Scotland Yard will today be accused of misusing powers to prevent
disruption to last year's royal wedding in a court case that could have
major implications for police operations in the run-up to the Olympic
Games.
A group of 20 anti-monarchist protesters, campaigners and
environmentalists will claim at the High Court that police made a
political decision to clear "undesirable" groups from London's streets
while the world watched Prince William marry Kate Middleton.
More
than 50 people were arrested on 29 April last year – some under powers
introduced initially to combat football hooliganism – and more than 20
others were held during raids on squats on the eve of the ceremony.
Those
taking legal action today include members of the "Charing Cross 10", a
group arrested near the station as they prepared to join a day of
anti-monarchist protest. Protester Daniel Randall, 25, said they were
held for more than five hours at a police station on suspicion of a
possible breach of the peace. The group was not released until the
wedding ceremony had ended.
Mr Randall claimed that there was a
policy to arrest anyone who might criticise the monarchy. "Police should
not be allowed to act politically... to stifle the raising of voices
which dissent from the official politics," he said.
Protesters
dressed as zombies were arrested as they planned to stage some
mock-executions of the Royal Family.
Two environmentalists lived
in a camp near Heathrow airport which was raided on the eve of the
wedding. They had no plans to travel to central London for the wedding,
documents show. No-one was arrested but police obtained their search
warrants for the Sipson camp based on claims that "left-wing extremists"
were based there who might want to disrupt the wedding.
One
environmentalist taking part in the action, Theodora Middleton, accused
the police of harassment based on "crude political profiling".
"In
this case it appears the police were determined to restrict or remove
the sight of protest from central London during the royal wedding," said
solicitor Sophie Priestley, who is acting for camp members. "The real
strength of our heritage and tradition lies not in the spectacle and
pageantry of events ... but rather in the rich history of our hard-won
democratic freedoms which we should be showcasing to the world rather
than threatening to suspend."
At the time of the protest, it was
said officers reserved the right to take action "where there is a real
perceived threat of public disorder taking place". The officer in charge
of the operation, Lynne Owens – now head of the Surrey force – said it
had been an "amazing success".
No decision in the judicial review
is expected before the Bank Holiday next weekend to mark the Queen's
Diamond Jubilee. Lawyers hope for a ruling before the Olympics. Police
plan a huge security operation during the Games, with 12,500 officers on
duty at peak periods.
A police spokesman told organisers of
planned protests to contact them but said there is no ban on dissent. He
declined to make any comment on the court case before the hearing,
which is due to last for four to five days.(1)
Rather pathetic. These monarchists and the police are so confident they resort to petty repression to suppress opposition? This is where our taxes go, to help fund police that suppress political dissent.
Note:
(1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-misused-powers-during-royal-wedding-protesters-claim-7792774.html
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Tea Party Congressmen Accept Cash From Bailed-Out Bankers
"Tea Party favorites such as Stephen Fincher of Tennessee were swept into
Congress on a wave of anger over government-funded bailouts of banks.
Now those incumbents are collecting thousands of dollars for re-election campaigns from the same Wall Street firms whose excesses they criticized. They have taken no significant steps to curb them or prevent future taxpayer-financed rescues.
Republican freshmen have made clear their disdain for expanding government, and openly opposed a financial regulatory overhaul enacted by Democrats in 2010 before the newcomers arrived in Washington. Their ranks include 10 Tea Party-backed freshmen on the House Financial Services Committee, part of a force that won election in a populist backlash to government spending that included emergency lending to major banks and bailout of firms including U.S. automakers.
Still, the lawmakers haven’t passed, considered or even introduced legislation to address concerns about “too-big-to- fail” banks voiced by members of both parties and such Federal Reserve bank presidents as Richard Fisher of Dallas and Jeffrey Lacker of Richmond, Virginia.
“I haven’t seen any of them putting forth legislation on breaking up the big banks or on other things that would genuinely prevent a bailout next time,” said Marcus Stanley, policy director of Americans for Financial Reform, a Washington- based umbrella group of organizations that supported the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act and other financial regulations..."(1)
A real gem that helps highlight what rot those Tea Partyiers are. They can't even be consistent.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-30/tea-party-congressmen-accept-cash-from-bailed-out-bankers.html
Now those incumbents are collecting thousands of dollars for re-election campaigns from the same Wall Street firms whose excesses they criticized. They have taken no significant steps to curb them or prevent future taxpayer-financed rescues.
Republican freshmen have made clear their disdain for expanding government, and openly opposed a financial regulatory overhaul enacted by Democrats in 2010 before the newcomers arrived in Washington. Their ranks include 10 Tea Party-backed freshmen on the House Financial Services Committee, part of a force that won election in a populist backlash to government spending that included emergency lending to major banks and bailout of firms including U.S. automakers.
