren’t already journalists in Gaza,” Hasan said. “The bravest journalists in the world are in Gaza right now – Palestinian journalists.”
Hasan drew attention to the staggering number of journalists who have lost their lives in Gaza since the escalation of violence. He said 270 Palestinian journalists had been killed, a figure that, according to him, exceeded the number of journalists killed in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Iraq War combined.
“These journalists were not killed by accident, they were not collateral damage,” Hasan declared. “They were killed as part of Israel’s deliberate campaign to blind the world and erase evidence of its crimes.”
He went on to name several slain journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, Hossam Shabbat, Maryam Abu Dhaka, Roshdi Siraj, Muhammad Abu Hattab – who died along with 11 members of his family – and Bilal Jadallah. Hundreds of others, Hasan said, would never be remembered on platforms like CNN or the BBC.
Strongly criticising the silence of his peers, Hasan said, “Shame on those Western journalists who have not uttered a single word about the mass killing of their Palestinian counterparts.” He added that Palestinian journalists were “the best of us” because they were not only documenting a war but also their own annihilation and starvation in real time.
In one of the most striking moments of his speech, Hasan led the Wembley crowd in chanting: “You can’t bomb the truth away.” The audience repeated the slogan several times, filling the arena with a defiant chorus.
Hasan urged people worldwide to carry forward the work of the fallen journalists, not with fear or silence, but with courage, loud voices, and resistance. “Every fallen journalist leaves behind their footage, their words, their example. Let us honour their sacrifice not with despair, but with defiance,” he said.
Ending his speech on a note of solidarity and hope, Hasan addressed the journalists who died in Gaza: “Your voices are our voices. Your struggle is our struggle. And your truth will not die.”
He also sent a strong message to Israel, its allies, and sections of the media: “You will not silence Gaza. You will not silence Palestine. You will not silence the truth. And one day soon, Palestine will be free.”
The speech was met with a standing ovation, with many in the audience visibly moved by Hasan’s words. The Wembley gathering was one of the largest solidarity events for Palestine in recent times, combining fundraising with calls for justice and international accountability.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
