Steven Allen
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stevenbp.bsky.social
Steven Allen
@stevenbp.bsky.social
130 followers 140 following 48 posts
Human rights advocate, Executive Director of the Validity Foundation and lawyer. Mostly based in Budapest, but originally from London. Opinions shared here are in my personal capacity #Palestine #humanrights #disability #politics #travel
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stevenbp.bsky.social
"Érted lettünk. Veled vagyunk. Miattad maradunk." Let's defend Hungarian civil society!
Image of the entrance and exit to a a road tunnel in Budapest, which goes under a hill on Buda side of the city m it is an old, grand, stone engraved with leaf greenery of the hills behind and around it, and the photo is taken from a distance and low to the ground, with green grass at the bottom of the image. Above the tunnel are three large posters which have been displayed by people protesting against Hungary's draconian legislative proposal to shut down civil society. Two of the signs have the image of a heart with the word "CIVIL" in the middle, a reference to Civilizáció, the Hungarian Coalition of Civil Society Organisations. A third poster has text which says: "Érted lettünk. Veled vagyunk. Miattad maradunk." This translates to: "We came for you. We are with you. We will stay because of you." It is a message to the Hungarian public, and a message of defiance against government reputation.
May 16, 2025 at 4:49 PM
stevenbp.bsky.social
As if they have ever hidden their plans. They need to brought to justice #genocide #Gaza #Palestine
Screenshot of a live news update from the Times of Israel. It says: Katz announces establishment of new panel tasked with advancing 'voluntary' emigration of Gazans. By Emmanuel Fabian. [Photo: A group of white men, some in military flax, sitting around a table apparently talking. A caption to the photo says: Defense Minister Israel Katz holds an assessment with defense officials, February 17, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/ Defense Ministry)] Defense Minister Israel Katz announces the establishment of a new directorate in the Defense Ministry tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave the Gaza Strip, as per US President Donald Trump’s stated plans. Katz held an assessment today on the subject of Palestinians leaving Gaza, during which the new directorate was decided upon, his office says. The new directorate will include representatives from various government ministries and defense bodies. Also during the assessment, the ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) presented Katz with an initial plan on the subject. “The plan includes extensive assistance that will allow any Gaza resident who wants to emigrate to a third state, to receive support that includes special departure arrangements through the sea, air, and land, among other things,” Katz’s office says.
February 17, 2025 at 7:07 PM
stevenbp.bsky.social
Only a small minority of side events to the #GlobalDisabilitySummit will have any involvement of persons with disabilities. Zero events on one of the largest disabling events in history in #Palestine due to veto on that topic. #Google prime place. What on earth is going on?
Screenshot of an excel document containing a list of approved side events to the Global Disability Summit.
February 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
stevenbp.bsky.social
I don't know what's worse: having this sniveling excuse for a politician nominated to represent the UK in the USA (Mandelson is vile), or his completely grovelling boot-licking of a nasty creature currently having residence of the White House. Lapdog? Nah, try hamster. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Cartoon of former US President George W. Bush sitting on a couch with s little dog grinding a bone, flanked by a US flag and with a title saying "Allowed on the Couch". The cartoon was first published in 2005 in The Guardian newspaper and was created by artist Steve Bell. At the time, it served as political satire on the relationship between the then US President Bush and then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Media coverage of the time was highly critical of Blair acting as Bush's "lapdog", particularly in the context of the Second Golf War which was ongoing following the arrest (and subsequent execution) of Saddam Hussein.
January 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM
stevenbp.bsky.social
I don't pray. But I know this prayer. I had to learn it, for reasons some of you may understand. For some reason, it always stuck. I don't read it literally, nor could I do so. As irreligious as I am - and I am, with ferocity, these days - I remain touched by something that goes beyond these words.
Candle. Kaddish prayer written in Hebrew script.
January 27, 2025 at 10:03 PM
stevenbp.bsky.social
Just leaving this here. #USA #birthright #citizenship #Trump. Full judgment available at: www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...
Screenshot of the headnote of a judgment of the United States Supreme Court of 1898 in the case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark. After the case name, it says: "Appeal from the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of California. No. 182, Argued March 5, 1897. Decided March 28, 1898. A child born in the United States, of parents of Chinese descent, who, at the time of his birth, are subjects of the Emperor of China, but have a permanent domicil and residence in the United States, and are there carrying on business, and are not employed in any diplomatic or official capacity under the Emperor of China, becomes at the time of his birth a citizen of the United States, by virtue of the first clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.'"
January 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
stevenbp.bsky.social
Just waiting to download my data from X and then I'm closing that account down. Feels good to get off it.
A dark background, on top of which is the logo of X (formerly Twitter) as if superimposed onto a door, opening up to the logo of Bluesky which is a white butterfly outline on a background of a blue sky with white, fluffy clouds. The contrast is striking.
January 18, 2025 at 11:26 AM