Still, the lawmakers haven’t passed, considered or even introduced legislation to address concerns about “too-big-to- fail” banks voiced by members of both parties and such Federal Reserve bank presidents as Richard Fisher of Dallas and Jeffrey Lacker of Richmond, Virginia.
“I haven’t seen any of them putting forth legislation on breaking up the big banks or on other things that would genuinely prevent a bailout next time,” said Marcus Stanley, policy director of Americans for Financial Reform, a Washington- based umbrella group of organizations that supported the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act and other financial regulations..."(1)
A real gem that helps highlight what rot those Tea Partyiers are. They can't even be consistent.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-30/tea-party-congressmen-accept-cash-from-bailed-out-bankers.html
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Canadians Oppose Monarchy More Than Ever
For immediate
release
Poll: Monarchy unpopular as ever, despite royal
wedding PR
|
|
Toronto, May
18, 2012 – Less than one year after
opinion polls
declared that 81 percent of Canadians believed "Prince William and Catherine will help keep monarchy relevant to Canadians," a new poll indicates what republicans knew all along: the love affair was with the glitz and glamour, not the institution. Released on May 3, the poll shows personal approval ratings for the royal newlyweds remaining high. However, as expected, only 33 percent have any interest in Canada remaining a monarchy. "Clearly, Canadians see the distinction," says Tom Freda, spokesperson for Citizens for a Canadian Republic. "There's no denying the A-list celebrity attraction of the young royal couple. On the other hand, Canadians see that as a separate issue from the constitutional aspect of the institution of the monarchy." The republican movement was equally reassured by data indicating an overwhelming preference for Prince William over his father. A mere 17 percent of Canadians approve of Prince Charles succeeding the Queen. "Of course, anyone with even rudimentary knowledge of how monarchy works, fully understands that personal preference and choice are democratic and republican principles, not monarchical," points out Freda. "This poll proves that Canadians are inherently committed to the idea of choosing a head of state over having an unpopular foreign royal imposed on us. During the upcoming visit by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, representatives of Citizens for a Canadian Republic will be available to provide information on how Canada can easily become a republic without compromising its parliamentary traditions, royal institutions, or even the role of "The Crown" as the legal representation of governance. Angus Reid opinion poll May 3, 2012 http://www.canadian-republic.ca/media_release_05-18-12.html |
Monday, 21 May 2012
Israeli Institutions Accepting 1948 Ethnic Cleansing
"NEW YORK, NY May 17, 2012 –The contrasting explanations offered by
Palestinians and Israeli Jews for the Palestinian exodus during the
1948 War are often cited as a central stumbling block to peace
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The
Palestinians have claimed they were expelled in 1948, while it has been
widely assumed that most Israeli Jews subscribed to a Zionist narrative
claiming that Palestinians left willingly due to fear and in response to
calls by Arab and Palestinians leaders.
Now a Ph.D. dissertation written by Rafi Nets, a former pre-doctoral fellow at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia University, finds that most main Israeli-Jewish institutions acknowledge a balanced narrative: that the exodus was not entirely volitional, but was also caused by Jewish/Israeli expulsion. Nets, an Israeli Jew who is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote his dissertation for the Department of Political Science at Tel Aviv University, and received the 2012 award for best dissertation from the Association for Israel Studies. His findings have been published or accepted for publication in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Peace Research, The Middle East Journal, Peace Review, and Peace and Change.
In 2009, Nets and Daniel Bar-Tal, a faculty member at the School of Education at Tel Aviv University, published a representative public opinion survey they had conducted which found that 47 percent of Israeli Jews surveyed believed expulsion by Israel was among the factors leading to the exodus. Only 41 percent accepted the Zionist narrative. The survey was supported by a grant to Nets from the IPRA Foundation. Now, through the analysis of all the memoirs of 1948 war veterans, newspaper articles, publications of non-governmental organizations, and scholarly studies, Nets finds that the balanced narrative has in fact been widely endorsed by Israeli-Jewish societal institutions since the late 1970s (and especially since the late 1980s). In addition, since 2000, all history textbooks approved by Israel’s Ministry of Education have also included the balanced narrative.
Palestinians have long called for Israelis to acknowledge the expulsions of 1948. The recent findings indicate that such acknowledgement has taken place widely for several decades."(1)
Good to see historical integrity being taken seriously in more and more nations.
