As Israel’s campaign of targeted murder of Palestinian journalists continues, the UK government to its shame continues to abuse badly-constructed anti-terror legislation to persecute pro-Palestinian journalists, with a police raid today on the home of Electronic Intifada (EI) associate editor Asa Winstanley, ten officers raiding his home in North London and seizing electronic devices. According to EI,
A letter addressed to Winstanley from the “Counter Terrorism Command” of the Metropolitan Police Service indicates that the authorities are “aware of your profession” as a journalist but that “notwithstanding, police are investigating possible offenses” under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act (2006). These provisions set out the purported offense of “encouragement of terrorism.”
An officer conducting Thursday’s raid informed Winstanley that the investigation was connected with the journalist’s social media posts. Attempts to reach the Metropolitan Police Service for comment for this story have been unsuccessful.
Although his devices were seized, Winstanley was not arrested and has not been charged with any offense.
Asa Winstanley is active and highly followed across social media platforms, reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the Palestinian resistance and, before that, for many years on Israel’s occupation and persecution of the Palestinian people.
The Terrorism Act 2006, considered by human rights groups and legal experts to be an appallingly drafted law designed to be abused. Section 11 of the Act makes even having an opinion supportive of a ‘proscribed’ group a criminal offence – and in certain circumstances even to refuse to answer a question or to provide device passwords is a criminal offence.
Since Keir Starmer – a noted authoritarian long considered a tool of the Security State – got into power in July, his regime has threatened anyone expressing a disapproved opinion with prosecution for supposed ‘online violence’. This has manifested particularly in the targeting of journalists who report honestly on Israel’s genocide in Gaza and of activists who try to work against it.
In August, police detained journalist Richard Medhurst citing the Terrorism Act as his plane arrived in the UK, before stripping him of his electronic devices and forcing him to disclose passwords. Refusal to hand over logins or to answer any questions is an automatic offence under the legislation. Medhurst was also denied access to legal advice and even water, and was not permitted to let anyone know where he was until he was eventually released almost twenty-four hours later. He has been charged with ‘holding or expressing an opinion’ supportive of a proscribed group.
A week later, journalist Sarah Wilkinson was arrested as masked officers raided her home in the early hours of the morning. Her devices were removed, she was forced to hand over passwords and police attempted to make her hand over details of her contacts in Palestine, a gross violation of journalistic privilege. She was then bailed under conditions that forbade her to use a mobile phone or computer and was only able to contact her lawyer or let people know what had happened because her adult son – also abused by police during the raid – happened to be staying at the house. On the same day as Wilkinson’s arrest, police arrested and charged Palestine Action co-founder Richard Barnard for supposedly supporting a proscribed group and used the Terrorism Act to arrest seven other Palestine Action activists, abusing the Act’s powers against them before eventually charging them with non-terror offences.
Before them, Jewish activist Tony Greenstein, journalist Kit Klarenberg and journalist and former ambassador Craig Murray were also targeted for detention, arrest and harassment. Greenstein was told he was arrested for social media comments supporting Palestinian resistance, the right to which is firmly enshrined in international law.
The heads of the National Union of Journalists and International Federation of Journalists issued a statement condemning the UK’s assault on free speech, journalism and democracy.
The right of journalists to be free and safe to report facts without fear or favour, and of citizens to know what their government and others are doing, is vital to any semblance of functioning democracy, which the Starmer police-state regime seems all too happy to destroy.
Skwawkbox stands in solidarity with Asa Winstanley and all journalists persecuted for telling the truth about the crimes of the powerful.
Update: an earlier version of this article said that Asa Winstanley had been arrested. Although his home was raided and his devices seized under terror legislation, he was not arrested.
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Sir Keith Starmer is OK with thst🩸🩸🩸
Sir Keith Starmer is ok with THAT🩸🩸🩸
ASK him by open letters.
He won’t meet with you, nor you, nor you, nor ANY of ‘the many’, because as he said to Rob Humphris: he, Sir Keith,
“DOSENT HAVE TO SPEAK TO THE LIKES OF US🩸🩸🩸”
📕👁️🥰📕👁️🥰📕👁️🥰
WOW!
I was just thinking about who would be next while posting on the previous thread. (Regarding weather journalists speaking up for the MURDER of Palestinian (and other nationalities) journalists by the fascist israeli state)
Asa’s was the first name came into my head…And its already happened.
Grim times. Truly, grim times.
*whether (not ‘weather’).
I said on this esteemed site before the election that Starmer was the most dangerous politician in the UK … ever!
He’s doing his best to prove me right!
“The Terrorism Act 2006, considered by human rights groups and legal experts to be an appallingly drafted law designed to be abused. Section 11 of the Act makes even having an opinion supportive of a ‘proscribed’ group a criminal offence – and in certain circumstances even to refuse to answer a question or to provide device passwords is a criminal offence.”
“I am Spartacus”… “No, I am Spartacus”….”I am Spartacus”….No, I am Spartacus”
Section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2006 makes many people unintended – or should that be ‘vicarious’ – Terrorists.
