Andrew Avramenko

Westminster Meeting House raided by Metropolitan Police again. Statement: “For Quakers, faith and action are inseparable. Peaceful protest, prayer and nonviolent action are integral parts of many Quakers' religious life. Whilst we take the planning of criminal acts very seriously, we believe that this incident is a deliberate targeting of committed young people who want to make our country a more equitable place. This raid is part of a systematic stifling of dissent. That this is the second time in a year that the police have raided our meeting house dramatically illuminates the broader trend in the UK of cracking down on those who disagree with the government. The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy. It's a key part of how people make their voices heard between elections.” – Oliver Robertson, Head of Witness and Worship Quakers in Britain, 5 March 2026

Yesterday evening, for the second time in a year, the Met Police raided Westminster Quaker Meeting House and arrested a number of young nonviolent activists.

STATEMENT: www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...

Picture of Marjane Satrapi alongside a quote from her. The quote reads: The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same... - Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French graphic novelist

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

It was very special today to be at the premier of a set of British Film Institute short documentaries, especially one that challenged stereotypes of heavy metal fans. Witnessing some of the filming done & the documentary reinforced my admiration of the teenagers & tutors who put it all together.

Trump Has No Plan for the Iranian People The mere act of bombing Iran will not by itself create a stable regime.

The American bombardment of Iran has been launched without explanation, without Congress, without public support. Above all it has been launched without a coherent strategy for the Iranian people, and without a plan to let them build a legitimate Iranian state.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

What Russians did in #Bucha is particularly painful to my heart.I was there in the first days after it was liberated,I’ll never forget it

Friends,please share this as widely as possible in the USA,Canada,the United Kingdom

The world needs to see the truth about the heroism of Ukrainians
Thank you!

Mark Kermode reviews I Swear YouTube video by Kermode and Mayo's Take

A review and a film worth watching, not least to better understand Tourette’s Syndrome, John Davidson and airing and reporting of the recent BAFTA awards.

Hey Siri, what is ablism?

Mogwai on stage

Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai

Barry Burns of Mogwai

Dominic Aitchison and Martin Bulloch of Mogwai

Here’s a few photos from tonight’s @mogwai.scot at Bristol Beacon.

Mogwai set list on 22/2/26 at the Bristol Beacon: God Chaos Friend Nail Helicon 1 Jim Morrison Vegan Werewolf Ritchie Fanzine We're No Here Rumpus Happiness Satan

Alas no My Father, My King but still a great set list and concert by @mogwai.scot (and one of Barry Burns’ guitar picks!).

This gives me hope for tonight!

Please @mogwai.scot, play My Father My King tonight… for my birthday!

A stage set up with equipment for the band Mogwai to play

An empty concert venue

Tonight is my birthday treat: seeing @mogwai.scot tonight at Beacon, Bristol. Got here super early to be the first in & secure a spot at the front.

Praying they play by all time favourite piece: My Father, My King. I once based a sermon on it & sent the congregation home to listen to it & they did!

I often don’t spot the mistakes until
I’m preaching but presently I’m finding AI is spotting them for me - although it does love an Oxford Comma a lot more than I do!

a little red riding hood is standing in the grass with a basket Alt: a little red riding hood is standing in the grass with a basket

Tomorrow I’ll be preaching on Jesus sending out people as sheep amongst wolves, so of course I’m starting with a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

A little too obvious perhaps?!

I’d copy and paste the text from the previous post but, well, in the spirit of Marvin, you can find and see it if you want to

30 januari 2026 YouTube video by The north awakens

I know diplomacy and foreign affairs are complicated but it’s good to see more European and other politicians standing up to the current USA government and calling out their lawless hypocrisy.

youtube.com/shorts/a_Y48...

Little Angels’ Jim Dickinson offered my son a place on the music course he runs at Bath Spa University - he told him the band were planning to get back together to do some gigs, possibly this summer.

A question for theologians on BlueSky… what in depth commentary on Luke’s Gospel would you recommend and why?

Everyone has their own influences and biases, so I’m looking for as balanced and accurate as possible.

1/ Ian Austin has since been re-arrested along with Don Lemon, which he believes is bc the video we made of him (below) criticizing the Trump regime and encouraging fellow vets to wake up had gotten millions of views.

It's not just journalists. It's ANYONE. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Ian Austin, an Army veteran, was arrested for protesting ICE in Minneapolis. But he’s continued protesting. Senior reporter @julialurie.bsky.social spoke to him.

“When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."

Whatever Farage and his ilk tell you, this is not—repeat NOT—Christianity. Christianity is the Way of Christ, the way of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility” as one of Jesus’ early followers expressed it. The way of Farage’s Reform is the polar opposite.

1 more population largely overlooked, ignored or forgotten is the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco. There’s not been any progress towards the country’s sovereignty being returned for decades; the words of political support that have been made seem especially thin when there’s money to be made

Another population and conflict largely overlooked, ignored or forgotten over the years. Perhaps with the fall of the Assad regime they may be progress towards a peace and a nation for the Kurds currently within the borders of Syria and Iraq.

"I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,"Bruce Springsteen.

He’s quite possibly forgotten insulting them because they made a trade deal with China that annoyed him, hence he’s apparently threatening them with 100% trade tariffs.

Such a contrast, Mark Carney and Mr Orange.

A list of 10 pieces of music in no particular order other than they sound nice in this order: 1. Com (?) by MONO 2. Sabotage by Beastie Boys 3. The Ghost Of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen 4. Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel 5. Concerto For Electric Guitar by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen 6. Sacrifice by Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke 7. The Restless Waves by Dirty Three 8. Isn't It Amazing by Hothouse Flowers 9. Rendez-Vous IV (Live in Houston) by Jean-Michel Jarre 10. My Father My King by Mogwai

Listening to my joint favourite piece of music tonight (@mogwai.scot’s My Father My King) has led me to see what else would join it & Bruce Springsteen’s Ghost of Tom Joad (a song of missionary purpose). Although some have permanent status on the list I’ll be interest to see how it changes over time

The electronic warfare team of 117th brig. received 2 generators + 1 powerstation financed by St. Diel 🇳🇱. This equipment helps protect our friends against russian drones 🛡️
We are shipping out big amounts but the need is even bigger. Your donations are ever so welcome!
🙏
donorbox.org/uao-winter-2025

Compare & contrast. This is Trump’s demand for Greenland. And this is Hitler’s for the Sudetenland.

There is no difference. The language. The unstoppable need to dominate. The megalomania. It’s the same.

And Keir Starmer’s response is appeasement. We are in that moment.
1/

Brave Ukrainian energy workers,day and night,in severe frost,are repairing Ukraine’s energy networks destroyed by Russia

Russia is trying to organize a “cold holodomor” -an energy genocide

Russia is killing the weak&the helpless.It subjects them to torture.We are talking about millions of people.

More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland.

They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”

Given the lengthy and scope of Diarmaid MacCulloch’s History of Christianity I’ve half-expected Peter Jackson to turn it into a film franchise.