![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaPublished15 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, SuppliedImage caption, Raylene Nixon’s son Steven died after being put in a chokehold by a Queensland police officerBy Hannah RitchieBBC News, Sydney”It’s a pain you can’t describe,” Raylene Nixon says quietly.”It’s something that you feel deeper than a broken heart – it’s pain in your soul.”In 2021, she sat in a sterile room and watched Australian police footage of her son’s death in real time, as he gasped for air and pleaded for help.”Choke him out,” one officer can be heard yelling in the body camera video, before another places Steven Nixon-McKellar in a chokehold. Moments later, the 27-year-old Aboriginal man lost consciousness. Paramedics failed to resuscitate him, as his throat was obstructed by vomit.Mr Nixon-McKellar is one of 562 Indigenous Australians to die in police custody since 1991 – the year a landmark inquiry, intended to turn the tide on the issue, released hundreds of recommendations. But few of those proposals have been implemented, studies suggest, and Indigenous people continue to die at alarming rates in prison cells, police vans, or during arrest. Last year was the most lethal on record, according to government data. Police advocates insist officers are using necessary force when confronted with life-threatening situations, and that each death is thoroughly examined.But critics say there is a “culture of impunity” in which “police are investigating police” in cases alleging excessive force. They point out there has never been a conviction of a police or corrections officer over an Indigenous death in their care. “We’re sending a message to society about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour,” criminologist Amanda Porter says.”And in Australia at the moment – it’s open season.”‘They only knew the colour of his skin’Mr Nixon-McKellar died during his attempted arrest following an anonymous call to Queensland police suggesting he had been driving a stolen vehicle. The officers involved have defended their use of the neck hold – which is now banned – on the basis that he was “fighting” them at the scene, making it difficult to deploy a taser or pepper spray. Image source, Dhadjowa FoundationImage caption, A coroner’s findings into Steven Nixon-McKellar’s death will soon be releasedBut Ms Nixon questions whether they might have acted differently had her son been white. “The only thing they knew about him was the colour of his skin,” she tells the BBC.The findings from a coroner’s inquiry into his death will soon be made public. His case bears similarities to the death of David Dungay Jr inside a Sydney prison in 2015, a nationally famous incident which has been compared to George Floyd’s death in the US.Like Mr Floyd, Mr Dungay also repeatedly yelled “I can’t breathe” in his final moments. A diabetic, the 26-year-old had been trying to eat a packet of biscuits when six guards entered his cell with a riot shield to restrain him. Five of them pinned him face down on a bed and sedated him. “You’re the one who brought this on yourself Dungay,” one officer can be heard saying in footage of the incident. “If you’re talking you can breathe,” another adds.Corrective Services New South Wales has maintained that the death was not suspicious, and an internal investigation found no criminal negligence. A coroner did find that “agitation as a result of the use of force” was a contributing factor, along with Mr Dungay’s pre-existing health conditions – but declined to send the case to prosecutors.Mr Dungay’s family has run a years-long campaign calling for charges to be laid against the officers involved. It led to a petition with over 110,000 signatures being sent to the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The office did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Leetona Dungay has been prominent in Australia’s Black Lives Matter movement since her son’s deathThe over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s criminal justice system is a key driver of Indigenous deaths in custody.That was one of the central findings of the 1991 inquiry – and it has worsened with time. Today Indigenous people comprise 33% of Australia’s prisoners, though they are just 3.8% of the national population. Socio-economic disadvantage and “over-policing” are central to the disparity, numerous investigations have heard.”There’s a legacy of colonisation in Australia where First Nations people have always been disproportionately segregated and controlled,” says Thalia Anthony, a law professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She and others argue this has injected racist stereotypes into policing, leading to Indigenous Australians being treated as “deviant, drug addicted, or alcoholics” and paid undue attention. Reviews are currently under way in Queensland and the Northern Territory to address allegations of widespread racism within both forces. Western Australia Police has introduced strategies to address institutional racism, and Victoria Police’s chief commissioner recently offered an unreserved apology to Aboriginal