Dictionary:
vicarious | vʌɪˈkɛːrɪəs, vɪˈkɛːrɪəs |
adjective
1 experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person or (more likely in UK) Section 11 of The Terrorism Act 2006.
Although he wasn’t even DPP in 2006, this act of parliament is PURE Keir Rodney Starmer -divisive, self important, anti-freedom-of-thought/speech and dangerous.
I’m hearing things about some ultra-top secret document that not even MPs are allowed to see, in which the UK has pledged undying allegiance to the State of Israel. I don’t do social media and that might be where this story is circulating, cos this is news to me, but it would explain a lot! I wouldn’t take Google’s steer on something like this, but has anyone got any reliable links relating to this?
I don’t use social media or google ever, but a search for “uk allegiance to Israel, secret agreement” on qwant,a French search engine produces this, https://www.qwant.com/?q=uk+allegiance+to+Israel%2C+secret+agreement&client=plgn-firefox-sb&t=web
Is there anything there that verifies the possibility of it? But then again, if it’s so “secret” even MPs can’t see it, it certainly wouldn’t be searchable on the web.
FWIW: It feels like wild misinformation con to me, but what would I know? Really.
This was interesting tho’ (and pregnant with under-statement)
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-05-20/debates/8B8365FA-3392-45F4-BD63-E00961D804C7/UK-IsraelMilitaryCo-OperationAgreement
James O’Brien, and Nick Ferrari, next. *sarcasm*
From Dorset Eye:
Labour Government Complicity In Israeli War Crimes Exposed
A new briefing** from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) reveals that, despite imposing a partial arms suspension, the Labour government is still complicit in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza….
Emily Apple, CAAT’s Media Coordinator stated:
“This damning briefing reveals that the Labour government is still complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It lays bare the lack of transparency in UK arms exports, and shows that Labour is making up the rules as it goes along. Despite the partial suspension, it is still business as usual for arms dealers to profit from the genocide of Palestinian people, and the Labour government has shown clearly that it will continue to prioritise the profits of arms dealers over Palestinian and Lebanese lives. A full two way arms embargo is needed immediately. There can be no excuses, no exceptions and no loopholes.”
https://dorseteye.com/labour-government-complicity-in-israeli-war-crimes-exposed/
** Links to the briefing and Falconer’s response are given at the end of the piece.
It makes sense. They cannot do Winstanley over like they have with the other recent political prisoners (most recent one, a woman whose post was up for 210 minutes got 31 months). These folks have been charged under section 179.
Section 180 absolves anyone from the media for doing the exact same offence.
The Prisons are full, if we all do the I am Spartacus then where they going to put us, in a camp
Can someone check with Herr Flick
Many in the West want to return to the status Quo, you know allowing Israel to continue its settlement enterprise, removing Palestinians and destroying their houses in order to achieve its greater Israel project, this will not happen after Gaza, Israel has tried to expel, and or murder them all, they have not given up on its murderous ways and after a suitable interval will resume its objectives, they must suffer a serious defeat.
The EU/US and the ‘west in general’ are the cause of all the trouble regarding Israels borders. Many Israeli leaders have played along with the ‘two states solution’ by making sure the talks pan out for years, and at the same time continuing with the settlement enterprise with the intent to create so many facts on the ground that the settlement enterprise would simply be irreversible. The EU/US have not stopped any of this, when they have the power to do so, in the case of the US a threat to withhold arms sales, or in the EU case threatening Israels trading arrangement as an associate EU member, and other special deals they grant Israel. The worst complaint the US/EU make when Israel regularly announce thousands of new settlements is, ‘this is not helpful’, of course the Israelis take this mild “rebuke” as a green light to carry on with its illegal settlement building. And now here we are, facing a major war. Thankfully the balance of power has shifted now Israel is confronted by the ‘arc of resistance’ who have unstoppable ballistic missiles. Many Journalists like Winstanley are being wrongly accused for standing up for what is right. Remember the United States had to change its laws in order to allow Nelson Mandela to visit the US after he became President.
Many citizens of the Arab states, whose citizens are so angry at the carnage going on in Gaza, are being kept on a leash by their despotic rulers. The US are worse than the Mafia and would think nothing of killing anyone who interferes with its geopolitical machinations, especially when Israel is concerned.
This is incredible, here we have approx 7 million Israelis in a postage stamp sized state threatening the whole of the Islamic world [well over one and a half billion Muslims] including approx 400 million Muslims in the surrounding countries, and what have these countries done, f— all, no oil embargo, no trade embargo, are they waiting to be attacked themselves which is an inevitability, or are they hoping for a peaceful couple of months were they can become the slobbering slaves of Israel/US and hope they will not be turned on next. Gandhi hated cowards, Gandhi “I do believe that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence…I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honor than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor.” In other words Jordan, Egypt and other Gulfies are cowards [half men] who are afraid of the US/Israeli financial consequences or more likely the big stick coming down on their heads, they have no self respect.
I support international law.
Resisting illegal occupation is not terrorism; illegal occupiers have no right to self defence.
Big Brother can do one, whatever our bought MPs like to think or legislate.
It was only a few decades ago that Zionist groups were the terrorists, and unlike Hamas they DID kill British troops.