UK Terror War Feature Archive
MI6 Iran Disinfo: The Prelude to War?
05-02-2007 21:49
There have been many warnings [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ] about the possible use of US or Israeli nuclear weapons against Iran. Furthermore, Michel Chossudovsky of Global Research has warned that this is just one part of the US "military roadmap" for the Middle East [ text | video | audio ], while Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed wrote last summer that the war had already started.
Needless to say, a war on Iran would be illegal, and would only add to the long list of war crimes that Bush, Blair and their conspirators are guilty of. But then, what would legality matter if we became a planet of the nuclear dead?
On 9th Feburary 2007 Iranian refugees dropped a banner in Birmingham with the slogan "Support movement for democracy in Iran, No to criminal regime in Iran, No to imperialist war on Iran".
Read: Selected Articles on the Proposed US-Israeli Nuclear War on Iran | Articles on the looming war with Iran | Middle East: Cradle or Graveyard of Empire? | Indybay feature: The US gears up for war with Iran | Iran: A Chronology of Disinformation
Full article | 1 addition | 4 comments
Indymedia and British Intelligence Services
02-02-2007 01:21
Following the American pattern after 9/11, the UK government has used its own alleged terrorist attacks to push towards a police state, which is not exactly a new phenomenon, as Nafeez Ahmed, for example, explains. This has involved increasing the funds allocated to 'security services' and granting them extra-judicial powers; the systematic assault on civil liberties and human rights; media-spun fear based on dubious 'terror plots'; the clamp-down on activists and the relentless attempts to infiltrate their networks. Even Indymedia, it seems, has not been spared. At least two Indymedia activists have recently been approached, in one way or another, by British intelligence services, offering them better-paid jobs.
Read: Recruiting Spies at British Airports | Coincidence or Grooming? Oscar Beard's chance to join MI5 | Is It Really About Terrorism?
Tackle the Shackles, Close Guantanamo
14-01-2007 18:13
To mark the 5th anniversary of the transportation of the first prisoners to the US concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a series of demonstrations took place around the world.
In London, over 300 people followed a call by Amnesty International to protest [Photos 1 and 2 | Videos 1 and 2 | Slide show] and to stage a vigil outside the US embassy. A break away group of protestors later targeted the arms manufacturers company Lockheed-Martin for profiteering from Guantanamo Bay [Video]. Another vigil [Photos] by London and Oxford Catholic Worker communities took place in solidarity with 90 anti-Guantanamo US activists that were arrested in an occupation of the U.S. Federal Court House in Washington DC [Report | Photos] A further candle-lit vigil was set outside Downing Street [Video]
In Birmingham around 80 people gathered in front of Hiatt, a UK company that makes shackles and other torture equipment used by the US military in Guantanamo Bay over the last five years [Report and Photos]. In Edinburgh there was a protest outside the US Consulate, and a meeting in the Scottish Parliament [Report and Photos]
To read more about facts and the mistreatment of prisoners in Guantanamo click at the Full Article link above.
Links: National Guantanamo Coalition | AI's Close Guntanamo campaign | Cage Prisoners
Accept people's terrorism fears, says Rai
04-12-2006 09:42
A PRAGMATIC approach to building opposition to the US/UK "war on terror" was suggested by Sussex anti-war activist and author Milan Rai at a meeting in Worthing. He told the Worthing Alliance at The Rest in Bath Place on Thursday November 30 that it was important to accept people's fears of terrorism and to build on their understandable desire to keep themselves and their families safe.
Full article | 2 additions | 11 comments
The Racist 'War on Terror'
13-10-2006 18:08
If the 'war on terror' were really about stopping terror, then you would have thought that, when the largest ever haul of bomb-making chemicals, rocket launchers and a nuclear biological suit were found by police at a house in Lancashire, the suspect would be interned for 90 days, the story would make headlines for days, and they would be assumed to be guilty. Well, that's what you would expect if the suspects were Muslims.
