Arab campaigners in Michigan declare ‘victory’ in primary election protest against Biden

(L-R) Abbas Alawieh, spokesperson for Listen to Michigan, Layla Elabed, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan, and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud speak to the press one day after the Michigan presidential primary, at Haraz Coffee House in Dearborn, Michigan. (AFP)
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Updated 28 February 2024
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Arab campaigners in Michigan declare ‘victory’ in primary election protest against Biden

  • More than 100,000 voters heed call to snub president by choosing ‘uncommitted’ option on ballot, amid anger about his unflinching support for Israel during war in Gaza
  • This could prove significant during the presidential election in November, in which Michigan is likely to be one of the most closely contested states

CHICAGO: Arab American leaders hailed as a “victory” the results of a Democratic presidential primary election in Michigan on Tuesday, in which more than 100,000 voters snubbed President Joe Biden’s nomination bid by choosing the “uncommitted” option on the ballot.

Campaigners had urged Arab voters to do this in protest against the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, despite the thousands of civilians who have been killed or injured as a result.

Primaries are elections held by the Democratic and Republican parties in every state to select their candidates for the presidential election. The “uncommitted” voting option is only offered by some states. Campaigners said the number of Arab Americans in Michigan who voted “uncommitted” represented a solid rejection of Biden’s candidacy.

He still comfortably won the primary. With more than 95 percent of the votes counted on Wednesday afternoon, he had received 618,441, representing 81.1 percent of the total. The number of “uncommitted” votes stood at 101,107, or 13.3 percent. Two other candidates, Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips, each received about 3 percent of the vote.

The “uncommitted” vote could nevertheless prove significant in the presidential election if it translates into loss of support for Biden or a switch of allegiance to his likely rival, Donald Trump. Biden claimed victory in Michigan at the 2020 presidential election by the relatively narrow margin of 154,188 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast. There are more than 500,000 Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan. In addition, turnout for a presidential election is usually significantly higher than for a primary; about 1.8 million people voted in the Michigan primary on Tuesday, for example, compared with the 5.5 million at the 2020 presidential election.

In Michigan’s Republican primary, Trump comfortably won with 68.2 percent of the vote. Closest rival Nikki Haley received just 26.6 percent, which 3 percent were uncommitted.

The Michigan primary was the first among several identified by Arab American campaign groups as taking place in key swing states where Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020 was particularly narrow.

Arab Americans have launched anti-Biden protest movements in several of those states, the most prominent of which has been #AbandonBiden. Its leaders cite as the main reason for Arab anger the president’s support for and defense of Israel during the war in Gaza, including: the allocation of more than $34 billion in aid and weapons; what they view as the pro-Israel bias of Secretary of State Antony Blinken; and the US decisions to veto three UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire.

The #AbandonBiden campaign launched on Nov. 1, shortly after Israel invaded Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. It criticized Israel for the “brutality” of its military campaign, which has razed cities to the ground, destroying civilian buildings and infrastructure in the process, including mosques, hospitals, churches, schools, homes and businesses. Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in the past four months.

Osama Siblani, publisher of the Michigan-based Arab American News, which describes itself as the largest Arab American publication in the US, told Arab News that “empty words” from the Biden administration seeking to placate Arab voters will not work.

“The message has been delivered to Biden loud and clear from Michigan’s Arab Americans: Defeat is waiting for you in November,” he said. “This is only a down payment.”

Imad Hamad, the executive director of the American Human Rights Council, told Arab News: “The community delivered and fulfilled its solid commitment not to commit to the reelection of President Biden.

“The uncommitted votes, as well as the votes of those who flipped the party affiliation from the Democratic Party to Republican speaks for itself, setting the record straight moving forward toward the general elections in November.”

The possibility that the #AbandonBiden campaign might help return Trump to the White House has caused alarm among many traditional Democrat supporters.

Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and a longtime political activist, said many movements have emerged in response to discontent over Biden’s policies on Israel and Gaza.

“We hoped to send a message that couldn’t be ignored by President Biden and we did just that,” he told Arab News.

“The turnout in the Arab community was great and with the support of our allies we topped over 100,000 votes. This is a huge win.”

Samir Khalil, founder of the Arab American Democratic Club in Illinois, where Biden could face another Arab voter backlash in that state’s primary on March 19, said that the president’s abandonment of Palestinians was “unconscionable and unacceptable.”

