Hasan Piker on Being Banned from U.K., Traveling to Cuba & Supporting Candidates Critical of Israel

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Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-de... The British government earlier this week barred left-wing political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the U.K. ahead of several speaking events. The Home Office said it was canceling their travel permits because "their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good." Piker and Uygur, who are related, are both outspoken in their criticism of Israel. While the government did not cite a specific reason for the ban, some lawmakers and pro-Israel groups had accused the two of promoting antisemitism, which they reject. "I find what the British government did here to be objectionable. I find it to be disgusting. I also find it to be terrifying," Piker tells Democracy Now!_"I think it's a sign that we're … headed down a very different — dare I say, fascist — direction in the Western world." Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

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Follow along using the transcript.

This is democracyow democracynow.org. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez.

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Earlier this week, the British government banned the progressive political commentators Hassan and

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Jenk Uer from entering the UK. They were scheduled to speak at the South by

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Southwest London Festival and the Oxford Union Society. The UK's Home Office said it was cancelling their travel permits,

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quote, on the grounds that their presence in the UK may not be conducive to the public good," unquote. Both

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and Yuger are outspoken in their criticism of Israel. Recent comments from

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uh that have drawn scrutiny include saying that as a quote lesser evil voter, he would vote for Hamas over

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Israel every single time unquote. The week prior to their ban, British Labor MP David Taylor called for to be

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barred, saying, quote, "It's shocking that South by Southwest would invite someone who's openly supported a proscribed terrorist organization and

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spouted these kinds of vile anti-semitic rants to speak at their festival. With the unacceptable rise in anti-semitism

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on our streets leaving British Jews in a constant state of anxiety, Hassan is clearly not conducive to the public

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good. He said Hassan is one of the most prominent online influencers on the

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left. He has millions of followers and subscribers across social media platforms.

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He live streams on the gaming platform Twitch for hours every day. Recently, he's drawn the eye of the Democratic

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Party leadership for endorsing and campaigning on behalf of progressive candidates and primaries across the

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country. To talk more about his ban from the UK, his views on Israel, his critique of the Democratic Party, and more, we're joined by Hassan from

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his home where he streams uh in West Hollywood, California. Hassan, welcome to Democracy Now. Um can you start off

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by responding to this ban on you and Jenk is your uncle, is that right, Jenkuger?

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Um on what this means? In fact, you're going to virtually participate in the Oxford debate anyway, right?

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Yeah. Um, I was also supposed to First of all, thank you for having me. It's a real honor to be on the show. Uh, I'm basically listening to the show uh a lot

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earlier than I normally would uh because I usually do that in my morning routine.

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Um, but uh so Jen and I were supposed to participate at the Oxford Union. Uh uh we were supposed to do different panels

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at South by Southwest. I was also uh uh supposed to have a conversation with Jeremy Corbin and Zack Palansky, the

2 minutes, 58 seconds

leader of the Green Party. And I also had another talk set up with uh former Greek finance minister Jiannis

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Verafakus. Um and then um Jenk was supposed to travel to the UK with his family and he was stopped at the airport

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and he found out that uh his visa had been rescended and that he could not get on the plane. So I ended up checking uh

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my visa as well and found out that my visa was also revoked. Um now I find I find uh what the British government did

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here to be objectionable. Uh I I find it to be disgusting. Uh I I also find it to be terrifying. I think it's a terrifying

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prospect for the future of Western liberal democracies. uh the fact that a country that has in the past harbored uh

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much more radical thinkers uh than myself uh to to completely drop all uh pretext that they care about uh free

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expression uh instead of protecting it is I think a sign uh of the times I think is a sign that uh we're moving

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down uh into a we're headed down a very different uh dare I say fascist direction uh in the western

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And this is uh this is happening Hassan under a labor government uh in Britain

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uh especially given the Britain's particular role when it comes to Israel and Palestine being the prim primary

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imperial power that uh allowed the creation or uh uh promoted the development of the state of Israel.

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Yeah, absolutely. Um there is definitely a lot of culpability um not that extends far beyond the Balfur declaration. Um uh

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and and the the British government has uh been coordinating with the Israeli government. Uh the Royal Air Force has

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been conducting surveillance missions uh flying off of their Cypress base. Kier Starmer has actually visited this uh base and and has openly admitted that he

5 minutes, 1 second

could never say in broad daylight what uh the the Royal Air Force is doing there. Uh Starmer has also invited Isaac

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Herzog who has been mentioned in the ICC and the ICJ court cases uh against both Israel and Israeli officials like former

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defense minister Yo Galant and current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So the fact that uh England extends a red

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carpet to war criminals and collaborators of war criminals uh that have played a role uh in the genocide of

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the Palestinians. But then uh critics of Israel are are uh considered to be real threats, significant threats to public

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safety is is preposterous. Uh but once again I think this is a real warning. uh

