The ever excellent Campaign Against the Arms Trade is back in the English High Court again today in its continuing attempts to ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia. It is against UK law to sell arms to a country which is likely to use them in breach of international humanitarian law, and that Saudi Arabia consistently and regularly uses British weapons to bomb schools, hospitals and civilians is indisputable.
Unfortunately the courts are an instrument of power and control for the 1%, not an impartial resort for justice, so I fear CAAT will not succeed despite the fact their case is undeniably correct.
Part of the British Government’s defence is the close military support it gives to Saudi Arabia, which it claims minimises civilian deaths (it plainly does no such thing). Thousands of children have died in the Yemeni war, most killed by the Saudis and their allies. These war crimes have been documented by the United Nations despite concerted UK and US diplomacy at the UN aimed at downplaying the Saudi crimes. Cluster bombs, white phosphorous and other illegal weapons have frequently been used.
Yemeni dead children very seldom make in into the mainstream media, whereas Syrian children do. But not all Syrian children – those children killed by the jihadist head-choppers the West and its Saudi allies have armed, funded and “advised” do not make the corporate and state media either. Only children allegedly – and the word needs repeating, allegedly – gassed by the Syrian armed forces are apparently worth our attention.
If we really attack because we care about the children, we would be attacking Saudi Arabia to halt its atrocities in Yemen. Instead we are allying with Saudi Arabia – the child killers, UK military support to whom is today being stressed in the High Court – to attack Syria.
Anybody who believes this is anything to do with “humanitarian intervention” is a complete fool.
I have been following the case since the beginning and the Syrian war from the start. 28 years ago when I was a student I had colleagues from Syria – educated and polite people. All of them Muslims. My country in these years was in a collapse (and is still in) and those people were very rich with a high standard of living. A couple of years back before the war had started and I am sure this was 2011 many of them was preparing for returning to Syria to fight. They knew the war was coming. They were returning to fight on the Assad side. They had before that a very well organized rich country where Christians and Muslims and other minorities lived in peace. I personally had a friend from Syria. I am interested in history for many years and although I love so many things about your country the only bad guys have always been the US and your country, I am sorry to state this, the UK or the former British empire whatever you like best.
So yes, the papers and media and everything is very important but there is no point. Nobody gives a shit. Your governments do not care if you believe them or not. So even if the Russians write 200 hundred pages about the Skripals and Syria and Iraq and Egypt and Lybia (By the way Lybia was in a similar good if not better condition than Syria at that time before the US intervention) this will not change anything.
Look at the faces of Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Donald Trump, Angela Merkel carefully. After 10 seconds look at the faces of Vladimir Putin, Maria Zakharova, Alexander Yakovenko and Bashar Assad especially, this monster who is gassing his own people to death.
Forget about who is who on these pictures and chose the ones we should send to the psychiatric hospital.
My point is every sane person know the truth.
I wish all good to both ordinary English and Russians.
Correction: 28 years to be read as 18 years
So far as I am aware, there have been no Missile Attacks on The Syrians By The British Governemt on Friday The 14th, and I want to thank b of Moon of Alabama for helping to achieve that.
You are in my top 10 too – in fact I sent you 10 Euros.
I have not yet read, what you recently wrote, but you my friend are famous
It had better be good.
“Syria – Manipulated Videos Fail To Launch World War III”
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/04/syria-manipulated-videos-fail-to-launch-world-war-iii.html
Bernhard, danke mein deutscher Freund
Thank You
Tony
“Dutch govt ‘not considering’ joining possible military action in Syria – PM Rutte”
That’s the collapse of the ‘allies’ right there, even before they get off.
Yulia spoiling the Skripal scheme.
Rutte souring the Syria scenario.
Just kidding of course — it’s only the Dutch.
It’s not “only” the Dutch – it’s great. Credit where it’s due. If a country like the Netherlands can stand up to warmongers, so can many others. Ditto when Bolivia and Venezuela broke diplomatic ties with I__ael over Gaza, and when Iceland stood up to the US over Bobby Fischer. More please! Against what I would have predicted, Sweden seems as though it might refuse to ally with NATO in the coming war too.