families for “undetected, unchecked and unpunished” systemic discrimination. Federal and state governments have introduced some services aimed at lowering Indigenous incarceration rates. Most recently, Canberra committed to funding community-led programmes designed to tackle the root causes of offending and disadvantage.”Too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are being robbed of their futures by a system that has let them down,” Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney told the BBC.Experts have welcomed such initiatives, but many also call for broad reforms to bail conditions and the decriminalisation of minor offences which they say stem from issues such as homelessness.Ms Burney said that state governments, which oversee local laws and policing, hold “most of the levers”.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Protests have decried the deaths of Indigenous Australians in custodyAnd voter sentiment is one reason why states are often creating “new offences, increasing sentences and building more jails” despite falling crime rates, explains Prof Luke McNamara from the University of New South Wales.He describes the conflict between the two approaches as “an unresolved paradox” playing out in real-time. ‘No-one gets justice’ David Dungay Jr’s mother, Leetona, has now taken his case to the United Nations, filing a motion against state and federal governments for violating her son’s right to life. It will be decided in the coming weeks.She hopes it will force Australia to confront its record on Indigenous deaths in custody and fix “systemic failures”.”I want to get justice for David,” Ms Dungay tells the BBC. “It was murder. No-one attempted to help my son.”But if you ask Corina Rich, “no-one gets justice”. Her son Brandon died after a prolonged struggle with police at his grandmother’s property in rural New South Wales in 2021.Two officers had been called to respond to a domestic dispute. Their attempts to arrest Mr Rich ultimately resulted in him being stripped of his clothes, pepper sprayed, and pinned down.When he lost consciousness, police say they immediately tried to resuscitate him and failed. But they didn’t wear body cameras – despite it being policy – meaning the details of the 29-year-old’s final moments rely almost solely on the officers’ testimony.NSW Police said that “remedial action” was taken against both for the camera violation. Last month, a coroner found Mr Rich had died of physical exertion and stress, but that it was not possible to determine whether the use of force applied by police was a contributing factor.Image source, Supplied: Corina RichImage caption, Brandon Rich, pictured with his nephew, died after a prolonged struggle with two police officersFor Ms Rich, questions remain, and she relives that day on repeat – often in violent nightmares.”I’m in my son’s position, when he’s dying on the ground. I don’t have a life any more. Your whole world is gone, broken.”When asked about the possibility of legal action, she almost laughs: “Nothing’s going to happen to the police. It never does.”I don’t think we’ll ever see change, as much as we want it. The whole system sucks.”It’s a view shared by many Indigenous families and advocates, who feel hope is hard to come by. But several experts told the BBC that in the short team, a warranted conviction of a police or prison officer over an Indigenous death in custody could be “groundbreaking”. “It would send a message that police are not immune from the criminal justice system,” Prof Anthony says.She adds that few cases make it to trial and when they do it’s rare for “police not to be believed” by what are usually “non-Indigenous juries”.Australia’s national police union declined to answer questions from the BBC.Ms Nixon says a reckoning won’t come until there’s sustained public outrage over every Indigenous death.”When you’re only 3% of the population, you rely on the other 97% to do the right thing,” she says.”It comes down to human compassion [but] there’s still a blame the victim mentality – as though what happens to us is what we deserve. Maybe future generations will change that narrative.”Related TopicsIndigenous AustraliansNew South WalesQueenslandAustraliaMore on this storyAustralia mother takes custodial death fight to UNPublished10 June 2021Australia’s ‘system is continuing to kill us’Published15 April 2021Top StoriesJeremy Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than everPublished2 hours agoLive. Israelis demand hostage deal six months on from Hamas attacksPM marks six months of Israel-Gaza war as UK sends Navy ship for aidPublished4 hours agoFeaturesThe eclipse’s 4-minute window into the Sun’s secretsThe Papers: ‘Gaza famine’ warning and Corrie ‘budgeting row’Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?7 lessons from my first series of University ChallengeThe singer-songwriters who are pop’s new breakout starsIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?Path of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipse’A game of Jenga’: Inside the perilous Baltimore bridge clean-upElsewhere on the BBCGet a job, pay the bills. Sounds simple, right?Fresh, surreal