UPDATE
The site is just back up at 16.42 on 21 March having managed to slip like the Tardis into another dimension and thus dodge the massive DOS attack we are under. over 50,000 separate IP addresses simultaneously throwing up millions of hits. The attack has not actually stopped and does seem to have a human intelligence changing terms and directing it, which could make for an interesting afternoon. Once our excellent techs get a minute from fighting it, we will post the cloudfare graphs as evidence.
I just thought I might give you a little taste of what it means to your personal life to express dissent from the government line in the UK in 2018. Let me start with this combined effort from the UK’s most popular website, Guido Fawkes, which fanatically supports the government, and the Blairite crew at “The Guardian”.
The red ink is original.
Now it is true that, when I was sacked as Ambassador by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for blowing the whistle on extraordinary rendition and the Blair government’s misuse of intelligence from torture, I went into a terrible depression and voluntarily spent ten days or so in St Thomas Hospital (not a mental illness facility) for treatment. I have never tried to keep this secret, indeed it is a major part of my memoir “Murder in Samarkand”. It is also true, as I have always acknowledged, that I have had other less serious depressive episodes treated at home and been diagnosed as bipolar since I was 20.
That we stigmatise anybody who has ever had a mental illness, write them off and view their views, on anything, as invalid, is an attitude I had hoped we had moved past last century. Indeed, if this hatchet job was done on anybody writing within the Overton window, then the Guardian would be dedicating editorials to condemning it. We have in fact moved to the old Soviet position, where disagreement with the official line equals mental illness. I quite confess this sort of thing does in fact hurt me – if you cut me, do I not bleed?
The use of the term “conspiracy theorist” has been used to denigrate my views, ever since Jack Straw as Foreign Secretary lied to Parliament denying that the UK ever obtained intelligence from torture and denying the existence of the extraordinary rendition programme, which I was supposed to have fantasised. Anyone interested in this history can watch this series of videos of my evidence to a Parliamentary Committee on the subject. It explains why I start nowadays from a position of being so hated by the British state and its acolytes, and also of course enables you to judge for yourself whether I should be ignored as insane.
Ever since then, the state and corporate media have described me as a “conspiracy theorist”. Even though there is now acceptance that extraordinary rendition did happen and presumably they, somewhere inside, know I was telling the truth. I find people are taken aback to discover, for example, that I broadly accept that there was no US government involvement in 9/11 (other than minimising the Saudi role) and 9/11 discussion is banned on this blog – [warning it still is].
I cannot in fact conceive of a more outlandish conspiracy theory than that the Russian government secretly manufactured and stockpiled novichoks, hidden from the OPCW, and secretly trained assassins, only to blow the whole operation on a retired spy they let out of jail ages ago. Yet nobody calls Boris Johnson a “conspiracy theorist” for positing that.
But the abuse is not confined to what people publish about me. I receive some extremely unpleasant emails of which this is an example:
I do hope Mr Temis can get money back on his anger management sessions. But there has been rather a lot of this, including some by old fashioned mail. which I find myself prodding suspiciously before opening :-).
There is of course an open effort to extend the term “anti-semitic” to embrace any criticism of Israel. It is also particularly used by Blairites to attack anybody taking any position seen as supportive of Jeremy Corbyn. I am not in the least anti-semitic. Jewish people have made a disproportionate, indeed magnificent, contribution to the world in the fields of science, music, literature, commerce and others. That does not alter the fact that Israel is a rogue state when it comes to chemical weapons, the subject currently under discussion. It refuses to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention and destroy its chemical weapons stocks, and refuses to join the OPCW.
Plainly someone attacked the Skripals. In stating that it is not the case that Russia was the only state who could have done it, I have included Israel amongst other possibilities. Israel might wish to frame Russia for the deed, as Russian actions in Syria have severely conflicted with Israeli ambitions in Syria and Lebanon. But I have never said it was, or was most likely to be, Israel – it could be the CIA framing Russia, it could be a non-state actor entirely (which I am inclined to think most likely – this could come from those close to a victim of Skripal’s treachery, though I still think the Orbis intelligence connection has been overlooked).
Some of the most vitriolic abuse has come from state and corporate media journalists. Falsely categorising me as an insane racist allows them to ignore any challenge to the establishment line on Salisbury and absolves them, in their own minds, from any dereliction of duty in not questioning it.