But in this case, they are white nationalists; one of the two was the BNP candidate for the Vivary Bridge ward of Colne last May. So the police assumed he was innocent: "He's not a terrorist and it's not a bomb factory", Superintendent Neil Smith said, reassuring residents. He has been charged under the Explosives Substances Act 1883 and remanded in custody, and is due to appear in Burnley Crown Court on October 23rd. The second suspect was released without charge.
Read: Genuine Terror Cell Found | The fascist bomb factory you won't hear about | The terror plot that didn't fit
Full article | 1 addition | 3 comments
11th September 2001, Five Years On
12-09-2006 23:31
Five years after 9/11, a large number of protests, screenings, concerts and meetings were held across the US (New York: 1 | 2 | SF Bay Area: 1 | 2 | Los Angeles: 1 | 2) to demand the truth about the events of September 11th 2001 and the subsequent "War on Terror" and the imperial invasion of key countries in the oil-rich Middle East. In the UK over 100 truth protestors gathered outside the US Embasy in London to oppose the official conspiracy theory, see the report, video and photos: 1 | 2.
The attacks of September 11th 2001 have been used, on both sides of the Atlantic, to justify a spectrum of attacks on civil liberties and illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 9/11 Truth Movement fears that until the lies are exposed the attack will continue to be used to justify perpetual war, with the next one possibly being with Iran and/or Syria, and further attacks on dissent and freedoms at home. In the UK post-9/11, steps down the road to a police state have included terror raids, shoot to kill, detention without trial, torture training, profiling, rendition and a host of other Orwellian "Big Brother" proposals like ID cards.
The 9/11 Truth Movement has received varied responses from Indymedia, ranging from feature articles condemning conspiracy theorists (NYC) to dedicated 9/11 topics and feature articles asking why the network is ignoring the call for a 9.11 investigation (Portland). In the months following the attack UK-IMC carried many articles questioning the official story and analysing what the attacks would mean for the anti-capitalist left (for example: 9/11: A Desperate Provocation By U.S. Capitalism), but in the years following the attack an ad-hoc policy of hiding all articles questioning 9/11 was adopted. This has now changed, the 9/11 Truth Movement is gradually gaining recognition as a legitimate, albeit still controversial, part of the broad global justice movement.
Read on for more on the events of 11th September 2001, the 9/11 Truth Movement and a look at one of the big unanswered questions, what happened to World Trade Centre Building 7?
"Stop Torture Flights" Day of Action
29-06-2006 23:40
Saturday, 24th June, saw a day of protest at 5 British airports (Glasgow, Prestwick, Edinburgh, Gatwick and Birmingham International) against the so-called rendition flights, used by the CIA to secretly and illegally transport 'terror suspects' arrested or kidnapped around the world for 'interrogation' in other countries, where torture of prisoners is practiced. The protests were supported by Birmingham Guantanamo Campaign, Scotland Against Criminalising Communities, Save Omar Deghayes Campaign and Edinburgh Stop The War Coalition. The 5 are among tens of British and European airports where CIA-owned or chartered jets have been logged.
In Birmingham, about 20 people took part in a vigil on the A45 outside Birmingham International Airport to "demand action to put a stop to the CIA's torture flights". They were later joined by people from Oxford and Coventry. In Edinburgh, the protest involved about 35 people from different campaigns. Banners and placards read "Stop the torture flights", "Stop the War". In both cases, activists were dressed up in orange jump suits, worn by detainees in Guantanamo, and shackled and handcuffed. Similar protests took place at Glasgow, Gatwick and Prestwick airports.
The UK and other EU governments have repeatedly dnied any knowledge of such flights, despite the mounting evidence of their complicity. A report by the Council of Europe's rapporteur, Dick Marty, said European governments, including Britain, were complicit in these abuses. The report was debated by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 June. [the report in pdf]
Read more: El-Masri suing CIA for flight to prison | List of CIA torture planes | CIA's secret jails | CIA aircraft flying into Scotland | Europe knew | Europe's agreement
Amnesty International's report | Liberty's page on extraordinary rendition.