He told Arab News: “Four years of Donald Trump doesn’t even come close to comparing to four months of Israel’s killings in the Gaza Strip.

“Over 100,000 people voted for ‘uncommitted’ in the Michigan presidential primary yesterday. This record-breaking total for the uncommitted option sent a loud and clear message to the Democratic Party and the Biden campaign: It is time to take action to end the genocide in Gaza.

Abed Ayoub, president of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee echoed these comments and said: “Uncommitted voters represent diverse demographics, including young voters, progressive voters, and a significant number of voters from ally communities.”

In a message posted on social media platform X, Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of the Michigan city of Dearborn wrote: “I am overwhelmed by the power of the people, demonstrated today by the number of Michiganders who voted ‘uncommitted’ … Every person who voted ‘uncommitted’ today was personally compelled to use their voice to speak out against President Biden’s support of (Israeli President) Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Biden has faced harsh criticism from other groups, including the Council on American Islamic Relations; Our Revolution, founded by progressive Democratic US Senator Bernie Sanders; and Listen to Michigan.

Hassan Abdel Salam, the national coordinator of #AbandonBiden, and the group’s Michigan coordinator, Khalid Turani, released a statement on Wednesday in which they said: “Abandon Biden leaders stand before the nation today, not just as victors in the Michigan primary, but as bearers of a profound and indignant message against President Joe Biden’s oversight of the ongoing US-Israeli genocide in Gaza. This isn’t just a political setback for Biden; it’s a damning indictment of his presidency’s moral bankruptcy.

“Our motivation is driven by the harrowing realities of Gaza, where the statistics of death and despair climb daily under the shadow of a genocide facilitated by Biden’s administration. At least 29,606 innocent men, women and children have been murdered, including more than 12,300 children and 8,400 women; and more than 69,737 wounded, including at least 8,663 children and 6,327 women.

“These aren’t just numbers; they’re a damning testament to the horror and suffering supported by Biden’s foreign policy.”

They added: “As we move from Michigan to the national stage, our message remains unequivocal: We will accept nothing less than justice, accountability and an end to US funding, arming and support of the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Biden faced no significant challengers in the Michigan primary, so voting “uncommitted” was the best and clearest way to express the outrage and anger of the Arab American community, campaigners said.

To become president, a candidate must win at least 270 of the 538 Electoral College votes up for grabs. Each of the 50 states receives a set number of Electoral College votes based on population size, and they are normally awarded to the candidate that wins the popular vote in the state.

In 2020, Biden won 306 Electoral College votes compared with Trump’s 232. If Arab Americans votes prevent Biden from winning 36 of these votes in three key swing states at the presidential election in November, he could lose, #AbandonBiden leaders said. Michigan has 16 Electoral College votes up for grabs.

Biden is particularly vulnerable in several swing states where his 2020 margins of victory over Trump were even closer than in Michigan. They include: Arizona, which has 11 Electoral College votes and in which he won the popular vote by a narrow margin of 10,457; Wisconsin (10 College votes; 2020 victory margin: 20,682); Georgia (16 College votes; 2020 victory margin: 11,779); and Nevada (6 College votes; 2020 victory margin: 33,596).


Germany’s Merz says court ruling will not stop migration crackdown

Updated 1 min 23 sec ago
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Germany’s Merz says court ruling will not stop migration crackdown

BERLIN: Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday a court ruling that German authorities acted unlawfully when border police expelled three Somali asylum seekers could restrict his government’s migration crackdown but would not stop it altogether.
People would continue to be turned away at the German border, he said.
A Berlin administrative court said on Monday the expulsion of the three unnamed Somalis, who were sent back to Poland after arriving at a train station in eastern Germany, was “unlawful.”
It said the asylum application should have been processed by Germany under the European Union’s so-called Dublin rules that determine which country is responsible for processing a claim.
The ruling was a setback for Merz’s government, which won a federal election in February after promising a crackdown on migration that has caused concern in neighboring countries.
The court ruling has “possibly further restricted the scope for maneuver here,” Merz told a local government congress. “But the scope is still there. We know that we can still reject people.”
“We will, of course, do this within the framework of European law, but we will also do it to protect public safety and order in our country and to relieve the burden on cities and municipalities,” he said.
Migration is among German voters’ biggest concerns and a backlash against an influx of new arrivals has contributed to a rise in the popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which came second in February’s election.
It is a big shift since Germany’s “Refugees Welcome” culture during Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015 under Merz’s conservative predecessor, Angela Merkel.
Merz’s government issued an order in May to reject undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, at Germany’s borders.
Monday’s ruling was seized on by critics as evidence that Merz’s migration policy was unworkable.
“The administrative court has determined that Dobrindt’s policy of rejecting asylum seekers is unlawful, contrary to European law, and now the Federal Ministry of the Interior should really start thinking about how to finally put an end to this nonsense,” Karl Kopp of the pro-immigration advocacy group Pro Asyl told Reuters.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the expulsions, saying he would provide the court with justifications for banning entry.

