The West's Fiction Narrative On Syria.

      I have stated several times before that the conflict in Syria was World War iii. A blood bath that brought all the major powers into open conflict. The only difference between this world war and the other two was the fact the the slaughter was more or less contained to one specific region. The result was much the same, the major powers readjusted their areas of influence. Of course, as usual, this was at the expense of the civilian population, who suffered unimaginable misery, death and deprivation, as well as the total destruction of a country's infrastructure.

      Most of us agree that the reporting of this slaughter of civilians was distorted, massaged and trimmed to suit the western power mongers. We know or should know, that the mainstream media is the propaganda mouth piece of the rich and powerful, to facilitate their grotesque and greed driven agenda. It is always heartening when you find a reporter that ignored the handed out script and pried for themselves to find out what was really happening in this well orchestrated slaughter for power.

      The following are two extracts from a very detailed and informative article on the Syrian conflict. If you are interested in the truth of that crime against humanity, I can't emphasise enough, this is an article you must read in full.

This from Information Clearing House: 

The Secret History Of America's Defeat In Syria.

 
After years covering the "main battlefield in World War III," Narwani says everything you think you know is wrong. By Patrick Lawrence.

As you’ve just suggested, Syria has long seemed to be a different kind of war, a new kind — a war fought with images, information and disinformation, true and false portrayals of events, people, organizations, and so on. Based on what you’ve written over many years — and from inside Syria, on the ground — I would think you agree with this.

In some ways, Syria wasn’t that different. All modern Western wars have been fought with manipulated imagery and disinformation. We call it propaganda and accuse the Nazis and Soviets of doing it, but the U.S. does it better than anyone. It’s literally the main tool in America's military kit: Otherwise, Americans would never accept the never-ending wars. There used to be laws forbidding the U.S. government from propagandizing the American people. The Obama administration undid many of those legal barriers. If you ever have a chance to read the U.S. Special Forces’ Unconventional Warfare manual, you will see how fundamental propaganda is to U.S. efforts to maintain hegemony. Everything starts and ends with “scene-setting” and “swaying perceptions” to prepare a population to support invasion, occupation, drone wars, “humanitarian interventions,” rebellion, regime change.
It was no different in Syria. The U.S. government imposed key narratives from day one — that Assad was indiscriminately killing civilians in a popular, peaceful revolution. Was this true? Not particularly. Eighty-eight soldiers were killed across Syria in the first month of protests. You never heard that in the Western media. That information would have altered your perception of the conflict, wouldn’t it?
The Syrian opposition used to burn tires on the tops of buildings to simulate shelling for TV cameras. Did you see that footage here? The only reason Syria seems like a “different kind of war” is because we had Twitter and Facebook and alternative media punching holes in Washington’s storyline every day — and because Syrians had the audacity to resist for eight years. You can’t keep up an act for eight years. People catch on.------
      ----  


Another area of interest is the question of when and how the opposition — supposedly unarmed at the start — came to be armed. The question of proportionate responses to violence comes into this, as you’ve just suggested.  
Elements of the opposition were armed from the very start of the conflict. We have visual and anecdotal evidence of weapons caches, armed gunmen infiltrating the Lebanese border, and “foreign” gunmen appearing in Daraa, the city [in southern Syria] where protests first manifested. In the early days, it was hard to prove this because efforts were made to hide evidence that the opposition had weapons — and anyone claiming so was instantly marginalized. But then the Arab League (which had suspended Syria and was therefore viewed as an impartial body) sent in an observer team that produced a stunning report — one you did not read about in the Western press. The observer mission detailed the opposition’s bombings and terrorism and attacks on infrastructure and civilians. 
I also know the opposition was armed from the start [March 2011] because of my own investigation and discovery that 88 Syrian soldiers were ambushed and killed across Syria in the first month of the conflict…. I have their names, ages, ranks, birthplaces — everything. Then in June 2011, over 100 Syrian soldiers were murdered in Jisr Shughour, in Idlib Province, many with their heads cut off, and nobody could dispute this anymore. Yet we continued to hear “the opposition is unarmed and peaceful” in the media for a good long while.
But you asked about proportionality, and to that I would simply ask: What if there were armed men in Washington who killed a few cops in the last week of December? In January, these unknown shooters began a campaign of ambushing American servicemen coming and going from their bases in Fairfax, Newport News, Arlington, killing 88 in total. Then, in March, over 100 U.S. soldiers are killed in a single day, half with their heads cut off. What is a “proportionate” response for you…? That answer about proportionality will be different for different people, I can assure you.
The next question is obvious. Who armed the opposition? Are we able to say?
We know today the U.S., U.K., France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Turkey are the main countries that armed, trained, financed and equipped the militants, and that they found intricate ways to avoid detection, especially at the beginning. Weapons came into Syria from all five border countries at different parts of this conflict — Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Israel — but I would say the most weapons probably arrived via Turkey, arms transfers that were very much coordinated with its NATO partners.
Read the full article HERE: 

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Our Anger Is Righteous.