In a chilling example of the way they move to crush dissent, here a prominent Blairite corporate media journalist, James Bloodworth, attempts to ensure that consideration of other possibilities than the government line is not carried even in the private domain. He harasses and bullies an individual attempting to force him to accept Mr Bloodworth’s version of what I had said, rather than what I had actually said. When Mr Law (who as a lecturer in philosophy presumably has an attachment to intellectual honesty) refuses, Bloodworth sanctions him by pulling out of his literary festival.
It is very difficult to understand what is happening in the UK today, but when the BBC on its flagship news programme holds a discussion of the Salisbury attack under a huge photo-shopped picture of the leader of the opposition in a Russian hat standing outside the Kremlin, it is plain a fundamental shift has happened in society. The Salisbury attack has perhaps taught us something massively more important than any of the stuff about chemical weapons, and that is that Britain is further along the road to becoming an authoritarian state than we had realised.
Oh Craig, please do not these evil people hurt you. If the devil insults you isn’t it a compliment?
You are a good man, and a great one, for taking on the state. Not many people have the guts to do it.
So the evil people who have so much power will tear you down. But decent people do not believe them and they are who matters. Not the sheep, and not the evildoers.
Thank you for being so brave. If you halt a war, you save millions.
Best to you, top man.
Keep up the good work. Would be interesting to hear your take on the Cambridge Analytica affair.
Craig Murray’s evidence to a Parliamentary Committee on torture will in time be a chronicle of human rights events taught to political students. It sets in stone that a British Ambassador, our representative to a foreign country, effectively made public the essential details of how and why the British intelligence services were beholden to those yielding secret information obtained by torture.
My own view is that Craig Murray in a single show of democratic and unselfish mercy effectively severed a link between the Uzbek security services and MI6 by announcing that the British operative annual visit was unwelcome and should stop. That single act of rebellion, defiance and guts is a lesson to us all.
mark golding,
I knew nothing much about Craig Murray, except I had read his book Muder in Samarkand, when I was on holiday with my wife and kids on an island in the Indian Ocean. I had only been back a few days, and had every intention of turning up in The House of Commons, Portcullis House simply as a witness, and hopefully to meet Craig Murray, and Thank Him.
As I was about to leave, he asked on his blog, can anyone record this. I didn’t know how to do it. It was an obscure video feed, but I thought I might be able to scrape it…
9 years later,
Craig posts, the video I managed to capture from the House of Commons Live Feed.
I feel quite proud about that, and I know it wasn’t much, but I did it. I hope more people watch it.
I knew Craig Murray was an honourable man, even though, even now, I haven’t yet met him.
All any of us can do, is to try a little bit. All the bits and evidence adds up.
Don’t be Afraid. We are simply telling The truth, as close as we can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF9spgagSHI
The lies don’t work.
Tony
A thought: if the government believed they had conclusively traced the original poison back to Yulia Skripal’s suitcase, would that indeed point the finger at the Russians as being responsible?
‘Believed’ as in ‘highly likely’ or ‘highly probable’?
Right now – 22 March, 01.12 GMT – this site is scrambled. All the text has gone unless it’s in a graphic format (screenshot). Empty comment boxes are still visible. The post comment box is still there (although the number of comments hasn’t changed from 831 for an hour.
I’m going to post this to see if a new empty comment box appears and the count goes up to 832.
While I’m at it, let me address myself to the (presumably) spooks who are doing this:
Why?
OK, short term gain, silencing Craig’s counter narrative, but in the long term, surely you lose more, you are confirming Craig’s message that the UK is an authoritarian state which no longer allows even peaceful dissent.
By no contorted logic can this be credibly blamed on the Russians. Britain is publicly declaring war on free speech. I know you do this all the time, harrass the alt_news sites, but in this instance, under the present circumstances, this attack will get huge publicity, MSM not withstanding. Is the end game coming so soon that you don’t care any more?
One small extra thought. You hackers who are doing this, you are footsoldiers, insignificant lackeys of the people whose orders you are following. Do you really imagine that there will be a place at the top table for you when this plays out? You’re turkeys sharpening the carving knives before Christmas.
Node, it looks fine to me; try clearing your browser cache. I think your comment count has been stationary because this is no longer the front thread. There have been plenty of comments in the last hour; you can see them in the site’s Comment Feed:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/comments/feed/
In another Fascist country, to the South –
‘Jailed Catalan activist Jordi Sanchez has dropped his bid to lead the region’s government, paving the way for separatist parties to offer a new name.
The move comes after Spain’s Supreme Court rejected his request to be freed to attend an investiture ceremony.
Mr Sanchez, 53, is being held on sedition charges following October’s independence referendum, which was ruled illegal by the Spanish courts.