Israeli institutions have much to be commended for.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/new-study-finds-that-51-6-of-israelis-acknowledge-that-world-is-not-flat/
Now a Ph.D. dissertation written by Rafi Nets, a former pre-doctoral fellow at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia University, finds that most main Israeli-Jewish institutions acknowledge a balanced narrative: that the exodus was not entirely volitional, but was also caused by Jewish/Israeli expulsion. Nets, an Israeli Jew who is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote his dissertation for the Department of Political Science at Tel Aviv University, and received the 2012 award for best dissertation from the Association for Israel Studies. His findings have been published or accepted for publication in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Peace Research, The Middle East Journal, Peace Review, and Peace and Change.
In 2009, Nets and Daniel Bar-Tal, a faculty member at the School of Education at Tel Aviv University, published a representative public opinion survey they had conducted which found that 47 percent of Israeli Jews surveyed believed expulsion by Israel was among the factors leading to the exodus. Only 41 percent accepted the Zionist narrative. The survey was supported by a grant to Nets from the IPRA Foundation. Now, through the analysis of all the memoirs of 1948 war veterans, newspaper articles, publications of non-governmental organizations, and scholarly studies, Nets finds that the balanced narrative has in fact been widely endorsed by Israeli-Jewish societal institutions since the late 1970s (and especially since the late 1980s). In addition, since 2000, all history textbooks approved by Israel’s Ministry of Education have also included the balanced narrative.
Palestinians have long called for Israelis to acknowledge the expulsions of 1948. The recent findings indicate that such acknowledgement has taken place widely for several decades."(1)
Good to see historical integrity being taken seriously in more and more nations.
Israeli institutions have much to be commended for.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/new-study-finds-that-51-6-of-israelis-acknowledge-that-world-is-not-flat/
Monday, 14 May 2012
US To Use Unmanned Drones Internally
"The FAA
is expected to announce plans to expand the use of domestic drones
in American airspace. These would be similar to the unmanned aircraft
that the U.S. has been using to target terrorists abroad. In the U.S.,
the surveillance systems would be used to track terrorists, drug dealers
or to find missing children. But critics warn that the use of drones
presents a major threat to our personal privacy.
Jonathan Hunt reports that there could be as many as 30,000 drones flying overhead within the next decade.
Judge Andrew Napolitano commented that officials don’t have the authority to spy on us from above and that “bureaucrats gave themselves the authority to capture images of us in the privacy of our backyards.”"(1)
Unfortunately this is what can happen, with the use of some technology. The growth of ability to use it, coupled by political pressures.
Footnote:
(1) http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/05/14/judge-napolitano-on-use-of-drones-in-us-congress-is-going-to-look-the-other-way-and-let-the-air-force-spy-in-our-backyards/
Jonathan Hunt reports that there could be as many as 30,000 drones flying overhead within the next decade.
Judge Andrew Napolitano commented that officials don’t have the authority to spy on us from above and that “bureaucrats gave themselves the authority to capture images of us in the privacy of our backyards.”"(1)
Unfortunately this is what can happen, with the use of some technology. The growth of ability to use it, coupled by political pressures.
Footnote:
(1) http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/05/14/judge-napolitano-on-use-of-drones-in-us-congress-is-going-to-look-the-other-way-and-let-the-air-force-spy-in-our-backyards/
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Romney Exposed as School Bully
Mitt Rommney has been exposed as a school bully(1).
And his public apology is pathetic. This is AFTER being exposed in the press, and he then justifies it as a 'prank', etc.
Shameful response!
Footnote:
(1) http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/05/10/romney-bullied-gay-classmates-us-media-reports/
And his public apology is pathetic. This is AFTER being exposed in the press, and he then justifies it as a 'prank', etc.
Shameful response!
Footnote:
(1) http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/05/10/romney-bullied-gay-classmates-us-media-reports/
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Laurie Penny Right on Tories on G-Marriage
Laurie Penny seems right in my view regarding the Tory stand on gay marriage(1) .
It is only a Cameron innovation that the Conservatives have marriage equality on their agenda. Only because of official policy & 'collective responsibility' are a number publicly speaking in favour. It will no doubt take a feww years just for most of the backbench to personally accept it(in my view).
Laurie Penny seems right in my view regarding the Tory stand on gay marriage(1) .
It is only a Cameron innovation that the Conservatives have marriage equality on their agenda. Only because of official policy & 'collective responsibility' are a number publicly speaking in favour. It will no doubt take a feww years just for most of the backbench to personally accept it(in my view).
Friday, 4 May 2012
Britain destroyed records of colonial crimes
Thousands of documents detailing some of the most shameful acts and
crimes committed during the final years of the British empire were
systematically destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of
post-independence governments, an official review has concluded.
Those papers that survived the purge were flown discreetly to Britain where they were hidden for 50 years in a secret Foreign Office archive, beyond the reach of historians and members of the public, and in breach of legal obligations for them to be transferred into the public domain.