     Total disenchantment with the present system, total mistrust of all politicians, is the natural progression from living in this corrupt and exploitative system. It functions by attacking the living conditions of the many, in the name of profit for the few. The natural thing to do when attacked is to defend yourself. Well we have been attacked for generations, and because of this our families are torn apart, our friends and family die younger than they should, our kids' potential is stunted. We are surrounded by poverty, homelessness and low wages for crap jobs, in the midst of unimaginable wealth, that we created, but never share in. At the same time, when some rich corporate employer slots you into  one of its menial low paid jobs, to make more money for them, we are supposed to be grateful.

     Under such conditions, anger is the natural response, but stomping around in pointless individual anger is not the answer. We have to organise and direct that anger at those responsible for  the avoidable poverty, deprivation, injustice and inequality that mires our lives. All the laws and legislation that ties us to conform to these injustices are formulated by that band of corporate protectors, the politicians. They are all part of this cancerous system of capitalism. Direct your anger at the institutions that formulate, manage and enforce these unjust conditions on us, our friends and families. Self defence is not a crime, I will repeat an old Korean saying which translates as "Enjoy the ecstasy of your righteous anger". After all anger at mass avoidable injustice and inequality is justifiable and righteous. 
Thanks Loam for the video.

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We Have A Right To Be Angry.

      As any observer can see all capitalist economies create unimaginable wealth, but the ordinary people are continually mired in poverty, inequality, poor housing, homelessness, poor wages etc.. However, most of the time the people struggle on the best they can, but that underlying anger simmers away, France is no different. For more than twenty weeks now the people of France have been taking to the streets to vent that anger. Though the numbers may have been slightly diminishing during that period, it takes a lot of anger to sustain that level of activity on the streets, for that period of time, in the face of fierce police brutality.

      The recent event in France of the fire and destruction of a vast symbol of religious wealth and power, changed things. This symbol in a few days received almost a billion euros for its restoration. Yes, ordinary people probably threw in some of that money, but the bulk of it came from the rich parasites and the state, the same rich parasites that are responsible for those low wages, crap low paid jobs and the inequality the the people are angry about. Proving once again that to the establishment of this society, the symbol is worth more than human dignity.

       This lavishing almost a billion euros on a symbol of religious wealth and power, was another spark to the fire of anger that fills the people of France. So week 23 of the Yellow Vests protests saw the numbers soar dramatically. With the increase in numbers came an increase in anger. The shear hypocrisy of this society is blatantly laid before the eyes of the struggling poor. You are worth less than a piece of architecture that symbolises religious power. Yes in the eyes of some, a fine looking building, but worth more than your dignity?

     I have always maintained that real change in our society will only come when enough of us get angry enough, to openly vent that anger. A revolution may be based on love, freedom and equality, but can only come to fruition and the back of extreme anger. Anger displayed openly and in large numbers. So to people of France I say, enjoy the ecstasy of your righteous anger, maintain it until you get what you want, and to the rest of Europe, look and learn. In the face of avoidable injustice, misery, poverty, deprivation, homelessness and inequality, we have a right to get angry, and defend ourselves.

      Protestors warned that troops will open fire!!! Another symbol of our so called democracy.

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To Stop Armageddon.

         We live in very dangerous times, what with the corporate world decimating the environment to the point of human extinction, Then we have the American imperialists surrounding China with missile bases, and NATO moving missiles ever closer to the Russian border, threatening a war of unimaginable destruction. To top this insanity, we have the psychopaths Pompeo and Bolton trying hard to engineer support for an attack on Iran. All this sabre rattling by the nuclear armed imperialists brings the possibility of a nuclear war ever closer and the strong possibility of a nuclear Armageddon bring about the extinction of the human species quicker than the environmental disaster that awaits us down the road a piece. 

       All the more reason to pay homage to that band of dedicated and courageous people who have kept alive for more than 30 years, the world's longest running peace camp. The anti-nuclear peace camp at Faslane, The Faslane Peace Camp. They don't get much in the way of good publicity from our imperialist supporting millionaire owned media, but they have kept the protests against these weapons in the public eye, and lots of them have felt the harsh fist of the state's minders, the judicial system.

