London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Newcastle fans urged to keep on protesting by Saudi activist

Newcastle fans urged to keep on protesting by Saudi activist

A Saudi Arabian activist whose sister was imprisoned and tortured for campaigning for women's right to drive, has urged Newcastle United fans to protest about the brutality of the kingdom's rulers.

'It is their duty,' says Lina al-Hathloul, who has lived in exile for 10 years in Belgium and says she has never felt less safe than now.

'Absolutely I would encourage Newcastle fans to research the regime and realise that MBS [Saudi ruler, Mohammed bin Salman] controls their club.

'Otherwise they are legitimising a regime that has been absolutely toxic, and has been forbidden from much international engagement for years after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.'

Newcastle fans have been called on to protest against the brutality of Saudi Arabia's rulers

Newcastle were sold to a consortium made up of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media

Al-Hathloul says that Newcastle's hierarchy - not least British businesswoman Amanda Staveley - have lied to fans about who really controls the club.

She says it is obvious that control ultimately lies with MBS, accused of atrocities including using a group of assassins known as the Tiger Squad to carry out extrajudicial killings of critics and enemies.

'But they [Newcastle] have been lying regarding the PIF and MBS's involvement in managing the PIF. They have lied and said the Saudi kingdom is not linked to the PIF and MBS has nothing to do with it.

'Maybe that's why fans now are turning a blind eye, and accepting the takeover, because that's the best solution for them, believing [lies]. If it was clear that MBS has taken over the club [himself], I don't think the fans would be so happy about it.

'Now it's like everyone is trying to forget about it and normalising relations again. Newcastle was the big first step for MBS to come back into the international sphere and it's dangerous.

'So of course I encourage the Newcastle fans to protest and point out the crimes that he is committing.'

Amanda Staveley (right) is fronting the Public Investment Fund's ownership of Newcastle


Al-Hathloul's sister, Loujain, has been a women's rights activist since 2014 and was imprisoned for driving a car before it was made legal in Saudi Arabia in 2018. While in prison, Lina says: 'Loujain was beaten, electrocuted, waterboarded and force-fed. She was sexually harassed, and threatened with murder and rape. Because she is an activist.'

Loujain was released from prison earlier this year but is bound by strict rules that prevent her travelling outside Saudi Arabia and forbid her from any activism or talking about her situation.

'I used to feel safe but now it feels like the Saudi regime's efforts to silence dissidents and critics has never been so intense,' Lina says. 'I've never felt so threatened as much as now. Not just on Twitter, but family and friends have also been targeted … my family also have a travel ban.'

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×