Bennett Collins, PhD
@bennett2ts.bsky.social
Lecturer/Assistant Professor - Politics/IR 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 ~ Based at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland 🏴 and researching Climate Displacement, Land Dispossession, and Cultural Violence ~ Proud Buffalonian 🦬
Pinned
Report concludes Scotland must break its silence on state-enforced 'Tinker Experiments'
Research into 20th century policies affecting Gypsy/Traveller communities across Scotland - including the forced and permanent removal of children from their families - has found clear evidence of wid...
www.abdn.ac.uk
Honoured and grateful to have been part of this work of truth-telling around the ‘Tinker Experiments’. Credit must go to Gypsy/Traveller advocates and those survivors/victims who had to endure these injustices in the dark for far too long. An apology is only the start. www.abdn.ac.uk/news/24494/a
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
Ghassan Abu Sitta: “The CEO meets the branch managers"
August 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Ghassan Abu Sitta: “The CEO meets the branch managers"
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
St Andrews staff & students, please sign this open letter calling on the university to sever links with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and all other Israeli universities
and if you're not connected to St Andrews, please publicise this anyway. thank you!
www.ucustandrews.org/end-links-wi...
and if you're not connected to St Andrews, please publicise this anyway. thank you!
www.ucustandrews.org/end-links-wi...
End Links With Hebrew University — UCU St Andrews
www.ucustandrews.org
August 11, 2025 at 10:28 AM
St Andrews staff & students, please sign this open letter calling on the university to sever links with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and all other Israeli universities
and if you're not connected to St Andrews, please publicise this anyway. thank you!
www.ucustandrews.org/end-links-wi...
and if you're not connected to St Andrews, please publicise this anyway. thank you!
www.ucustandrews.org/end-links-wi...
The talk of nuclear reactors and permanent settlements on the Moon is sheer patriarchal, colonial hubris. I don’t even know where to start but technocracy and autocracy are clearly merging their paths.
August 5, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The talk of nuclear reactors and permanent settlements on the Moon is sheer patriarchal, colonial hubris. I don’t even know where to start but technocracy and autocracy are clearly merging their paths.
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
Revealed: How colonial rule radically shifts historical responsibility for climate change | @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org @vernerviisas.bsky.social #CBarchive
Read here ➡️ bit.ly/3TecPJx
Read here ➡️ bit.ly/3TecPJx
August 4, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Revealed: How colonial rule radically shifts historical responsibility for climate change | @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org @vernerviisas.bsky.social #CBarchive
Read here ➡️ bit.ly/3TecPJx
Read here ➡️ bit.ly/3TecPJx
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
Darren Beattie, fired from the Trump White House in 2018 after it was revealed he attended a white supremacist conference, has just been appointed acting president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, according to the State Department.
July 26, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Darren Beattie, fired from the Trump White House in 2018 after it was revealed he attended a white supremacist conference, has just been appointed acting president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, according to the State Department.
Happy 4th fellow Americans, some reminders today:
-Not all came to America voluntarily (see slavery, forced servitude)
-Not all want/ed to be part of America (see Indigenous Nations, Treat of Guadalupe)
-Not all want/ed America to be the Land of the Free (see white supremacy, the current President)
-Not all came to America voluntarily (see slavery, forced servitude)
-Not all want/ed to be part of America (see Indigenous Nations, Treat of Guadalupe)
-Not all want/ed America to be the Land of the Free (see white supremacy, the current President)
July 4, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Happy 4th fellow Americans, some reminders today:
-Not all came to America voluntarily (see slavery, forced servitude)
-Not all want/ed to be part of America (see Indigenous Nations, Treat of Guadalupe)
-Not all want/ed America to be the Land of the Free (see white supremacy, the current President)
-Not all came to America voluntarily (see slavery, forced servitude)
-Not all want/ed to be part of America (see Indigenous Nations, Treat of Guadalupe)
-Not all want/ed America to be the Land of the Free (see white supremacy, the current President)
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
“In the year since the election, Labour has gone from dominating the youth vote to being in a three-way race with the @greenparty.org.uk and Lib Dems
leftfootforward.org/2025/07/most...
leftfootforward.org/2025/07/most...