Anti-terror Raid in Forest Gate - Demonstration
17-06-2006 03:56
A crowd of several hundred demonstrators, mainly Muslim, gathered outside New Scotland Yard on Sunday afternoon 11 June to voice their disquiet at the June 2 raid in Forest Gate. The police raid which involved some 250 officers, was one of the largest single 'anti-terrorist' raids in Britain. Two houses were targeted based on intelligence that they were the location for a chemical bomb factory run by two brothers, Mohammed Abdul Kahar and Abdul Koyair.
The raid was brutal and Koyair was shot in the shoulder in circumstances that remain a mystery. The two brothers were eventually released without charge late on Friday June 9.
A demonstration was called for the 18th of June to show support for the families of the Forest Gate raid. More than 2000 people marched in East London to show the community’s anger and frustration at the raids. Demonstrators carried placards with statements such as “The War on Terror is a War on Us” [Report]
The Summer of Truth
31-05-2006 14:50
A Month of Film Screenings on:
9/11, Oil, War and Globalisation
Every Sunday in July at SIF (Sheffield Independent Film), films start at 6:30pm and 8pm
The attacks on New York and Washington on 11th September 2001 have been described as a "New Pearl Harbor" and they have been used to justify the war against Afghanistan and Iraq, the erosion of civil liberties in the US and the UK and the permanent "War on Terror".
Since 9/11 conspiracy theories have flourished, however one of the least credible conspiracy theory is the official narrative this selection of films explores some of the 9/11 smoking guns and the possible motivation of those responsible.
Read on for a complete listing of the films...
Terror profiling nets innocents
28-09-2005 12:00
Davids 'crime'? - wearing a rucksack along with an 'unseasonal' jacket and checking his phone messages while waiting for his train. Luckly for David the police refrained from following the shoot-to-kill policy that had resulted in the tragic death of Jean Charles De Menezes less than a week earlier. Instead, they closed Southwark tube station and cordoned off the whole area while the bomb squad checked his bag. Eventually, finding nothing but a laptop in his bag, the orginal officers appologised then arrested anyway. His home was searched and his computers confiscated. You could be next.
[ exclusive interview | Davids account 1,2 | profiling | bloggers unite ]
Nottingham Peace rally in response to the London bombings
05-08-2005 10:35
On Saturday afternoon, scores of people gathered for a peace rally in Nottingham in response to the London bombings. The event in Market Square was arranged by the Nottingham Muslim Action Group.
Organisers said the aim of the rally was to remember the victims of the bombings and promote solidarity between people of all races and faiths. and of course, no-faiths. The event was backed by a range of other faith groups.
After two-minute silence, 56 white balloons were released to represent and remember those that died as a result of the London explosions.
A similar rally was held last weekend in Leicester.
more ....
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2005/07/319509.html Justice For Jean Charles Menezes
29-07-2005 12:20
At around 10am (Friday 22/7), police shot dead an unarmed man on a train in south London. They had trailed him from a block of flats which they had under surveillance, allowing him to board a bus and then enter Stockwell underground Station, despite apparently believing that he was a suicide bomber.
first reports | more on shooting | train driver threatened
News of the 'shoot to kill' policy raised urgent concerns from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially since the man (now named as Jean Charles de Menezes) turned out to be completely unconnected with the bombers. After police admitted the man was innocent on Saturday a hastily organised vigil was held at Stockwell Station on Sunday 24 morning. [reports and photos - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | audio | video ] A second much larger vigil took place on Monday 25 evening. [Pics and report | Spontaneous march | Photos of vigil and demo] On the following Wednesday 27 another protest took place outside the Metropolitan police headquarters at Scotland Yard. [Photos and Reports 1 | 2] [Audio interviews]
- The Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign has called for another vigil and a memorial service on Friday 29 at 5.30pm, Parliament Sq. [Flyer (pdf)]
State of Terror
23-07-2005 18:27
[ reports 1 | 2 ] [ photos Oval | Warren Street | Route 26 bus video + stills ]
A statement posted on an Islamic website in the name of, Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for both sets of London attacks. The group has threatened "a bloody war" on the capitals of European countries that do not remove their troops from Iraq within a month.
