British state ramps up war on independent journalism
JVL Introduction
Electronic Intifada journalist Asa Winstanley’s home in London was raided last Thursday. A letter from the “Counter Terrorism Command” of the Metropolitan Police Service warned that he was being investigated for possible offences under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act (2006) covering purported “encouragement of terrorism.”
As Jonathan Cook was quick to point out, the only terrorism in evidence here is that being carried out by the British state as part of its escalating war on independent journalism. Primarily, Cook writes, “It is about scaring us into staying silent on Britain’s collusion in Israel’s genocide.”
As The Electronic Intifada’s associate editor, Asa Winstanley has to his credit a prodigious body of work exposing Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and British government support for these crimes, and reporting on Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation, apartheid and genocide. His book Weaponising Anti-Semitism: How the Israel Lobby Brought Down Jeremy Corbyn, drew on years of reporting on Britain’s Labour Party while it was in opposition.
We wish to express our full solidarity with Asa, and others on the receiving end of police action designed to close down independent journalism.
NWI
This article was originally published by Electronic Initifada on Thu 17 Oct 2024. Read the original here.
UK police raid home, seize devices of EI’s Asa Winstanley
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Police doing for bad actors including Starmer what they cannot be overtly seeming to do themselves. Simultaneously- as Asa Winstanley is harassed, Novara Media today exposes Katherine Viner what many of us have long know about the her as Global editor of the Guardian have done to create a heavily one-side presentation on Israel v Palestine with Israel getting all the favouritism. Tttps://novaramedia.com/2024/10/18/discontent-deepens-among-guardian-staff-over-palestine-double-standard/ The Guardian is stripped of its morality in this. Viner must go and hang her head in utter shame
Disgusting. Police State. No free speech. Solidarity with Asa.
When Hamas’s political wing was proscribed in 2021 noone thought very much of it although the Zionist lobby had pushed hard for it. But today it is being used as a means to suppress any speech in support of the Palestinian resistance.
The attack on Asa marks a new low, following the ordeals of Richard Sanders and Sarah Wilkinson. It cannot be overemphasised how important it is that we get this taken up, not just by the far left but also by those who proclaim their commitment to civil liberties.
We need to challenge the very idea that because British foreign policy is opposed to Hezbollah or Hamas that they are therefore terrorists. Terrorists are those who inflict terror on civilian populations in order to gain power or achieve some political objective.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah were elected and have a mass popular base. Neither have operated outside of their own respective countries – Palestine & Lebanon. Contrast that to say ISIS that sought to use indiscriminate violence against anyone who didn’t subscribe to their brand of Islam. Who sought to genocide the Yazidis, organised slave markets for women etc.
In essence we have to support the right of any occupied people to resist their occupiers. It doesn’t mean we agree with them politically but it does mean we support their right to fight their occupiers.
A simple analogy would be the Polish Home Army which was deeply anti-Semitic. Nonetheless when they led the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 we would have unhesitatingly given our support to their fight against the Nazis.
As people will know not only was I arrested just b4 last Xmas but again at the demonstration against Tzipi Hotoveli on October 4th, the 88th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street. My ‘racially aggravated’ offence was comparing the Zionists to the Nazis….
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This vile Nazi-style police activity, happening within my countr, is horrifying.
It is obvious to all that the worst terrorism is being done by the State of Israel.
Full support for Asa Winstanley whose brave reporting of Israel’s abominable breaking of international law, murdering and maiming a hundred thousand and more Palestinians who they regard as “human animals”, and as not existing according to Golda Meir. Our state is behaving like a terror state, abusing legislation to cover their own crimes. I for one will not be cowed, and will support brave citizens like ASAP to the full extent of my ability
No doubt Keir Starmer will insist Britain is a democracy. But do genuine democracies use their powers to repress their own citizens at the behest of another State? In this case the ‘other State’ is. the genocidal fake State of Israel. Starmer as our PM, is a danger to Britain and its citizens.
