blogging for the hell of it

Urgent statement from the Cairo Conference - act NOW to prevent a massacre

2011-02-02T19:38:00.006Z

Please re-post this far and wide - let Mubarak and Washington know the whole world is watching

Appeal for international solidarity

To all the peoples of the world… To the hundreds of thousands who demonstrated against capitalist globalization and neo-liberalism… To the millions who came out against war and imperialism… To the world’s ...workers and toilers… To the free writers, intellectuals and artists of the world… To all the people with free conscience … We call upon you to act in all possible ways to salvage the leading forces of the Egyptian revolution in Al-Tahrir Square in Cairo… A massacre is being prepared now… Thousands of thugs and under-cover policemen are being mobilized under the supervision of the butcher Mubarak and the leading figures of his regime. They are now attacking the demonstrators… They are now throwing Molotov cocktails and tear gas bombs against the peaceful demonstrators… There are now 500 injured people… And there is confirmed information that the thugs will attack the square en masse late at night after turning of the lights in the area. They intend to perpetrate a massive massacre… We call upon all the honest people to act in all ways… Demonstrate at once… Spread the news of the massacre in all the corners of the world… Press your MPs and politicians and all the free civil society organizations to take decisive positions… long live the Egyptian revolution… Long live the international solidarity

نداء للتضامن الأممي
إلى كل شعوب العالم.. إلى مئات الآلاف التي خرجت لمقاومة العولمة الرأسمالية والليبرالية الجديدة.. إلى الملايين التي خرجت لمناهضة الحروب والإمبريالية.. إلى عمال وكادحي العالم.. إلى الكتاب والمثقفين والفنانين والأدباء الأحرار........ إلى كل أصحاب الضمائر الحية.. نناشدكم التحرك بكل الصور الممكنة لإنقاذ طلائع الثورة المصرية في ميدان التحرير بالقاهرة.. الآن تدبر مذبحة للمتظاهرين.. الآن يحتشد الآلاف من البلطجية ورجال الشرطة السريين – تحت إشراف السفاح حسني مبارك وأركان نظامه – ويقومون بمهاجمة المتظاهرين.. الآن هم يلقون قنابل المولوتوف والغازات المسيلة للدموع على المتظاهريين السلميين.. هناك 500 جريح حتى الآن.. وهناك أخبار شبه مؤكدة أن البلطجية سيهاجمون الميدان في جنح الظلام بعد إطفاء الأنوار للقيام بمذبحة واسعة النطاق.. ندعو كل الشرفاء إلى التحرك بكل الطرق... بالتظاهر الفوري.. بنشر الخبر في كل أنحاء العالم.. بمطالبة البرلمانيين والساسة وكل منظمات المجتمع المدني الحرة باتخاذ مواقف

Emma Sayle is a racist scumbag

2011-01-01T10:50:00.012Z

Kate Middleton has a nasty bigot of a friend called Emma Sayle and she wants to stand on East London high rises and shoot illegal immigrants. She has at least one decent acquaintance however - the person that reported her foul racism. Her response? 'Just had a call from the old bill demanding I go in as someone has reported me for apparently making racist comments... hahaha... using my new found gun skills to control the UK's illegal immigrant population is not what I call racist.'

She has also posted a link on her Twitter page (www.twitter.com/emsayle) to a far-right group called 'Australia Says no to Muslims'. How delightful of this 'committed Christian'.

All this is too much, even for Daily Mail readers who have this to say:

What a silly, vulgar show off of a woman. And yes, she is a racist. (1212 people positively rated this comment at time of writing this.)

"Well she sounds lovely doesn't she? Her career sounds like something you would want to hide from a future mother in law. I doubt her charity work is done from the goodness of her heart, but feel it is probably just another network opportunity for her." (1023 people positively rated this comment at time of writing this.)

Uh-oh Emma, seems that there is such a thing as bad publicity - expect Kate & your other PR conscious rich friends to drop you like a hot potato this year.

Harrow Youth Unite to Drive the Nazi English Defence League Off Their Streets

2009-09-12T15:14:00.008Z

Great report from Lenin's Tomb

And Through the Scary Door

And great footage from Adie Cousins showing the diversity and air of urgency amongst the masses of young people that gathered yesterday to defend the Muslim community from fascist scumbags.

Protest the Nazi BNP - Tuesday 6th May 6pm CITY HALL

2008-05-05T16:02:00.005Z

From Love Music Hate Racism:

ANGER AS BNP RACISTS WIN ASSEMBLY SEAT IN LONDON
May 3rd, 2008 - No Comments - Read More

The fascist British National Party's London fuhrer, Richard Barnbrook, has managed to con a small minority of Londoners into voting for him, to scrape onto the London Assembly via the cross-London party list - largely through votes won in outer London boroughs like Barking & Dagenham and Havering & Redbridge . Without the anti-fascist campaigning prior to the election, and particularly last Sunday's huge Love Music Hate Racism Carnival, the BNP would undoubtedly have gained more seats in London. The Carnival showed the mass audience opposed to racism and fascism which can build the bigger united anti-fascist movement that can stop the Nazis.

A protest has been organised against the BNP and Barnbrook - at 6pm on Tuesday 6th May at City Hall London SE1. The protest is called by LMHR with other organisations sure to join the call, and everyone is encouraged to attend. Weyman Bennett from Unite Against Fascism said: "Several members of BNP have convictions for racial hatred this includes the leader of the BNP Nick Griffin. In the past other fascists leaders have use the democratic freedoms in order to destroy everybody rights and freedom of speech." Drew McConnell, of leading LMHR-supporting band Babyshambles, said: "Multicultural Britain should be celebrated. Immigration is not to blame for unemployment or housing problems, and does not negatively affect the economy, but the BNP tell us this is actually the case. We want them to know they're not fooling us. Everyone knows the BNP are a Nazi organization, and they can't hide behind their suits forever."

Turn London Left - Vote Lindsey German & The Left List tomorrow!

2008-04-30T11:24:00.010Z

Vote with your conscience tomorrow - use your first preference to vote Lindsey German for Mayor.

To keep Boris out (depressing that such a farce of a man is a serious contender, but these are the times we are living in..) use your second preference to vote for Ken.

ANY vote against Boris is a vote to keep him out - there is no way of 'splitting the vote' despite the misinformation/confusion that is being spread around. Your second preference carries EQUAL weight when used on the two main candidates - Ken will be desperately relying on his second preferences to get him elected.

But if you are disappointed with Ken's move towards the right - his unwavering support for the police after the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes, his attacks on workers, his failure to speak out against his own party's disastrous polices (and indeed, his 'welcoming' the support of war criminal Tony Blair and his morally bankrupt side-kick Alastair Campbell during this very election) and the ever-increasing divide between rich and poor on his watch - then there is no better opportunity to let him know. A strong vote for the left will demonstrate to Ken that deserting his principles has not been a good political move.

The Left List needs 5% of the vote to see Lindsey German - a life-long committed socialist - elected to the assembly. How amazing would that be?

And of course it is vital that voters turn out in huge numbers to keep these vile, dangerous things off the GLA.

(For more on the Left List and their policies, watch their inspiring election broadcast which was televised last week.)

Socialism or Barbarism - Vote LEFT LIST on May 1st

2008-04-23T10:48:00.002Z

Reverend Jeremiah Wright for President!

2008-03-16T16:51:00.013Z

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye.

We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost".

More about the inspirational Reverend:

The rebellious son of a Baptist minister, Wright was hired by Trinity United when he could find no Baptist church to take him. The congregation on 95th Street, then numbering just 87, had recently adopted the motto "Unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian." They did not mind his fiery red Afro and black power agenda.

Wright has continued on an independent path ever since, often questioning the common sense of Scripture, objecting to mandatory prayer in schools and clashing with clergy who preach prosperity theology, a popular notion among black pastors that God will bestow wealth and success on believers.

In the process, he built a spiritual empire. The modest brown brick building that housed the church in the 1970s was converted into a day-care center when Trinity opened its new sanctuary in 1995 at 400 W. 95th St. Members run more than 80 ministries, including an outreach to gay and lesbian singles, --also unusual for a black church.

If anyone should be President, it's Jeremiah Wright!