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just as uh the prescription of Palestine action uh and and the the mass arrests

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that have taken place of pensioners in the UK that uh have demonstrated in support of Palestine action was a very

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clear attempt by the British government to uh do the exact opposite of the democratic process to refuse to listen

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to the very just and moral demands of the masses and instead suppress their voices and and try to silence them

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through state repression is uh is is very clear that there's a there's a terrifying uh direction that that the UK

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is headed down. Um, and yes, it is the Labor government's complicity both uh in the crimes that Israel has committed,

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but it's also the Labor government's complicity in the acceleration towards fascism because the next government that comes in uh if it's, God forbid, a

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reformed government, a far-right authoritarian government, they're going to overtake this exact same process. And they might not have even the

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restrictions that the Labor government is applying currently. Uh so to offer them the keys of the castle in this manner is is complicity. It's something that we've seen. Uh it's appeasement.

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It's something that we've seen throughout history in the past where u liberals assume that they could uh overtake the the reactionary demands

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coming from the right in an effort to keep control and they ultimately failed to the fascists.

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Uh I wanted to ask you also about another international issue which you've been involved with uh uh uh controversy

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lately. Uh you went to Cuba in March with the West Ramen convoy and which brought activists from 33 countries and

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medicines and uh supplies to Cuba to attempt to break this economic blockade and warfare that the United States has

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been uh has been involved in against Cuba. But last week it was reported that the Treasury Department sent you and media Benjamin, founder of Code Pink,

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who helped organize the convoy, a request for information from the Office of Foreign Assets Control to look at the

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possible violations. What's your response to this inquiry?

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Yeah. Uh, so I've yet to receive a subpoena, even though Fox News claimed I received one. I have not. Um, but I

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think that uh the the uh news article itself was symbolic. I I assume that this is uh less of a uh real inquiry and

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more so an opportunity for the American government to try to silence political disscent and to also criminalize

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activism. Uh we were there to support the Cuban population uh with humanitarian aid that was necessary. Uh,

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and I also separately got a a journalism visa as well to cover uh the atrocities that were taking place on the ground and

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and to try to figure out uh what our government's culpability was in the economic devastation that Cubans were

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facing. And uh I mean it was it was horrifying. You guys have covered this stuff extensively, but it's very clear that the Trump administration is not

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making it a secret that they want to prosecute all manner of political disscent, whether it be the counterterrorism initiatives implemented

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by Sebastian Gora or even now uh lawfare by way of the Treasury Department. Um I

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think the goal here is to once again, just like the British government, silence descent and and um maybe even

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ultimately criminalize it. Uh hopefully this won't be a president- setting case.

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Uh but uh we are headed down a scary path here.

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Hassan, I wanted to play uh a clip of a short documentary about your trip to Cuba.

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For years, I've wanted to visit Cuba. I wanted to learn about the problems caused by the embargo. I wanted to see a socialist society in person. Last month, I took the opportunity to go as part of

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a humanitarian mission to bring aid that my government won't. I'd be accompanying Progressive International alongside hundreds of others from around the world. Activists, journalists, artists,

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and politicians will be coming to the island by boat and plane to deliver over 40 tons of necessary supplies, food, medicine, and medical equipment. All

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right, we're in the heart of uh we're in the heart of Havana right now. One of the things that I've immediately been

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hit with is is how beautiful the city is, but also how hollowed out it is in many ways. It it looks like I mean some

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of these houses they they have the skeleton, they have the outside, but inside it looks like it's bombed out.

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You know, there's people living in it, but like very clearly this is in a dire state of disrepair.

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More indictments have been brought in this last day against Cuban leaders.

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Hassan um did you actually deliver medical supplies? How successful were you? Uh yes. So the the

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humanitarian aid mission uh was accompanied by hundreds of other activists as well. Uh it wasn't just medical supplies. There was I believe

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food as well. Um the the the delivery was successful, but ultimately it's a it's a drop uh in the bucket and and

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what the Cuban population actually needs right now is oil. Uh because oil is what runs their entire energy grid. And uh

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unfortunately the Trump administration has very openly created a blockade and the island's energy grid is currently

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still suffering. Now there's also one aspect of this that that I think adds insult to injury and that's the reality that there is actually parts of the

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Cuban island that are receiving oil with regular frequency and that is of course Guantanamo Bay. That's a American

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military base on the island of Cuba. Uh, and it's basically an old colonial outpost and and so you have the situation we're

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90 miles off of our coastline. You have 9 million or so people suffering. Uh, uh, there's there's food shortages.

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People can't deliver medicine all around the the island because there's simply no oil. Uh, and uh, food is uh, medicine is

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also spoiling as well. They're just sitting in factories um, because there's no refrigeration. Uh and yet a couple

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miles off of a couple miles away from Havana, you have Guantanamo Bay where they have a McDonald's uh and they have uh American military members stationed

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there and uh they have energy uh uh for the for the entire island potentially.