The pattern is plain to see…..Kit Klarenberg, Richard Medhurst, and on and on. If Julian Assange wasn’t a warning shot to those journalists who choose to turn and look away, the chickens are coming home to roost. The State has made it quite clear that they will attempt to silence those who dare to question the status quo and especially Britain’s proactive complicity with, and participation in, the Zionist Genocide. Since Starmer has moved into no.10, it appears the “Terrorism Act” and all its ambiguity, is being used as a catch-all, to arrest, intimidate and hold without charge, those who are guilty of journalism and holding up truth to power. Starmers veil hasnt taken long to drop. As the first few words of Niemollers poem goes: “First they came…….”. We must ramp-up our campaigning and refuse to silence dissenting voices. Solidarity with Asa.
I applaud and will continue to look out for and support independent journalism.
Shocking! I find it hard to take this in…that it happening here, now.
Solidarity with Asa, for sure and with all the brave journalists who are trying to convey the truth.
I wonder what is on Asa’s phone & computer? Why not ask yer mates in Mossad, Keir?
Sure they know what’s on everybody’s phones & computers
Yep
A more strictly controlled state is coming soon
Thanks JVL for such unambiguous commitment to defending Asa and free speech. We need an alternative to Labour….
Where, on the other hand, ‘organisations’ such as GB News, UK TV, use their YouTube outlets for rightwing thugs to communicate, pass on meeting locations for ‘demonstrations’ etc. creating safe spaces for violent and dangerous groups with impunity.
Little doubt if any charges against Asa do come about, they will be as tenuous as the reasons given internationally for accusing HAMAS of Terrorism.
These actions will come back to haunt our Establishment; they are setting up a great era for all our descendants. You reap what you sow.
However, I’ve got to ask, where are the usual mob who rant about FReEZe PeAch, have they been showking solidarity to Mr Winstanley ?
I think we all know the answer to that one.
Will the people ‘disliking ‘ comments be able to provide rebuttals ? It’s good to have healthy debate, but that can’t be done if people just go round clicking the dislike button – tell us what you disagree with and why.
“Contrast that to say ISIS that sought to use indiscriminate violence against anyone who didn’t subscribe to their brand of Islam. Who sought to genocide the Yazidis, organised slave markets for women etc”
Good point Tony, and let’s not forget how much the Western powers have helped support those types of groups.
One minute the West demands democracy, but when the people actually practise it they start backtracking and shifting the goal posts.
Ralph White the Arab league Lawyer at the Hague has presented a brilliant expose of Israel and the Zionist position and argument . Starmer a Human Rights Lawyer may want to listen to what he said . Or maybe not.
If any of these reporters would have been in occupied Palestine (at the time of the raid of their homes by the UK anti-terrorism forces) they would have been murdered by the most moral army in the world, just as many of their colleagues have been brutally murdered, while being stationed in the same MO-region.
In the very same context, the very same actors did commit a bloody character-assassination on Jeremy Corbyn, because he dared to speak out in favour of BDS against the occupier of Palestine, so his chances to win an election “had to be” terminated.
Since the Al Jazeera files, we all know, that the Mossad (*) had been instrumental in that brutal process (by political intervention on foreign territory) of Corbyn’s political downfall.
We all know that Starmer is openly and ardently Zionist and therefore open for actively assisting a foreign power, of intervening with attacking / oppressing UK civilians.
(*) https://www.ajiunit.com/investigation/the-labour-files/
N.B. Have we forgotten then, that the Mossad had been threatening the main prosecutor of the international court of justice in the Hague for nine (!) years, allegedly have been communicating the following text towards her :
“According to accounts shared with ICC officials, he (ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen) is alleged to have told her : “You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family.”
However, she bravely stood by her professional activities and integrity and did continue her examination after possible war-crimes against the ruling elite of the brutal occupier of Palestine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/28/israeli-spy-chief-threatened-icc-prosecutor-over-war-crimes-case-report
I agree with everything that has already been said. I actually believe these are not ordinary police officers but a special squad that only concentrates on protecting the Government etc. can the member who wasn’t happy with some of the comments please explain why. It’s good for debate to know what other members are thinking. Thank you