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British Sewage Worker Fired for Condemning Hamas’s Oct. 7 Massacre
A man runs on a road as fire burns after rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A sewage worker in Britain was fired for causing “significant offense” after calling Hamas “disgusting terrorists” and condemning the Palestinian Islamist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel.
Severn Trent Water (STW), one of the largest water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, fired Damon Joshua after he wrote a post condemning the Hamas-led invasion of the Jewish state on the company’s staff portal to mark the anniversary of the attack, The Telegraph first reported.
“One year ago, our valued partners and friends, Israel, were horrifically attacked by a group of violent and disgusting terrorists,” Joshua wrote in his post, which also featured an image of the Israeli flag.
“I can say with confidence today that the vast majority of STW’s employees stand in solidarity with our Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist colleagues against the evil of Islamist terror,” he added.
Due to internal complaints that the post contained “derogatory words” and was “very one-sided,” managers at the company removed it shortly afterward.
“The post reflects poorly on Severn Trent’s reputation as a diverse and inclusive company,” one such complainant said, according to The Telegraph.
Immediately afterward, Joshua was suspended pending a disciplinary hearing. He was later dismissed from his job without notice.
“It happened in a matter of hours,” Joshua told The Telegraph. “I made the post at 7:50 [am] and I got a call from my manager at 10 or 11 telling me that it had been taken down.”
“At 1 pm I got called to a meeting room on the site that I was working on,” he continued. “They didn’t really give an opinion on what I’d written. They just said that it was seen as offensive.”
During his disciplinary hearing, he was informed that the post had caused “significant offense” to three staff members who had filed complaints.
“It seems quite shocking to me,” Joshua said. “How could it be one-sided or derogatory to oppose a terrorist. Surely this is only one-sided.”
Following his disciplinary hearing, managers determined that the alleged offense was “in relation to a protected characteristic, specifically religious belief.” The company then terminated his employment for gross misconduct.
However, Joshua argued that his post only mentioned Jews and referred to “Islamist terror,” not Islam, without addressing any other religious group.
“There’s a distinction that I was trying to make between Islamist terror and Islam,” Joshua told The Telegraph. “I didn’t want to link it with all of Islam. Because there is a big difference. Not all followers of Islam are Islamists, and the attack was perpetrated by Hamas who are an Islamist terror organization.”
He filed an appeal against his dismissal, but it was unsuccessful.
During his hearing, Joshua was also told that “the language used in the post caused offense to employees with different perspectives, particularly those with Muslim or Palestinian backgrounds.”
One of the managers reportedly asked him, “How do you think a Palestinian employee would feel reading this?”
Months later, Joshua found a job elsewhere, but he described this experience as “really stressful” and said it had made him “think twice” when expressing his views.
“The hardest part was all the waiting and the not knowing,” he said. “I got no further details for months after I was suspended.”
“There is a whole war on free speech in this country at the moment,” he continued. “Lots of people know it but are too scared to stand up against it.”
Dr. Ben Jones, director of case management at the Free Speech Union, which represented Joshua in his case, condemned the company’s action as “one of the most egregious cases of cancel culture.”
“We’ve dealt with 3,500 cases, but the facts of Damon’s are particularly shocking,” Jones said. “Sacking somebody for condemning Hamas is one of the most egregious cases of cancel culture we’ve seen.”
In a statement, a Severn Trent Water spokesman explained that there had been previous incidents of misusing what they called “an apolitical work forum” to express personal views, despite warnings not to do so.
“This is a complex employee relations case, and it’s important to be clear that this is not the whole story nor an isolated incident,” the statement read.
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people, kidnapped 251 hostages, and perpetrated widespread sexual violence during their Oct. 7 onslaught, the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The United Kingdom, along with several other countries, has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The post British Sewage Worker Fired for Condemning Hamas’s Oct. 7 Massacre first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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