comedy from the mind of Lucia KeskinAttributioniPlayerThis family bonds over Race Across the WorldThese are the the things we love on the BBCAttributioniPlayerOne of the most talented bands to never make it…Why did trailblazers Microdisney fail to achieve the commercial success they deserved?AttributioniPlayerDid you know these scenes were filmed in… Glasgow?!Ali Plumb travels through the city’s silver screen sightsAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?2’Gaza famine’ warning and Corrie ‘budgeting row’3Woman dies after stabbing in busy city centre4Hardest Geezer: The man who ran the length of Africa5Post Office bosses earned millions despite scandal6Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than ever7Incinerator opposed by Barclay sees permit delayed8Are you happy to pay more to have your nails done?9Dozens of UK flights cancelled as storm sweeps in10Russia-friendly populist elected Slovak president](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/C414/production/_118869105_gettyimages-1261283800-1.jpg)
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaPublished15 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, SuppliedImage caption, Raylene Nixon’s son Steven died after being put in a chokehold by a Queensland police officerBy Hannah RitchieBBC News, Sydney”It’s a pain you can’t describe,” Raylene Nixon says quietly.”It’s something that you feel deeper than a broken heart – it’s pain in your soul.”In 2021, she sat in a sterile room and watched Australian police footage of her son’s death in real time, as he gasped for air and pleaded for help.”Choke him out,” one officer can be heard yelling in the body camera video, before another places Steven Nixon-McKellar in a chokehold. Moments later, the 27-year-old Aboriginal man lost consciousness. Paramedics failed to resuscitate him, as his throat was obstructed by vomit.Mr Nixon-McKellar is one of 562 Indigenous Australians to die in police custody since 1991 – the year a landmark inquiry, intended to turn the tide on the issue, released hundreds of recommendations. But few of those proposals have been implemented, studies suggest, and Indigenous people continue to die at alarming rates in prison cells, police vans, or during arrest. Last year was the most lethal on record, according to government data. Police advocates insist officers are using necessary force when confronted with life-threatening situations, and that each death is thoroughly examined.But critics say there is a “culture of impunity” in which “police are investigating police” in cases alleging excessive force. They point out there has never been a conviction of a police or corrections officer over an Indigenous death in their care. “We’re sending a message to society about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour,” criminologist Amanda Porter says.”And in Australia at the moment – it’s open season.”‘They only knew the colour of his skin’Mr Nixon-McKellar died during his attempted arrest following an anonymous call to Queensland police suggesting he had been driving a stolen vehicle. The officers involved have defended their use of the neck hold – which is now banned – on the basis that he was “fighting” them at the scene, making it difficult to deploy a taser or pepper spray. Image source, Dhadjowa FoundationImage caption, A coroner’s findings into Steven Nixon-McKellar’s death will soon be releasedBut Ms Nixon questions whether they might have acted differently had her son been white. “The only thing they knew about him was the colour of his skin,” she tells the BBC.The findings from a coroner’s inquiry into his death will soon be made public. His case bears similarities to the death of David Dungay Jr inside a Sydney prison in 2015, a nationally famous incident which has been compared to George Floyd’s death in the US.Like Mr Floyd, Mr Dungay also repeatedly yelled “I can’t breathe” in his final moments. A diabetic, the 26-year-old had been trying to eat a packet of biscuits when six guards entered his cell with a riot shield to restrain him. Five of them pinned him face down on a bed and sedated him. “You’re the one who brought this on yourself Dungay,” one officer can be heard saying in footage of the incident. “If you’re talking you can breathe,” another adds.Corrective Services New South Wales has maintained that the death was not suspicious, and an internal investigation found no criminal negligence. A coroner did find that “agitation as a result of the use of force” was a contributing factor, along with Mr Dungay’s pre-existing health conditions – but declined to send the case to prosecutors.Mr Dungay’s family has run a years-long campaign calling for charges to be laid against the officers involved. It led to a petition with over 110,000 signatures being sent to the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The office did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Leetona Dungay has been prominent in Australia’s Black Lives Matter movement since her son’s deathThe over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s criminal justice system is a key driver of Indigenous deaths in