> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Gaza, Green Party, AI Super-intelligence, Abuse in the Military - URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/weekly-email-101026/ - Published: 2026-10-10T09:07:07.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-10T09:07:07.000Z - Description: openDemocracy Weekly Newsletter 10 October 2026 - Author: openDemocracy - Tags: Newsletter, Gaza, Donald Trump, Andy Burnham, Labour, Israel & Palestine, Green Party, Zack Polanski, anti-protest, protest, AI A month ago, our newsletter considered 9/11 and the long shadow of the war on terror. This week, we mark three years since Hamas insurgents invaded Israel, and the genocide that Israel has since enacted on the Palestinian people. In my column this week, I try to make sense of why – after dozens of factsheets, UN reports, testimonies, and hours of footage of Israeli forces destroying Gaza – governments around the world are still hesitant to say what people around the world know to be true: that what Israel has done in Gaza is genocide, and it is inexcusable. But before you get to my column, I urge you to read openDemocracy reporter Sian Norris’ explosive investigation into historical child abuse claims in the British military. This new investigation, co-published in the Guardian this morning, follows up on Sian’s reporting earlier this year. Also in this edition, read Paul Rogers on the mysterious withdrawal of American B-1B strategic bombers from the RAF Fairford airfield in the UK, Nandini Naira Archer’s inspiring profile of Margaret Owen, the 94-year-old human rights lawyer arrested for holding a banner in support of Palestine Action, and Zack Polanski’s biographer, Russell Warfield, on the recently concluded by-election for Keir Starmer’s former parliamentary seat. The next election is only three years away, and ****we are determined to** ****prevent the rise of the far right.** To do that, we want to recruit 500 new monthly donors by the end of 2026\. ****Will you be part of the movement to fight the far right, with a monthly donation today?** [Become a regular supporter ](#/portal/signup) This week marks the debut of our newest team member, tech journalist Evie Breese, who writes incisively on the UK’s muddled attempts to regulate so-called AI super-intelligence. As Evie notes in her piece, “​​UK legislators are caught between two competing priorities: preventing future catastrophe and addressing present harm.” As it turns out, they aren’t doing either at the moment. Thank you, as always, for supporting our journalism. We are running a campaign to add 500 new regular supporters by the end of the year, so if you appreciate our journalism, please consider making a contribution. Have a great weekend, **Aman Sethi** --- [Legal loophole denies justice to child abuse victims in British Army schoolExclusive: Questions over whether alleged abuse fell under military police’s jurisdiction is “travesty of justice”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-4ce6703e-2f58-4903-98fa-9d218b91b937.png)openDemocracySian Norris![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/Artboard-1-1-4a35e2a7-2b6f-4027-b7bf-84d359af8518.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/british-army-justice-failed-child-abuse-mod/) [The devastating simplicity of the genocide in GazaIsrael’s supporters insist that the country’s oppression and mass killings of Palestinians is a legitimate response to the region’s complicated past. It isn’t.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-42e82fef-172e-43ae-975d-9fb9ff803a6b.png)openDemocracyAman Sethi![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2261449238-aa21b32c-f749-4976-8aa9-00e3ca89e452.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/the-devastating-simplicity-of-the-genocide-in-gaza/) [Did Iranian drones drive US bombers out of RAF Fairford?Trump seemed set to expand war on Iran. So why the hasty retreat from the UK? And what does it mean for the conflict?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-9262301e-c9bd-40bb-a4e1-5a1a0b33b794.png)openDemocracyPaul Rogers![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2297606349-63b8d773-2e98-4de2-8022-bae91add6219.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/did-iranian-drones-drive-us-bombers-out-of-raf-fairford/) [How the Greens are forcing Labour’s hand on GazaThe Green Party’s ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion proves that uncompromising left-wing pressure is successfully shifting Labour’s stance on Gaza.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-fbca7886-296a-44a2-ad9c-3e9bdb28dcdd.png)openDemocracyAndrew Feinstein![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2298024264-27b50fde-f513-443a-9ec8-7f0899f3fa70.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/how-the-greens-are-forcing-labours-hand-on-gaza/) [Polanski’s Greens created prime minister Burnham. Holborn could yet undo himLabour is celebrating a by-election win. But it must not misread this tight result for a total victory![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-34f21585-63e2-4c57-8b0e-82766ba96d68.png)openDemocracyRussell Warfield![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2294357901-5c2e4b84-b3ee-4362-9129-42aff93654e3.