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Tag: David Lammy

  • US flew spy flights for UK months before MoD admitted it

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    https://www.declassifieduk.org/us-flew-spy-flights-for-uk-months-before-mod-admitted-it

    A US Beechcraft surveillance aircraft circling Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza less than 24 hours before Israel’s deadly aircraft (Source: ADBS Exchange)

    A US military contractor hired by Britain to conduct surveillance over Gaza operated above Nuseirat refugee camp the night before an Israeli bombing killed over 30 Palestinians in December 2024.

    On the evening of 12 December 2024, Israel bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza without warning. A post office sheltering displaced families was hit; nearby houses were shredded. 

    More than 30 Palestinians were killed and over 50 wounded. Entire families died, their names posted online within minutes.

    Declassified can now reveal that a spy plane owned by a US contractor to whom the RAF is outsourcing its spy flights circled over Nuseirat refugee camp the night before the bombing.

    Publicly available flight-tracking data show that in the hours before the blast, and again afterwards, two surveillance aircraft operating from RAF Akrotiri, Britain’s military base on Cyprus, circled close to or over Gaza. 

    One of these was a RAF Shadow R1 (registration ZZ419) surveillance plane that flew towards Gaza in mid-afternoon before vanishing from public tracking near the territory.

    But the other belonged to Straight Flight Nevada Commercial Leasing LLC, a subsidiary of America’s Sierra Nevada Corporation. This was a Beechcraft Super King Air 350 with the registration N60125 and call sign CROOK11.

    The presence of this US aircraft alongside RAF spy planes raises uncomfortable questions about whether British intelligence, directly or indirectly, assisted Israel’s targeting of the camp. 

    Further, the presence of the US contractor over Gaza as early as December 2024 appears to contradict the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) claim that the company was only hired to take over the missions in recent weeks due to strain on RAF’s Shadow R1 fleet.

    The MoD insists the flights are “unarmed” and “solely related to hostage rescue”, and denies aiding Israel’s prosecution of the war. But there is no known mechanism to ensure that data shared with the Israeli authorities is not repurposed for attacks in serious violations of international humanitarian law.

    …

    Article continues at https://www.declassifieduk.org/us-flew-spy-flights-for-uk-months-before-mod-admitted-it

    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    UK Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary repeatedly heckled at a speech to the Fabian Society over his and the Labour Party's support for and complicity in Israel's genocide of Gaza.
    UK Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary repeatedly heckled at a speech to the Fabian Society over his and the Labour Party’s support for and complicity in Israel’s genocide of Gaza.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.

  • Vance ‘not welcome in Scotland,’ campaigners say

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    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/vance-not-welcome-scotland-campaigners-say

    US vice president JD Vance, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy welcomes him to Chevening House in Kent, during his visit to Britain, August 8, 2025

    ANTI-GENOCIDE campaigners in Scotland are planning a hostile reception for US Vice-President JD Vance, while the Scottish Greens have demanded that not a single penny of public money be spent on a man who has “no place here.”

    Mr Vance had a holiday with his family in the Cotswolds before joining Foreign Secretary David Lammy at his official country retreat, Chevening House in Kent, for some fishing.

    But Police Scotland are now believed to be on standby ahead of an unconfirmed stay by the vice-president at the private Carnell estate near the Ayrshire town of Hurlford. 

    Pro-Palestinian campaign group Mothers Against Genocide were set to offer their own greeting at the estate last night, waving Palestinian flags and rattling pots and pans to show their disgust at a man they say is “hunting and fishing while he is complicit in starving an entire population.”

    Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman demanded answers on the cost of Mr Vance’s private visit.

    As many as 1,000 police officers are thought to have been put on standby to deal with the potential visit, which comes hard on the heels of President Trump’s tour of his Scottish golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire just a month ago.

    Ms Chapman said: “JD Vance is a far-right extremist who has peddled misinformation and lies.

    “He has played a central role in the racist Trump government that has torn apart families and communities, attacked women’s rights and armed the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

    …

    Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/vance-not-welcome-scotland-campaigners-say

  • Amnesty urges police restraint ahead of London protest about Palestine Action ban

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    This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

    Pro-Palestinian activists stage a solidarity protest outside Royal Courts of Justice as co-founder of Palestine Action Huda Ammori takes Home Secretary to High Court over proscription of the group as terror organization in London, United Kingdom on July 4, 2025. Ammori is seeking to block the proscription coming into effect. [İlyas Tayfun Salcı – Anadolu Agency]

    Amnesty International UK has urged the Metropolitan Police against mass arresting peaceful demonstrators expressing support for the recently banned group, Palestine Action, ahead of a major protest planned in London on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

    The protest organized by the activist group, Defend Our Juries, is expected to draw hundreds.

    Since the group’s ban on July 5 under the Terrorism Act, more than 200 people across the UK have been arrested for displaying slogans such as “I Oppose Genocide. I Support Palestine Action.”

    Police have indicated they may arrest hundreds more this weekend, and prison authorities have been asked to prepare for a potential influx of detainees, after the justice ministry initiated a “capacity gold demand,” according to reports.

    Amnesty UK Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh urged officers to exercise restraint and uphold international human rights law, in a letter to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley.

    “Peaceful protesters must be free to express themselves this weekend without fear of reprisals, said Deshmukh. Arresting people on terrorism offences for peacefully holding a placard flies in the face of international human rights law.”

    “At a time when people are quite rightly outraged by the genocide they see being perpetrated in Gaza, it is more crucial than ever that there is space to peacefully express that outrage,” he also said.