custody.That was one of the central findings of the 1991 inquiry – and it has worsened with time. Today Indigenous people comprise 33% of Australia’s prisoners, though they are just 3.8% of the national population. Socio-economic disadvantage and “over-policing” are central to the disparity, numerous investigations have heard.”There’s a legacy of colonisation in Australia where First Nations people have always been disproportionately segregated and controlled,” says Thalia Anthony, a law professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She and others argue this has injected racist stereotypes into policing, leading to Indigenous Australians being treated as “deviant, drug addicted, or alcoholics” and paid undue attention. Reviews are currently under way in Queensland and the Northern Territory to address allegations of widespread racism within both forces. Western Australia Police has introduced strategies to address institutional racism, and Victoria Police’s chief commissioner recently offered an unreserved apology to Aboriginal families for “undetected, unchecked and unpunished” systemic discrimination. Federal and state governments have introduced some services aimed at lowering Indigenous incarceration rates. Most recently, Canberra committed to funding community-led programmes designed to tackle the root causes of offending and disadvantage.”Too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are being robbed of their futures by a system that has let them down,” Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney told the BBC.Experts have welcomed such initiatives, but many also call for broad reforms to bail conditions and the decriminalisation of minor offences which they say stem from issues such as homelessness.Ms Burney said that state governments, which oversee local laws and policing, hold “most of the levers”.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Protests have decried the deaths of Indigenous Australians in custodyAnd voter sentiment is one reason why states are often creating “new offences, increasing sentences and building more jails” despite falling crime rates, explains Prof Luke McNamara from the University of New South Wales.He describes the conflict between the two approaches as “an unresolved paradox” playing out in real-time. ‘No-one gets justice’ David Dungay Jr’s mother, Leetona, has now taken his case to the United Nations, filing a motion against state and federal governments for violating her son’s right to life. It will be decided in the coming weeks.She hopes it will force Australia to confront its record on Indigenous deaths in custody and fix “systemic failures”.”I want to get justice for David,” Ms Dungay tells the BBC. “It was murder. No-one attempted to help my son.”But if you ask Corina Rich, “no-one gets justice”. Her son Brandon died after a prolonged struggle with police at his grandmother’s property in rural New South Wales in 2021.Two officers had been called to respond to a domestic dispute. Their attempts to arrest Mr Rich ultimately resulted in him being stripped of his clothes, pepper sprayed, and pinned down.When he lost consciousness, police say they immediately tried to resuscitate him and failed. But they didn’t wear body cameras – despite it being policy – meaning the details of the 29-year-old’s final moments rely almost solely on the officers’ testimony.NSW Police said that “remedial action” was taken against both for the camera violation. Last month, a coroner found Mr Rich had died of physical exertion and stress, but that it was not possible to determine whether the use of force applied by police was a contributing factor.Image source, Supplied: Corina RichImage caption, Brandon Rich, pictured with his nephew, died after a prolonged struggle with two police officersFor Ms Rich, questions remain, and she relives that day on repeat – often in violent nightmares.”I’m in my son’s position, when he’s dying on the ground. I don’t have a life any more. Your whole world is gone, broken.”When asked about the possibility of legal action, she almost laughs: “Nothing’s going to happen to the police. It never does.”I don’t think we’ll ever see change, as much as we want it. The whole system sucks.”It’s a view shared by many Indigenous families and advocates, who feel hope is hard to come by. But several experts told the BBC that in the short team, a warranted conviction of a police or prison officer over an Indigenous death in custody could be “groundbreaking”. “It would send a message that police are not immune from the criminal justice system,” Prof Anthony says.She adds that few cases make it to trial and when they do it’s rare for “police not to be believed” by what are usually “non-Indigenous juries”.Australia’s national police union declined to answer questions from the BBC.Ms Nixon says a reckoning won’t come until there’s sustained public outrage over every Indigenous death.”When you’re only 3% of the population, you rely on the other 97% to do the right thing,” she says.”It comes down to human compassion [but] there’s still a blame the victim mentality – as though what happens to us is what we deserve. Maybe future