Andrew Feinstein was born in South Africa in the 1960s, during the era of grand apartheid. He joined the struggle for a free South Africa, and was deployed by Nelson Mandela to serve in South Africa’s democratically elected parliament.
The corruption he saw in the higher echelons of power through arms deals led him to move to the UK, where he subsequently wrote multiple books that investigated corruption in the global arms trade.
Feinstein is a Jew. His mother survived the Gestapo by hiding in a coal cellar for three and a half years. His broad conviction to uphold human dignity and stand against all forms of discrimination was embedded in him through his mum’s nurturing. For this reason he opposes Israel, which he believes is an apartheid state that is much worse than the apartheid he witnessed and benefited from as a white South African.
Feinstein is now running as an independent candidate for his constituency in central London, Holborn and St Pancras, against the Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer.
If he succeeds, Labour may be forced to choose a new leader, who is also heavily tipped to be the UK’s next PM.
In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC Andrew Feinstein shares his life experiences and tells us why international law and civility are at stake at this present moment.
00:00 Intro
01:10 What the election against Keir Starmer all about
02:52 On beating Keir Starmer and running on principle
06:26 Andrew's family's connection to the Holocaust
10:45 How being Jewish and South African defined him
12:21 Mother's influence and instilling "never again"
15:50 Getting involved in South Africa's struggle for liberation
18:36 Early encounters with anti-semitism and understanding racism
20:35 70,000 shacks burnt to the ground and witnessing "necklacing"
23:20 The anecdote that made him aware of his privilege
24:49 Connection and understanding of Israel/Palestine
28:05 Clashes with his father over zionism
32:00 Visiting the occupied territories for the first time
35:50 Meeting Amira Haas
39:40 Working in South African government
43:00 Reflections on South African freedom
47:00 Bring Winnie Mandela to account in South African Parliament
52:30 The $10B dollar arms deal that ended his time in South African Parliament
57:30 Moving to London and becoming an arms trade investigative journalist
01:01:07 After the Party - First book on the arms trade
01:04:29 Process of putting together The shadow world, on the global arms trade
01:06:30 Arms trade corruption between the UK and the Saudi Arabia
01:09:30 Joining the labour party and entering UK politics
01:12:10 Jeremy Corbyn and the labour Party.
01:15:15 My duty as a Jew is to stand against Israel
01:19:10 Reflections of International response to Israel's response to October 7th
01:23:15 Israel as the poster child for ethno-nationalism and financial interests
01:27:13 What is going on is reflective of the madness of our political moment
01:30:10 Astonishing how racist our politics are
01:35:15 Is power over reaching?
01:37:30 Politicians in the UK are completely out of touch
01:39:30 What will be your biggest challenge to getting elected
01:42:20 The depravity of all the Semitic slurs
01:45:10 What will be the legacy of what happens in Gaza for western societies
01:47:30 Israel needs to be expelled from the UN or live in a lawless world
01:49:20 Never vote for anyone who has no values
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29 июн 2024