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/polanskis-greens-created-prime-minister-burnham-holborn-could-yet-undo-him/) [At 94, Margaret Owen was proud to be arrested for GazaFresh from her arrest at 94, veteran human rights lawyer Margaret Owen reflects on the criminalisation of protest and why Gaza’s widows must shape its future.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-06e58bbc-aa84-493d-bb98-688a519b3845.png)openDemocracyNandini Naira Archer![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/GettyImages-2297419213-1-f8cd813a-d1e1-47ee-a601-74fdd7ff97bb.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/at-94-margaret-owen-was-proud-to-be-arrested-for-gaza/) [UK wants to lead the world on frontier AI safety. It can’t decide where to startThe UK government is positioning itself as a global leader on AI regulation while struggling to agree on how far rules should go — and what risks they should address.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-41031410-21fa-421a-90f7-c90a4ee756b0.png)openDemocracyEvie Breese![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/BurnhamAI2-2c12fc75-ca2b-4fbc-8b04-73b760c769d2.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk-wants-to-lead-the-world-on-frontier-ai-safety-it-cant-decide-where-to-start/) [Trump, Putin and the Betrayal of UkraineLuke Harding on Putin’s war, Biden’s hesitancy, Trump acting as a Russian asset, and Kremlin links to Brexit and Britain’s hard right.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-7f825f23-15ea-476e-ae91-4eb012abf07e.png)openDemocracySian Norris![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/In-Solidarity-Thumbnails-2-aae6b8c2-5742-4b30-b95a-6bc532e98c51.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/podcasts/trump-putin-and-the-betrayal-of-ukraine/) --- ## Weekly Poll How does your opinion compare to the rest of our readership? Take our new look weekly poll and find out. Have thoughts about the topic? [Send us an email](mailto:supporters@opendemocracy.net?subject=Re%3A%20Weekly%20Poll) ### Where do you stand on the Green Party’s policy equating Zionism with racism? | [Vote and see results →](https://www.opendemocracy.net/weekly-email-101026/?jump=poll) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --- ## Last week's poll results ### Would you support changes to the pension lock scheme? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/10/Poll-Results-05-10.jpg) --- ## Reader Comments openDemocracy receives so many carefully considered messages about our work that it seems a shame to keep them to ourselves. These comments are edited for clarity, accuracy and length, and are not a reflection of openDemocracy's editorial position. > I respectfully disagree with the article's framing. In my opinion, anyone who deliberately commits criminal acts, destroys property and uses unlawful direct action to advance a political cause is employing terrorist tactics. These actions are not victimless. They are designed to create fear, intimidation and uncertainty among those targeted, including employees, contractors and others connected to the organisation. > > When people are made to worry that political activists may attack their workplace, damage property or target them because of their association with a particular organisation, that goes beyond protest and becomes coercion. > > While supporters may argue that the motives were noble, I do not believe that a cause justifies tactics intended to intimidate others or force political change through fear. For that reason, I regard those involved as terrorists rather than peaceful protesters. **Aston411 |** [I was sentenced as a terrorist. Now my barrister is on trial for defending me](https://www.opendemocracy.net/palestine-action-filton-24-charlotte-head-rajiv-menon-kc-contempt-of-court-judge-johnson/) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/10/pexels-gerhard-lipold-274371-5949322.jpg) ## This week in history **The Bolivian revolution and Che Guevara's death • 9 October 1967** Ernesto "Che" Guevara was captured and executed in Bolivia on 9 October 1967, having led a doomed guerrilla campaign to ignite revolution across Latin America. His death made him a global icon and led to his face being the most reproduced political image of the 20th century. Our archive piece this week examines how the Zapatistas explicitly rejected the armed vanguard politics associated with Che, and why. [Zapatistas: the fight goes onA number of initiatives of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) and native communities in 2018 illustrate the practice of resistance and rebellion in Mexico today. Español.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/icon/multi_solo-c0ecc121-55eb-404c-9930-b20d41c346a3.png)openDemocracyKé Huelga![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/thumbnail/PA-31144673_mduHSMB-1776237245403-94ee03c9-1a46-429c-bc2e-f58183e8fb02.jpg)](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/zapatistas-fight-goes/) ---