Yvonne Ridley
| Yvonne Ridley link Facebook Twitter Website (Journalist, Activist) | |
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| Born | 1958-04-23 Stanley, County Durham, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Religion | Islam |
| Party | ALBA |
Yvonne Ridley is a British journalist, author and politician who holds several committee positions with the Alba Party in Scotland. She was a former chair of the National Council of the now-defunct Respect Party. She writes for the Middle East Monitor and her work has appeared in numerous publications as diverse as The Washington Post to the Tehran Times and the Tripoli Post earning recognition and awards in the USA and UK. Ten years working for major titles on Fleet Street she expanded her brief into the electronic and broadcast media producing a number of documentary films on Palestinian and other international issues from Guantanamo to Libya and the Arab Spring.[1]
Parliamentary candidate
In April 2024, Yvonne Ridley announced on the Not The Andrew Marr Show that she would be standing for election at the UK/General election/2024 in the Newcastle Central and West constituency.[2]
Captive
Yvonne Ridley made global headlines when she was captured by the Taliban in 2001 after the events of 9-11 and before the start of the US-led war. Two years later she converted to Islam.
Critic of Zionism
Yvonne Ridley is a vocal supporter of Palestine, which she took up as a schoolgirl in her native County Durham. She is an avid critic of Zionism and of Western media portrayals and foreign policy in the War on Terror, and has undertaken speaking tours throughout the Muslim world as well as America, Europe and Australia. She has been called "something close to a celebrity in the Islamic world" by the journalist Rachel Cooke, and in 2008 was voted the "most recognisable woman in the Islamic world" by IslamOnline.
Aid for Gaza
Yvonne Ridley is an activist participating in the 2024 Gaza Freedom Flotilla. On 11 April 2024, she posted on X:
"So, me and my Irish pal from Viva Palestina, @JJHurson, are off on our travels sailing in to Gaza & we've been told to get some life insurance."[3]