Mongolia PM resigns after anti-corruption protests

Updated 29 min 18 sec ago
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Mongolia PM resigns after anti-corruption protests

  • Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday saying: “It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs"

ULAANBAATAR: Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday following weeks of anti-corruption protests in the country’s capital.
The landlocked democracy in northern Asia has battled deep-seated corruption for decades, with many arguing that wealthy elites are hoarding the profits of a years-long coal mining boom at the expense of the general population.
Frustrations have flared since last month as public suspicions over the supposedly lavish lifestyles of the prime minister’s family have fueled persistent demonstrations in the capital Ulaanbaatar.
Oyun-Erdene announced his resignation on Tuesday after losing a confidence vote among lawmakers, according to a parliamentary statement.
“It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs,” he said after the result of the secret ballot was announced to parliament.
He will remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days.
Dozens of young people gathered on the square outside the parliament building on Tuesday, holding white placards reading “Resignation is easy” — a popular slogan at recent protests.
Several voiced pride that they had taken a stand against what they described as deeply embedded corruption and social injustice.
“The youth protest has achieved great results. I’m so proud of the future of Mongolia,” participant Unur Sukhbaatar, a 37-year-old political economy researcher, told AFP.
“The public wants more stable governance with ethical politicians... protesting and unifying our voice for systemic change (shows) that Mongolian democracy is alive,” he told AFP.
Some counter-protesters — overwhelmingly older than their pro-opposition counterparts — have also turned out to support Oyun-Erdene in recent weeks.


Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia expert at Germany’s University of Mannheim, said he “(didn’t) expect any successor to adopt substantially different policies” from Oyun-Erdene, including on corruption.
His ouster “may mean the resurgence of factional politics in his party” after years of comparative stability at the top of Mongolian politics, Dierkes told AFP.
Oyun-Erdene has denied the corruption allegations, and in an address to parliament before the vote, blamed “major, visible and hidden interests” for waging an “organized campaign” to bring down the government.
He had also warned of political instability and economic chaos if forced out of power.
But it was not enough as only 44 lawmakers voted to retain confidence in him, with 38 against.
That did not reach the 64-vote threshold required from the 126-seat parliament, prompting Oyun-Erdene to stand down.


The move pushed the country’s fractious political scene into further uncertainty.
Mongolia had been ruled by a three-way coalition government since elections last year resulted in a significantly reduced majority for Oyun-Erdene’s Mongolian People’s Party (MPP).
But the MPP evicted the second-largest member, the Democratic Party (DP), from the coalition last month after some younger DP lawmakers backed calls for Oyun-Erdene’s resignation.
DP lawmakers walked out of the parliamentary chamber during the confidence ballot.
Munkhnaran Bayarlkhagva, a political analyst and former adviser on Mongolia’s National Security Council, said protesters had effectively helped force a vote on “the legitimacy of the (country’s) political system.”
“The Mongolian Generation Z showed they are willing and able to be a politically engaged, mature and active electorate,” he told AFP.
“The Mongolian political establishment had no choice but to comply to retain popular support.”


Sandwiched between regional giants China and Russia, Mongolia was a communist state during the Cold War, but has transformed into a democracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since Oyun-Erdene took power in 2021, Mongolia’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has dropped.
Concerns over the economy and rising living costs have also stoked unrest.
The protests against Oyun-Erdene began in May following accusations of lavish spending by his son, whose fiancee was reportedly seen with expensive gifts on social media.
“Parliament showed they can put the public interest above party needs,” small business owner Erchissaran Ganbold, 28, told AFP at Tuesday’s protest.
“This demonstration is a strong reminder for politicians to be accountable and transparent in the future.”