        At Spirit of Revolt we are proud to be the custodians of the Faslane Peace Camp Archive, to get a little more insight to this important and necessary endeavour, visit their collection at https://spiritofrevolt.info/faslane-peace-camp-collection/ Perhaps this will encourage you to pay the camp a visit, and support it in what ever way you can.

       Spirit of Revolt would also like to appeal to present and ex Faslane Peace Camp campers to contact us about any material relating to the activities of the Camp they might have, with a thought to depositing it with Spirit of Revolt to help create a fuller picture of this magnificent campaign. You can get in touch with us at:  info@spiritofrevolt.info

Other helpful info:

https://faslanepeacecamp.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/faslanepeacecamp/

Visit Faslane Peace Camp from Camcorder Guerrillas on Vimeo.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

True To Form.

       Belgium, like all states, continually is on the outlook for those who would try to change the shape of society to a egalitarian society of communities. Then they move in and try to intimidate, silence and repress such thoughts taking root. They will label those so minded as conspirators or terrorists and through their loaded "judicial system" attempt to subdue them by means of prison or some other form of restriction. It is the nature of the beast.

This from Act For Freedom Now:

      As has been explained various times already, between 2008 and 2014 the Belgian State conducted an extensive investigation aimed at the multiform struggles – with no concessions – which attacked detention centres, borders, prisons and this world based on authority and exploitation.
       Initially charged with “participation in a terrorist group”, it is now on charges of “criminal conspiracy” that the 12 comrades will be judged during the whole week beginning 29 April 2019.
        For those who would like to keep in touch, support comrades (accused and others), show their solidarity, be there in one way or another, an info point will be held every day of the week of the trial at 20.00 at the Acrata library.*
And as we are not Cathos the week will start on Sunday April 28 with a first encounter at 17.00 for a drink /bring-and-share snacks at the Acrata library.
For a world without exploitation and borders
Against all authority
On to the bitter end !
*Acrata – 32, rue de la grande île – 1000 Bruxelles

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

States Kill Freedom Of Thought.

      Those who are aware of the machinations of the varies states, will accept that any movement to the left of the political spectrum will be seen as a threat to the establishment, the real state. That bunch of extremely rich and powerful parasites that control all aspects of our life, understand fully that a truly left organising  of society would be an end to their unearned privileges and power. The state will always wave the flag of democracy but will do all within its power to thwart any move to a left thinking population.

       The hypocrisy of all states is astounding, they will trade insults at each other and condemn each other over human rights abuses, but will, behind the scenes, co-operate with these same states in silencing and destroying any move to the left in the thinking of their populations.

     So the information released in recent US documents should come as no surprise. It is just another aspect of the undemocratic subterfuge of the so called "Western democracies", in their defence of the power, wealth and privilege of the parasites we carry on our backs.

This from Mint Press News:

 Western democracy at work.

     SANTIAGO, CHILE — A recently declassified CIA document has revealed that members of the intelligence agencies of France, the United Kingdom and West Germany discussed how to establish “an anti-subversive organization similar to [the CIA’s Operation] Condor” in their own countries. Described by the CIA as “a cooperative effort by the intelligence/security services of several South American countries to combat terrorism and subversion,” Operation Condor was a campaign of state terrorism originally planned by the CIA that targeted leftists, suspected leftists and their “sympathizers” and resulted in the forced disappearances, torture and brutal murders of an estimated 60,000 people, as well as the political imprisonment of around half a million people. Around half of the estimated murders occurred in Argentina.
       The document, released last Friday as part of a release of newly declassified U.S. government documents related to the U.S.-backed military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, states that:
      Representatives of West German, French and British intelligence services had visited the Condor organization secretariat in Buenos Aires during the month of September 1977 in order to discuss methods for establishment of an anti-subversion organization similar to Condor” due to their view that “the terrorist/subversive threat had reached such dangerous levels in Europe.”
      The representatives from the three countries then stated that they felt that pooling “their intelligence resources in a cooperative organization such as Condor” would be an important way of combating the “subversive threat.” Notably, England at the time was already involved in an international “intelligence sharing” program known as ECHELON, a program between the “Five Eyes” intelligence pact between the U.K., the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand that continues in a different form today.
      The document, which was written in 1978, came two years after Operation Condor targeted left-wing Latin American exiles living in Europe. Several other documents in the recent release discuss a decision made by Condor member countries in May 1976 to train and send a military unit to “conduct physical attacks” against left-wing Latin American exiles and their supporters in France, in what was codenamed “Teseo.” Several Condor countries, aside from Brazil and Bolivia, were eager to participate and the training of the “Teseo” unit did occur, though the CIA was apparently unaware whether the unit was actually sent to France.