Separatist parties won a slim majority in regional elections in December.
The central government called that vote when it sacked the regional administration and imposed direct rule after the Catalan leaders at the time declared independence.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43483946
I suppose we have to grateful that they are not locking us up….yet.
Even before I heard of Craig Murray’s comments I thought the attribution of blame ,for the Salisbury poisonings ,to the Russian government ,did not necessarily add up. Surely others must have thought so too? I am just so grateful to him. It is very dismaying he is being treated in such a vitriolic way. And surely, it is deeply worrying that Jeremy Corbyn’s caution, in accepting the current government narrative, without further investigation ,should be treated with such hysterical derision? For me he is simply a voice of sanity.
I have never tweeted before but really feel that one should not remain silent in the the face of such apparently widespread reactions.
Boris Johnson and Ian Austin’s remarks concerning Russia confirm that Putin has seriously upset our Zionist friends. Johnson, who before he was foreign secretary, supported Russian attacks on ISIS suddenly changed his mind when given a government position. Austin is an even more treacherous politician who has been warmongering against Syria for years. He has visited Israel at least twice, one paid for by the usual LFI and the other by an Australian cultural exchange group. He has been a constant critic of Jeremy Corbyn and we can only hope that his free jaunts abroad will be curtailed by either his Dudley constituents or his de-selection.
Keep this up Craig, there are so few outlets for this sort of stuff, the MSM is completely in denial. Thank you.
Anyone who looks at politics today in the UK or America (and I imagine elsewhere) is bound to be depressed to some degree. Unless they live in la la land.
I find your comments thoughtful, measured and informed.
The fact that you attract such vitriolic abuse in such quantity persuades me that we are much farther along the line to an authoritarian state than even you are prepared to acknowledge.
My friends and contacts, most of us of a certain age; the majority of us very well educated by our schooling and by our experiences, merely raise a sceptical eyebrow at some of the more outlandish conspiracy theories; because, frankly, we look at our ‘leadership’, (who, hitherto would have been described, or known as, an ill educated, bad mannered rabble having reached their level of total incompetence),
and believe them to be without moral compass and capable of any heinous action however incompetently carried out.
You should go on tour with Jonathan Pie. Together, you could make it an arena tour.
.
I love you Craig Murray! We all know the truth! There are billions of us behind you and the powers that be are running around with their chicken heads cut off! Keep Fighting! Never Forgive! Never Forget! Prayers Up! We’ve got this! Love always Win!
[Mod: Caught in spam filter, time stamp updated.]
Official Statement of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the “Skripal Case”
AIDE-MEMOIRE
to clarify the state of affairs
as regards the so-called ‘Skripal case’
1. On 12 March 2018, Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May, addressing the House of Commons, said it was “highly likely” that the Russian Federation was responsible for the poisoning of former GRU colonel, double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal on 4 March 2018 in Salisbury, with a nerve agent identified according to British classification as A-234.
The United Kingdom has publicly raised a question about Russia’s “concealing” and “using” part of its chemical arsenal, thus alleging that Russia has “violated” its obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC) – one of the most effective multilateral treaties in the disarmament and non-proliferation field, which was initiated, among others, by our country.
Thus, the United Kingdom has come out against Russia as well as against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) itself and the tremendous work that has been done within this organization during the last two decades, including with participation of the United Kingdom.
Pursuant to the requirements of Article III of the CWC, the Russian Federation submitted a full and complete declaration of all its chemical weapons stockpiles. That data was thoroughly checked and verified by the inspection teams of the OPCW Technical Secretariat. The fact of the full elimination of Russia’s chemical arsenal has been officially confirmed by the authorized international institution – the OPCW.
2. On 12 March 2018, given the gravity of the accusations brought against our country, the Russian Embassy in London sent a note verbale to the Foreign Office of Great Britain requesting access to the investigation materials, including samples of the chemical agent that British investigators were referring to, so that it could be tested by our experts in the framework of joint investigation.
Thus, we proposed to act in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article IX of the CWC. It stipulates that States Parties to the Convention should first make every effort to clarify and resolve, through exchange of information and consultations among themselves, any matter which may cause doubt about compliance with the CWC. Under the provisions of that Article, Russia would be ready to respond to the United Kingdom’s request within 10 days.
Unfortunately, the British side rejected that option and, instead of following the existing norms of international law, chose to unscrupulously politicize the issue.
3. British Prime Minister Theresa May suggested that a special Security Council meeting to discuss the matter be held on 14 March 2018. Suspecting that London would play dirty, Russia insisted on making the Security Council’s meeting open.