Bali drug trial of three Brits facing death penalty begins

Updated 12 min 3 sec ago
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Bali drug trial of three Brits facing death penalty begins

  • Indonesia hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners

DENPASAR: The trial of three British nationals accused of smuggling cocaine or taking part in a drug deal on Indonesia’s popular island of Bali began Tuesday, with all facing the death penalty in a nation with some of the world’s toughest narcotics laws.

Indonesia hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners, but has upheld a moratorium on the death sentence since 2017.

Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 38, and Lisa Ellen Stocker, 39, were arrested on February 1 after being stopped at Bali’s international airport with 17 packages of cocaine that weighed nearly a kilogramme, according to public court records.

They appeared in court alongside Phineas Ambrose Float, 31, who was allegedly due to receive the packages and arrested a few days later.

The heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction is also the death penalty under Indonesian law.

An AFP journalist at the court said the hearing began Tuesday. A verdict was not expected until a later date.
The British embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has moved in recent months to repatriate several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offenses, back to their home countries.

Frenchman Serge Atlaoui returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed a deal to repatriate him on “humanitarian grounds” because he was ill.

In December, Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines.

It also sent the five remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring, who were serving heavy prison sentences, back to Australia.

According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, 96 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, before Veloso’s release.


Ukraine’s drone attack on Russian warplanes was a serious blow to the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal

Updated 03 June 2025
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Ukraine’s drone attack on Russian warplanes was a serious blow to the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal

  • Ukraine said over 40 bombers, or about a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, were damaged or destroyed Sunday

A surprise Ukrainian drone attack that targeted several Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic bombers was unprecedented in its scope and sophistication for the first time reached as far as Siberia in a heavy blow to the Russian military.
Ukraine said over 40 bombers, or about a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, were damaged or destroyed Sunday, although Moscow said only several planes were struck. The conflicting claims couldn’t be independently verified and video of the assault posted on social media showed only a couple of bombers hit.
But the bold attack demonstrated Ukraine’s capability to hit high-value targets anywhere in Russia, dealing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin and inflicting significant losses to Moscow’s war machine.
While some Russian military bloggers compared it to another infamous Sunday surprise attack — that of Japan’s strike on the US base at Pearl Harbor in 1941 — others rejected the analogy, arguing the actual damage was far less significant than Ukraine claimed.
A look at what warplanes were reported hit:
Russia’s bomber assets
For decades, long-range bombers have been part of the Soviet and Russian nuclear triad that also includes land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and atomic-powered submarines carrying ICBMs. The strategic bombers have flown regular patrols around the globe showcasing Moscow’s nuclear might.
During the 3-year-old war in Ukraine, Russia has used the heavy planes to launch waves of cruise missile strikes across the country.
The Tupolev Tu-95, which was code named Bear by NATO, is a four-engine turboprop plane designed in the 1950s to rival the US B-52 bomber. The aircraft has an intercontinental range and carries eight long-range cruise missiles that can be equipped with conventional or nuclear warheads.
Before Sunday, Russia was estimated to have a fleet of about 60 such aircraft.
The Tupolev Tu-22M is a twin-engine supersonic bomber designed in the 1970s that was code named Backfire by NATO. It has a shorter range compared with the Tu-95, but during US-Soviet arms control talks in the 1970s, Washington insisted on counting them as part of the Soviet strategic nuclear arsenal because of their capability to reach the US if refueled in flight.
The latest version of the plane, the Tu-22M3, carries Kh-22 cruise missiles that fly at more than three times the speed of sound. It dates to the 1970s, when it was designed by the Soviet Union to strike US aircraft carriers. It packs a big punch, thanks to its supersonic speed and ability to carry 630 kilograms (nearly 1,400 pounds) of explosives, but its outdated guidance system could make it highly inaccurate against ground targets, raising the possibility of collateral damage.
Some Tu-22Ms were lost in previous Ukrainian attacks, and Russia was estimated to have between 50 and 60 Tu-22M3s in service before Sunday’s drone strike.
The production of the Tu-95 and the Tu-22M ended after the 1991 collapse of the USSR, meaning that any of them lost Sunday can’t be replaced.
Russia also has another type of strategic nuclear capable bomber, the supersonic Tu-160. Fewer than 20 of them are in service, and Russia has just begun production of its modernized version equipped with new engines and avionics.
Russia lost a significant part of its heavy bomber fleet in the attack “with no immediate ability to replace it,” said Douglas Barrie of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, noting that Moscow’s announced plan to develop the next generation strategic bomber is still in its early phase.
“Ironically this might give impetus to that program, because if if you want to keep your bomber fleet up to size, then you’re going to have to do something at some point,” he said.
The A-50, which Ukrainian officials also said was hit in the strikes, is an early warning and control aircraft similar to the US AWACS planes used to coordinate aerial attacks. Only few such planes are in service with the Russian military, and any loss badly dents Russia’s military capability.
Relocating bombers and impromptu protection
Repeated Ukrainian strikes on the Engels air base, the main base for Russian nuclear capable strategic bombers near the Volga River city of Saratov, prompted Moscow to relocate the bombers to other bases farther from the conflict.
One of them was Olenya on the Arctic Kola Peninsula, from where Tu-95s have flown multiple missions to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine. Several bombers at Olenya apparently were hit by the Ukrainian drones Sunday, according to analysts studying satellite images before and after the strike.
Other drones targeted the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia, destroying a few Tu-22M bombers, according to analysts.
Ukraine said 41 aircraft — Tu-95s, Tu-22Ms and A-50s — were damaged or destroyed Sunday in the attack that it said was in the works for 18 months in which swarms of drones popped out of containers carried on trucks that were parked near four air bases.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was briefed on the attack, which represented a level of sophistication that Washington had not seen before, a senior defense official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack set several warplanes ablaze at air bases in the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia and the Murmansk region in the north, but the fires were extinguished.
It said Ukraine also tried to strike two air bases in western Russia, as well as another one in the Amur region of Russia’s Far East, but those attacks were repelled.
The drone strikes produced an outcry from Russian military bloggers, who criticized the Defense Ministry for failing to learn from previous strikes and protect the bombers. Building shelters or hangars for such large planes is a daunting task, and the military has tried some impromptu solutions that were criticized as window dressing.
Satellite images have shown Tu-95s at various air bases covered by layers of old tires — a measure of dubious efficiency that has drawn mockery on social media.