Operation Condor: Made in the West

       European interest in bringing home a state-sponsored terror campaign may seem shocking, given Europe’s publicly stated concerns at the time regarding Condor member countries’ mind-boggling human rights abuses and state-sponsored murders. But it will hardly surprise those who have studied Operation Condor, as the operation itself was a Western invention that was imposed on Latin America through a series of military coups, which again were backed by Western governments.

Read the full article HERE: 

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Why Anarchism?

 

    

       From the home page of Radical Glasgow's Anarchist Critic:

WHY ANARCHISM?

Freedom and Equality

     Fundamentally, anarchism is the struggle for freedom. Freedom from rulers and corporations who dominate our lives and are destroying our earth. Freedom for workers, women, and all oppressed people in all parts of the world. We believe that this sort of freedom can only be achieved together with equality and a fair distribution of resources.

Individual and Collective

     Anarchists believe in the inherent dignity and humanity of the individual. But this dignity and humanity can only be fully realised in a co-operative, egalitarian society. This is why we are in favour of working together collectively and being organised. It is incorrect to equate anarchism with individualism or chaos.

Revolution

     Anarchists understand that this truly free and equal society can only be achieved through revolution – meaning a complete transformation of society. This society cannot be ‘given’ to the people by politicians or bureaucrats. It must be built by people from below.

Change by Direct Action

     Anarchism opposes the violence which is an integral part of capitalism and the state (this violence comes in many forms: war, patriarchy etc.). We believe that means shape ends – in other words, the way we struggle will shape the outcome of the struggle. This is also why we do not support the seizure of State power by authoritarian political parties. However, anarchists do believe in direct action – action taken by everyday people to address the power imbalance in present day society. This includes strikes, boycott’s, work-to-rule’s and occupations.

The Past

     Both authoritarian communism (as in Russia, China etc.) and ‘labourism’ (ie. The labour parties of the world), have failed to solve our global crisis. We need a different path to a better world. Anarchism offers itself as a guide on that path.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Again, Migrants At The Harsh End Of The State's Heel.

        Anarchist and migrants seem to be the preferred target of the day for most of the European states at the moment. The Greek state, of late, has been particularly active in attacking migrant squats. As in most cases it is usually the vulnerable that are the first to feel the hard heel of the state in its authoritarian drive for complete control of the its captured population. Such harsh treatment of migrants deserves our full support and solidarity.

This from Enough is Enough, first published in Athens Indymedia:

 https://enoughisenough14.org/2019/04/18/refugeesgr-athens-clandestina-and-cyclopi-squats-evicted/#more-54517

                  CALL for an open assembly tonight at Gkini at 19:30 for the EVACUATION OF 4 MIGRANTS SQUATS and an ANTIAUTHORITARIAN QUEER FEMINIST SQUAT.

       This morning two squats were evacuated. Clandestina, on Mpoumpoulinas street, a building housing migrant families. 68 people were transported to Petrou Ralli. The other squat is Cyclopi, antiauthoritarian queer feminist squat in Zoodochou Pigis. Two comrades were arrested in the second one. The comrades are accused of disturbance of house peace, weapons possession and denial of fingerprints. All these are minor accusations.
      We see a repetition of last week’s evictions of New Babylon squat and Azadi squat, both migrant squats. From these evictions, approximately 70 people were taken to Petrou Ralli and some of them are in the process to get deported. Again, in today’s opperation they didn’t find any drugs in the squat, but in order to link their operation with the anti-drug war, they entered in a private apartment that had weed inside.
       The information about the number of prosecutions and arrests was gathered from mass media.
        Some months ago another eviction of another migrants squat took place, the squat of Single Men in Arachovis 44.
        We see a straightforward stategy of the state to “clean” te neighborhood of Exarcheia, as an anti-drug/anti-mafia operation. However, it is clear that this as a war against squats and the migrant population.

ASSEMBLY FOR SOLIDARITY ACTION THURSDAY 18/4 at 19:30 in GKINI

 

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The Insane With Devastating Power.