It is incomprehensible what the British side was trying to achieve by bringing the issue to the UNSC. This matter by no means falls within the mandate of the UNSC. It is quite obvious that all discussions are pointless until the OPCW gives its assessment of the Salisbury incident (it is important to know whether a nerve agent was actually used; if it was, how the likely origin of the chemicals was determined; what, and on what basis, actions were taken with regard to the victims, etc.).
4. On 14 March 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May, apparently having come to senses, finally sent a letter to Director-General of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW Ahmet Üzümcü (circulated to all OPCW Executive Council Member States on 15 March 2018) inviting the OPCW Technical Secretariat “to independently verify the analysis” of the British investigation into the Salisbury incident.
As indicated in the press release by the British Foreign Office of 18 March 2018, following the letter by Ms Theresa May, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the OPCW invited experts of the OPCW Technical Secretariat to visit the United Kingdom to carry out an independent analysis of the findings of the British Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in connection with the Salisbury incident. On 19 March 2018, OPCW experts arrived in the United Kingdom.
Russia expects the OPCW to make an official detailed account of developments around the ‘Skripal case’. We proceed from the understanding that the OPCW Technical Secretariat shall conduct a full-fledged independent investigation in accordance with all relevant provisions of the CWC.
5. Russia has more and more questions both in legal and practical terms. And we intend to seek answers through the OPCW.
Russia states that it has not used chemical weapons against Great Britain. We suppose that the attack on the Skripals with toxic chemicals shall be deemed a terrorist act. As Yulia Skripal, a Russian citizen, is among the victims to the incident, we propose cooperation with the British Side under Article IX of the CWC.
We would like to ascertain the following issues.
Where, how, and by whom were the samples collected from Sergei and Yulia Skripal? How was it all documented? Who can certify that the data is credible? Was the chain of custody up to all the OPCW requirements when evidence was collected?
Which methods (spectral analysis and others) were used by the British side to identify, within such a remarkably short period of time, the type of the substance used (“Novichok” according to the western classification)? As far as we know, to do that, they must have had a standard sample of such agent at their disposal.
And how do these hasty actions correlate with Scotland Yard’s official statements that “the investigation is highly likely to take weeks or even months” to arrive at conclusions?
What information and medical effects led to a hasty decision to administer antidotes to the aggrieved Skripals and the British policeman? Could that hastiness lead to grave complications and further deterioration of their health status?
Which antidotes exactly were administered? What tests had been conducted to make the decision to use these drugs?
How can the delayed action of the nerve agent be explained, given that it is a fast-acting substance by nature? The victims were allegedly poisoned in a pizzeria (in a car, at the airport, at home, according to other accounts). So what really happened? How come they were found in some unidentified time on a bench in the street?
We need an explanation why it is Russia who was accused on the ‘Skripal case’ without any grounds whatsoever, while works to develop the agent codenamed “Novichok” in the West had been carried out by the United Kingdom, the USA, Sweden and the Czech Republic. There are more than 200 open sources publications in the NATO countries, highlighting the results that those countries achieved in the development of new toxic agents of this type.
6. Even from purely humanitarian perspective London’s action appears simply barbaric. On 4 March 2018 (as British authorities themselves claim) a nerve agent attack against Russian citizen Yulia Skripal was committed in the territory of the United Kingdom.
Russian Federation has demanded exhaustive information on the course of investigation into the Salisbury incident involving a Russian citizen (the Russian Embassy in London sent the relevant note verbale on 12 March 2018).
The United Kingdom is breaching elementary rules of inter-State relations and is still denying, without any explanation, Russian officials’ consular access to Yulia Skripal envisaged by the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. For more than two weeks now, we have not been able to credibly ascertain what happened to our citizen and what condition she is actually in.
On 16 March, the Main Directorate for High-Priority Cases of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal investigation into the attempted willful murder of Russian citizen Yulia Skripal committed by dangerous means in the territory of the United Kingdom.
The investigation will be conducted in accordance with the Russian legislation and the norms of international law. Highly qualified experts will contribute to the investigation.
The investigators stand ready to work together with the competent authorities of the United Kingdom. We expect a cooperative approach of the British side.
7. In the UN Security Council as well as in the OPCW and at other international fora, the Russian Federation has been a consistent and insistent proponent of thorough, comprehensive and professional investigation of all crimes involving toxic chemicals, and of bringing perpetrators to justice.