generations will change that narrative.”Related TopicsIndigenous AustraliansNew South WalesQueenslandAustraliaMore on this storyAustralia mother takes custodial death fight to UNPublished10 June 2021Australia’s ‘system is continuing to kill us’Published15 April 2021Top StoriesJeremy Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than everPublished2 hours agoLive. Israelis demand hostage deal six months on from Hamas attacksPM marks six months of Israel-Gaza war as UK sends Navy ship for aidPublished4 hours agoFeaturesThe eclipse’s 4-minute window into the Sun’s secretsThe Papers: ‘Gaza famine’ warning and Corrie ‘budgeting row’Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?7 lessons from my first series of University ChallengeThe singer-songwriters who are pop’s new breakout starsIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?Path of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipse’A game of Jenga’: Inside the perilous Baltimore bridge clean-upElsewhere on the BBCGet a job, pay the bills. Sounds simple, right?Fresh, surreal comedy from the mind of Lucia KeskinAttributioniPlayerThis family bonds over Race Across the WorldThese are the the things we love on the BBCAttributioniPlayerOne of the most talented bands to never make it…Why did trailblazers Microdisney fail to achieve the commercial success they deserved?AttributioniPlayerDid you know these scenes were filmed in… Glasgow?!Ali Plumb travels through the city’s silver screen sightsAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?2’Gaza famine’ warning and Corrie ‘budgeting row’3Woman dies after stabbing in busy city centre4Hardest Geezer: The man who ran the length of Africa5Post Office bosses earned millions despite scandal6Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than ever7Incinerator opposed by Barclay sees permit delayed8Are you happy to pay more to have your nails done?9Dozens of UK flights cancelled as storm sweeps in10Russia-friendly populist elected Slovak president
[ad_1] Last year saw the most Indigenous people on record die in police custody – and families want answers.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaJournalists call for foreign media access to Gaza in open letterPublished35 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage caption, The BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen is among the 55 journalists who signed the letterBy Yasmin Rufo & David GrittenBBC NewsMore than 50 journalists have sent an open letter calling on Israel and Egypt to provide “free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media”.The letter is signed by correspondents and presenters for broadcasters with UK bases, including the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain.It says the need for comprehensive on-the-ground reporting is “imperative”.Israel’s military says its troops have taken journalists on escorted trips in Gaza to allow them to report safely.Palestinian journalists and media workers have reported from inside Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, but dozens have been killed, injured or gone missing.In the letter, the 55 journalists write that “foreign reporters are still being denied access to the territory, outside of the rare and escorted trips with the Israeli military”.The escorted trips are highly controlled and often only to show tunnels that the military says are used by Hamas or weapons stores. Only one foreign journalist has been granted entry into Gaza through Egypt on an escorted visit. CNN’s Clarissa Ward – who is among the signatories of the letter – was able to spend only a few hours on the ground in the southern border city of Rafah with an Emirati medical team in December.The letter calls on Israel’s government to “openly state its permission for international journalists to operate in Gaza”.It also asks Egyptian authorities to allow foreign press access to the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. The letter continues: “It’s vital that local journalists’ safety is respected and that their efforts are bolstered by the journalism of members of the international media. The need for comprehensive on-the-ground reporting of the conflict is imperative.”The risks of conflict reporting are well understood by our organisations who have decades of experience of reporting in warzones around the world and in previous wars in Gaza.”The broadcasters represented in the letter are the UK’s BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News, and the US outlets ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC.A number of journalists who signed the letter have been reporting from Israel during the conflict.In November, the BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen travelled with Israeli forces into Gaza. While the BBC had editorial control of the report, the section with the Israeli forces was viewed by them. When asked for comment on the letter, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said: “The IDF is currently conducting a war against the terror organisation Hamas. “In order to allow journalists to report safely, the IDF accompanies them when in the