True, True Tony 🙂 Very nice lady indeed … but also a monster you see. I am sure she eats children. Highly likely she makes the other monster to kill those children in order for her to have a nice breakfast and be beautiful 🙂 Witch!
apart from RT, only the Mirror seems to have the story and then they don’t mention Sky in the text itself, and they finish with a defense of Sky’s interruption!!
13 April: Mirror: TV news interview with former army officer cut short as he questions whether Syria launched chemical attack
People have asked whether Major General Jonathan Shaw was censored for questioning the idea that Assad launched the attack. Here’s what happened
by Mikey Smith
But the Mirror understands the interview was cut short because of an unfortunate scheduling clash, and the overrunning of the press conference.
The channel had a ‘hard’ ad break scheduled for 2.27pm – after which they were due to show a half-hour segment with host Dermot Murnaghan interviewing Russia’s foreign affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tv-news-interview-former-army-12358938
So this is such an important debate, naturally Sky News is going to invite Major General Shaw back on in order to allow him ample time to fully explain his concerns about the current push by media commenators and some politicians for the UK’s military to launch an attack against Assad’s (and possibly his Russian ally’s) forces without adequate evidence as to the perpetrators of the alleged gas attack – should happen any day now (but don’t hold your breath).
“The Mirror understands…” This is truly pathetic. “The Mirror got told ‘You mention Shaw at all, then you bloody well condemn the idea that anyone shut him up because of what he said – okay?’ “, more like.
Well, now we know why he was censored.
The deleted 4th March entry (the one that corresponds to the alleged intervention for the Skripals) has been restored to the Air Ambulance incident log.
http://www.wiltshireairambulance.co.uk/what-we-do/incidents
https://twitter.com/BardenGridge/status/984946856743620608
Jack
April 14, 2018 at 00:38
“No, The Queen is above the law. She cannot be prosecuted for anything.”
Hlaf-wit. Cause she’s appointed by ‘god’ or something? Your arse, of course she can, here or anywhere else in the world.
Less of the abuse, she cannot be prosecuted under UK law. That’s the way it’s written. No appointment by God necessary.
Cyprus Rocks 1 UK Govt 0
Don’t Fuck with our Friends
https://www.cyprusrocks.co.uk/home
Everyone invited.
Tony
The people of this country are the law, we decide what is and what isn’t permissible not some self-styled ‘queen’.
For this same reason we do not need any ICC or other international body to try Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron or May and their underlings.
Any MP who voted to attack Iraq in 2003 has a case to answer. No-one is above justice especially not that deluded bint, not anyone.
“The people of this country are the law, we decide what is and what isn’t permissible not some self-styled ‘queen’.”
Try that as your defence, next time you are had up for speeding, and see how far you get.
Oh shit, and it begins. Good luck people.
Trump announcing military action – uses last year’s chemical attack – despite Mattis saying ‘no evidence’ – and thanks UK and France for their support – bombs away
And there we go, Maggie May has bypassed parliament and taken us into another war without end.
I don’t know how long we’ll all last, or our internet access will last, in WW3, but you’ve been a good bunch here on this blog. You know who you are 🙂
Chapeau!
uk usa france bombing now
what a tragedy.
norm, but that is just normal. They are bombing innocent men, women and children in Yemen, cos they having nothing to fight back with, except all the people who today have contributed to Craig Murray’s blog
Thank You Craig Murray for writing it, and letting all these people write their thoughts on it.
We can’t make Doune The Rabbit Hole, cos it clashes it’s the same dates – but good luck with it.
We are going to for The Third Time to Rock & Bike Fest It hasn’t rained yet and its in Derybshire, and the Rock Chicks are Really Nice.
http://www.rockandbikefest.co.uk/
Tony
I went to a demo in Whitehall this evening. Futile of course. And I’m not really the demo type (I stuck out like a sore thumb) But I stood up to be counted. It was all I could do.
Thanks for doing it for me & many others. I’m out of the country just now.
Sounds of explosions reported in Damascus according to the BBC.
Tomohawk missiles aimed at multiple targets according to Reuters.
All sorts of questions now.
they are bombing the tunnels the command control,the bell pottinger film studios of the white helmets they are destroying all the evidence.
of these massive underground facilities
Destroying the evidence, for certain.