Israel's Nazi Ambitions

2008-02-29T14:00:00.010Z

This is really sick. A day after 5 children including a six month old baby were murdered in Israeli airstrikes, an Israeli minister has warned that Palestinians could bring 'on themselves a holocaust'.

Of course, both the slaughter of these children and a UN report that came out two days ago stating that Israel's brutality is to blame for terrorism, have both been conveniently buried by the media. Can you imagine if 5 Israeli children - including a 6 month old baby - had been killed by Palestinians? Would the BBC be quite so quiet?

How long can this complete inhumanity go on for? And what on earth will it take for Israel's supporters to finally say 'ENOUGH - NOT IN MY NAME'?

From The Guardian

An Israeli minister today warned of increasingly bitter conflict in the Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinians could bring on themselves what he called a "holocaust".

"The more Qassam [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger shoah because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defence minister, told army radio.

Shoah is the Hebrew word normally reserved to refer to the Jewish Holocaust. It is rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi extermination of Jews during the second world war, and many Israelis are loath to countenance its use to describe other events.

Lindsey German for London Mayor!

2008-01-29T16:59:00.000Z

Lindsey German, the convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, was selected last year at a meeting attended by over 300 London Respect members to stand as Respect candidate for London Mayor. She will be battling the mainstream parties once more to establish a London wide left wing alternative.

Four years ago Lindsey came fifth in the mayoral election beating both the Greens and the BNP and narrowly missed [by 0.43%] gaining a place on the Greater London Assembly.

At a time when privitisation, corporate power and recession dominate the political scene there has never been a more urgent need for a left wing alternative. We call on every London Respect supporter to come to the launch/selection meeting on Thursday, 31st January at 7:30pm in the Conway Hall, Red Lion Square W1.

http://www.respectcoalition.org/?ite=1745

An incredibly moving testimony from an Iraq Veteran Against the War

2008-01-06T19:09:00.000Z

Truly heartbreaking testimony from this young IVAW.. this should be seen by everyone. One day soon we will see Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Blair and all the other blood-soaked war criminals brought to justice for their heinous crimes against humanity.

George Carlin on 'Airport Security'

2007-12-30T13:21:00.000Z

George Carlin hits the nail on the head

glumbert - George Carlin has something to say about airport security

Dear Neil...

2007-11-25T00:23:00.000Z

"No we ARE RESPECT - no one has left and we are not splintering" -- Neil Williams

Neil, you boycotted Respect's annual delegate conference where actual members attended and voted on resolutions, as they do every year. You boycotted it because a handful of well known faces said that this is what you should do - despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of members reaffirmed their commitment to that conference in emergency branch meetings up and down the country. You then set up a meeting under the name 'Respect Renewal' and held it on the same day. So no, it can no longer be claimed that you are Respect.

You have lost the most principled and dedicated activists and councillors, along with the students, the staff that worked day in and day out in Respect's office, and the vast bulk of those who put in the tireless work during election campaigns - in fact, those in Respect Renewal have managed to alienate themselves from the most productive and committed members. Whether they are in the SWP or not, the fact is that they were doing the work on the ground and yet they have been shown nothing but contempt by people in your camp. Some of the attacks on them at your rally were truly in the gutter.

Mark Serwotka is without a doubt the most principled of all the union leaders in the UK - he recognises that the only way to protect ourselves from the attacks of the rich and powerful is through left unity above all else. And so he refuses to engage in the destructive and utterly pointless mud-slinging on the left. And coming from this perspective, he articulates so completely the feelings that I (as a non-SWP member) hold about this split - I would recommend you watch his speech from start to finish. If only more on the left were even half as dedicated to fighting the real enemy.

It truly is shocking the way that a few 'big names' think that they are above the membership, and people like you are legitimising that behaviour. You have ignored (and in George's case misrepresented and deliberately skewed) the concerns that were raised, such as the unprincipled politics and the Respect bandwagon jumping that was taking place around election time, or the shocking behaviour of certain councillors towards others. And you are ignoring it because it is indefensible, and moreover, it doesn't fit in with the very handy scapegoating that is taking place of the "usual suspects".

What I don't understand is why you suddenly decided that you had such a major problem with the SWP, four years down the line, when you showed no signs of it before? They were, after all, your fellow Respect members, and one of the main forces involved in the creation of Respect in January 2004. So it was odd to say the least that the attacks from you, the 'official' Respect blogger came so easily.

And what's more, you knew that Respect would be severely weakened by a split and yet you did nothing to try to avert it in your capacity as the 'official' Respect blogger. You could have been an important voice for unity and yet you chose to play a very divisive role instead. I find that quite sad.

You have now found yourself in an alliance with many members who only joined (or rejoined) Respect when they saw a faction fight looming, not members who have been hardworking dedicated Respect activists (and staunch George defenders) from the start.

The 'Renewal' alliance is an inherently weak one, based as it is on those united in their dislike of all things SWP, and those who would have sided with George Galloway no matter what the argument. The politics and issues that culminated in this split have not been addressed within this faction thus far - they have either been deliberately distorted or swept under the carpet. All that matters to some is that the SWP and their allies are not in the Renewal picture, and to others that George is happy.

Not the most sustainable, inspiring or principled coalition of the left to say the least.

George Galloway: Without the SWP there would be no anti-war movement

2007-11-19T22:19:00.000Z

Ed's note: I have just read this below an article on Comment is Free and thought it was worth reproducing here. The bits in italics are my own additions.

"There would be no anti-war movement in Britain without the SWP and that is a fact" -- George Galloway, July 2007

So, why the incredible U-Turn George? Has someone being doing some major stirring behind the scenes, whispering nasty rumours in your ear about those 'evil' Trots?

I'm afraid this looks like the oldest trick in the book - someone has tried to split Galloway from his base, and sadly they seem to have succeeded. I have my own personal theories about who close to George is not all they seem to be.

What a shame that George has allowed this to happen - after all the lies, smears and underhand tactics by the media and political establishment to destroy him, he should have been more alert to this type of thing.

But he failed to recognise the attack this time, and instead turned on his most loyal supporters, those who had relentlessly defended him day in and day out over the last 5 years.

Perhaps he will do something about this before it is too late - but in the meantime, the mish-mash of people who have surrounded him, mostly united by a hatred of the SWP and a desire to be free to behave in any way they so choose as elected representatives, are going to drag him down further.

They are not his friends, for true friends would point out destructive behaviour, not exacerbate it; true friends would have appealed for unity, instead of childishly writing (deeply offensive) poems about (the SWP being) 'leeches' and penning disingenous and hypocritical letters to the local paper; True friends would simply not wish Galloway to be alienated from the largest, most hardworking and productive of all the groups on the British left.

Galloway has already been attacked twice since this crisis occured - his Blackpool event was cancelled with 3 days notice and now his show on Talksport is being attacked by Ofcom. The attacks are already coming in thick and fast now that he is at his most vulnerable position.

AthenaM on Comment is Free

Mark Serwotka at Respect's 2007 annual delegate conference

2007-11-19T20:50:00.000Z

Mark Serwotka on the need for left unity above all else:

"I was as happy as anyone in this room at the election of George Galloway and the election of Respect councillors...because I think that gave people hope and it gave them inspiration. And therefore it is with a degree of sadness that I find myself today being asked to speak to 4 different left events in London.

Now I am speaking at three of those events: I'm speaking at the Labour Representation Committee, and I am going to speak later on to the Socialist Party.

I have declined to speak to the Respect Renewal conference in London.

And I want to explain why; You see, I'm a passionate believer, and I have said it for years, that we have to have unity on the left if we are to have any chance - who is the happiest person in this country, who picks up the papers or watches the TV to see that some people have left Respect and that there is a split on the left? I think it's Gordon Brown.

He must think its Christmas every day - he knows he's attacking the working class, he knows he's attacking pensioners, he knows he's continuing Blair's policies, and he looks to those who articulate a better view and he sees that they've split. And he sees that they can't agree. And he rubs his hands in glee and he thinks "when can I use that phrase 'you know the (Tories) would be worse than me'?" Well I tell you what, we can't let him get away with it.