Most young people unlikely to vote Reform poll finds, in blow to Nigel Farage
'Just because young people see Reform’s content doesn’t mean they’re buying into it.'
leftfootforward.org
July 2, 2025 at 3:19 PM
“In the year since the election, Labour has gone from dominating the youth vote to being in a three-way race with the @greenparty.org.uk and Lib Dems
leftfootforward.org/2025/07/most...
leftfootforward.org/2025/07/most...
I can already hear the meltdowns that the world is becoming too sensitive or too woke. Sorry but an island that imports everything shouldn’t be one of the largest economies in the world. A long overdue reckoning with the past was bound to happen.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Inquiry finds British committed genocide on Indigenous Australians
It is the country's first formal "truth-telling" inquiry that ran for four years from 2021.
www.bbc.com
July 2, 2025 at 9:28 AM
I can already hear the meltdowns that the world is becoming too sensitive or too woke. Sorry but an island that imports everything shouldn’t be one of the largest economies in the world. A long overdue reckoning with the past was bound to happen.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
In light of FM Swinney’s apology (and those of other parties) for the Tinker Experiments, just a reminder that we put in 21 recommendations in our report that all stakeholders should put into action. Apologies point out what’s wrong, actions make things right (with survivors/victims at the helm)
June 26, 2025 at 1:28 PM
In light of FM Swinney’s apology (and those of other parties) for the Tinker Experiments, just a reminder that we put in 21 recommendations in our report that all stakeholders should put into action. Apologies point out what’s wrong, actions make things right (with survivors/victims at the helm)
The Church of Scotland has apologized for their role in the Tinker Experiments ‘On behalf of the Church of Scotland we offer a heartfelt and genuine apology for these historic wrongs highlighted in the report and carried out in the name of the Church.’ www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Statement from the Church of Scotland: report on policies affecting Gypsy/Traveller communities in Scotland
A statement from Rev Tommy MacNeil, Convener of the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team (FAPLT) and Dr Mike Cantlay, Convener of the Social Care Council...
www.churchofscotland.org.uk
June 25, 2025 at 4:18 PM
The Church of Scotland has apologized for their role in the Tinker Experiments ‘On behalf of the Church of Scotland we offer a heartfelt and genuine apology for these historic wrongs highlighted in the report and carried out in the name of the Church.’ www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Honoured and grateful to have been part of this work of truth-telling around the ‘Tinker Experiments’. Credit must go to Gypsy/Traveller advocates and those survivors/victims who had to endure these injustices in the dark for far too long. An apology is only the start. www.abdn.ac.uk/news/24494/a
Report concludes Scotland must break its silence on state-enforced 'Tinker Experiments'
Research into 20th century policies affecting Gypsy/Traveller communities across Scotland - including the forced and permanent removal of children from their families - has found clear evidence of wid...
www.abdn.ac.uk
June 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Honoured and grateful to have been part of this work of truth-telling around the ‘Tinker Experiments’. Credit must go to Gypsy/Traveller advocates and those survivors/victims who had to endure these injustices in the dark for far too long. An apology is only the start. www.abdn.ac.uk/news/24494/a
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
🚨BREAKING: After years of campaigning, the Gypsy Traveller community has finally received an apology for the cruel Tinker Experiments.
This is not the end of righting wrongs. The @scottishgreens.org are proud to have raised this in with Parliament, most recently last month.
This is not the end of righting wrongs. The @scottishgreens.org are proud to have raised this in with Parliament, most recently last month.
June 25, 2025 at 2:32 PM
🚨BREAKING: After years of campaigning, the Gypsy Traveller community has finally received an apology for the cruel Tinker Experiments.
This is not the end of righting wrongs. The @scottishgreens.org are proud to have raised this in with Parliament, most recently last month.
This is not the end of righting wrongs. The @scottishgreens.org are proud to have raised this in with Parliament, most recently last month.
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
I'm calling for a full apology for the Tinker Experiment: state-sanctioned cruelty that forcibly removed children from Gypsy Traveller families & put others into accommodation with no water, electricity or heating.
The scars on & in the community are still visible today.
We must have justice.
The scars on & in the community are still visible today.
We must have justice.
For 40 years the Tinker Experiment forcibly removed Gypsy Traveller children from their families, and took communities from their homes.
They were put into cramped, unsafe accommodation without heating or electricity.
They were put into cramped, unsafe accommodation without heating or electricity.
June 24, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I'm calling for a full apology for the Tinker Experiment: state-sanctioned cruelty that forcibly removed children from Gypsy Traveller families & put others into accommodation with no water, electricity or heating.