Are they giving the Russians prior warning of where they’ll be in the air? Does anyone know?
A family member of mine is in North Cyprus. I hope he finds a flight out.
RT website is down
…. and up again
In what way is Trump and USA ‘righteous’? His entire remarks are merely a projection of USA/UK/France lies and crimes onto Russia and Iran
A mournful Saint Theresa making a statement sounding like Neville Chamberlain as UK starts yet another war firing off Storm Shadow missiles into Syria.
.
launching strikes the night before OPCW were about to start their investigation in Syria?
why not wait till they finished?
For all it’s worth, I am absolutely disgusted by this ongoing attack on Syria. The US and UK are without doubt the biggest threat to peace on earth and are the most morally bankrupt countries in history — worse than the Nazis by a long shot.
All of our lives and the lives of our children put at risk by Trump and May, two of the most freakish leaders imaginable — a pair of completely farcical, perverted, and twisted oddballs.
If Scotland doesn’t vote to distinguish itself from May and her merry gang of twisted sociopaths now, then let’s be honest, Scotland deserves the bastards.
As for France, the hypocrisy of Europeans is something we are sadly becoming accustomed to. Fuck the EU. I used to be pro-European but I’m sick to the back teeth of their self serving hypocrisy and schizophrenia.
If I didn’t have children I’d hope the whole thing blew up in their faces and I’d die with a fucking smile if I saw the rancid bastards who are responsible for this go up in smoke just before I was vaporised.
May God have mercy on our souls.
I think I may owe you an apology and, now, a tip of the hat.
Tip of the hat to you too but you don’t owe me an apology. I may owe you one since I was saying the most diabolical things. Forgive me for that, I simply like to test the arguments of others and my own in forums like this.
Time to kiss my daughter as she sleeps and hope we are all still here in the morning when we wake up.
So fucking angry at this.
well said Hatuey.
Is the price worth it now Hatuey?
US general says this round of bombing is over. He says no US losses, which I take it means no US planes down. Hopefully Russia shot down at least some of the missiles.
seen twitter video’s apparently showing Syrian (or Russian) Anti-aircraft missiles being fired in Damascus, unclear if they hit their targets, but there are videos showing large explosions on the ground, so if they are real, then would look like they hit some targets at least.
Do you know where the missiles were launched from? All from the air? If so, where did the planes fly from? I have family visiting North Cyprus.
Only thing I have seen is RT showing RAF jets leaving the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, Dunno where US and France launched theirs from.
If it’s anything, RAF Akrotiri is on the south coast of Cyprus…
Thanks.
There were, briefly, before the post was taken down, comments on Facebook from Syrians saying that most, if not all the missiles were intercepted.
Theresa May says the bombing will “send a message” to “anyone else” (other than the Syrian “regime”) who believes they can use CW with impunity. “We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised, within Syria, on the streets of the UK, or anywhere else”.
I do wonder how many of the general unawakened public will spot the obvious timing of this outrage. A day before the international investigators visit the scene of the faked chemical attack. Why not wait 24 hours? To those of us who follow Craig’s blog, Moon of Alabama and the comments on Zerohedge it seems such an obvious skein of lies that even the most cognitively challenged should be able to see through them. Somehow, I suspect that even some of my nearest and dearest will fall for them and will think that I am either a Russian stooge, or an idiot. It is quite possible that I am one or the other or both, but right now, I am just hoping to survive the next few hours. Good night all, and best wishes.
RT: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis says no additional launches are planned; Washington says Moscow was warned in advance; twice as many missiles fired as in April 2017, so around 120.
Syrians said they shot down 20…
So they are at it?
Oh FFS
I need a drink
already done, just seen interview with Damascus Resident, all quiet now, (Morning there now) seems like they hit some research facilities and a barracks…
Where were the Russians?
The reason for the target is obvious. Once they blow a building to smithereens, nobody can prove what was there before. Obviously Syria and Russia already offered the international chemical weapons organization to inspect the place, which would have proven the UK and USSA are bald-face liars. These predators have become so transparent, one has to wonder whether they actually want everyone on planet earth to understand they are utterly craven lying scum.
true, also hard reports that explosions were seen in Eastern Damascus too. isn’t that where the alleged chemical attacks happened?
