Bianca Jagger

Today, my dear friend Andy Warhol would have celebrated his 97th birthday. He was a beloved friend with whom I spent many treasured moments. Andy remains an important part of my life and I will always miss him.

Today, I was in Parliament Square to demand that the UK government uphold our right to freedom of speech and to denounce the genocide that the Israeli government is perpetrating in Gaza against the Palestinian people. As a human rights defender, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who has denounced genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing throughout the world, I cannot remain silent, witnessing the genocide and the abhorrent starvation of the Palestinian people. I held a sign that will read: “The UK Government is in flagrant violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.’” Volker Türk, UN human rights chief, stated that “[the proscription of Palestine Action] appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK’s obligations under international human rights law.” Since 5 July, when the order proscribing the Palestine Action protest group under terrorism legislation came into force, hundreds of people have been arrested for holding up peaceful signs motivated by their consternation and horror at the genocide in Gaza. I was shocked to see 83-year-old Reverend Sue Parfitt on television being arrested on the day that Palestine Action was proscribed. Reverend Parfitt was attending a demonstration in Parliament Square, sitting in a camp chair around fellow protesters holding a placard stating her support of the outlawed protest group. While being carried away by police, Reverend Parfitt described the ban as “total nonsense”, and went on to add that it symbolised a “loss of civil liberties in this country”. (1/3) @bjhrf #VolkerTürk #OHCHR #unhumanrights @un @humanrightscouncil @amnesty @amnestyuk @defendourjuries @the.independent @camanpour @amanpourpod @indexcensorship @peter_beinart @declassifieduk @misanharriman @larisa.brown_ @zohrankmamdani

👉🏿 To Consent or Pay: @Meta is using coercive methods on their platforms @instagram @facebook and #Threads we should denounce it and boycott them if they don’t stop. In the meantime, this is how to protect you from Meta extortionist methods in their social media platforms #Instagram, #Facebook and #Threads RT Source: Open Rights Group (@openrightsgroup ).

👉🏿 I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Georg Baselitz, the great pioneering German postwar artist, painter, sculptor and printmaker. Alongside Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke and A.R. Penck, Baselitz belonged to the generation of postwar artists who confronted the trauma, memory and moral devastation left by the Second World War. “I am brutal, naïve and Gothic” Georg told Artforum in 1995. “I was born into a destroyed order, a destroyed landscape, a destroyed people, a destroyed society. And I didn’t want to reestablish an order: I’d seen enough so-called order. I was forced to question everything, to be ‘naïve,’ to start again.” He wanted, as he told The Guardian in 2014, “to examine what it was to be a German now.” The images in the upcoming book ‘Eroi d’Oro “honour Georg’s extraordinary artistic legacy and his final exhibition, ‘Heroes of Gold’ presented by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini during the Venice Biennale, curated by Luca Massimo Barbero and supported by Thaddaeus Ropac. The exhibition reflected on mortality, memory, artistic legacy and the passage of time. Revisiting the spirit of his celebrated “Hero” paintings of the 1960s, Baselitz created luminous gold paintings that gave his figures an almost transcendent presence. Among the photographs I have chosen are works from his exhibition at the Venice Biennale, the retrospective at the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, paintings shown at Thaddaeus Ropac Salzburg, photographs of Georg and Elke, and memories I will always treasure. I was privileged to have known him. I am a great admirer of his courage and his outstanding works of art. My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Elke Baselitz, sons Daniel Blau and Anton Kern, family, friends, studio team and all who mourn his passing. @thaddaeusropac @bjhrf #georgbaselitz #thaddaeusropac @fondazionecini @danielblaugallery @antonkerngallery

Today Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Pantin opened the ‘Nymphäum’ exhibition of 20 new painting by Anselm Kiefer. Anselm Kiefer is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary artists because he has confronted subjects that many in postwar Germany initially sought to avoid. His work engages directly with historical guilt, cultural memory and the enduring consequences of the Holocaust. In doing so, he helped reopen a necessary and often uncomfortable dialogue about how societies remember, deny or attempt to process traumatic pasts. Kiefer’s power lies not only in his themes but in his materials. His monumental works incorporate ash, lead, straw and clay, evoking destruction while suggesting transformation and the cycle of life. Their scarred surfaces seem to bear witness to history itself. He draws on literature, mythology and philosophy, invoking figures such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poets like Paul Celan and painters like Van Gogh. These references question how cultural achievement can coexist with moral failure, and how memory endures through language. His recent exhibition, Nymphäum, at Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery in Pantin, Paris continues this inquiry. The works evoke landscapes that are both ancient and wounded, reflecting cycles of destruction and renewal. Kiefer reminds us that art can be a space of moral reflection, confronting the darkest chapters of history while holding open the possibility of renewal. He once said ‘Art is longing. You never arrive, but you keep going in the hope that you will …’ I have known and admired Anselm Keifer’s work for many years. Sadly, I was unable to attend the opening of Nymphäum, but I look forward to seeing it soon. If you are in Paris, I urge you to go and see the exhibition. @thaddaeusropac @bjhrf #AnselmKiefer #ThaddaeusRopac #BJHRF #ArtsForHumanRights