The following day was extremely tense with many people expecting a follow up attack because the bombers had left too much evidence behind for them to believe they would not soon be captured. Security around the capital was increased with so-called 'random' stop and searches introduced on London Transport but many people stayed away from the city.
At around 10am (Friday 22/7), police shot dead an unarmed man on a train in south London. They had trailed him from a block of flats which they had under surveillance, allowing him to board a bus and then enter Stockwell Station, despite apparently believing that he was a sucide bomber. [first reports | more on shooting | train driver threatend ]
Transport remained in chaos all Friday and into the weekend with many security alerts, one of which involved armed police at the East London Mosque. Police has since raided several addresses and made at least three arrests. The dragnet extended to Birmingham where one man was arrested under terror laws but later released uncharged.
News of the 'shoot to kill' policy raised urgent concerned from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially since the man (now named as Jean Charles de Menezes) turned out to be completely unconnected with the bombers. After police admitted the man was innocent on Saturday a hastely organised vigil was held at Stockwell Station on Sunday 24 morning. [reports and photos - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | audio | video ] A second much larger vigil took place on Monday 25 evening. [Pics and report | Impromptu march | Photos vigil and demo] On the following Wednesday 27 another protest took place outside the Metropolitan police headquarters at Scotland Yard. [Photos and Reports 1 | 2] [Audio interviews]
- The Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign has called for another vigil and a memorial service on Friday 29 at 5.30pm, Prliament Sq. [Flyer (pdf)]
Update on the situation in London
07-07-2005 22:49
It appears that there were 3 explosions on the London Underground along with another bomb that exploded on a London Bus blowing its roof. There was no warning and although an unknown group linking themselves to Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility on a known Jihadist web site [offline - see screenshot instead | translation ], this has not yet been confirmed. The mainstream media are reporting that the death toll now stands at 52, with 700 or so injured. Reports that the Israeli embassy had been tipped off are circulating although a Scotland Yard spokesperson denied this. Transport within the capital is gradually returning to normal with bus routes reopening, although commuters and tourists will still rely on river boats, taxis, private transport and of course feet for many journeys.
Eyewitness coverage : Aldgate first reports & photos | video confirms at least two killed | London bombings: an incredible story of survival ]More indymedia commentry : [ Indymedia UK Statement | Poor use of Indymedia | London bombing to the eyes of the third world | Its' not enough to blame Al Qaeda | London: Explosion Updates | Anarchist response to attacks (includes West Midlands Anarchists) | Photos from Edinburgh vigil in response to London bombings
Official statements: [ Number 10 | London Metropolitan Police | Transport For London ]
Other media: [ The Guardian | Wikipedia | Al-Jazeera ]
Travel news: [ National Rail ]
Statements of solidarity: [ Muslim Council of Britain and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland | Various religious leaders | The E.U. | The U.N. | Personal messages from across the globe (BBC) | Personal messages from across the globe (Al-Jazeera) ]
Big Brother is Watching
17-06-2005 21:33
series on TV the fiction rapidly moves towards reality. The UK already
has more CCTV cameras than any other country in the world. Your emails
can be read and the history of your websurfing analysed without a court
order by six government agencies and the Police. Your land line can be
tapped. Your mobile phone acts as a tracking device and vehicles can be
tracked across the country through number plate recognition software.
The Police now have the power to access your NHS records without having
to establish that a criminal act has taken place. The measures taken by
the UK government in the name of the "war on terror" have severly
damaged civil liberties and human rights.
The slide towards a Big Brother state accelerates further this week.
The G8 Justice and Interior Ministers meeting in Sheffield
discussed avenues for advancing the the so-called "war on terror",
national security and combating international crime and illegal
immigration, all of which are likely to have further negative impacts
on civil liberties. For the UK goverment part of this strategy is to
introduce a national identity scheme making it a legal requirement for
its citizens to carry ID cards.