(…)
The papers at Hanslope Park include monthly intelligence reports on the "elimination" of the colonial authority's enemies in 1950s Malaya; records showing ministers in London were aware of the torture and murder of Mau Mau insurgents in Kenya, including a case of aman said to have been "roasted alive"; and papers detailing the lengths to which the UK went to forcibly remove islanders from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
However, among the documents are a handful which show that many of the most sensitive papers from Britain's late colonial era were not hidden away, but simply destroyed. (…)
When a single watch file was to be removed from a group of legacy files, a "twin file" – or dummy – was to be created to insert in its place. (…)
Many of the watch files ended up at Hanslope Park. They came from 37 different former colonies, and filled 200 metres of shelving. But it is becoming clear that much of the most damning material was probably destroyed. Officials in some colonies, such as Kenya, were told that there should be a presumption in favour of disposal of documents rather than removal to the UK – "emphasis is placed upon destruction" – and that no trace of either the documents or their incineration should remain. When documents were burned, "the waste should be reduced to ash and the ashes broken up".
(...)(1)
Unfortunately, once again, here in Britain, we are reminded of the original sin of the post 1945 era. Now we have the temerity of destruction of records to add further insult to injury.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/18/britain-destroyed-records-colonial-crimes
Those papers that survived the purge were flown discreetly to Britain where they were hidden for 50 years in a secret Foreign Office archive, beyond the reach of historians and members of the public, and in breach of legal obligations for them to be transferred into the public domain.
(…)
The papers at Hanslope Park include monthly intelligence reports on the "elimination" of the colonial authority's enemies in 1950s Malaya; records showing ministers in London were aware of the torture and murder of Mau Mau insurgents in Kenya, including a case of aman said to have been "roasted alive"; and papers detailing the lengths to which the UK went to forcibly remove islanders from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
However, among the documents are a handful which show that many of the most sensitive papers from Britain's late colonial era were not hidden away, but simply destroyed. (…)
When a single watch file was to be removed from a group of legacy files, a "twin file" – or dummy – was to be created to insert in its place. (…)
Many of the watch files ended up at Hanslope Park. They came from 37 different former colonies, and filled 200 metres of shelving. But it is becoming clear that much of the most damning material was probably destroyed. Officials in some colonies, such as Kenya, were told that there should be a presumption in favour of disposal of documents rather than removal to the UK – "emphasis is placed upon destruction" – and that no trace of either the documents or their incineration should remain. When documents were burned, "the waste should be reduced to ash and the ashes broken up".
(...)(1)
Unfortunately, once again, here in Britain, we are reminded of the original sin of the post 1945 era. Now we have the temerity of destruction of records to add further insult to injury.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/18/britain-destroyed-records-colonial-crimes
Obama delaying settlements probe
Obama's delayed an assessment of illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian territories to after the 2012 Pres. elction(1) Go figure, no wonder there's US liberal disenchantment with him.
Footnote:
(1) http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/u-s-pressing-un-human-rights-commissioner-to-put-off-west-bank-settlements-probe-1.427744
Footnote:
(1) http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/u-s-pressing-un-human-rights-commissioner-to-put-off-west-bank-settlements-probe-1.427744
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
IDF Probe on Gaza Deaths Cancelled
Israel's military prosecution
announced Tuesday that no legal steps will be taken against those
responsible for the killing of 21 members of the Samouni family during
the 2009 Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
A letter was received
by the human rights group B'Tselem from Major Dorit Tuval, Deputy Military
Advocate for Operational Matters. Tuval said that the case has
been closed after the investigation has found that the attack on the
civilians, "who did not take part in the fighting," and their killing
were not done knowingly and directly, or out of haste and negligence "in
a manner that would indicate criminal responsibility."
B'Tselem activists condemned the decision and
called for an alternative investigatory body to probe such incidents.
On the morning
of January 4, Givati commanders ordered the dozens of members of the
extended Samouni family to leave the three-story house (the home of
Talal Samouni), which they then turned into their outpost. The soldiers
told them to gather in the one-story home of Wail Samouni, on the other
side of the road and about 30 meters southeast. The Samounis took
the fact that the soldiers themselves concentrated the
family in one building, and saw that there were infants, children,
women, elderly people and unarmed men, as insurance that they would not
be harmed(1)
If there's enough evidence for prosecution then it should go ahead. Canceling the process like this, at worst, is just a cover up. And if they are innocent of outright crimes, then what is going to be done instead? The blockade of Gaza is still illegal & was supposed to have been lifted in 2008.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
May Day is Red with Rage
The Greek demonstrations and 24 hour strikes & French election campaign antics(1).
Footnote:
(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17904349
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