‘Doesn’t look good’: Dutch coalition teeters over asylum

Updated 03 June 2025
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‘Doesn’t look good’: Dutch coalition teeters over asylum

  • Far right leader Geert Wilders Wilders has vowed to withdraw his Freedom Party (PVV) from the four-way coalition if the other parties do not sign up to a 10 point plan for tougher policies against immigrants and asylum seekers

THE HAGUE: Dutch political leaders were set for last-ditch talks Tuesday to save the government, as far-right leader Geert Wilders again threatened to pull out of a shaky coalition in a row over immigration.
Wilders has vowed to withdraw his Freedom Party (PVV) from the four-way coalition if the other parties do not sign up to a 10-point plan for tougher policies against immigrants and asylum-seekers.
The PVV is the largest party in the Dutch parliament and a withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the government and most likely fresh elections.
“It doesn’t look good,” Wilders said following crisis talks late Monday that he described as “unpleasant.”
The leaders of the four coalition parties were due to return to the table on Tuesday morning.
The latest government crisis comes just weeks before the Netherlands is due to host world leaders for a NATO summit.
In late May, Wilders called an impromptu press conference to announce his “patience was up” with the government of Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
He threatened to torpedo the coalition if a new 10-point plan to crimp immigration were not implemented within a few weeks.
His plan included border closures for asylum-seekers, tougher border controls, and deporting dual nationals convicted of a crime.
Summarising his demands, he said: “Close the borders for asylum seekers and family reunifications. No more asylum centers opened. Close them.”
Political and legal experts criticized the plans as unworkable or illegal, with some suggesting Wilders was creating a crisis to collapse the government.
Dilan Yesilgoz, head of the liberal VVD party, one of the coalition parties, said: “We don’t understand why this chaos, this circus, is needed.”
“If Wilders is aiming to bring everything down, he should just say so,” added Yesilgoz.
Eighteen months after Wilders’ surprise election win sent shockwaves through Europe and the world, polls suggest his PVV is still the strongest.
However, the gap to his nearest rivals has narrowed, with the left-wing Green/Left party of former European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans close behind.