Protest at UK's "Guantanamo Bay"
26-10-2004 16:08
Britain continues to hold 14 foreign nationals who have never been charged with any offence. The supposed evidence against them remains secret. They were never questioned by the police. They have not been put on trial.
These men are detained under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, which allows the Home Secretary to detain indefinitely any foreign nationals if he has 'reasonable suspicion' that they have links with 'international terrorism'. At hearings last year, the government acknowledged that some of the 'evidence' could have been obtained by torturing detainees elsewhere, e.g. Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.
On Sunday 3 October, around 100 people gathered outside Belmarsh Prison in south east London to protest against the indefinite internment of the 14 prisoners, and to demand the repeal of the UK's anti-terrorism laws. A wide range of people were present, from Muslim leaders to grass roots activists, incluiding Lawyers and anti-racism campaigners. A number of speeches were made, and an open microphone included poetry and music. Photos 1 | 2.
Urgent Appeal: Write Letters to Internees in Belmarsh Prison
Read article Guantánamo in our back yard
Photos of earlier protest on Sunday 4th April
Campaign Against Criminalising Communities
Protesters Picket Chicksands Torture Centre
03-06-2004 01:20
On Saturday 29th May approximately 50 demonstrators gathered outside Chicksands military base in Bedfordshire, home to the Joint Services Interrogation Centre where 'interrogation' techniques have been being taught to UK forces. Read interrogation as 'torture'.
Banners called for Chicksands closure and protestors recreated shocking images of torture. There were a number of speakers and also jugglers, banging tunes, bubbles, pictures on the pavement and skull and cross bones confetti (some of which ended up inside the base). A favourite moment was watching a policeman try to duck a huge bubble without betraying his cool exterior!
What happened after the war on Afghanistan?
15-01-2004 23:00
On 7 October 2001, the US and UK began air attacks on Afghanistan. At that time, so soon after 11 September, there was some support for military action (1). On 7 December 2001, Kandahar, the last Taleban stronghold, fell prompting those in the West to declare the war to be won. (2).
But what was the end result of this war? Certainly Osama Bin Laden wasn't captured, though some Al-Qaeda infrastructure may have been destroyed. In the immediate aftermath of the war, it appeared that the UK and US' most obvious achievement had been the overthrowing of the Taliban - harbourers of Bin Laden, supporters of Al-Qaeda and oppressors of the local Afganistan population. So what did this mean for the people of Afghanistan?
Anti-Terrorism Laws Used Against Anti-Arms Campaigners
04-09-2003 09:58
In a truly hypocritical move, police have been using Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to stop and search people suspected of being anti-arms campaigners in and around the area of the DSEi arms fair, due to be held next week. Reports have come in of several instances of the anti-terror legislation being used to stop, detain and search people.The use of Section 44 allows vehicles and pedestrians to be stopped and searched for no reason. People may be asked to remove outer clothing (coat, hat even shoes) but no more than that. Bags may be searched and pockets emptied. Male officers may search women although they should not touch them. People should receive a ticket after they have been searched which should specify the date, location, officer conducting the search and the results of the search. There is no legal requirement for people to provide their name and address.
LIBERTY, the human rights group, released a 13 page report (pdf)in July focusing on the misuse of Section 44 against anti-war demonstrators around USAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, during the concentrated bombing of Iraq earlier this year. The damning report detailed fundamental breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights in the extensive use of anti-terrorism laws to prevent citizens taking part in legitimate protest and to harrass them. At its most extreme an anti-terrorist order was served on an 11-year-old girl.
See Indymedia Feature - more on Section 44
LIBERTY Slams Use of Anti Terrorism Act to Suppress Peace Protests - Did the Home Secretary Lie to Parliament?
17-07-2003 13:41
Download full Liberty report: (pdf)
Corporate Media Coverage of Liberty report
War on Freedom and Democracy (10 page Statewatch pdf, Sept 02)