        The political circus that we see day in day out is really scenes from an asylum. An asylum that houses some of the most deranged individuals on earth, as well as some of the world's worst psychopaths. Entering their world is not for the fainthearted, you will hear tales of fantasy and planned deeds of brutal slaughter of the innocent. Truth is something that has disappeared from their psyche, realism is something that belongs to the ordinary people outside the walls of the asylum. Sadly, much to our detriment, we seem to have given the residents of the asylum all the tools of power.  Do you recall the brutal and deliberate massacres during the Korean war: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-korean-war-era-massacre-was-policy/ Then remember the illegal invasion of Iraq: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/16/iraq.iraq and now we have two US inmates Bolton and Pompeo planning a war against Iran: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51447.htm

         And so it goes on and on, too many massacres to list, countless illegal wars and invasions, the endless slaughter of millions of innocent people. All to fulfill the insane dreams and fantasies of the deranged psychopaths of the political asylum. It is long past the time when we should have quarantined the asylum and removed all powers of destruction from the insane inmates. To leave the political asylum as it is will mean an ever escalating world of death and destruction, an ever increasing multitude of hungry and deprived, an ever increasing level of inequality. Though it would appear that we also might be insane if we tolerate this situation much longer, as humanity demands a change and time is running out.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk.

May Day, Our Day.

May Day 2003 (Glasgow, Scotland) from Camcorder Guerrillas on Vimeo.

      Just on the horizon there is the glimmer of that special day, May Day, Workers Day, May 1st. A day that this society seems to have tamed into a sedate march that doesn't interrupt the flow of the economy, a little display, a few speeches and then go home or get busy with the consumer addiction. We have to free May Day from the dead hands of the political ballerinas and take it back to do our own thing, in our own way. May Day is not dead, it has just been sedated by the political messiahs. We can bring it back to life.

       It should be a day of fun, of celebration, a family day, a day to throw of the shackles of conformity and be yourself, a day shaped by you and your friends.

      To this end the Glasgow May Day Organising Group have put together a series of events, to try to remind us of what May Day is all about, to help us remember our history, the history of the ordinary people, and bring back that fun and family feeling to our day. 

     This May Day, celebrations will begin on May 1st. short march and rally, with music, singers, poets and stalls. May 2nd. a radical history walk through our city centre, stopping at points of interest and a wee discussion from one or more of our members. Saturday May 4th. a film show, Salt of The Earth. Then on May 5th. the culmination of the May Day celebrations, our now annual Picnic on The Green with stalls, poets, singers, dancers, musicians, food to share, bring the family, bring your street, bring what you expect to find.

Details of all these events can be found on these links:

 https://mayday.link/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/416201145855377/

https://mayday.link/blog/

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

There Will Come Soft Rains.

        Like all humans, I have many loves, likes, desires, hopes and fears. I love freedom, not just for myself but all. I desire my grand-kids and their grand-kids, to have happy fulfilling future, in a world of peace, freedom, good health and justice. I also love poetry, especially the kind that tries to tells something about the injustices in this world, or our stupidity, warn us about our greed and points to suffering of others. I am anxious about that future, will it contain the human species, or will nature finally give up on us and see us perish from the disease of our own greed and stupidity. No matter the out come, no matter how foolish our action, no matter how powerful we think we are, nature will win and have its way. We work with it or we lose, the planet will survive even our crass stupidity.

This from Not Buying Anything:

         Sara Teasdale won the earliest Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1918, the year she wrote "There Will Come Soft Rains", a piece of writing that imagines the world without us.
      In the poem, Teasdale describes nature reclaiming a battlefield after war. She also writes about the extinction of humanity, far before the threats of nuclear winter, or weapons grade consumerism became a reality.
       Her poetry is known for its "simplicity and quiet intensity", and this poem is certainly all of that.
There Will Come Soft Rains

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

— Sara Teasdale [1884 - 1933]

        Our war on nature is one that we will most certainly lose. We have treated the planet, and all life on it, so harshly, that it would surprise me if any wild creatures would miss us if we manage to do ourselves in.
       Would they celebrate our demise? I wouldn't blame them if they did.
        Mary Oliver is another Pulitzer Prize winning poet, and she says, "Maybe the world, without us, is the real poem."
        It doesn't have to be that way. We used to be a harmonious part of nature, and if we ever learn to adopt a global philosophy of simplicity, we will be again.
        There will come soft rains, with us, or without us. The choice is ours.

Visiat ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Britain, Rogue State.

         An interesting article from TruePublica, yes I know it is a pro-capitalist organisation, but that doesn't change the points made in the article. It just highlights how the "Mother of Parliaments", home of "freedom and democracy" really functions. Of course not unlike many other states embroiled in this capitalist economic system. It is just that Britain with its imperialist history, has much more experience and expertise in this field.

