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George Monbiot: As the waters rise, a two-year sentence for throwing soup. That’s the farcical reality of British justice

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/01/prison-uk-justice-system-fossil-fuel-industry

Phoebe Plummer (left) and Anna Holland were sentenced to two years and 20 months, respectively, for throwing soup at the glass protecting Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London in 2022. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/the Guardian

Why do the mass killers of the fossil fuel industry walk free while the heroes trying to stop them are imprisoned?

The sentences were handed down just as Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina. As homes were smashed, trucks swept down roads that had turned into rivers and residents were killed, in the placid setting of Southwark crown court two young women from Just Stop Oil, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, were sentenced to two years and 20 months, respectively, for throwing tomato soup at the glass protecting Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. No prison terms have been handed to the people whose companies deliver climate breakdown, causing the deaths of many thousands and destruction valued not at the £10,000 estimated by the court in damage to the painting’s frame but trillions.

Everywhere we see a farcical disproportion. The same judge, Christopher Hehir, presided over the trial of the two sons of one of the richest men in Britain, George and Costas Panayiotou. On a night out, they viciously beat up two off-duty police officers, apparently for the hell of it. One of the officers required major surgery, including the insertion of titanium plates in his cheek and eye socket. One of the brothers, Costas, already had three similar assault convictions. But Hehir gave them both suspended sentences. He also decided that a police officer who had sex in his car with a drunk woman he had “offered to take home” should receive only a suspended sentence. Hehir said he wanted “to bring this sad and sorry tale to its end with a final act of mercy”. The solicitor general referred the case to the court of appeal for being unduly lenient, and the sentence was raised to 11 months in jail.

Hehir also handed a suspended sentence to a man who rammed his car into the gates of Downing Street and was then found by police to have extreme child abuse images on his phone. By contrast, in July Hehir – the Judge Jeffreys of our time – gave five climate protesters who blocked the M25 jail terms of four and five years. It looks to me as if justice itself is suspended in Southwark crown court.

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/01/prison-uk-justice-system-fossil-fuel-industry

Continue ReadingGeorge Monbiot: As the waters rise, a two-year sentence for throwing soup. That’s the farcical reality of British justice

Tory leadership hopeful wants Star of David on every point of entry to UK

Image of Tory idiot Boris Johnson
Former Tory party leader idiot Boris Johnson

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241001-tory-leadership-hopeful-wants-star-of-david-on-every-point-of-entry-to-uk

Two front-runners in the Conservative Party leadership race have attempted to ingratiate themselves with pro-Israel supporters by making statements critics have slammed as demand for a loyalty test on immigrants to support the apartheid state.

Robert Jenrick, speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel reception, suggested displaying the Star of David at UK border entry points to show support for Israel. He said that “at every airport and point of entry to our great country there is the Star of David.” Jenrick, who last month called for jailing anyone who say “Allahu Akbar,” also pledged to move the British embassy to Jerusalem if he became Prime Minister, adding: “If the Foreign Office or the civil servants don’t want to do it, I will build it myself.”

In a similar vein, Kemi Badenoch, in an article for The Telegraph, raised concerns about the attitudes of immigrants towards Israel. “We cannot be naïve and assume immigrants will automatically abandon ancestral ethnic hostilities at the border, or that all cultures are equally valid. They are not,” wrote Badenoch. “I am struck, for example, by the number of recent immigrants to the UK who hate Israel. That sentiment has no place here.”

When questioned about these comments by Trevor Phillips on Sky News if she meant Muslims, Badenoch clarified: “It is not all Muslim immigrants […] but there are some, those who buy into Islamist ideology, political Islam; they do not like Israel and we need to be able to distinguish between the two,” she added.

Badenoch’s comments have been criticised as dog-whistle racism by some observers. Opposition to Israel is not exclusively a Muslim issue, as she seemed to suggest. Many non-Muslim figures, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope, have spoken out against Israel’s actions in recent weeks.