We are ready to engage in full-scale and open cooperation with the United Kingdom in order to address any concerns whether in bilateral format or within the OPCW and other international instruments, working within the purview of international law.
As a responsible member of the international community and a bona fide State Party to the CWC Russia will never speak the language of ultimatums or answer informal and word-of-mouth questions.
The Western countries’ action on the fabricated ‘Skripal case’ contravenes the norms of international law and the general practice of inter-State relations, as well as the common sense itself. Naturally, we run a detailed record of all that, and when time comes, those guilty will inevitably be brought to justice.
The Salisbury story has changed again (22/03/18)-
“The court also confirmed that blood samples from the Skripals had been analysed by experts at Porton Down, with findings indicating exposure to novichok or a closely related nerve agent.”
From
https://news.sky.com/story/skripals-mental-capacity-may-be-compromised-after-nerve-agent-attack-says-court-11300358
So what is a closely related nerve agent? My guess is any type.
It beggars belief that DS Nick Bailey has fully recovered from a nerve agent. If he really was exposed how did he not die? Was an antidote administered? Was he not exposed to begin with?
https://www.rt.com/uk/422065-judge-blood-chemical-skripal/
This is the link to the document concerning blood samples.
the Skripals are being kept under heavy sedation
https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sshd-v-skripal-and-another-20180322.pdf
Dear Craig Murray, I am much ashamed of the filth that is being directed to you, and even more so for the people who throw it at you with all kinds of bad vibes attached. I think ‘they know not what they do’ but am not too indulgent to forgive those vile actions against one such as you who is fair and honest and a voice of reason in this Bedlam that passes for government and journalism. You are the true patriot, not these frenzy attack poodles in a Bear-baiting with very high stakes laid. Thank you! martin, Amsterdam
The voice of reason is rare these days. I am very grateful to you sir.
Has anyone considered that the UK govt – or certain agents acting for it – might be the culprit?
Also, The Morning Star, for instance, mentions one Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a shady ex-military figure:-
‘He is a former assistant director of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Land Forces with the Ministry of Defence. Before that de Bretton-Gordon was commanding officer of Britain’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Regiment and Nato’s Rapid Reaction CBRN Battalion.’
Not suggesting for one second that he carried out the act, of course……
It’s not impossible that this has been done to frame Russia and make Jeremy Corbyn look bad. You have to bear in mind that the elites in Britain believe that “the end justifies the means” which is why they think they can be justified in murder/assassination, if they think it’s for the greater good. I used to know a high flyer in the civil service and he was always going on about it.
Thank you
Keep up the good and honest work Craig and thank you for being a dissenting voice.I have been married to a wonderful Russian lady for many years and the current Russophobia makes me almost weep when i see what has become of my country.
Keep up the good work Craig.I have been married to a wonderful Russian lady for many years and despair at the Russophobia currently encouraged by the media.I could weep when I see what has happened to my country (UK)
I stand with you, Craig Murray. All the way from Alaska.
I was confused at the speed at which other western nations backed up these dubious claims. Then I wondered whether all this anti Russian hysteria is part of a plan to condition the western public ready for any possible confrontation with Russia in Syria. The establishment done a great job with the Boer war and demonising the Germans prior to WW1 as documented in the book “The Secret Origins of the First World War” by Gerry Docherty and Jim Macgregor. There are plenty of other examples of course.
It’s to do with the Wolfowitz Doctrine, in which America aims to prevent the emergence or re-emergence of a rival power. Modern day Russia’s foreign policy ignores the “Washington consensus” in favour of it’s own interests, hence it is demonised at every opportunity:
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/03/24/washington-declared-hegemony-war/
“over 50,000 separate IP addresses simultaneously throwing up millions of hits.”
Let’s have a look at the logs then.
It’s quite clear that the so-called ‘poisoning’ is about the rise of the rightwing fascist Tories, just as the slander about the leader of the Socialist opposition is about our local elections;
I was very pleased to hear your interview on Flashpoints, Pacifica Radio. Thank you! Your voice, your experience and understanding is so important — especially today.
I would grow a thicker skin. These people are scum bags. I really don’t know why you are concerned about the opinions of people who are clearly a) mentally deranged, b) have an agenda and are not interested in finding out the truth. I disagree with your position on certan things but it is clear you are not deranged and believe what you believe for good reason. Don’t let them get you down, because then they win.
When it comes to media, and fairness of information, we are already living in an authoritarian State, I’m afraid. We are told what to think, and given no alternative viewpoints. So sad and frightening!
Thanks for all you are doing Craig. You are a true gentleman.Best wishes to you.