The scars on & in the community are still visible today.
We must have justice.
The scars on & in the community are still visible today.
We must have justice.
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
Juneteenth went uncelebrated by the White House. That alone says everything you need to know about this regime.
June 20, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Juneteenth went uncelebrated by the White House. That alone says everything you need to know about this regime.
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
i think this is exactly right
Possible to start to tell a unified story: "Trump is personally too old, crazy, and confused to run things, so at any given time the question is which co-president is in charge. At first it was Musk, & we got the crazy chaotic DOGE era. Then Navarro: a trade war that crashed markets. Now Miller..."
June 12, 2025 at 2:39 PM
i think this is exactly right
When we’re talking about ‘decolonizing’ Western science and academia, remember that this is the legacy of our sector. Let’s not pretend this has ended either, with some still believing it’s ok to do genetic studies into certain racialized groups for the ‘advancement of knowledge’
In the 19th century, a New Orleans doctor sent the skulls of 19 Black Americans to a doctor in Germany, where they were used as part of now discredited racial science. The remains were recently returned to the city, where they will be laid to rest on Saturday.
Skulls of 19 Black Americans Return to New Orleans After 150 Years in Germany
www.nytimes.com
May 31, 2025 at 1:37 PM
When we’re talking about ‘decolonizing’ Western science and academia, remember that this is the legacy of our sector. Let’s not pretend this has ended either, with some still believing it’s ok to do genetic studies into certain racialized groups for the ‘advancement of knowledge’
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
You'll be hard pressed to find much of this in the news but the Swiss government has set an international human rights precedent by apologising for its historic treatment of Gypsy-Travellers. Scotland may be next. Well done Switzerland & @justiceinfo.bsky.social 👏
www.justiceinfo.net/en/142170-da...
www.justiceinfo.net/en/142170-da...
This was a “dark chapter in Swiss history”
This is the first time Switzerland has admitted commission of an international crime. In removing thousands of Traveller children from their families over a period of 50 years, the Swiss government co...
www.justiceinfo.net
March 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
You'll be hard pressed to find much of this in the news but the Swiss government has set an international human rights precedent by apologising for its historic treatment of Gypsy-Travellers. Scotland may be next. Well done Switzerland & @justiceinfo.bsky.social 👏
www.justiceinfo.net/en/142170-da...
www.justiceinfo.net/en/142170-da...
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
Most people don't know this: that Scotland's Gypsy Travellers had their children and their culture ripped away from them. It's history that's been swept under the rug.
ScotGov must listen to this report, and give a public apology for its part in this cultural genocide!
ScotGov must listen to this report, and give a public apology for its part in this cultural genocide!
May 30, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Most people don't know this: that Scotland's Gypsy Travellers had their children and their culture ripped away from them. It's history that's been swept under the rug.
ScotGov must listen to this report, and give a public apology for its part in this cultural genocide!
ScotGov must listen to this report, and give a public apology for its part in this cultural genocide!
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
This is a hideous situation, not just for trans people - male, female and all of the spectrum - but for people who don't fit gender presentation norms whether or not they are queer. The women with short hair and no makeup, especially them.
For example, the Supreme Court is saying that a trans woman gets protection as a woman if she 'passes'. Whether that's right or wrong ethically it's totally at odds with the Supreme Court's blithe assertion that its decision 'is neither disadvantageous to nor removes protections from trans people'.
April 16, 2025 at 10:17 AM
This is a hideous situation, not just for trans people - male, female and all of the spectrum - but for people who don't fit gender presentation norms whether or not they are queer. The women with short hair and no makeup, especially them.
Reposted by Bennett Collins, PhD
I’ll always campaign for laws & policies to be improved to ensure trans folks can live with dignity and respect.
@scottishtrans.bsky.social have called for the community not to panic & to try and seek solace and support.
Sending love to the trans community today, and always.
@scottishtrans.bsky.social have called for the community not to panic & to try and seek solace and support.
Sending love to the trans community today, and always.
April 16, 2025 at 9:52 AM
I’ll always campaign for laws & policies to be improved to ensure trans folks can live with dignity and respect.
@scottishtrans.bsky.social have called for the community not to panic & to try and seek solace and support.
Sending love to the trans community today, and always.
@scottishtrans.bsky.social have called for the community not to panic & to try and seek solace and support.
Sending love to the trans community today, and always.