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241001-tory-leadership-hopeful-wants-star-of-david-on-every-point-of-entry-to-uk

Lettuce complains about being compared to Liz Truss.
Another one – lettuce complains about being compared to Liz Truss.
Continue ReadingTory leadership hopeful wants Star of David on every point of entry to UK

In First Speech Since Release, Assange Says Imprisonment Set ‘Dangerous Precedent’

Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Julian Assange gave a speech to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights at the Council of Europe on October 1, 2024 in Strasbourg, France.  (Photo: WikiLeaks)

“I am not free today because the system worked,” said Assange. “I am free today because after years of incarceration I pleaded guilty to journalism.”

In his first public statement since being released from prison in June, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday urged European lawmakers to take action to protect journalists from being prosecuted for their reporting work, warning that his yearslong case is directly tied to self-censorship and the chilling of press freedom.

Assange spoke to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (PACE) at the Council of Europe, which includes members from across the continent, in Strasbourg, France, and warned that current legal protections for journalists and whistleblowers “were not effective in any remotely reasonable time,” as evidenced by the 14 years he spent in prison or otherwise in confinement for his work.

“I want to be totally clear,” said Assange. “I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today because after years of incarceration I pleaded guilty to journalism. I pleaded guilty to seeking information from a source.”

Watch Assange’s testimony below:

Assange was released from Belmarsh Prison in London in June after being incarcerated there for five years. His release was secured when he agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security materials in a deal with the U.S. government.

He had spent years fighting U.S. efforts to extradite him, threatening him with a sentence of up to 170 years in a federal prison, as punishment for state secrets WikiLeaks published.

The media organization reported on a series of leaks provided by former U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning regarding the Army’s killing of unarmed civilians in Iraq, as well as publishing diplomatic cables.

“I was formally convicted by a foreign power for asking for receiving and publishing truthful information about that power, while I was in Europe,” said Assange, who is Australian, on Tuesday. “The fundamental issue is simple: Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs.”

Assange told PACE members that he had believed that Article 10 of European Convention of Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media, would protect him from prosecution.

“Similarly, looking at the U.S. First Amendment to its Constitution… No publisher had ever been prosecuted for publishing classified information from the United States,” said Assange. “I expected some kind of harassment legal process. I was pre-prepared to fight for that.”

He continued:

My naiveté was in believing in the law. When push comes to shove, laws are just pieces of paper and they can be reinterpreted for political expediency.

They are the rules made by the ruling class more broadly. And if those rules don’t suit what it wants to do, it reinterprets them or hopefully changes them… In the case of the United States, we angered one of the constituent powers of the United States. The intelligence sector… It was powerful enough to push for a reinterpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

He said he ultimately “chose freedom over unrealizable justice,” as the U.S. was intent on imprisoning him for the rest of his life unless he entered the guilty plea.

Assange added that his case set a “dangerous precedent,” and that since his arrest he has observed “more impunity, more secrecy, more retaliation for telling the truth, and more self-censorship.”

“It is hard not to draw a line from the U.S. government crossing the Rubicon by internationally criminalizing journalism to the chilled climate for freedom of expression now,” said Assange.

His comments echoed the findings of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which published its annual press freedom index in May. The group found that “in the Americas, the inability of journalists to cover subjects related to organized crime, corruption, or the environment for fear of reprisals poses a major problem.”

The U.S. fell 10 places in the annual ranking, with citing “open antagonism from political officials” such as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, “including calls to jail journalists.” RSF also cited the government’s pursuit of Assange’s extradition.

In Europe, said Assange on Tuesday, “the criminalization of news-gathering activities is a threat to investigative journalism everywhere.”

Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Continue ReadingIn First Speech Since Release, Assange Says Imprisonment Set ‘Dangerous Precedent’

Youth Arrested Demanding VP Debate Question on Climate Emergency

Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

The Sunrise Movement wants CBS moderator Norah O’Donnell to ask Republican JD Vance “if his prayers outweigh the millions he takes from Big Oil to deny the climate crisis.”

Just hours away from the U.S. vice presidential debate on Tuesday, six members of the youth-led Sunrise Movement were arrested for blocking the street outside CBS News headquarters in New York City to demand moderator Norah O’Donnell ask both candidates what they would do to take on the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency.

The sit-in and blockade came as the death toll from Hurricane Helene, which left a path of destruction across several southeastern states, hit at least 137. Sunrise has responded to the Category 4 storm with renewed calls to hold fossil fuel giants accountable.