For too long, communities in the most deprived areas have been ignored while gambling shops extract profit from our underserved boroughs. I welcome the fact that this may soon change, because MPs and councillors have chosen to stand with residents, families and local businesses who deserve far better. For years, gambling companies have been allowed to dominate our high streets, with damaging consequences for our communities. On 21 April, I joined @DawnButler , @joepowell_kensington , @cllr_mili_patel , Matt Kelcher, @chibuzor_tina , @george.burn.5686 and @prerna_willesdengreen to deliver a petition to 10 Downing Street calling for an end to the ‘Aim to Permit’ clause. That same day, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage’s amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was up for vote. As a government-tabled amendment, it was accepted by consensus during the Report Stage and has now progressed to the House of Lords. We hope to see Royal Assent very soon. This is progress. But my commitment does not end here. I am opposing the proposed relocation of SilverTime gambling venue to Earl’s Court because children must come before profit. As founder and president of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation @bjhrf , I have spent decades defending childre rights, which are too often ignored. At the heart of that work is a simple principle: children must be protected. The proposed SilverTime site would sit directly opposite a busy underground station used daily by children travelling to and from at least eight nearby schools, some as young as eight years old. To place a highly visible gambling venue in their daily path is to normalise an activity that carries serious risks. This is not about opposing business. It is about responsibility. We are witnessing the growing normalisation of gambling among young people. According to the UK Gambling Commission, 30 per cent of children aged 11 to 17 have already spent their own money on gambling. This should alarm us all. What children see, they may accept. What they accept, they may adopt. #BJHRF #Gambling #Parliament #DowningStreet #EndAimToPermit CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS… [Part 1/2]

👉🏿A 1,000-tree woodland planted by children is about to be destroyed by Danone. On behalf of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation @bjhrf , I call on Danone to immediately halt its plan to fell 1,000 trees, to expand its bottling plant at Rotary Wood in Harrowgate, North Yorkshire. This is not development. If allowed to go ahead it will be an environmental crime. This woodland was planted in 2005 by local schoolchildren and for 20 years it has absorbed carbon, supported biodiversity, prevented flooding, and served as a vital public green space. You cannot replace an invaluable mature forest with saplings. Over 1,300 people have already objected. Leading voices, including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joanna Lumley, and Sir Jonathon Porritt are denouncing Danone’s unconscionable plan Now we must act. We cannot allow this destruction to take place. Read the full statement in the comments * Sign the Save Rotary Wood petition /objectionslist * Write to North Yorkshire Council @tomgordonld @pinewoods_harrogate @thegreenparty @friends_earth @cpre @bjhrf #SaveRotaryWood #ClimateJustice #ProtectNature #ActNow

Amazing to see such a big community turnout for the campaign against Silvertime expanding into a former bank site opposite Earl's Court station, including human rights advocate @biancajagger We must stop the takeover of our high streets by slot machines and casinos. RBKC officers have recommended this site is refused at today's committee hearing, which shows public pressure can work. But we must also change the law, which is why I am backing the introduction of Gambling Cumulative Impact Assessments as an amendment to the Devolution Bill next week.

👉🏿Wishing you a Happy, Peaceful and Blessed Easter 👉🏿Les deseo unas Pascuas felices, en paz y colmadas de bendiciones

👉🏿 Alain Elkann interview Bianca Jagger With decades of work in human rights, Bianca Jagger has become a powerful voice for peace, justice and civil liberties. As Founder, President, and Chief Executive of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation @bjhrf she leads campaigns on international justice, violence against women and girls, climate change, and the rights of indigenous peoples and future generations. Read the full interview here:
/bianca-jagger-2/ The interview: Bianca Jagger, did you work closely with Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights activist who recently died? Yes. In 2000, Jesse and I witnessed the execution in Texas of a man named Gary Graham, who wanted to be known as Shaka Sankofa. Jesse was a passionate opponent of the death penalty. When I lived in the United States, I campaigned against the death penalty and particularly against the execution of juveniles, arguing that it violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments as a “cruel and unusual punishment” and that the ‘Evolving Standard of Decency’ recognised in other parts of the world should be taken into account. You can also read the rest of the interview in the comments. 👉🏿 @bjhrf @councilofeurope #humanrights #womensrights #deathpenalty #nicaragua #indigenousrights

Meet Bianca Jagger: Human Rights and Social Justice With decades of work in human rights, Bianca Jagger has become a powerful voice for peace, justice, and civil liberties. As Founder, President, and Chief Executive of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, she leads campaigns on international justice, violence against women and girls, climate change, and the rights of Indigenous peoples and future generations. Curious about her lifelong commitment to justice and the convictions that shaped it? Read the full interview here: /bianca-jagger-2/ Or listen to the podcast: https://pod.link/1452056753 Photo 2:
On June 22, 2000, at a press conference in Huntsville, Texas, she joined Rev. Jesse Jackson in calling on Governor George W. Bush to grant a reprieve to Gary Graham, known as Shaka Sankofa, and allow a 30-day stay for a new hearing and consideration of new evidence.
Photo by Paul Buck/AFP via Getty Images Photo 3:
On May 30, 2018, she joined the Mother’s Day March in Managua, organised in solidarity with mothers of students and protesters killed during the unrest. After travelling to Nicaragua to support demonstrators and monitor human rights, she witnessed police and snipers open fire on the peaceful crowd, describing it as a horrific act of murder. The day became one of the bloodiest of the 2018 crisis. Photo 4:
With Chief Raoni in London on October 15, 2025, during his historic visit to deliver an urgent appeal to King Charles III and the British public to help protect the Amazon rainforest and his ancestral land. Photo 5:
At the launch of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation’s Arts for Human Rights Gala on October 14, 2011, with Assisi Jackson-Jagger, Jade Jagger, and Amba Jackson-Jagger, standing before the BJHRF logo painted by Marc Quinn and auctioned during the event. Photo 6:
With Andy Warhol at the opening of his Hammer and Sickle exhibition at Castelli Gallery, New York, on January 11, 1977.
Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images