battlefield.”Last month, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem accused Israel of imposing an unprecedented ban on independent foreign press access to Gaza, after the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a petition from the organisation and ruled that restrictions on entry were justified on security grounds. The FPA said defence authorities had told the court that journalists in Gaza could be put at risk in wartime and endanger soldiers by reporting on troop positions. They also argued that it was too dangerous for Israeli personnel to be present at the Israeli border to facilitate press entry to Gaza.The court’s ruling also cited defence authorities as stating that the Rafah crossing was “under the control and sovereignty” of Egypt, and that “to the best of [their] knowledge” the Egyptian government was allowing foreign journalists to enter Gaza. However, in late October a senior Egyptian official said it was the Israeli military stopping journalists from entering.Almost 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says. Israel’s military launched an air and ground campaign after Hamas’s attacks on Israel on 7 October, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 83 Palestinian and two Israeli journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war.Related TopicsPress freedomMediaIsrael-Gaza warIsraelEgyptPalestinian territoriesJournalismMore on this storyHope for Gaza ceasefire by next week, says BidenPublished1 day agoWhy are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?Published13 FebruaryIsrael-Gaza war: Death and Israel’s search for ‘total victory’Published11 FebruaryTop StoriesFamily’s anger at police failures as Emma Caldwell’s killer is jailedPublished1 hour agoWatch: How I confronted Emma Caldwell’s killer. VideoWatch: How I confronted Emma Caldwell’s killerPublished1 hour agoRed Bull F1 boss Horner cleared of inappropriate behaviourAttributionSportPublished4 hours agoFeaturesHow police missed the chance to catch Emma’s killerProtest vote over Gaza is election warning Biden cannot ignoreWhy South Korean women aren’t having babiesWhy Google’s ‘woke’ AI problem won’t be an easy fix’I was inundated with incel messages within an hour”My mother’s body was left by smugglers in the desert’Watch: Inside the famous Sistine Chapel after crowds leave. VideoWatch: Inside the famous Sistine Chapel after crowds leaveStormzy book prize winner on ‘writing for lads like me’Kate Bush to become Record Store Day ambassadorElsewhere on the BBCThe powerful emotional impact of Pink Floyd’s musicShine On You Crazy Diamond has helped people through their hardest timesAttributionSoundsExperience Apollo 11’s adventure first-hand!Discover the awe-inspiring journey of Apollo 11 and its crew with newly released cockpit audioAttributioniPlayerWhat holds us back from exercising as we age?James Gallagher explores the mental and physical barriers that may stop usAttributionSoundsHow close are we to nuclear Armageddon?The Doomsday Clock is the closest it’s ever been to midnight – Jane Corbin investigatesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1’Angry families turned up to find me dressed as Willy Wonka’2Family’s anger at police as Emma’s killer jailed3One dead and two missing after Channel rescue4Moon lander pictured on its side with snapped leg5’I was inundated with incel messages within an hour’6Red Bull’s Horner cleared of inappropriate behaviourAttributionSport7Explosion at house leaves woman seriously injured8Harry loses court challenge over UK security9How police missed the chance to catch Emma’s killer10Rapper Ja Rule denied UK entry ahead of tour](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/168E1/production/_132758329_dbf802566f3cfc0d62ec8f435d6468b438bcbb51.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaMichigan vote to test anger over Biden’s Israel policyPublished56 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS election 2024This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Biden’s support for Israel has lost him votes among Arab AmericansBy Brandon DrenonBBC News, in MichiganVoters in Michigan have been organising for months to send Joe Biden a message during the state’s primary on Tuesday: “No ceasefire. No vote.”After President Joe Biden narrowly defeated Donald Trump in Michigan in the last election in 2020, a protest vote tied to events in Gaza is a real concern for the White House.Mr Biden and Mr Trump are on course for a rematch in November, and in a close presidential election – as is predicted by most polls – experts say Michigan is a must-win state.With the largest Arab-American population in the US, the state poses a crucial test as to the impact the Biden administration’s policy on the Israel-Gaza conflict could have on Democrats. The anger it has created among many in that community has been festering for months, and the Democratic primary on Tuesday offers the first chance for the party’s voters to register that discontent by withholding their vote from the president.He is largely unopposed in the Democratic Party’s search for their presidential nominee, but that has not stopped those opposed to his