    The letter argues that criminalizing protest slogans supportive of Palestine Action breaches the UK’s international obligations to protect freedom of expression and assembly.

    It adds that under international law, protest speech can only be criminalized if it incites violence, serious property damage, hatred or discrimination — criteria which, Amnesty notes, are not met by holding a placard.

    The letter also references the High Court’s recent decision to grant a full hearing to a judicial review challenge against the proscription.

    Read: Britain’s war on Palestine has come home

    The Court ruled that the case raised “serious issues to be tried,” meaning the legal foundation for arrests under sections 12 and 13 of the Terrorism Act is now in doubt.

    The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also publicly criticized the UK’s decision to ban Palestine Action.

    And the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights has been granted permission to intervene in the judicial review.

    Defend Our Juries, which focuses on civil disobedience and protest trials, has led peaceful demonstrations in Westminster since the Palestine Action ban took effect. The protest on Saturday is expected to include up to 500 demonstrators who are expected to hold placards in open defiance of the ban.

    Amnesty International has urged police to focus on facilitating peaceful protest rather than suppressing it.

    “I call again on the Met police to think carefully before making rash decisions this weekend – their job is to facilitate peaceful protest, not shut it down,” said Deshmukh.

    In June, the government announced a ban under the Terrorism Act 2000 after activists from Palestine Action spray-painted planes at a Royal Air Force base, an act being investigated under counter-terrorism laws.

    The ban was later passed in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in July.

    This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

    Keir "I support Zionism without Qualification" Starmer supporting genocide.
    Keir “I support Zionism without Qualification” Starmer supporting genocide.
    UK Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary repeatedly heckled at a speech to the Fabian Society over his and the Labour Party's support for and complicity in Israel's genocide of Gaza.
    UK Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary repeatedly heckled at a speech to the Fabian Society over his and the Labour Party’s support for and complicity in Israel’s genocide of Gaza.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.

  • Leading global scholars sign letter urging UK to end Palestine Action ban

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    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/leading-global-scholars-naomi-klein-angela-davis-sign-letter-urging-uk-to-end-palestine-action-ban

    The signatories of the open letter have expressed solidarity with protesters who may face arrest for taking part in a ‘mass action’ on 9 August. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

    Exclusive: Naomi Klein and Angela Davis among those demanding stop to ‘attack on fundamental freedoms’ of assembly and protest

    Naomi Klein and Angela Davis are among dozens of international scholars and writers who have signed a letter to the Guardian calling on the UK government to reverse the ban on Palestine Action.

    The letter applauds what it describes as a “growing campaign of collective defiance” against the ban and commends the hundreds of people who plan to risk arrest by declaring their support for Palestine Action during a mass protest in London on Saturday.

    Signatories from major academic institutions around the world also say they are “especially concerned” about the ban’s possible impact on universities across Britain and beyond.

    It comes as the pressure group Defend Our Juries plans to hold a “mass action” in London on Saturday where participants have been asked to hold up signs saying: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” Police have warned they will carry out mass arrests of anyone contravening terrorism laws. A separate Palestine solidarity march is taking place in London on the same day.

    …

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/leading-global-scholars-naomi-klein-angela-davis-sign-letter-urging-uk-to-end-palestine-action-ban

    Three people charged with supporting Palestine Action

    Two women and a man have been charged with showing support for proscribed terror group Palestine Action following a protest in central London.

    …

    The charges – the first in England and Wales – come before a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in London’s Parliament Square, with organisers expecting more than 500 people to attend.

    …

    How will police respond to rally against Palestine Action ban?

    Protesters calling for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted are planning to stage a demonstration in London on Saturday that could result in hundreds being arrested.

    …

    Keir "I support Zionism without Qualification" Starmer supporting genocide.
    Keir “I support Zionism without Qualification” Starmer supporting genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
    UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE

  • US gave $3M in Gaza food aid, contradicting Trump’s $60M claim: Report

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    This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    Palestinians struggling with hunger in the Gaza Strip, under Israeli attacks and blockade, arrive at the aid distribution point near the Zikim Crossing in Gaza to access the limited supplies of flour, on August 2, 2025. [Khames Alrefi – Anadolu Agency]

    US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed the US provided $60 million in food aid to Gaza, but The Washington Post in a report published Saturday said only $3 million has been disbursed so far, Anadolu reports.

    Citing State Department officials, the report said $30 million had been allocated from the US International Disaster Assistance fund to support food aid in Gaza through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid group. Of that total, just 10% – around $3 million – has been delivered.

    Critics have described GHF aid sites in Gaza as “death traps,” with the UN reporting that Israeli forces have killed over 1,300 Palestinians seeking food at its distribution points since late May. As Gaza teeters on the brink of famine under the ongoing Israeli blockade, its Health Ministry said Saturday that the total death toll from hunger has risen to 169, including 93 children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

    READ: Trump’s special envoy to enter Gaza on Friday to inspect food distribution sites: White House

    According to the WaPo report, State Department spokesperson confirmed that $30 million had been allocated from the department’s International Disaster Assistance fund but declined to address Trump’s comments, which he made during public appearances over the past week.

    “We gave $60 million a couple of weeks ago,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday. “Nobody said anything about it. Nobody said thank you.”

    The newspaper also cited a report on internal briefings by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s aides to congressional committees, saying Israel had agreed to match $30 million from the US. The Israeli government has not confirmed this, and the State Department declined to comment.

    Witkoff visited an aid center in southern Gaza on Friday operated by the GHF. He said the aim was to give President Donald Trump “a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.”

    READ: Gaza government says most of 36 aid trucks looted amid security chaos

    This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner are called evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner are called evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.