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Um I think this really uh shows the the the inhumity and the juxtaposition. Uh and uh it's it's I feel like it's

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something that many Americans are completely oblivious to if they were more aware of the crisis uh that they would also find it to be morally

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repugnant and unconscionable. And uh I suspect that's part of the reason why the federal government wants to stop

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these kinds of actions or at least create an environment of threats and pressure so that other people who could

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also freely travel to Cuba and and see what's going on for themselves and maybe even deliver humanitarian aid themselves

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think twice before they participate in something like this. I myself am unbound and I hope others will be too. Hassan

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At the 2024 DNC in Chicago, 30 delegates to the convention were with the National Uncommitted movement.

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Uncommitted delegates were selected in state Democratic primaries to call for an end to the Biden administration's backing of Israel's assault on Gaza.

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After the DNC denied their request for a Palestinian-American speaker on stage, uncommitted delegates and their allies

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staged a sitin outside the convention hall. This is a clip of the co-founder of the uncommitted movement, Abbas Aloea.

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Here is the scandal, my friends. Here is the scandal. The scandal is that there are forces within Democratic Party

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leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights. But that's not sustainable. This is a watershed moment.

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So, this was a watershed moment. you actually were inside the DNC for a while before they put you out. You had a

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select seat there as a commentator. Um, but can you talk about the fact I put this question also to Dr. Hamawi who you

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campaigned with along with Dr. Elsa. You campaigned with him also for his senatorial race. Um, can you talk about

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the uh autopsy report and it not talking about Israel and Gaza, though the issue

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took center stage at the DNC with this sitin with people who are quite involved with the Democratic National Committee.

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Yeah. Um, I think to myself all the time, uh, whether this is a byproduct of incompetence or, uh, if they are totally

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aware that this is a major crisis, a major issue, and they're cynically trying to avoid having a conversation about it. Um, I also had interviewed the

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uncommitted movement outside. Uh, and I had my press credentials revoked in real time while I was live broadcasting at

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the DNC while simultaneously being interviewed by a New York Times reporter, as a matter of fact, for my criticisms of the DNC. Um uh I I was

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invited but then uh you know I was I guess disinvited at the same time uh for uh these these exact warnings that I was

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issuing to as many Democrats as I possibly could. It turns out those warnings were true. Um and yet the Democratic party still has not learned a

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very important lesson uh and and still seemingly chooses not to listen to the demands of the masses. A similar pattern

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arises here uh that that we just talked about with uh with the United Kingdom.

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Uh I feel like there's a real crisis in democracy and illiberalism in the Western world because of our complicity

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with war crimes and our complicity in Israel's genocide. uh and instead of addressing these problems, instead of uh

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solving these issues, instead of leaning into the demands of the overwhelming majority of the masses, uh the American government and the Democratic Party,

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just like the Labor Party, which is supposed to be the left uh representation of politics in both these countries, uh has decided to uh suppress

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uh the the needs of the masses, has decided to avoid having these conversations. Uh having said that however uh there is an opportunity here

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as uh you know Adam Hamoy, Chris Rob in uh Philadelphia and numerous insurgent candidates that are popping up all

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around the country in the in the primary system and actually successfully defeating the establishment Democrats all around the country have have created

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this uh unavoidable force uh this that will hopefully present a a very good

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change within the party. Uh, and it's not just, of course, about Israel either. It's about, uh, these issues broadly. Uh, I feel like the the center

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of power in the Democratic party for far too long has conceded to the interests of profits, to the interests of corporations, and often times placed

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them first, uh, and placed the interests of the population, the people, uh, the masses, the working class last. Uh

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hopefully we can make a change and we can force that change because I feel as though the the party right now uh needs

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fighters. Uh we don't have a lot of time. Fascism is here. Uh and and someone has to fight back. Uh and and um

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the way to do that is uh through the the democratic process and allowing uh real democracy to take place.

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Hassan we want to thank you for being with us. political commentator and live streamer on the Twitch platform.

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That does it for our show. I'll be in Tampa, Florida tonight. We'll be celebrating WMF Community Radio at two

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screenings of the film Steal the Story, Please about the history of Democracy Now and the importance of independent

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media at the Sunray Cinema. You can check our website at democracynow.org.

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And then at the O cinema in Miami Saturday and Sunday for three screenings and of course it'll be screening before

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beyond that. I'll be with the director Tia Lesson. That does it for our show next week in Sheffield in England and

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then in Belfast in Ireland and then back to a swing through Vermont. Check our website. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez.

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Thanks for watching Democracy Now on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications to make sure you never miss a video. And for more of our

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audienceup supported journalism, go to democracynow.org or where you can download our news app, sign up for our newsletter, subscribe to the daily

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podcast, and so much