“In North Carolina, I have watched buildings in my hometown be submerged in water, have seen entire towns washed away, trees and power lines covering the streets, people asking for help finding their loved ones, and friends reaching out for aid after losing their homes and livelihoods,” Talia Wilson of Asheville said in a Sunrise statement.

“Norah O’Donnell has a huge responsibility to require JD Vance to have a real conversation about the climate crisis on national TV.”

Wilson took aim at the Republican ticket of former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who will face his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in Tuesday night’s debate.

“It couldn’t be clearer that we need to act. Big Oil has known for years that its actions would cause disasters like these, but JD Vance and Donald Trump keep promising Big Oil power in exchange for campaign contributions,” the 18-year-old campaigner said. “I know my friends and neighbors want to hear from both candidates on how they plan to address the climate crisis and work to prevent even worse disasters from striking our communities in the future.”

Sunrise’s Jordan Reif said that “my mom sent me pictures from our family in Georgia. Hurricane Helene destroyed roads, yards, and homes. There was damage like we had never seen before.”

“The climate crisis is worsening and climate denier politicians like JD Vance are selling out our communities for donations from Big Oil,” the 24-year-old added. “CBS News and the media must report Hurricane Helene for what it is—Big Oil’s greed destroying our communities.”

Sunrise is circulating a petition that notes Big Oil-backed Vance’s response to the death and devastation. In a Saturday social media post, the Republican said, “Please say a prayer for everyone affected by the storms.”

The petition says, “Sign this letter to demand that CBS News anchor and vice presidential debate moderator Norah O’Donnell add a question to Tuesday’s debate asking JD Vance if his prayers outweigh the millions he takes from Big Oil to deny the climate crisis.”

The group’s letter to O’Donnell highlights Politico‘s recent reporting that “Vance changed his tune on climate change. Oil cash flowed.” As the news outlet detailed:

As recently as 2020, [Vance] spoke at Ohio State University about society’s “climate problem” and said using natural gas as a power source “isn’t exactly the sort of thing that’s gonna take us to a clean energy future.”

Vance’s climate and energy views took a 180 once he was running for the Senate. The oil and gas industry spent more than $283,000 on Vance’s 2022 campaign—more than they gave to all but 18 other members of Congress, according to the campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets.

Trump’s selection of Vance as his VP candidate alarmed green groups that are overwhelmingly backing Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz, given the Republican ex-president’s pledge to roll back Biden-Harris administration climate policies if Big Oil pours just $1 billion into his campaign, and research showing planet-heating pollution would soar if he returned to the White House.

“Donald Trump and JD Vance are responding to the unimaginable devastation of Helene by tweeting prayers and by doubling down on their climate denial. That’s wholly unacceptable,” said Sunrise communications director Stevie O’Hanlon, whose group is working to mobilize 1.5 million swing state voters in support of Harris.

“Scientists have been extremely clear: Climate change made Helene stronger and more deadly, and if we don’t urgently act, storms like this will become the new normal,” O’Hanlon added. “Norah O’Donnell has a huge responsibility to require JD Vance to have a real conversation about the climate crisis on national TV.”

The 90-minute debate is set to begin at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, airing on the CBS broadcast television station and streaming for free on CBSNews.com, the CBS News TV and smartphone applications, Paramount+, and YouTube.

Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

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Continue ReadingYouth Arrested Demanding VP Debate Question on Climate Emergency

Calls mount for independent review into physician associates

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/calls-mount-independent-review-physician-associates

A general view of medical equipment on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London

LEADING medics demanded an independent review into physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) to investigate concerns around patient safety today.

Plans have been outlined to expand the number of PAs and AAs across the NHS to 10,000 by 2037.

Unlike doctors, who study medicine for five years and undertake two years of placements, medical associates qualify from a two-year master’s degree.

The roles have faced backlash over concerns that they will replace trained doctors.

This intensified after a 29-year-old woman died in 2022 after being misdiagnosed twice by a PA she thought was a GP.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting and NHS chief Amanda Pritchard to call for a rapid review to “clarify claims around their safety and usefulness in patient-facing roles” and examine if the roles are cost effective, efficient and safe for patients.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/calls-mount-independent-review-physician-associates

Continue ReadingCalls mount for independent review into physician associates