Heard not hard sorry!
norm,
We all know they are craven lying scum. strangely enough, whilst painting our new shed today with wood preservative, my wife asked me to get the slug killer out. She is back home now, and won’t take any nonsense, when the slugs and snails are eating our food that is growing in our back garden, even she will even use a Chemical Attack. When we were invited to go bowling a few years ago, they gave her the nickname Goldie – she is a bit flyaway like her..then she got 3 fking strikes 10 pins in a row 3 times on the trot, and claimed she had never done it before. Even I thought wtf?
Tony
The (poorly executed) attack on the Skripals is now firmly in the consciousness of the public as they see (again) innocent Syrian children being gassed by Assad (and by extension Russia)…allegedly.
Still though, the public, aside from the unthinking, are not accepting the mainstream news narrative on this, nor the legality of the recent air strikes, nor that it is being done in good faith. It is not, and the public are increasingly realising that these operations are being carried out in bad faith for reasons other than ‘ending the suffering’ of Syrians (per May’s statement)
Rather, I feel certain that the desire to enter conflict in Syria, to ostracise Russia and effectively pull the Iron Curtain across Europe again is borne of American financial interest in selling it’s fracked gas to Europe. Ukraine had famously bilked Russia on it’s gas bill for a few successive years. Germany has ended it’s use of brown coal yet decided not to go for nuclear power. Blocking access to Russian natural gas would raise gas prices elsewhere and provide financial viability for fracking which has not previously existed. The Americans have a purpose built port on Scotland’s east coast to deliver their gas to. The UK meanwhile is about to (certainly in England) begin fracking on a large scale and even damage national parks in a bid to get gas out of the ground and also take advantage of the fact that other Euro countries have had the good sense not to allow fracking and Russian sources are about to become unavailable for the foreseeable future. All of this whilst both US and UK have disinvested in renewables.
Not only do they not have our best interests at heart but they can barely be thought of as anything less than thugs. If the Mafia ran the world, this is what it would look like. By comparison though, The Mafia are rank amateurs…
Tony_0pmoc
April 14, 2018 at 04:31
Re: slug-killer. It’s also lethal to birds, you’ll probably kill far more birds than slugs. Just won’t see the consequences.
Tony M,
that is what I thought 20 years ago, when we first started using it, and to be afir, in our first year, the birds did go a bit quiet. it may well have killed some, but birds learn, and they now seem completly immune to it. Our garden is full of birdsong. The biggest threat our birds have is our cats, and most of them are late teenagers – one is nearly 20 , and she is still pretty fit. They prefer the mice and the frogs.
What would have you done, to protect your food growing – or did you simply buy it from Sainsbury’s, and write about it from theory rather than practical experience of having food to eat from your back garden?
Tony
May was the first to rush over to Washington to meet the blond thug.
Where’s that video of them walking together holding hands? He patted the back of her hand.
Sold. Bought. Paid for.
All planned for the killing, burning and shredding of more brown skinned people, including children.
‘LONDON — Britain has spent half a billion dollars over the last two years purchasing Paveway IV precision-guided bombs for use against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, the British Ministry of Defence has revealed.
The MoD has not previously released the level of spending involved in maintaining stockpiles of the Royal Air Force’s principle strike weapon against the Islamic State group. But, in response to a question from Defense News relating to Paveway IV production for the Saudi Arabian Air Force, the MoD revealed the extent of its purchases for the RAF.
“While unable to comment in detail about the supply of military equipment and services to Saudi Arabia, we can confirm that the £400 million (U.S. $500 million) in Paveway IV orders since 2015 does not include weapons for Saudi Arabia,” an MoD spokesman said.’
Paveway IV leads UK investment in munitions replenishment for anti-ISIS fight
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2017/04/13/paveway-iv-leads-uk-investment-in-munitions-replenishment-for-anti-isis-fight/
April 13th 3017
Sharp Ears,
Yeh, but have you any evidence of anything actually happenning yet?
I trust you. How come you are still awake?
Tony