Middle East policy from taking action.In the final hours on the eve of Tuesday’s primary election, Khalid Turaani stood outside the Islamic Center of Detroit and distributed pamphlets encouraging people to vote “uncommitted” on their ballot papers.”We’re doing all that we can to ensure that Biden is a one-term president,” Mr Turaani, the co-organiser behind Abandon Biden, told the BBC.”In November, we will remember. When you stand against the will of the people, you’re going to lose.”Image source, Brandon Drenon/ The BBCImage caption, Khalid Turaani, a co-organiser of Abandon Biden, says his group has made over 30,000 calls petitioning people to vote uncommitted on TuesdayTwo grassroots organisations, including Mr Turaani’s group, Abandon Biden, and a second, Listen to Michigan, are urging Democrats to choose “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s primary. In the state, each party’s candidate list includes an “uncommitted” option, which allows a voter to exercise a party vote without selecting a candidate – in this case, Mr Biden. The movement has gained endorsements from at least 39 state and local elected officials. These include congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Michigan state legislator Abraham Aiyash and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.”I was proud today to walk in and pull a Democratic ballot and vote uncommitted,” Ms Tlaib said in a video shared to social media. Lexis Zeidan, a co-organiser for Listen to Michigan, said they’re hoping to get at least 10,000 people to vote uncommitted. “We want to wake up the next day on Wednesday, and we want to be able to claim Michigan as a pro-Palestinian state,” she said. “And we want to inspire communities across the nation to know that, at the end of the day, America is beholden to its people.”Life inside Gaza – a day of BBC coverageWhy are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?Biden losing Arab-American voters in swing stateMr Biden’s victory in this primary election is assured, but Democrats will be watching how many vote “uncommitted” to see what electoral harm has been done by the president’s support of Israel in its months-long war against Hamas in Gaza. Recent national opinion polls suggest a majority of Democrats disapprove of the president’s handling of the crisis. In places like Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit where a large concentration of the state’s Arab-American population lives, discontent with Democrats appears to be widespread. Image source, Brandon Drenon/ The BBCImage caption, Dozens gathered at the Islamic Center of Detroit were handed pamphlets on Monday encouraging them not to support Joe BidenThe president has attempted to walk a tightrope between sending aid to Israel, a longstanding US ally with historically strong support from Democrats, and appeasing those in his party who want the devastation in Gaza to end now. Senator Gary Peters, from Michigan, told the BBC and other reporters at a meeting arranged by the Biden campaign on Monday that the president understands voters’ concerns about the situation in Gaza.”[President Biden] hears loud and clear what folks are saying. He cares deeply about innocent civilians being caught in that crossfire,” Sen Peters said. “And he’s going to do everything in his power to bring that to an end as quickly as he can.”The Biden team has pointed to domestic achievements like job creation, investment in poorer communities and lowering healthcare costs as ways the president has helped voters in Michigan.In one attempt to pacify their frustrations, Mr Biden’s campaign staff attempted to organise an in-person meeting with Arab-American leaders in January, a request denied by Dearborn’s mayor. “This is not the time to talk about elections,” Mayor Hammoud said at the time.Instead, he and other community leaders met senior staff from the White House in February. Mr Aiyash, the state representative, told the New York Times after the meeting: “We emphasised that beyond communication, there needs to be a change in policies.” However, the White House has been reluctant to reel back its support, sending billions of dollars in military aid to Israel and three times blocking a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. Instead the US has called for a pause in fighting and defended Israel’s right to hunt down the Hamas gunmen who killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on 7 October. The death toll in Gaza is nearly 30,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-led health ministry.Gazans surviving off animal feed and rice as food dwindlesHope for Gaza ceasefire by next week, says Biden’Evacuating was a mistake’: Israelis push to return to border homes Samraa Luqman, another member of Abandon Biden who described herself as a far-left Democrat, said: “And yet today I stand before you telling you that I am considering voting for Trump in 2024.”Irrespective of the price I may pay as a Muslim woman in this country, I’m still willing to draw the red line and say that the commission of genocide is more of a priority to me,” she said. Israel vehemently rejects allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.Image source, Brandon Drenon/ The BBCImage caption, Khalid Turaani distributed flyers on Monday encouraging people not to vote for Joe BidenMichigan is one of six major swing states that experts say Mr Biden will need to win to defeat Mr Trump in a likely November rematch. The others include Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona.Michigan has flipped twice in the last two presidential elections, from a Trump-led Republican victory in 2016, back to Democrats under Mr Biden in 2020.The president’s 2020 victory was by nearly 155,000 votes – fewer than the total number of registered Muslim voters in Michigan. Nationwide, 64% of Muslim voters backed Mr Biden in 2020, according to Associated Press, but that figure rose to nearly 70% in Michigan counties with large Arab-American populations.President Biden and his campaign surrogates have made repeated visits to Michigan, looking to shore up support and remind voters of his commitment to blue-collar workers, a key Democratic voting bloc from whom Mr Trump has increasingly drawn support.In September, President Biden joined the picket lines in Detroit with members of the United Auto Workers union, a first for a sitting president in over a century.Four months later, the UAW officially endorsed the president’s re-election bid, which was welcomed by the Biden campaign amid waning voter enthusiasm. Polls suggest that Gaza is just one vulnerability – voters are also increasingly concerned about the president’s age and are pessimistic about the economy, despite strong growth and low unemployment.Image source, Brandon Drenon/ The BBCImage caption, Nate, who asked the BBC not to use his last name, estimated he had about $2,000 worth of metal to recycle on MondayThe sceptics include blue-collar workers from the metro Detroit area, like Nate. Standing in a metal scrapyard recycling facility in Dearborn, less than a mile from a Ford car plant where plumes of smoke billowed into the air, he told the BBC he feels “like the economy is getting worse”.He’s been the owner of a dumpster rental and heavy-trash collecting business for over 10 years, but he said lately “I’ve seen less business, less people”. “Things have slowed down since Biden took office,” Nate said. “I’m not sure who I’m voting for this year.”Farther down the road, Adam Abusalah, an organiser with Listen to Michigan who was a member of Mr Biden’s campaign staff in 2020, told the BBC: “People are voting uncommitted for several reasons.”He said his organisation was making calls to more than just Arab Americans but also other members of Michigan’s black and brown communities and “voters across the state who are not happy with Biden”. Mr Abusalah said people were upset with the president before 7 October, the start of the Israel-Gaza war.”People were seeing how Biden handled the Ukraine war and seeing him send so much money but not being able to invest that into our communities,” he said. “There’s a city here in Michigan – Flint – that hasn’t had clean water for over a decade.”Image source, Brandon Drenon/ The BBCImage caption, Adam Abusalah worked for Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020 but says he will never vote for Mr Biden againIt’s an increasingly common complaint heard from many US voters who often express frustration over federal spending on wars while their communities struggle. For Mr Abusalah, however, Mr Biden’s support of Israel amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and skyrocketing death toll was the ultimate catalyst that turned him from the president – even if it means a president who once enacted a Muslim travel ban takes his place.”If we have another Trump presidency, that’s not on me. That’s not on voters. That’s on Biden,” he said.”[President Biden] cannot win back my vote. Absolutely not. It’s 30,000 lives too late.” More on the US electionExplained: A simple guide to the US 2024 electionAnalysis: Where Biden v Trump will be won and lostPolicies: What a Trump second term would look likeEconomy: Voters feel better – will that help Biden?Recap: The Trump life story to dateRelated TopicsMichiganUS election 2024US politicsUnited StatesJoe BidenMore on this storyWhy these Arab Americans say Biden lost their votePublished1 FebruaryBiden losing Arab-American voters in swing statePublished6 November 2023Biden wins South Carolina Democratic primaryPublished4 FebruaryWhere Biden v Trump will be won and lostPublished31 JanuaryA simple guide to the US 2024 electionPublished24 JanuaryHow does US electoral college choose presidents?Published30 JanuaryTop StoriesPost Office confirms boss is under investigationPublished21 minutes agoSixth person charged with spying for Russia in UKPublished1 hour agoNetanyahu and Biden spar over Israel-Gaza war supportPublished1 hour agoFeaturesGazans in survival mode with cold nights and food rationsWhy firms are racing to produce green ammoniaSecondary school places: What parents need to knowWalkers spot ‘breathtaking’ cloud inversionsThe young refusing to become Myanmar’s ‘human shields’Hear the fish louder than a jackhammer. 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