       By TruePublica: Leaving aside Britain’s past, most particularly that of empire, the country is not just continually moving towards authoritarianism it is beginning to demonstrate all the early signs of a rogue state. These are strong words but the actual definition of a rogue state is – “a nation or state regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations.” Examples such as the illegal invasion of Iraq, Syria and latterly Libya are very clear. Irrespective of the technicalities, they all broke the rules of International laws or norms. But other examples demonstrate how lawless Britain as a state really is.
      Chagos: Here, an entire population were forcibly removed from their island homeland at British gunpoint to make way for a US Air Force nuclear base, the people were dumped destitute over a thousand miles away, their domestic animals gassed by the British army, their homes fired and then demolished. To achieve this, Britain maliciously threatened the Mauritian government into ceding the Chagos Islands as a condition of its Independence. Recently, the International Court of Justice found that the British occupation of the Chagos Islands was unlawful by a majority of 13 to 1. Britain rejected this ruling. Ex British ambassador Craig Murray wrote – “this represents a serious escalation in the UK’s rejection of multilateralism and international law and a move towards joining the US model of exceptionalism, standing outside the rule of international law. As such, it is arguably the most significant foreign policy development for generations. In the Iraq war, while Britain launched war without UN Security Council authority, it did so on a tenuous argument that it had Security Council authority from earlier resolutions. The UK was therefore not outright rejecting the international system. On Chagos it is now simply denying the authority of the International Court of Justice; this is utterly unprecedented.”
       Weapons and war crimes: Britain’s arms and munitions sales are now regularly in the news. Even The Lords international relations committee said that British weapons were “highly likely to be the cause of significant civilian casualties” in various countries where illegal wars, acts of genocide and war crimes are being committed. A quick online search lists numerous examples.
        Israel: Then there is Britain’s relationship with Israel, which is taking a battering due to internal politics and finger-pointing over claims of racism. Fundamentally though, the issue is about war crimes being committed against the Palestinian people. British arms sales to Israel is at best questionable, especially the news that British made sniper rifles were used to kill and injure thousands of Palestinians recently. But Britain’s support in this genocidal war again goes against all international norms where the conflict is described by Amnesty International as an “abhorrent violation of international laws.” It added that – “This is another horrific example of the Israeli military using excessive force and live ammunition in a totally deplorable way. This is a violation of international standards, in some instances committing what appear to be wilful killings constituting war crimes.” In addition, UK policy is allowing trade with ‘Israeli’ goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories. The British government has stated that it does not even keep a record of imports into the UK from these illegal Israeli settlements. Acquiescing in this illegal trade by an occupying power is a violation of international law. The December 2016 UN Security Council Resolution, to which the UK agreed: ‘reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law”
        Libya: Mark Curtis, a British foreign policy expert and historian writes about Britain’s illegal attack of a soverign state – Libya: “British bombing in Libya, which began in March 2011, was a violation of UN Resolution 1973, which authorised member states to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and to use ‘all necessary measures’ to prevent attacks on civilians but did not authorise the use of ground troops or regime change promoted by the Cameron government. That these policies were illegal is confirmed by Cameron himself, who told Parliament on 21 March 2011 that the UN resolution ‘explicitly does not provide legal authority for action to bring about Gaddafi’s removal from power by military means.” Today, Libya is a failed state and overrun by militant factions.
      Extrajudicial assassinations: and even a kill list. Reprieve’s report entitled Britain’s Kill List accused the Conservative government of extreme deception of parliament. Officially, Britain has never had a so-called ‘kill list’ but David Cameron had to admit to an extrajudicial assassinations programme in the Middle East, which we at TruePublica reported. All such killings break the most fundamental of international laws and norms as detailed HERE. The Reprieve introductory paragraph reads -“On September 7th, 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron came to Parliament and announced a “new departure” for Britain, a policy of killing individuals the Security Services and the military do not like, people placed on a list of individuals who the UK (acting along with the US and others) have identified and systematically plan to kill. The mere admission that there is a Kill List certainly should, indeed, have been a “departure” for a country that prides itself on decency. Unfortunately, it was not a “new departure” at all, as we had been doing it secretly for more than a decade.”
        Statelessness: Britain has once again broken international norms. The goals of UNHCR’s stateless campaign, a Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2014 – 2024 introduced a guiding framework comprised of 10 Actions to be undertaken by states. In the case of high-profile ‘ISIS Bride’ runaway from Bethnal Green to Baghuz, Shamima Begum, the UK disregarded Actions 4 and 9:
Action 4: Prevent denial, loss or deprivation of nationality on discriminatory grounds. Action 9: Accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions. But Britain’s has its own laws. Section 40(2) of the 1981 British Nationality Act states the Home Secretary won’t make any individual rendered stateless as a result. Under this, the UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s decision to revoke Begum’s citizenship breaks UK law and international norms.
        Political prisoner: Then, there is the persecution of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, which is now seven years old. Ecuador has protected Assange for the past half decade from being turned over to Washington until his arrest by British police yesterday. By definition, Assange is the only political prisoner in western Europe. A United Nations legal panel ruled that Assange should be allowed to walk free and be compensated for his “deprivation of liberty” and that his detention was illegal. Assange has been nominated for a Nobel peace prize every year since 2010. His really big crime was releasing film of an American helicopter gunship killing civilians and journalists in Iraq. Britain is more than just complicit of it attack of fundamental and important press freedoms in arresting him. Assange’s lawyer criticised the British government for being poised to arrest and extradite Assange to the United States. “That a government would cooperate with another state to extradite a publisher for publishing truthful information outside its territory sets a dangerous precedent here in the UK and elsewhere,” she said. “No one can deny that risk. That is why he sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.”
       Surveillance: The UK government’s record on bulk data handling for intelligence purposes saw the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that state surveillance practices such as those practised in Britain violated human rights law. United National Special Rapporteur on Privacy Joe Cannataci said Britain was setting a bad example to the world and that Britain’s surveillance techniques on its own citizens was – “worse than Orwell’s 1984.” The highest courts in Britain have ruled against the government on mass surveillance. In 2014, British spies were (illegally) granted the authority to secretly eavesdrop on legally privileged attorney-client communications, according to documents. The documents were made public as a result of a legal case brought against the British government by Libyan families who allege that they were subjected to extraordinary rendition and torture, where Britain was proven to be in violation of international laws, in a joint British-American operation that took place in 2004. A lawyer, in this case, said – “It could mean, amazingly, that the government uses the information they have got from snooping on you, against you, in a case you have brought. This clearly violates an age-old principle of English law set down in the 16th century – that the correspondence between a person and their lawyer is confidential.” In addition, just one of the many operations carried out by the British state was called Optic Nerve. It illegally went about capturing images from webcams of millions of completely innocent citizens accused of nothing. Between 3% and 11% of the images captured by the webcams were sexually explicit in nature and deemed “undesirable nudity.” The public has not been reassured that these files still exist or not that were taken to build an illegal facial recognition system the government had not declared. Surveillance operations such as – Muscular, Socialist, Gemalto, Three Smurfs, XKeyScore, Upstream and Tempora are all examples of extreme surveillance systems being used in Britain that would be completely unknown if it had not been for Edward Snowden – another political prisoner. All such operations would be deemed illegal in court and of breaking international laws or norms in normal democratic countries.
          Health and Safety: In 2015, the Government pushed through a law that exempted a large number of self-employed people from the protection of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The Government managed to get away with reducing the level of protection because the self-employed are not covered by the European “Framework Directive”, which is the regulation that sets minimum standards that countries have to comply with. At the time the TUC pointed out to the Government that there were other international laws that the UK had signed up to in many other non European countries that did cover the self-employed including those of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Council of Europe.
          Disability: The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined the British government’s progress in fulfilling its commitments to the UN convention on disabled people’s rights, to which the UK has been a signatory since 2007. Its report concludes that the UK has not done enough to ensure the convention, which enshrines the rights of disabled people to live independently, to work and to enjoy social protection without discrimination – is reflected in UK law and policy. Although it praises some initiatives by the Scottish and Welsh governments to promote inclusion, it is scathing of the UK government’s inconsistent and patchy approach to protecting disability rights and its failure to audit the impact of its austerity policies on disabled people.
         Trust: Breaking international laws and norms has a long-term effect, mainly that of detriment to national security, long-term interests and trust. There is an assumption, of course, that international law cannot be enforced but in today’s world, international sanctions can be as damaging as using force. Those sanctions could be economic or diplomatic in nature. And if Britain wants to be an international player, it very strongly needs to appreciate and adhere to international laws and norms.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

