cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/15338

The police have arrested activist Greta Thunberg at a protest to un-proscribe Palestine Action. Thunberg was holding a sign which read:

I support Palestine Action prisoners.

I oppose genocide.

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She is the latest activist to be arrested by British police amidst an ongoing crackdown on civil liberties and free speech in support of Palestine.

Greta Thunberg shows support for hunger strikers unwavering

A press release documenting Greta Thunberg’s arrest reads as follows:

“Greta Thunberg was arrested under the Terrorism Act at the Prisoners for Palestine lock-on protest outside the offices of Aspen Insurance at Plantation Place, 30 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3BD. She arrived after the protest began, with a sign reading “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide”

This morning two activists covered the front of the building with symbolic blood-red paint, using re-purposed fire extinguishers, and the pair then locked-on at the front of the building, with the intention of drawing attention to Aspen’s complicity in Genocide, disrupting their business, and closing down the building.

Aspen Insurance, a global speciality insurer and reinsurer were targeted because they provide services to Elbit Systems UK, providing the arms manufacturer with the mandatory Employer Liability insurance without which Elbit could not produce weapons in Britain. Elbit are Israel’s biggest weapons maker, producing over 85% of their killer drone fleet and land-based equipment.

The action [by Greta Thunberg and others] was also carried out in solidarity with the Prisoners for Palestine hunger-strikers, who are now in the eighth week of a hunger-strike, launched on November 2nd. The first 2 prisoners to join the protest, are now on their 52nd day on hunger-strike, and at a critical stage, where death is a real possibility. David Lammy, British Minister of Justice, has refused to speak to legal representatives of the hunger-strikers, or their families.

After the two activists locked-on at the front of the Aspen offices, they were joined by supporters. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg then arrived, holding a banner reading, “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” She was then arrested by police. This follows an arrest in Scotland, where a protestor was arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, for holding a sign reading, “I support the Palestine Action hunger strikers.”

In a statement of solidarity with the hunger-strikers released on Instagram a few days ago, Greta Thunberg said:

It is up to the state to intervene, and put an end to this by meeting these reasonable demands that pave the way for the freedom of all those who choose to use their rights trying to stop a genocide, something the British state has failed to do themselves. Mobilise and escalate to ensure the government cannot ignore their demands, and most importantly continue to answer their calls to Shut Elbit Down. Free Palestine!

The protest is ongoing”.

Greta Thunberg was at the pro-Palestine Hanukkah demo last night arranged by Jewish activists (reporting to follow).

Featured image via Greta Thunberg

By Willem Moore

From Canary via This RSS Feed.

Archived version

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“A Russian soldier came to her house in May 2022, smashed her face with his rifle butt and broke her teeth, slashed her stomach with a knife, and raped her. He then stole her bicycle and left her a Kalashnikov bullet as a souvenir.”

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“How can you look in the eyes of this 75-year-old woman and say there won’t be punishment for what that Russian soldier did to you?” said Kovalenko, her own eyes wet with tears.

The 38-year-old [Ukrainian documentary-maker Alisa Kovalenko] from Zaporizhzhia was one of a group of four Ukrainian survivors of sexual violence and activists who came to London last week to lobby MPs, members of the House of Lords, and Foreign Office officials to try to get British support against the proposed amnesty.

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An NHS medic protesting outside Bronzefield Prison in support of hunger strikers, including Qesser Zuhrah, was choked unconscious by police

Archived version

[UK] General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the first sea lord, [said] that Moscow was renewing investment in the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) team and that Britain could not afford to ignore the threat posed by Russia’s advanced underwater capabilities, which were “improving all the time”.

The unit of expert submariners is responsible for mapping and potentially disrupting seabed infrastructure — such as internet cables and gas pipelines — on which Britain and its Nato allies rely for communications and power supplies.

“We’ve seen GUGI’s subsurface capabilities restarting,” Jenkins said in an interview. “We know that they’ve had some issues with that programme. It appears that they have reset that programme. So we’re expecting them to deploy again.”

GUGI can operate submersibles at extreme depths, which “gives [Moscow] the option for physical action, if they want it,” he added.

While GUGI has been conducting underwater missions for several decades, its actions are highly classified and UK naval chiefs have, until recently, refused to acknowledge its existence or discuss what they know of its activities.

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Jenkins — who was appointed first sea lord and chief of the naval staff in May this year — declined to say exactly what “physical action” by GUGI might constitute.

But naval experts have suggested that Moscow could plant explosives at the nodes where cables meet.

“You have an aggressive regime with an acknowledged capability, an acknowledged desire to implement sabotage and transition towards points of tension, and you have a facility that enables them to go to depths with submersibles on mapped infrastructure that is sensitive to us,” Jenkins said. “That doesn’t seem like a good combination to me.”

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“The Russians continue to invest in these [naval] capabilities, and they’re improving all the time . . . we should take that threat very seriously, because the comfort that we take from being an island that is separated from continental Europe is a false comfort,” added Jenkins.

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His comments come as spies and defence chiefs have drawn attention to the increasing threat of Russian sabotage in the UK and across Europe.

In her first public remarks since taking the helm of the Secret Intelligence Service in October, MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli last week accused Moscow of “testing” Britain with “grey zone” activities including state-sponsored sabotage, cyber attacks and drone harassment at airports and military bases.

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Boxer Ty Mitchell to Tommy Robinson: "You're a little rat" - and most of the world cheered as little tommy looked about to cry

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43978801

Web archive link

The British government said Friday it is investigating a “cyber incident” following news reports that hackers linked to China have gained access to thousands of confidential documents held by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Trade Minister Chris Bryant said the investigation began in October and the government believes there is a “fairly low risk” that anyone’s personal information has been compromised.

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The allegations come at a sensitive time in Britain’s relationship with China as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government tries to rebuild trade and diplomatic links that have been strained by concerns about Chinese spying and human rights abuses.

Starmer reportedly plans to travel to China in late January, the first time a British prime minister will visit the country since 2018. Meanwhile, the government has delayed a decision on China’s plans to build a massive new embassy in London amid criticism that it could be used as a base for espionage.

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/56385056

Developers of apps that use end-to-end encryption to protect private communications could be considered hostile actors in the UK.

Nineteen-year-old Dylan Law is running to be the Green party’s deputy mayor for Hackney, a responsibility he balances with his studying for his degree and family life. If he wins, he’ll be the youngest deputy mayor in the country.