So my appeal today is for unity. But it is unity based on tolerance, on accepting difference, on a core programme that addresses working class issues. But there can never be unity in a party to the left of Labour if people attack and witch-hunt other socialists.

And I say that from a point - and I don't hide it - John and I do not agree on all political positions, and my good friend Martin Smith at the back have had many disagreements. But I think we all understand, if we all want to find what we disagree on, we can have an interesting discussion, a few beers, a couple of curries, and it can be very interesting. But actually, we're interested in finding what we can agree on, and a programme that can take us forward. That has to be we respect everybody - everbody's view no matter where their background comes from; no matter what their particular interest or their particular campaign that brought them to this question of needing an alternative to Labour.

We tolerate difference, we welcome debate, but we act in unity and we do not attack other people for the views that they hold.

And I tell you what comrades, I think, if we understand what we need to do, we can see today as not some desperate position that we all dreaded and we put our heads in the sand and feel sorry for ourselves - we can see it perhaps as an opportunity to get a few things clearer and move on stronger.

And I want to say this to you that I don't think that means, I believe, and I'll be honest about it and I've said it before, that what we've got in this room is the finished article, that this is the alternative to Labour that will take us into pastures new. It isn't the case, and I hope we all accept it isn't the case. But what it is, is a vital part of creating that something new.

And if we analyse the splits that have taken place in the Scottish Socialist Party, that has happened today with people leaving Respect, or other things, I think there's a bit of a common theme: what do we need to ensure that those people who want to take us off into a different direction are stopped from doing it? We need the organised labour movement and we need the trade unions to be involved to give us a bedrock on which to go forward.

And that's why, I don't come here as some hopeless idealist, hoping for the best and crossing my fingers. I come here with a view of how perhaps that can take us forward. It means in the trade union movement we have to confront those that tell us loyalty to Labour is above all."

Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of PCS union, 17th Novemeber 2007

Another voice of inspiration - Noreen Fatima, Chair of Student Respect speaks at Respect's 2007 annual delegate conference

A sad day: George Galloway splits from Respect

2007-11-03T17:48:00.000Z

Ed's note: I am gutted it has come to this. Anyone can see from my blog how highly I think of George Galloway. I have been one of his most staunch supporters over these last few years. But the way his side are now behaving is just shocking to me..I feel totally betrayed that they are in the process of wrecking such an amazing, historical movement.

NB: Another sad aspect in all of this is that I feel the need to state that I am not a member of the SWP - never have been and never will be. I have only ever been a member of one political party, and that is Respect - "The Unity Coalition".

George Galloway splits from Respect
03/11/2007
George Galloway and his supporters have split from Respect. After a week in which he has tried to pretend that the SWP and other socialists were leaving Respect he has announced a rival conference on the same day as the Respect national conference.

The split conference, under the name Respect Renewal, does not have the support of the majority of Respect members nor has it been authorised or endorsed by any of the elected bodies of Respect.

George Galloway has chosen to ignore the resolutions from Respect branches around the country demanding that the Respect conference go ahead. The attempt by Linda Smith and Salma Yaqoob earlier this week to call off the long planned Respect annual conference failed because most rank and file members demanded that it go ahead.

George Galloway's response has been to try and split the organisation by calling a separate conference. He has failed to win votes at the national officers meetings or to put his call to a national council. He fears he will not have the support of a majority at the Respect conference.

Every Respect member should support the original and properly delegated conference. No other conference will be a delegate body with the authority to speak for Respect members. We remain committed to the radical, democratic principles of Respect as it was first founded.

http://www.respectcoalition.org/?ite=1624

Head of British Army: Our Opponents are Not Bad People

2007-09-25T12:11:00.000Z

Now that Ricard Dannatt, Head of the British Army has admitted that those fighting the murderous occupiers are - SHOCK! HORROR! - actually ordinary people concerned about their "jobs, money security and hope" and - SHOCK! HORROR! - they are 'not bad people', how on earth can he justify his army's continuing murderous occupation and the massacre of more than 1.2 million Iraqis?

'Our opponents in the main are Iraqi Nationalists and are most concerned with their own needs: jobs, money, security, hope. And the majority therefore, I would suggest, are not bad people.'

Dannatt: Enemy are not bad people

Taxi for Jim Fitzpatrick!

2007-08-11T12:07:00.001Z

George Galloway has finally announced where he intends to stand at the next general election...Jim Fitzpatrick of Poplar and Limehouse, we're coming to get you!

And just in case anyone is in any doubt why Mr Fitzpatrick is next on the hit-list, here is his very blood-stained, yes-Blair-no-Blair-three-bags-full-Blair voting record (and yet it is George Galloway who is the 'controversial' MP!)

How Jim Fitzpatrick voted on key issues since 2001 :
* Voted very strongly against a transparent Parliament.
* Voted moderately for introducing a smoking ban.
* Voted very strongly for introducing ID cards.
* Voted very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals.
* Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.
* Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
* Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.
* Voted very strongly against investigating the Iraq war.
* Voted very strongly for replacing Trident.

Perhaps Jim can follow in Oona King's footsteps and carve out a really thriving career in the media for himself (well she keeps saying that's what she's doing these days but I've yet to set any evidence of it...but then she was still MP for Bethnal Green and Bow according to her website until not too long ago. Hard to let go, isn't it Oona?).

Oh dear, what stick will establishment lackey Jeremy Paxman be able to beat George with following this victory? That's a tough one - better start thinking of something now Jeremy you 'tough interviewer' you! No doubt George will stick two fingers up to the BBC this time though and not give them the satisfaction of spewing their bile - unless of course their 'integrity training' has paid off by then!

Respect wins Shadwell!

2007-08-10T00:45:00.001Z

Excellent news - Respect has won the vote in Shadwell a comrade has just informed me. New Labour were stopped in their tracks as they desperately tried to get the much hated Michael Keith back on the council, lying shamelessly throughout the entire campaign about Respect (claiming they had an 'alliance' with the Tories and that they are 'extremists' - yes, anti-war, anti-privatisation and anti-racist campaigners are very 'extreme' to NuLabour hacks - says it all about this government), the Tories (saying that David Davis had called for a Bangladeshi old people's home to be 'burned down' when he did no such thing), themselves (hilariously saying that a vote for Labour is a vote for improved housing, youth services, etc etc.. the most shameless, blatant lie of all).

Results:

Miah (Respect) 1512
Keith (Lab) 1415
Crossey (Con) 476
Clarke (LD) 98

Congratulations Cllr Harun Miah and well done to all in Respect for a job well done!

BNP terrorists protected by courts, media, government...

2007-08-01T13:54:00.000Z

As part of the ongoing campaign to paint the BNP in a positive light by the establishment, the case of two BNP-ers found with the largest ever stockpiles of chemical explosives, bomb-making equipment and a rocket launcher, who wanted to start a 'war between races' has been buried by the mainstream media from start to finish (the BBC have been extremely careful to hide it from the public completely - not a peep on News 24, and totally hidden on their website - despite MANY complaints).

No stern words of warning from the government either about the need to root out BNP terrorists from our midst... and now, the final insult, a pitiful sentence handed down by the courts.

We ALL know how they would have been treated if they were Muslims - they would have been locked up and the key thrown away. And the media would have been ALL over the story even before a hint of evidence was available. BBC reporters would have been positively salivating all over the place and providing us with minute-by-minute updates had they been Muslims.

But as we all know, the powers-that-be have to be sure to follow the right script in order to perpetuate the lie that is the 'war on terror', don't they?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unite Against Fascism Press Release
For Immediate Release
FAO: Newsdesk
Wednesday 1st August 2007

Anti-fascists condemn leniency of sentence as ex-BNP candidate gets two and a half years for stockpiling chemicals

Robert Cottage, three times BNP candidate was jailed yesterday for having stockpiled chemicals, bomb making equipment and rocket launcher. Cottage is the latest BNP member to have been found guilty of criminal charges. In the last year, another five BNP members and councillors have been found guilty of offences ranging from racially aggravated assault to attempted firebombing.

Cottage is likely to be released within six months, having already spent a year on remand. The chemicals found in his house were reported by the police to be the largest stockpile of such material used to make explosives in Britain. He was found not guilty of much more serious charges of conspiracy to cause explosions.

Denis Fernando, Joint Secretary of Unite Against Fascism said: 'Cottage's conviction is the latest example of the fascist BNP's criminality: behind the façade of respectability that the BNP craves lies an organisation that is full of convicted criminals. The BNP is not a legitimate party when its members and candidates engage in such violent activity and should not be treated as an ordinary political party or legitimised. They represent a criminal conspiracy that opposes democracy and has a history of violence. This sentence does not reflect the seriousness of the offence committed.'

For more information contact Unite Against Fascism Joint National Secretaries Denis Fernando on 07790022472 and Martin Smith on 07904157779 or contact 020 7833 4916 unite@ucu.org.uk

Notes to the editors:

1. Earlier this year, David Enderby British National Party (BNP) councillor for Winyates ward, Redditch, was found guilty of three counts of assault. In June last year, Kevin Hughes, Enderby's agent in the elections was sentenced to three months in prison for racially aggravated common assault.

2. BNP Parliamentary candidate for Hull Brian Wainwright was found guilty after a campaign of hate mail against the local mosque, a Muslim councillor and a local anti-fascist activist. A letter in which he claimed, "Muslim blood will be spilt" included 'SS' scull and cross bones imagery.

3. BNP activist in Swindon Mark Bulman (who has used the pseudonym Bullock) was sentenced to five years after attempting to firebomb a local mosque using a BNP leaflet as a fuse. He also daubed swastikas and racist graffiti on local shops and businesses that he believed to be 'ethnic'.

4. In June 2006 BNP councillor Brian Turner was found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence. He escaped a jail sentence and was instead ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community. Turner has previous convictions of common assault and police assault after he was convicted of beating up his wife Melanie Turner.

5. Unite Against Fascism is a broad-based national campaign aimed at stopping the BNP, which brings together Black, Jewish, Muslim communities and other faith representatives, Lesbian and Gay activists, trade unionists and MPs into an alliance with all those who are threatened by and oppose fascism.

Unite Against Fascism
020 7833 4916
unite@ucu.org.uk
www.uaf.org.uk

MPs with an ocean of blood on their hands suspend George Galloway - you couldn't make it up!

2007-07-26T19:35:00.000Z

The fabulous Leon Kuhn hits the nail on the head again.

GORDON BROWN'S KATRINA

2007-07-25T17:06:00.000Z

From the Respect party's website:
http://www.respectcoalition.org/

24/07/2007

As much of England lay under water yesterday for the second time in a month, climate scientists confirmed what most of us already know, that the unprecedented rainfall in June and July is the result of climate change caused by human activity.

Like Hurricane Katrina, the storm which killed more than 1,800 people and destroyed large parts of New Orleans in 2005, the floods this summer are an example of the extreme weather events we will see more of as global warming increases.

Also like Hurricane Katrina, the floods this summer have seen ordinary people left to bear the brunt of a natural disaster exacerbated by a government more interested in private profit than public services.

The US government had been warned years before Katrina that the levées in New Orleans needed major work, but the vast sums spent on the war on Iraq left little for flood defences.

Here, it has emerged that New Labour knew three years ago that plans to deal with flooding were "complex, confusing and distressing for the public" and that overall control by the Environment Agency was needed. The government’s response was to cut jobs in the agency, part of Gordon Brown’s privatisation-led attacks on civil service jobs, pay and pensions.

In the wake of the flooding, Brown has now promised an additional £250 million for the Environment Agency over three years to improve flood defences, but the agency says it needs £1 billion a year. It seems New Labour can find £8 billion for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and £76 billion for Trident, but preventing floods has a rather lower priority.

The underlying problem is that drainage systems have not been expanding to keep pace with new development, increased water use or more intense rainfall, so as our weather gets more extreme, the drains are less able to cope.

The privatised water companies are obliged to repair the existing sewage systems, but they don’t have to provide new capacity. Ofwat, the water industry regulator, has been unwilling to make them, as it says water bills would have to go up to pay for it.

In our privatised public services, it is of course unthinkable that the water companies could be made to dip into their own pockets to protect their customers from flooding, even though they could certainly afford it. Severn Trent, responsible for some of the worst affected areas, saw their profits increase by 9.5% last year to £252 million, while Thames Water (who are also part of the failed Metronet consortium on the London Tube) enjoyed a massive 31% increase to £346.5 million.

Incredibly, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper says that the government will not stop plans to build new houses on flood plains, as flood plains are needed for affordable housing.

So people who can't afford anything else have to put up with the risk of flooding, for which they will be increasingly unable to get insurance, while those rich enough can live on higher ground. The floods are set to cost insurance companies £2 billion, but the real issue is the thousands of people flooded out who couldn’t afford insurance at all.

http://www.respectcoalition.org/?ite=1507

Spineless hacks target Galloway....Again

2007-07-24T11:48:00.000Z

Shameful vendetta against Galloway

By Linda S. Heard, Special to Gulf News
Published: July 24, 2007, 00:06

They're at it again. The British anti-war MP George Galloway is once again being targeted by the establishment on both sides of the pond. Both the British Parliament's watchdog and the US Justice Department are behaving like dogs salivating over the same juicy bone labelled "Get Galloway".

You've got to feel sorry for the man. How many times is he going to be investigated for the same "crime" when until now there's not a shred of proof against him?

How many more times will the right-wing press seek to libel him and subsequently have to shell out huge sums in damages? How many more fake or unsubstantiated documents are going to turn up?

Galloway faces an 18-day suspension from the House of Commons following his vigorous defence when faced with a report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

The report suggests that Galloway had failed to investigate the source of funds donated by a Jordanian businessman to his Mariam Appeal anti-Iraq sanctions charity and alleges that some money was derived from Saddam Hussain's dodgy oil-for-food dealings.

Galloway admits this may be true since his wealthy Jordanian friend conducted regular business with Saddam's Iraq but says he has no knowledge as to whether monies paid to his charity were originally derived from Iraqi oil sales.

He says he was grateful for all donations and it was no business of his to question donors whether or not the cash was kosher. Moreover, the Charity Commissioners have already delved into the matter and found that no money was ever diverted into Galloway's personal accounts.

When Galloway was accused by a Senate Sub-Committee of receiving under the table Iraqi oil allocations, he volunteered to fly to Washington for the purposes of clearing his name. It transpired that the committee had nothing of substance. Galloway trashed their flimsy "evidence" and gave the US a resounding ticking off for going to war on a pack of lies.

Let's be realistic. They're not after him because they think oil for food money took a circuitous route into Galloway's appeal. If that were the case they would have to go after every charity on earth.

Who knows how many murderers, thieves, rapists and mafia bosses have salvaged their consciences by giving to Oxfam? Who can assure us that the Red Cross or the Red Crescent has never received a cent from nasty dictators or unscrupulous oligarchs?

If every recipient of charity monies were duty bound to check on their source there would be a lot more hungry and homeless people in the world. First of all most of the money would go on administration costs and secondly privacy-conscious donors would head for the hills rather than have their bank accounts scrutinised.

Galloway says he should be honoured not hounded. And he's absolutely right. The Mariam Appeal was set-up to get treatment for a little Iraqi girl suffering from cancer and to fight for the end of US-led sanctions against Iraq, responsible for the deaths of millions of Iraqi children.

Moreover, the colourful MP was the first to speak up loudly against the invasion of Iraq and was booted out of the Labour Party for calling George W. Bush and Tony Blair "wolves" while urging British troops not to obey illegal orders.

As Galloway says himself, he was right and they were wrong.

If they had listened to Galloway there would have been no limbless victims of cluster bombs or babies born with deformities due to depleted uranium tank shells.

If they had listened to Galloway, Iraqis would still be Iraqis not Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds. There would be no civil war. There would be no millions of displaced persons. There would be no stateless Palestinian refugees from Iraq subsisting behind barbed wire near the Jordanian border.

And there would be no Turkish threats to invade the north and no Sunni concerns about a growing so-called Shiite crescent.

Skewed intelligence

Let's talk guilt. Ask yourself just who are the guilty ones? Those people who skewed intelligence and rapped up the fear factor in order to persuade their publics to accept their ruthless, self-interested agendas or Galloway who cared enough about Iraqi children to risk his career; perhaps even his life? "I have the most powerful enemies of all," he recently declared. No one could argue with that.

It's shameful that the British establishment saw fit to gloss over the whitewashing of the strange death of Dr David Kelly, another man whose words didn't support their warmongering fabrications.

And now it has seen fit to exonerate all those in the cash for honours scandal because of lack of evidence, they say, although just a few weeks ago the police were confident someone would be charged.

But when it comes to their nemesis Galloway it's a different story. There may be no meat on the bone of their allegations but they're determined to chew on it until it breaks, while the Senate Committee hopes to be able to gloat over a shard.

If anyone should be investigated it should be Blair for manipulating and hyping intelligence so as to take his country to war without a UN mandate, against the wishes of many of his cabinet colleagues (as we recently learned) and 80 per cent of his people.

You're a better man than the lot of them Galloway. Keep fighting! Keep safe and God bless you!

Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com.

American soldiers murder more kids

2007-06-18T19:48:00.000Z

Another day, another load of unpeople killed by our wonderfully noble freedom-loving friendly empire - today 7 little boys have been massacred in Afghanistan by the Americans.

Our oh-so-very-left-wing BBC have decided to bury the story as per usual - of course, if 7 American or British children were killed by Islamic forces, I'm sure the absolutely impartial BBC would devote a tiny article to it too and then go on to blame anyone else but those responsible.

How much longer will American, British, Israeli and other state-terrorists get away with this type of brutality? No one buys the propaganda anymore, that much is obvious. Only half-wits still believe the lies about bombing in the name of freedom/democracy/security/some other fluffy rhetoric. We know what this is about.

It's time people of conscience everywhere got their act together and stopped these maniacs from their endless killing sprees.

To all the refusenik soldiers out there who saw through the lies and refused to kill another man, another woman, another child, another piece of your soul - you are the true heroes.

The Guardian lay their cards firmly on the pro-war table

2007-05-26T23:07:00.000Z

I won't say too much on this as everyone else on the blogosphere and beyond have already said it brilliantly (this story really has gone all round the world by the looks of it) but this week the Guardian took the extraordinary decision to splash an utterly unfounded shit-stirring story all over their front page about how Iran has big plans to drive the US out of Iraq this summer.

More blatant propaganda you could not find and this is especially sick when - as anyone with two brain cells know - America and Israel have Iran firmly in their sights and have done for some time. They are positively ITCHING to bomb the hell out of Iran.

The crappy article was by a hack called Simon Tisdall and it contained not one shred of evidence for its ludicrous accusations and was instead based on the witterings of unnamed 'US officials' (need I say more?). The underlying and completely laughable assumption all throughout the article is that the US are the good guys, that they are innocent, vulnerable, benevolent and oh-so-noble, whilst the Iranians are, in a nutshell, dangerous barbarians.

When all the evidence over the last few years has shown that it is the US and UK governments that are the actual aggressors, the actual liars, the actual threat, the actual savages, and when the majority of the world, including the majority of America and Britain, are completely obsessed and up in arms over the mass slaughter that has taken place in Iraq and Afghanistan, is this really the place that the Guardian think their readership are at? They really thought that they could get away with pushing a stinking pile of trouble-making American bullshit blatantly aimed at stirring up ill-feeling towards the people of Iran?? Really???

Unless of course...

They are simply desperate to boost circulation and web-hits at any cost (Although judging by the stream of disgusted comments on CiF in response to Tisdall's crap, perhaps they should have considered that there is in fact such a thing as bad publicity.)
They want to dump their present readership altogether and lose their reputation as a left-leaning paper... after all, they've been trying to shake that for a while now
There are more sinister motives at play here, and the Guardian are on a mission on behalf of the big boys to 'test the water' and see what sort of a response an openly aggressive anti-Iranian article would generate.

If this last theory is correct, I'd say they have the message loud and clear by now:

WE ARE TIRED OF THE RACIST LIES, WE ARE AGAINST YOUR IMPERIALIST AGENDA AND WE ABHOR THE MASS SLAUGHTER OF PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE-EAST. IF YOU DARE TRY TO ATTACK IRAN THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY. WE SEE THROUGH YOU.

I can't say I am shocked by the Guardian acting as a mouthpiece for the most bloodstained, ruthless and highly armed nation on earth - I have no real illusions about the integrity of any of the mainstream media, and certainly not the Guardian following some of their barrel-scraping actions in recent years. I suppose I am a tad surprised that they apparently have such little problem with placing their entire reputation on the line by running a fact-free article so completely transparent in its hawkish agenda, but that's the extent of my disbelief in all of this.

If truth be told though, the massive outpouring of cynicism and disgust that has been generated as a result of this lackey's drivel has actually cheered me up no end - it's always uplifting to be reminded that there is a huge army of people of conscience around the world who will not rest until they bring about an end to the complete madness that has engulfed the world so completely in recent years.

The Guardian won't be forgiven this in a hurry, that's for sure.

Support Norman G Finkelstein - Zionists trying to sabotage his bid for tenure

2007-04-17T21:12:00.000Z

The wonderfully brave anti-Zionist historian Norman G Finkelstein (one of my personal heroes) is being targeted again by the usual suspects, who are now out to deny him attaining tenure at the university where he teaches. (Unbelievable that such a renowned and brilliant man has not already been awarded tenure but then given his dedication to telling the truth about Israel, maybe I shouldn't be too surprised - he does live in the 'land of the free' after all).

The main culprit out to sabotage Finkelstein's bid for tenure is in fact none other than Alan Dershowitz, whose book 'The Case for Israel' was exposed as a hoax and a fraud by Finkelstein.

More background information and the chance to add your name in support of Dr Finkelstein here:

http://normanfinkelstein.wordpress.com/

I am currently reading Finkelstein's Beyond Chutzpah - you must read this book if you want to learn the truth behind the politically-motivated misinformation and outright BS spread around by the Zionist-lobby. (The aforementioned slime Alan Dershowitz actually displayed such 'chutzpah' as to try and have the book banned - but then, who can blame him for being envious of a man of integrity, who actually earned his title of historian by thoroughly researching his field and then - shock! horror! - writing books based on fact rather than of pure fiction?)

You will be as astounded but also somewhat disturbed by what you read. But at a time when accusations of 'anti-semitism' levied against those daring to speak out against Israel's attrocities towards the long-suffering Palestinians is reaching the point of hysteria once more, it is imperative that you are armed with the facts.

Our brave boys (and girl) to sell their stories

2007-04-08T14:22:00.000Z

Why all the hoo-ha about the sailors profiting from their "ordeal"?

What's the problem with them selling their story? After all, they sold their souls a long time ago.

Well Treated British Navy Spies Stab Iran in the Back

2007-04-07T10:01:00.000Z

I watched the live press conference with the 7 Navy Personnel yesterday - and what a pitiful spectacle that was to behold.

Despite informing us that they were given pyjamas to get changed into, were fed and watered well and had their bad habits such as smoking fully accommodated, not to mention that they were allowed to gather together for a couple hours each night to play chess, they tried in a most unconvincing way to persuade us that they were put through an 'ordeal' mostly 'psychological' in nature.

Sorry lads, we know you were not allowed to speak to the British press before you were briefed to the nth degree by your MOD masters and boy did it show. The same abstract phrases such as 'mind games' were used again and again with nothing of substance to back up the claims and at no point did you feel that they were actually believing in what they were saying.. the fact they were (literally) reading from a script kind of gave the game away too.

The most telling part was when the panel were questioned about their feelings towards the Iranians after their so-called ordeal. They all looked at each other, none wanting to answer the question and finally one of them muttered 'well we're not their biggest fan....'

They were clearly wrestling with the consciences - tell the truth, that they were actually treated with respect and dignity, or stick to the script about those 'nasty uncivilised Iranians'?

And now of course the shit-rag tabloids such as the Sun and Express are having a field day talking of the terrible 'torture' these brave lads (and lass) were subject to.

Now that they are back in the UK it is more clear than ever that Terry Jones's article was bang on the money - humiliation this was not.

Perhaps we'll see a group of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo detainees being questioned by the oh-so-concerned British media next about the real definition of what it is to be put through a horrendous ordeal and be subject to barbaric torture and actual humiliation. I won't be holding my breath though.

That just wouldn't be following the right script now would it?

Call that humiliation? asks Terry Jones

2007-03-31T10:39:00.000Z

No hoods. No electric shocks. No beatings. These Iranians clearly are a very uncivilised bunch

Terry Jones
Saturday March 31, 2007
The Guardian

I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour? For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? That's what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it's hard to breathe. Then it's perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can't be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.

It is also unacceptable that these British captives should be made to talk on television and say things that they may regret later. If the Iranians put duct tape over their mouths, like we do to our captives, they wouldn't be able to talk at all. Of course they'd probably find it even harder to breathe - especially with a bag over their head - but at least they wouldn't be humiliated.

And what's all this about allowing the captives to write letters home saying they are all right? It's time the Iranians fell into line with the rest of the civilised world: they should allow their captives the privacy of solitary confinement. That's one of the many privileges the US grants to its captives in Guantánamo Bay.

The true mark of a civilised country is that it doesn't rush into charging people whom it has arbitrarily arrested in places it's just invaded. The inmates of Guantánamo, for example, have been enjoying all the privacy they want for almost five years, and the first inmate has only just been charged. What a contrast to the disgraceful Iranian rush to parade their captives before the cameras!

What's more, it is clear that the Iranians are not giving their British prisoners any decent physical exercise. The US military make sure that their Iraqi captives enjoy PT. This takes the form of exciting "stress positions", which the captives are expected to hold for hours on end so as to improve their stomach and calf muscles. A common exercise is where they are made to stand on the balls of their feet and then squat so that their thighs are parallel to the ground. This creates intense pain and, finally, muscle failure. It's all good healthy fun and has the bonus that the captives will confess to anything to get out of it.

And this brings me to my final point. It is clear from her TV appearance that servicewoman Turney has been put under pressure. The newspapers have persuaded behavioural psychologists to examine the footage and they all conclude that she is "unhappy and stressed".

What is so appalling is the underhand way in which the Iranians have got her "unhappy and stressed". She shows no signs of electrocution or burn marks and there are no signs of beating on her face. This is unacceptable. If captives are to be put under duress, such as by forcing them into compromising sexual positions, or having electric shocks to their genitals, they should be photographed, as they were in Abu Ghraib. The photographs should then be circulated around the civilised world so that everyone can see exactly what has been going on.

As Stephen Glover pointed out in the Daily Mail, perhaps it would not be right to bomb Iran in retaliation for the humiliation of our servicemen, but clearly the Iranian people must be made to suffer - whether by beefing up sanctions, as the Mail suggests, or simply by getting President Bush to hurry up and invade, as he intends to anyway, and bring democracy and western values to the country, as he has in Iraq.

· Terry Jones is a film director, actor and Python
http://www.terry-jones.net/

Eastern Europeans Ate My Hamster

2007-03-30T20:12:00.000Z

Continuing the tirade of racist rants that we have come to expect from this scummy far-right Not-at-all-Labour government, Gordon ‘blank cheque for all things war-like’ Brown has blamed 'Eastern European scams' for tax rate rises for small firms.

This comes hot on the heels of the hysterical and oh-so-transparent ravings from the nasty little squirt that is John Reid who recently proved himself the big man when he promised to target "foreigners who come to this country illegitimately and steal our benefits" and to make life "constrained and uncomfortable" for immigrants.

He also boasted that the UK is now "throwing out" record numbers of asylum seekers. I wonder if he's throwing them out as fast as him and his group of murderous gangsters are creating them in the first place? Must be hard for him to keep up. Tosser.

And yet we're supposed to believe that this pathetic weasel was ever on the left of the political spectrum? Well if you read this article, you don't even have to read between the lines to see that he aligned himself with left-wingers in university in order to further himself in student politics:

"Success depended upon support not only from Labour students but also from the communists. Approaching Jim White, the secretary of the Young Communist League, Reid professed to be a convert seeking membership. "He told us he was a Leninist and Stalinist," White recalls. "Although I was suspicious about his transition, we couldn't tell if he was acting. We let him join." With White's support and Reid's good organisation, he won the vote. John Reid's political career was launched."

Reid was a careerist scum-ball from the start and make no mistake about it - no one with genuine salt-of-the-earth left-wing principles could transform into such a morally bankrupt twat in such drastic fashion.

And speaking of morally bankrupt twats, Jack Straw has been continuing his obsession with the already much harassed Muslim community:

"We need to recognise that there is a big cultural divide between Muslims and the rest of us, more than say with the Afro-Caribbean community."

Well you certainly couldn't get a much bigger divide than the one that exists between the dangerous white men in suits that run this country and the rest of us, that's for sure.

Not content with slaughtering god only knows how many countless people (at least 655,000 in Iraq alone so could well be past the million mark by now – but they ‘don't do body counts’ of the natives remember so we’ll never know for sure), they are now doing their utmost to turn this country into a nation of rabid, ignorant, fascist freaks who see Muslims as 'the enemy' and who are therefore only too eager to wave their blood-stained flag and get behind the government's oil-grabbing, corporation-enriching killing sprees in far off countries.

Unfortunately for them, rather than getting their way in dumbing down the nation, this country has never been more radicalised and has never had a bigger social conscience – you just have to look at the polls to see that the majority of the UK are vehemently anti-war and that they despise B-Liar with all their being.

George Galloway Says It Best, Again

2007-03-28T22:05:00.000Z

George Galloway: Resist the war drive against Iran

Respect MP George Galloway writes on the lies that prepare the way for missiles

The capture by Iranian forces of 15 British sailors in the Gulf brought shrill, bellicose headlines last weekend and calls for retribution.

The anti-war movement has done a superb job in winning a clear majority against the war and occupation in Iraq.

But no one should believe that because the case against the “war on terror” is so overwhelming then no British government can garner support for another military misadventure.

The capture of the British sailors has all the hallmarks of the kind of incident that has been used in the past as a reason either for war or for escalating confrontation.

In 1949 the British gunboat HMS Amethyst was fired on in the Yangtze river in China. There was much outrage in Britain at Mao’s People’s Liberation Army, which was on the verge of taking power, for shooting at the ship. There was little questioning of what a British ship was doing on a Chinese river.

Whether or not the British sailors were in Iranian waters is disputed. But what is not in dispute is that Britain has joined the US in pouring warships into the Gulf while pressuring and threatening Iran.

Reliable US sources have reported that special forces are already operating in Iran.The Stop the War Coalition has rightly argued that the occupation of Iraq threatens to generate a wider regional war.

The commander of the ship HMS Cornwall unwittingly captured the mentality of imperial occupation when he said the sailors had been captured in “our waters”. He meant the waters belonging under international law and treaty to the Republic of Iraq.

In addition to the immediate argument that this incident is not worth yet more bloodshed and war, it is vital to challenge this imperialist delusion.

Part of that is simply asking the obvious question: imagine if Iran occupied France, had scores of warships in the Channel, was reported to have commandos operating in the home counties, and was pushing for sanctions against Britain – how would public opinion, the media and the British government react?

What makes anyone think Iran is any different?

Secondly, as propagandists try to gloss the “war on terror” in fake humanitarianism, more and more people need to shout out the single greatest lesson of the anti-war movement.

It is not the business of Western governments and the corporations that back them, steeped in the blood and sweat of hundreds of millions of people across the globe, to bring “order” to the “savages”.

It is the business of those of us who live in those imperialist states to do all in our power to stop their militarism and to act in solidarity with those around the globe fighting for a better world.

Everywhere you go this week, make sure people are asking: what on earth are British gunboats doing in Iraqi or Iranian waters in a place called the Arabian or Persian Gulf thousands of miles from home?

It is up to all of us to oppose the war drive against Iran. Can you start a discussion at work or college, arrange a Stop the War meeting, get a letter into your local paper, petition on the streets?

And as the People’s Assembly in London agreed last week, if there is an attack on Iran, we will need civil disobedience in every community, walkouts in every school, protests and strikes in every workplace.

If George Bush bombs Iran, we should bring this country to a standstill.

Blair itching to bomb Iran - BBC doing their best to help again

2007-03-28T19:46:00.000Z

Anyone consider the BBC's involvement in the capture of 15 of "our brave boys and girls" more than a little suspicious?

Just hours before Faye Turney, the only female among the 15 sailors, was captured, the BBC had interviewed her and indeed a BBC crew were on the HMS Cornwall on the day of the incident.

What is the likelihood of that happening by accident? Really?

We all know that the BBC have become nauseatingly loyal to Blair and the rest of the murderous crooks running this country in recent years - a more pro-war broadcaster in the run up to the invasion of Iraq you could not find.

Forgive me if I am not buying this story hook, line and sinker (ahem..) but then it has been an open secret for some time that Iran is to be the next 'rogue state' that Bush and Blair (hard men that they are) would be 'dealing with'.

The below article, for instance, written in January of this year is now beginning to ring alarmingly true... stay alert people for another war is looming... but only if you let it.

US military strike on Iran seen by April ’07; Sea-launched attack to hit oil, N-sites

KUWAIT CITY: Washington will launch a military strike on Iran before April 2007, say sources. The attack will be launched from the sea and Patriot missiles will guard all oil-producing countries in the region, they add. Recent statements emanating from the United States indicate the Bush administration’s new strategy for Iraq doesn’t include any proposal to make a compromise or negotiate with Syria or Iran. A reliable source said President Bush recently held a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice and other assistants in the White House where they discussed the plan to attack Iran in minute detail.

According to the source, Vice President Dick Cheney highlighted the threat posed by Iran to not only Saudi Arabia but the whole region. “Tehran is not playing politics. Iranian leaders are using their country’s religious influence to support the aggressive regime’s ambition to expand,” the source quoted Dick Cheney as saying. Indicating participants of the meeting agreed to impose restrictions on the ambitions of Iranian regime before April 2007 without exposing other countries in the region to any danger, the source said “they have chosen April as British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said it will be the last month in office for him. The United States has to take action against Iran and Syria before April 2007.”

Claiming the attack will be launched from the sea and not from any country in the region, he said “the US and its allies will target the oil installations and nuclear facilities of Iran ensuring there is no environmental catastrophe or after effects.” “Already the US has started sending its warships to the Gulf and the build-up will continue until Washington has the required number by the end of this month,” the source said. “US forces in Iraq and other countries in the region will be protected against any Iranian missile attack by an advanced Patriot missile system.”

He went on to say “although US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice suggested postponing the attack, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney insisted on attacking Tehran without any negotiations based on the lesson they learnt in Iraq recently.” The Bush administration believes attacking Iran will create a new power balance in the region, calm down the situation in Iraq and pave the way for their democratic project, which had to be suspended due to the interference of Tehran and Damascus in Iraq, he continued. The attack on Iran will weaken the Syrian regime, which will eventually fade away, the source said.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah - Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

America Rocks

2007-03-27T00:55:00.000Z

I've spent some time in America and discovered firsthand that there is plenty of passion for left-wing politics over there... if anything there seems to be a greater sense of urgency and dedication to fighting the injustices being perpetuated by the Bush-Blair axis of evil than over here.

However, because of the importance of maintaining the lie that all Americans are thick as pig-shit and support their crooked government, we are never allowed to see footage of the gigantic protests that have taken place over there in the big cities in recent years - for example the million person pro-choice march from a couple years back, the millions that marched and took part in a nationwide day of action in support of immigrants last year, and of course the countless anti-war marches that have taken place - I took part in the above amazing 1/2 million person march in New York in August 2004 when the evil-doers in the Republican Party decided to hold their national convention in very hostile territory (to exploit 9/11 some more - well it was coming up to the elections!)

Well, I suppose you don't really get to see scenes of any protests from around the world on the corporate 'free media' come to think of it (whereas a very important event such as the Britney "we should just trust our president in every decision he makes" Spears shaving her head is considered extremely newsworthy to such respectable broadcasters as the BBC and given endless coverage).

Here's some great footage of Sacramento activists protesting 4 years of bloodshed in Iraq:

Sacramento protests on 4th Anniversary of the Iraq invasion

If it wasn't for the good souls...

2007-03-26T20:45:00.000Z

A moving interview in the Guardian today with Jocelyn Hurndall, mother of the brave, heroic human rights activist Tom Hurndall who was shot and killed three years ago by an Israeli soldier whilst trying to shield Palestinian children from the bullets being fired at them. She has written a book 'Defy the Stars' as a tribute to her beautiful and courageous son.

"My Son Lived a Worthwhile Life"

In April 2003, 21-year old Tom Hurndall was shot in the head in Gaza by an Israeli soldier as he tried to save the lives of three small children. Nine months later, he died, having never recovered consciousness. Emine Saner talks to his mother Jocelyn about her grief, her fight to make the Israeli army accountable for his death and the book she has written in his memory.

Monday March 26, 2007
The Guardian

Tom Hurndall just after he was shot by an Israeli sniper in the Gaza strip. Photo: PA/Tom Hurndall Foundation

It is one of the poignancies of Tom Hurndall's short life that he had gone to Gaza in search of a story, and ended up becoming it. A 21-year-old photography student at Manchester Metropolitan University, he went to Baghdad in February 2003 to photograph human shields, activists who were trying to protect ordinary Iraqis from the threat of Anglo-American attack. While he was there he heard about Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American peace activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), who had been protecting a Palestinian's family's house in Rafah, in the southern Gaza strip, when an Israeli bulldozer crushed her to death. Tom went to Gaza to find out what had happened.
All that is clear from the book his mother, Jocelyn, has written about Tom's life, and about his family's battle to bring the Israeli army to account for killing him. It's not a political book, she stresses, though the anger, frustration and disappointment she feels towards the army, and the Israeli and British governments, is obvious.

Tom was in Rafah, in the Israeli-occupied Gaza strip, on April 11, at an ISM demonstration. Suddenly low shots were fired from an Israeli army watchtower in the direction of children playing on a mound of rubble. Most of them ran - but three froze. Tom, wearing a bright orange ISM jacket, ran to help them. He scooped up a boy and carried him to safety. He ran back for the two girls, bent down to put his arm round one of them and was shot in the head.

Jocelyn was at work, at a school in London where she was head of learning support, when she got a call from her daughter Sophie saying that Tom had been shot. It was the last day of the spring term. She calmly finished photocopying a report she had been working on and distributed it into pigeonholes, before setting off for home. It was as if she was trying to put off discovering the full horror of the story. "I think you do anything to delay the moment of impact," she says in the bright sitting room of her north London home.

After nearly two months by his hospital bedside in Israel, the family - Hurndall, her former husband, Anthony, and their children Sophie, Billy and Fred - were allowed to bring Tom back to the UK. The brain injury had left him in a coma; his main organs working, but nothing else. Did she accept that Tom would die from the start? "I think I knew," she says. "The pressure in Tom's head had damaged other parts of his brain. I knew he would never recover."

Tom eventually died nine months later on January 13 2004 - Jocelyn's birthday - in hospital in London. Was it a relief, in a way? "It was, because he wasn't in pain any more," says Hurndall. "But it was also impossible when he died." She is silent for a long time. "I still haven't accepted it."

Hurndall is softly spoken with gentle, pale blue eyes. She seems fragile but with an intense strength. She's a battler but seems surprised by it. She tells of the time she met Tony Blair at a dinner. "I remember saying to him, 'You've hurt me'. I couldn't imagine saying that to anybody five years ago." She laughs at this. "This middle-class mother coming out with these strident things." Tom's death has changed her. "You develop this language when there's this anger. I'm not usually a strident person, I've never needed to be."

Her book is called Defy the Stars, words Tom had tattooed on his wrist. They come from Romeo's cry "Then I defy you, stars!" in Romeo and Juliet, and seemed to say a lot about his attitude to life. Hurndall says she finds herself carrying her book around the house, "because it's what's left of Tom. It's my gift to Tom, it's my gift from Tom."

Apart from the anger and the love and the pain, one of the strongest senses in the book is that of discovering Tom, as his mother has since his death. She read his journals and pored over his photographs. Tom was young and idealistic, but he also knew how dangerous it would be to go to Iraq and Gaza. "He was very mature in many senses," says Hurndall. "He was aware of the risks, but his desire to see and question and be curious was greater. People are surprised to read that Tom considered the possibility of being shot. I gulp when I read it, but I understand that of course he would consider it. If you're there, it's on your mind all the time."

She didn't want him to go to Baghdad but she knew she couldn't stop him. "I couldn't condone it. I felt angry with Tom and a terrible worry that weighed me down and affected me every minute he was away. I was numb, anaesthetised, blank. I kept expecting him to come home. I think he would have left Rafah within 48 hours of his final entry in his journal." His final entry was on the morning of the day he was shot.

From the beginning, the Hurndalls worried that there could be a cover-up. The first news reports, heard by an Israeli friend on the radio station Kol-Israel, said a man wearing military fatigues had been shooting at a watchtower. "Even days later no one from the Israeli army or Israeli government had been in touch with us," says Hurndall. "So that in itself spoke volumes. We really felt this draught of silence." At the hospital, one doctor suggested that Tom's head injury "was commensurate with a blow from a baseball bat", even though on his notes it clearly said "gunshot wound", with an entry point and exit point - as though someone was suggesting that the injury had been caused at close range and so not from the watchtower.

The Palestinians, meanwhile, held Tom up as a hero. Hurndall received a letter from Yasser Arafat praising her son. "I do understand something of the mentality of the need to make Tom an icon, a martyr," she says. "Having seen the level of Palestinian desperation myself, you would grasp at people who seemingly have taken up your cause and suffered because of it, and you idolise them because they represent hope."

It was shortly after seeing Tom in hospital for the first time that she took her first trip into Rafah. "I remember the faces of the women and the men and the grandfathers, which spoke of such a worn kind of loss. Life was very, very hard. I definitely had a feeling that they were thinking, 'Here's this shocked western family. Do they know that this happens to us every day and we live under the threat of it happening every minute?' I remember really wanting to find a way of saying 'I understand'."

Tom's father, Anthony, a lawyer, set about collecting witness statements and writing his own report into his son's death, an attempt to get the Israeli army to accept accountability. It was intensely frustrating. The report the Israeli army produced was amateurish, the incident itself reduced to simplistic scenarios including the idea that Tom was hit by a Palestinian gunman, or that he was even the gunman himself. Little of what they said tallied with the many witness statements that Anthony had collected. The map they produced to show where it had happened was out of date, and they had got the location of where Tom had been shot wrong. The Israeli army said they had fired a single shot; witnesses stated there had been at least five shots, maybe as many as eight.

The Hurndalls' requests for a meeting with Israeli officials went unanswered until, on the day they were due to fly Tom home, they were granted a meeting at the ministry of foreign affairs. Major Biton, the Israeli soldier in charge of the inquiry, insisted that the army couldn't have seen Tom from the watchtower, saying buildings were in the way of the window where the soldier was standing. Anthony calmly pointed out that there was a surveillance platform on the top of the tower, and that visibility would have been perfect. When he asked for CCTV footage to prove it, he was told there was no footage, although a camera could clearly be seen on the photographs of the tower Tom had taken. Anthony raised the shootings of two young Palestinian men who had been shot within 48 hours of Tom's shooting, in the same area. "It was clear that Anthony had mentioned the unmentionable," writes Hurndall. "The shooting of a young Englishman was one thing, but to mention the shooting of young Palestinians was quite another."

The Israeli government eventually sent a cheque to pay for the repatriation (though it covered only a fraction of the cost), but they did not admit liability. The cheque, for £8,370, bounced. Compensation and damages are still an issue.

When the Hurndalls met Rachel Corrie's parents, their experience was painfully familiar. The Corries said the doctor who did the autopsy had claimed that her death had been caused by tripping over, though as her father pointed out, "I would like to ask the doctor how many times he's seen somebody with broken ribs, breaks in her spinal column, crushed shoulder blades and cut lungs just from tripping."

The British government wasn't much help. Despite assertions that it had "repeatedly pressed the Israeli government for a full and transparent inquiry", the Hurndalls felt this was hollow. When the Hurndalls met Jack Straw, the then foreign secretary, they found him remote and cold. Blair never publicly condemned the shooting. On top of all this, she received anonymous phone calls and letters calling her a "Nazi-lover" for questioning the Israeli authorities.

With a son in hospital wasting away, and three grieving children at home, how did she cope? "I don't think I did. I made sure there was food in the fridge and I didn't crack up. As a mother, you're used to getting in there if there's a problem and suddenly I couldn't get in there. Suddenly motherhood seemed distanced and that is terrible. Grief is such that you do have to do it on your own. The only way that I could grieve for Tom was to uncover who he was and to think about my relationship with him. And to untangle this complex bundle of tragedy."

The fight still isn't over. Taysir Walid Heib, a soldier in the Israeli army, was put on trial for shooting Tom, and it was unbearable. A medical witness called by the Israeli army suggested that Tom's death had nothing to do with the shooting and had been a result of negligence by the British hospital. He even implied that the family had been complicit in Tom's death. Another medical witness agreed - he claimed Tom's death had not been caused by pneumonia, but by an overdose of morphine and that this was the fault of British doctors. It was so ludicrous that it strengthened the prosecution.

In June 2005, Taysir, a Bedouin sergeant, was convicted of manslaughter and, in August, was sentenced to eight years, the longest sentence an Israeli soldier has been given for killing a civilian since the start of the second intifada. "It was limited justice," says Hurndall. "He did break the so-called rules of engagement. On the other hand, he was in a culture where there are very loose rules of engagement and their senior commanders turn a blind eye." An Arab, Taysir could neither read nor write Hebrew, and had a learning disability. Although the Bedouins are marginalised in Israel, some do volunteer for the army, although they tend to be sent to the most dangerous zones and career progression is rare. "I was convinced that Tom was the victim of a victim," Hurndall writes. "That it was the policy-makers who had put Taysir in this position, who should be on trial." The family are hoping there will be further arrests up the chain of command and they have yet to receive a public apology.

But is it getting easier? "It is less mad, less chaotic, less muddled. There are fewer distractions. It feels like coming to the edge of a cliff. I went to Fred's school to watch him playing football and I was in heaven. I don't mean because Tom had been at the same school and also played football in the same way, had the same long legs. I mean that I've come to value those moments so much more. What happened really put a focus on every minute of life, so in some ways it has made our lives more vibrant. It seems terrible that it has taken that. But life matters even more than it did".

Quelle Surprise....more bias from the BBC

2007-03-26T16:50:00.000Z

The BBC seem to be up to their old tricks again of pretending that the world and their aunty are pro-war ignorant scum.

This is the calibre of comments that are currently being put up on the BBC's Have Your Say forum regarding the 15 Royal Navy personnel being arrested:

"The Iranian embassy in London should be placed under immediate armed guard. No-one should be allowed in or out and all Iranian embassy staff should be handcuffed and placed in orange jump suits to be paraded on the 6 o'clock news as prisoners of war. Immediate air strikes should commence aimed at the Iranian navy and every Iranian ship should be sunk, followed by ground attacks on military targets. Like it or not, we are now at war with Iran, and its time we started acting like it."

"I am quite honestly both dismayed and ashmed at how Tony blair is handling this situation. In any other country in the world, it would have been declared as "an act of war" to have attacked our service personnel the way Iran has. We need a strong Priminister who is not afraid to offend political correctness, and do what is needed of him/her. Take for instance if it had been Israily sailors, half of Iran would be missing by now. Time to stand up and be Counted."

"Nuke their nuke plant. Sure they'll stomp about, but can they be responsible enough to have them when they have shown to behave so badly."

"Iran has committed an act of war and if we do not respond now and go in hard, then every British man, woman and child who died in the Second World War died in vain. The first job of government is to defend itself, so just what on earth is spineless Blair playing at? We must launch air strikes against Iran NOW!! Let’s sink every ship in the Iranian Navy"

I have sent countless messages questioning the official story and expressing horror at the gung-ho nature of these messages and they have thus far been ignored.

I have wondered for some time now just who on earth moderates the BBC Have Your Say forums - Alastair Campbell? Nick Griffin?