From Desperation To Scapegoat.

          Once again we see another attack on the vulnerable and needy by an EU state, certainly a daily occurrence across Europe. Refugees/immigrants are the people with no basic human rights, scapegoats for the states policy of divide and conquer. Creating the illusion of the foreigner destroying our "way of life", the enemy responsible for all our ills, keeps the population locked in internal squabbles, allowing the state to exert greater authority over the situation.

         The EU has an influx of migrants due to its foreign policy, in conjunction with the US, especially in the middle east and north Africa. Rather than helping these vulnerable and needy people, whose situation they created, it will use this army of desperate and vulnerable people to further its own agenda. People are of no consequence to the powers that be. Civilised Europe, will herd them into unsanitary and over crowded detention centres, by propaganda, lies and misinformation, it will link them to organised crime and violence, feeding the far right with ammunition.

      This is just one recent example of a state's agenda of useing migrants as a tool. This from Athens, Refugee Accommodation and Solidarity Space City Plaza:

          The police operation that took place 2 days ago in Exarchia, against the two refugee squats was not directed against the mafia in the neighbourhood. Despite the propaganda, they did not find anything in the squats to link them with mafia. The goal of the government and the police was a show of power. Refugees have been turned into scapegoats for pre-election purposes. Refugee targeting does not harm mafia, but it strengthens the racist stereotype of identifying “foreigners/refugees” with criminal activity and of course, opens the way to fascist violence.
         We remind them that the squats are the voices against the failed policies of the state on “migration management”. The housing problem is more acute than ever, for both refugees and locals. Instead of finding solutions for the housing problems, government and the oppositions are turning against those who have no shelter and hope. The recipe is classic: Instead of limiting poverty, targeting and criminalising poverty.

Do not let them impose the policy of fear and hatred.

Refugees Accommodation and Solidarity Space City Plaza, April 13, 2019

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Glasgow May Day 2019.

 

      May Day is fast approaching and for the fourth year, the May Day Organising Group have organised a series of events round the theme of May Day. This year it is a mixture of fascinating, informative, exciting and fun events.

It kicks off with Wednesday, May 1st, gather at the Cenotaph George Square, 11:45am and a colourful noisy march to the Donald Dewar statue in Buchanan Street, where there will be a rally with musicians, singers, poets, stalls and an open mic. Thursday 6:00pm,  May 2nd. a history tour, a leisurely walk around the city, stopping at points of interest in working class history, ending up at The Green. Saturday, May 4th. 2:00pm a film show, Salt of the Earth, in the Quakers Hall at Charing Cross. The culmination of this May Day celebration will be our now regular Picnic on The Green, Sunday May 5th.. Again there will be performers food to share and lots of fun. We are still looking for more performers to come forward and take a wee slot at these events, singers, dancers, jugglers, musicians, poets, etc. so if you think you can fill a slot please get in touch. So do come along to any or all of these events and let's get May Day back to what it should be, a celebration of ordinary people, celebrating their struggles and victories, a fun day for all the family. We have to rescue May Day from the dead hands of the sanitised version we have at the moment, a sedate march through the city and then listening to our political ballerinas spouting how they will lead us to the promised land.

Links for detail info and to contact:

https://mayday.link/

https://mayday.link/blog/

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Green, Free Speech, May Day.

        If you are in or around Glasgow on Monday April 15th. why not come along to Spirit of Revolt's regular free event? Every three months or so we hold an open free event in the Mitchell Library, where we put on display material from our archive and arrange for some members to give a short introduction to the content of the event, and then it is an open discussion where those attending can contribute their own ideas, experiences, and thoughts on the subject matter. The subject of this particular Show and Tell is The Glasgow Green - May Day and the important part The Green has played in the history of our city.

       The idea behind these events is to bring the archive to the people, and bring the people to their history, and making our history come alive.

Details:

Free Event.

Monday 15th. April.

12:00-2:00pm.

Mitchell Library, 5th. floor,

Blythswood Room. 

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Hope Springs Eter-----!

 

      The older I get the harder it is to hold onto that glowing thread of hope. As I look around at the world today and see a glimpse of a very disturbing horizon, my thoughts turn to a little verse I penned at the time of the Western Imperialist's illegal destruction of Iraq. 

     Sadly that brutal planned destruction still runs amok across a far greater region then when it started. The deaths still mount up and the suffering multiplies, with little sign of it ending.

Winter.

Dark malefic clouds crowd the sky

winds carry the stench of carrion to every nostril,

the crazy ape has followed the faculty of hawks.

All around stand crows, magpies, jackdaws, vultures,

edacious eyes anticipating their putrid feast.

A weary Cassandra laments;

doves, hearts weeping for a better yesterday

forsake their olive branches.

Photo courtesy of DAWN, Vulture Preservation Project.  

No offence intended towards the real vultures, they do a wonderful job.
       I'm sure there will always be some human act that will keep that state of mind where, "Hope springs eternal".

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk