theduran--2020-02-25--Indigenous Communities Revolt Against Eco-Colonialists: Trudeau Crumbles Under His Own Liberalism

The fight over the construction of a 670 km , $ 6.6 billion liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) pipeline stretching from Alberta to ports in British Columbia has absorbed national headlines across Canada and crippled a major component of the Canadian economy in recent weeks .
However popular a headline as it may be , this story is not at all what it appears .
Mainstream media has tended to twist major facts in order to hide the reality of the strategic fight which ties directly into Canada ’ s participation in China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep Canada ’ s native communities in squalor , poverty and dependence under a dubious Gordian Knot of eco-colonialism which began in earnest over 70 years ago .
Before untying this knot , four truthful facts of the story reported by mainstream media should be outlined : Fact 1 : The protests which began in British Columbia in solidarity with the BC Wet ’ suwet ’ en tribe on whose land the Coastal GasLink pipeline passes have spread across Canada ’ s central and east coast .
Fact 2 : Hundreds of freight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal and municipal passenger rail , bridges and roads across Canada have been shut down by protesters .
Fact 3 : This crisis has risen to a level of intensity such that Canada ’ s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been forced to cancel his international campaign to win support from poor nations in his bid to put Canada into the UN Security Council and return home in order to deal with this .
Fact 4 : Neither Trudeau , nor any opposition parties have any ability or will to actually resolve this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and creative writing in journalism takes over .
The majority of press agencies reporting on this story attempt to convey the idea that native communities across Canada are battling big oil conglomerates in defense of Mother Nature .
They attempt to portray Canada ’ s First Nations as unanimously acting in opposition to yet another rape of their lands by big money western capitalists killing the environment .
However , upon digging more deeply into the dynamics and the longer arc of history shaping Canada ’ s problems of underdevelopment , and drug/unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very different picture has emerged .
The first crack in the popular narrative struck me as I heard Rebel Media ’ s Keean Bexte ask a handful of Albertan anti-pipeline protesters why they were not respecting the democratic vote of First Nation band councils who supported this project .
Surely , the interviewer must be just another right winger lying to defend “ big oil ” !
Nope .
Not lying at all .
Not only did all elected chiefs representing the 20 bands upon whose territory this pipeline will be built vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but 5 of the 6 elected Wet ’ suet ’ an nation bands also voted in favor .
In addition , even the majority of hereditary chiefs voted in favor of the project !
The only point of resistance which fuelled the pan-Canadian blockades arose from 5 of the 13 hereditary chiefs who voted no .
The fact that the majority of protesters interviewed by Rebel News were non-native was another anomaly that was not isolated to Alberta , but spreads thematically across Canada .
In case after case , we find that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blockades have been university students of an eco-anarchist persuasion deployed out of Ontario and Quebec sociology departments with very little awareness of genuine native issues , nor even an awareness of what will even be eventually flowing through the pipelines ( the majority of those questioned presumed the answer was “ oil ” - a very different beast from LNG ) .
So what do actual natives say about this project ?
Troy Young , a Wet ’ suet ’ en youth leader has stated “ if the environmentalists are successful , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriation in British Columbia ’ s history.
” First Nations councilor Karen Ogen Toews who also co-created the First Nations LNG Alliancestated “ if our people are living in poverty then the way to overcome it is through proper training , trades education and a job .
My conscience is clear.
” Crystal Smith ( Chief counselor of Haisla Nation ) stated “ First Nations have been left out of resource development for too long , but [ in this project ] we are involved .
We have been consulted and we will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nations .
I ’ m tired of managing poverty .
I ’ m tired of First Nations Communities dealing with issues such as suicide , low unemployment or educational opportunities .
If this opportunity is lost , it doesn ’ t come back.
” These testimonies begin to actually approach the real issue at hand : The fight for economic independence and dignity for native communities , which has been systematically withheld since the 1876 Indian Act .
Over a century of neo-colonialism has resulted in Canada becoming the largest nation on earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tokyo , 80 % of whom are concentrated among only six cities within 100 km of the American border .
Inuits were beginning to emerge into modern industrial society during and after WWII , as a 1994 Royal Commission report on the history of Canada ’ s relationship with the Inuit noted : In the mind of the British Empire , this trajectory had to stop , and an operation was begun in 1953 run out of the Privy Council office and enforced by the RCMP to convince the natives that western technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and were increasingly encouraged to live in reservations far outside the sphere of the rest of North America ’ s economic life .
According to this reasoning , no advanced skills or education would be needed in their “ natural ” hunter-gatherer life styles .
Just like post WWII neo-colonial policy towards Africa , buckets of monetary and tax incentives were offered… as long as the Inuit just remained in their reserves and stopped trying to develop higher standards of living or believing they should try to integrate with western society .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1953-1958 High Arctic Relocation project overseen by the RCMP where families from Inukjuak in Quebec were transported to the uninhabited Grise Fiord in Ellesmere Island and Resolute on Cornwallis Islands .
These Inuit were told that they had to be “ re-rehabilitated ” into their “ natural nomadic ecosystems ” and suffered dearly .
In the referenced 1994 Royal Commission report on the project , an elderly RCMP officer was interviewed who said he didn ’ t “ understand why the Inuit were not given quarters at the base to live in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the base was not made available to them.
” The report continued , “ The servicemen were told that the Inuit were there to rehabilitate themselves .
.
.
to learn how to survive on their own and go back to their old way of living .
The project was to see if they could survive in that High Arctic environment where Inuit had lived in earlier times .
.
.
.
Temperatures of -55° were common in the winter.
” In 1987 , the surviving families and their children filed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that the central , if not the sole reasons for the relocation of Inuit to the high Arctic was the desire by Canada to assert its sovereignty over the Arctic Islands and surrounding areas ” .
Playing the Inuit on the Grand Chessboard The use and abuse of these Inuit families points us to Canada ’ s perverse role in the British Empire ’ s grand chessboard .
Though not often appreciated today , the British Empire then ( as now ) has always aimed to sabotage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independence ) of sovereign nation states .
After Lincoln ’ s “ American System ” allies in Russia sold Alaska to the USA in 1867 and later built the Trans Siberian railway , the British financial oligarchy became deathly afraid of the strong strategic intention by leading Russian and American patriots to connect the continents through the Bering Strait corridor making the role of Canadian natives extremely vital in obstructing this process .
During WWII , American VP Henry Wallace made his intention to build this rail/road tunnel to Russia known to Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supported it .
Although the Cold War de-railed this initiative , American plans to develop the Arctic continued intensely through the construction of the DEW radar line and resource development strategies that had the support of leading nation builders like Canada ’ s C.D .
Howe ( Federal Minister of Everything ) and W.A.C .
Bennett ( Premier of BC 1952-1972 ) .
Since Canada had zero population in the high Arctic , the Americans ’ claims to Arctic territory was quite strong and in the minds of the Deep State run through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council– had to be stopped at all cost .
In this poisonous spirit , the Relocation Program was designed to create “ human flagpoles ” for the sake of making a case that Canada ’ s Arctic claims were somehow legitimate .
While Canada ’ s Prime Minister John Diefenbaker ended this racist program in 1958 , ( replacing it with his optimistic Northern Vision ) and gave natives the vote with his 1960 Bill of Rights , the deep state quickly undermined his vision and led a coup resulting in his 1963 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1963-2020 , the human flagpole policy evolved into the “ eco-colonial ” program designating nearly all lands of northern Canada off limits to any form of genuine economic development .
The name for this policy became eco-systems management which imposed an absolute division between scientific and technological progress and the supposed “ natural balance ” or mathematical homeostasis of nature .
It is noteworthy that this plan was first put into action by none other than Justin Trudeau ’ s father in 1970 in order to block the development of hydro electric projects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Such a doctrine of technological apartheid has grown ever since by the likes of Maurice Strong , The Club of Rome , The World Wildlife Fund , The Munk School of Global Affairs , and The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation headed by Pierre Trudeau ’ s former assistant Thomas Axworthy up until the present day .
Today First Nations ( Metis , Inuit and other indigenous groups ) suffer from a 300 % higher suicide rate than non-indigenous people on average with two times more indigenous people on reservations committing suicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispersed across the arctic find themselves at the greatest disadvantage as their reservations are rarely connected to other reservations by roads , and a trip to a city costs thousands of dollars .
Although they have access to television , and alcohol , there are few jobs in these isolated concentration camps , zero prospect for improvement or change ( and thus very little incentive to stay in school ) .
In these communities suicide rates are NINE TIMES higher than non-indigenous areas with 72.3 suicides/100 000 people ( versus 8 suicides/100 000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concentrated among youth ages 15-24 .
The worst-hit group is sadly female children which features a heart wrenching suicide level 22 times higher than non-indigenous groups .
On average unemployment clocks in at five times higher in native groups , and obviously , drug and alcohol use is as rampant as domestic violence against women .
These dismal statistics are not caused by any “ genetic inferiority of the native people ” as some racist commentators have asserted over the years , but rather are the effects of a deep cultural victimisation caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineering .
To grasp a better idea of my meaning here , a fruitful exercise can be found in comparing the relatively healthier cultural dynamics of Russian Inuit who share many similarities to their Canadian counterparts but suffer from fewer spiritual wounds , embracing technological development much more enthusiastically and with greater trust in their governments than anything seen in Canada .
The New Silk Road and Economic Independence For All Ellis Ross , a former elected Chief of the Haisa tribe and current MP for Skeena , BC has come out eloquently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LNG development in a recent interview by saying : If Ottawa actually behaved in a manner becoming of a sovereign nation state , and offered productive credit through the publicly-owned national bank of Canada to help First Nations develop their economic resources , then Ross would not have come to the conclusions enunciated in his interview .
However since Canada ’ s federal government has acted under the control of a Malthusian deep state since the 1963 ouster of John Diefenbaker , offering only IMF-styled loans with strict conditionalities which has kept First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders seeking to liberate their people have been forced to take the approach outlined by Ross and the 20 bands supporting the LNG Coastal Gas Link pipeline today .
The $ 40 billion project to bring Canada ’ s liquid natural gas to four new major BC ports is tied entirely to China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) which has evolved to incredible proportions with major long term , win-win infrastructure projects across 160 nations and it is growing .
China ’ s leading partner in this vision for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has embarked on a Polar Silk Road extension and is driven by Putin ’ s bold Arctic development plans which is pulling upon Canada ’ s undeveloped Northern frontier today in a similar manner as that of the 1940s-1950s American pro-development northern strategy .
China has stated on multiple occasions that it wants to collaborate with every country on the BRI- including Canada and the USA !
It has trillions to spend , technology to offer and an ever growing market hungry for goods and resources from other western nations wishing to escape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominant since the 1968 paradigm shift .
Will Canada be able to capture this opportunity or will nation builders ignorant to Canada ’ s subtle dynamics fail to achieve this vision in the same manner that the well-intentioned but politically naive John Diefenbaker had 60 years ago ?
Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk , and has authored 3 volumes of ‘ Untold History of Canada ’ book series .
In 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation and can be @ @ @ @ @ @

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
From the Strategic Culture Foundation
The fight over the construction of a 670 km, $6.6 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline stretching from Alberta to ports in British Columbia has absorbed national headlines across Canada and crippled a major component of the Canadian economy in recent weeks. However popular a headline as it may be, this story is not at all what it appears. Mainstream media has tended to twist major facts in order to hide the reality of the strategic fight which ties directly into Canada’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative as well as the systemic effort to keep Canada’s native communities in squalor, poverty and dependence under a dubious Gordian Knot of eco-colonialism which began in earnest over 70 years ago.
Before untying this knot, four truthful facts of the story reported by mainstream media should be outlined:
Fact 1: The protests which began in British Columbia in solidarity with the BC Wet’suwet’en tribe on whose land the Coastal GasLink pipeline passes have spread across Canada’s central and east coast.
Fact 2: Hundreds of freight rail traffic lines, as well as federal and municipal passenger rail, bridges and roads across Canada have been shut down by protesters.
Fact 3: This crisis has risen to a level of intensity such that Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been forced to cancel his international campaign to win support from poor nations in his bid to put Canada into the UN Security Council and return home in order to deal with this.
Fact 4: Neither Trudeau, nor any opposition parties have any ability or will to actually resolve this.
This is where the truth ends and creative writing in journalism takes over.
Natives = Anti-Capitalist environmentalists: An Imperial Fallacy
The majority of press agencies reporting on this story attempt to convey the idea that native communities across Canada are battling big oil conglomerates in defense of Mother Nature. They attempt to portray Canada’s First Nations as unanimously acting in opposition to yet another rape of their lands by big money western capitalists killing the environment.
However, upon digging more deeply into the dynamics and the longer arc of history shaping Canada’s problems of underdevelopment, and drug/unemployment and suicide epidemics among natives, a very different picture has emerged.
The first crack in the popular narrative struck me as I heard Rebel Media’s Keean Bexte ask a handful of Albertan anti-pipeline protesters why they were not respecting the democratic vote of First Nation band councils who supported this project. Surely, the interviewer must be just another right winger lying to defend “big oil”!
Nope. Not lying at all. Not only did all elected chiefs representing the 20 bands upon whose territory this pipeline will be built vote massively in favor of the project, but 5 of the 6 elected Wet’suet’an nation bands also voted in favor. In addition, even the majority of hereditary chiefs voted in favor of the project! The only point of resistance which fuelled the pan-Canadian blockades arose from 5 of the 13 hereditary chiefs who voted no.
The fact that the majority of protesters interviewed by Rebel News were non-native was another anomaly that was not isolated to Alberta, but spreads thematically across Canada. In case after case, we find that a vast majority of organisers of the blockades have been university students of an eco-anarchist persuasion deployed out of Ontario and Quebec sociology departments with very little awareness of genuine native issues, nor even an awareness of what will even be eventually flowing through the pipelines (the majority of those questioned presumed the answer was “oil”- a very different beast from LNG).
So what do actual natives say about this project?
Troy Young, a Wet’suet’en youth leader has stated “if the environmentalists are successful, it will be one of the biggest cultural appropriation in British Columbia’s history.”
First Nations councilor Karen Ogen Toews who also co-created the First Nations LNG Alliancestated “if our people are living in poverty then the way to overcome it is through proper training, trades education and a job. My conscience is clear.”
Crystal Smith (Chief counselor of Haisla Nation) stated “First Nations have been left out of resource development for too long, but [in this project] we are involved. We have been consulted and we will ensure there are benefits for all First Nations. I’m tired of managing poverty. I’m tired of First Nations Communities dealing with issues such as suicide, low unemployment or educational opportunities. If this opportunity is lost, it doesn’t come back.”
These testimonies begin to actually approach the real issue at hand: The fight for economic independence and dignity for native communities, which has been systematically withheld since the 1876 Indian Act.
Canada’s Underdevelopment
Over a century of neo-colonialism has resulted in Canada becoming the largest nation on earth housing fewer people than the city of Tokyo, 80% of whom are concentrated among only six cities within 100 km of the American border.
Inuits were beginning to emerge into modern industrial society during and after WWII, as a 1994 Royal Commission report on the history of Canada’s relationship with the Inuit noted:
“The effect of improved health care introduced after the Second World War was that the mortality rate began to decline and the Inuit population, by the mid- to late-1950s began gradually to increase… In Inukjuak, there was a health facility, a church, a schooI, a fur trading post, a store, a port, etc …. So, slowly, the Eskimos were becoming a part of the whole society. Even if most people were still hunting, it wasn’t their main Source of food. Many were getting some kind of benefits, either as salary, family allowance, or old age security payments, like all other Canadians who benefit from the universal social safety net.”
In the mind of the British Empire, this trajectory had to stop, and an operation was begun in 1953 run out of the Privy Council office and enforced by the RCMP to convince the natives that western technology was incompatible with their natural cultural ecosystems and were increasingly encouraged to live in reservations far outside the sphere of the rest of North America’s economic life. According to this reasoning, no advanced skills or education would be needed in their “natural” hunter-gatherer life styles. Just like post WWII neo-colonial policy towards Africa, buckets of monetary and tax incentives were offered… as long as the Inuit just remained in their reserves and stopped trying to develop higher standards of living or believing they should try to integrate with western society.
The High Arctic Relocation Project
This racist policy took the form of the 1953-1958 High Arctic Relocation project overseen by the RCMP where families from Inukjuak in Quebec were transported to the uninhabited Grise Fiord in Ellesmere Island and Resolute on Cornwallis Islands. These Inuit were told that they had to be “re-rehabilitated” into their “natural nomadic ecosystems” and suffered dearly. In the referenced 1994 Royal Commission report on the project, an elderly RCMP officer was interviewed who said he didn’t “understand why the Inuit were not given quarters at the base to live in and why the ample food which was available at the base was not made available to them.” The report continued, “The servicemen were told that the Inuit were there to rehabilitate themselves . . . to learn how to survive on their own and go back to their old way of living. The project was to see if they could survive in that High Arctic environment where Inuit had lived in earlier times. . . . Temperatures of -55° were common in the winter.”
In 1987, the surviving families and their children filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government stating “there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that the central, if not the sole reasons for the relocation of Inuit to the high Arctic was the desire by Canada to assert its sovereignty over the Arctic Islands and surrounding areas”.
Playing the Inuit on the Grand Chessboard
The use and abuse of these Inuit families points us to Canada’s perverse role in the British Empire’s grand chessboard. Though not often appreciated today, the British Empire then (as now) has always aimed to sabotage the industrial growth (and thus economic independence) of sovereign nation states. After Lincoln’s “American System” allies in Russia sold Alaska to the USA in 1867 and later built the Trans Siberian railway, the British financial oligarchy became deathly afraid of the strong strategic intention by leading Russian and American patriots to connect the continents through the Bering Strait corridor making the role of Canadian natives extremely vital in obstructing this process.
During WWII, American VP Henry Wallace made his intention to build this rail/road tunnel to Russia known to Russia’s Foreign Minister Molotov who warmly supported it. Although the Cold War de-railed this initiative, American plans to develop the Arctic continued intensely through the construction of the DEW radar line and resource development strategies that had the support of leading nation builders like Canada’s C.D. Howe (Federal Minister of Everything) and W.A.C. Bennett (Premier of BC 1952-1972). Since Canada had zero population in the high Arctic, the Americans’ claims to Arctic territory was quite strong and in the minds of the Deep State run through Rhodes Scholars and Canada’s Privy Council– had to be stopped at all cost.
In this poisonous spirit, the Relocation Program was designed to create “human flagpoles” for the sake of making a case that Canada’s Arctic claims were somehow legitimate. While Canada’s Prime Minister John Diefenbaker ended this racist program in 1958, (replacing it with his optimistic Northern Vision) and gave natives the vote with his 1960 Bill of Rights, the deep state quickly undermined his vision and led a coup resulting in his 1963 ouster.
In the post-Diefenbaker years of 1963-2020, the human flagpole policy evolved into the “eco-colonial” program designating nearly all lands of northern Canada off limits to any form of genuine economic development. The name for this policy became eco-systems management which imposed an absolute division between scientific and technological progress and the supposed “natural balance” or mathematical homeostasis of nature.
It is noteworthy that this plan was first put into action by none other than Justin Trudeau’s father in 1970 in order to block the development of hydro electric projects growing under the leadership of Premier Bennett. Such a doctrine of technological apartheid has grown ever since by the likes of Maurice Strong, The Club of Rome, The World Wildlife Fund, The Munk School of Global Affairs, and The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation headed by Pierre Trudeau’s former assistant Thomas Axworthy up until the present day.
The Destruction of a People
Today First Nations (Metis, Inuit and other indigenous groups) suffer from a 300% higher suicide rate than non-indigenous people on average with two times more indigenous people on reservations committing suicide than those living off reservation. Inuits dispersed across the arctic find themselves at the greatest disadvantage as their reservations are rarely connected to other reservations by roads, and a trip to a city costs thousands of dollars. Although they have access to television, and alcohol, there are few jobs in these isolated concentration camps, zero prospect for improvement or change (and thus very little incentive to stay in school). In these communities suicide rates are NINE TIMES higher than non-indigenous areas with 72.3 suicides/100 000 people (versus 8 suicides/100 000 in the south of Canada) especially concentrated among youth ages 15-24. The worst-hit group is sadly female children which features a heart wrenching suicide level 22 times higher than non-indigenous groups. On average unemployment clocks in at five times higher in native groups, and obviously, drug and alcohol use is as rampant as domestic violence against women.
These dismal statistics are not caused by any “genetic inferiority of the native people” as some racist commentators have asserted over the years, but rather are the effects of a deep cultural victimisation caused by generations living under British Colonial social engineering.
To grasp a better idea of my meaning here, a fruitful exercise can be found in comparing the relatively healthier cultural dynamics of Russian Inuit who share many similarities to their Canadian counterparts but suffer from fewer spiritual wounds, embracing technological development much more enthusiastically and with greater trust in their governments than anything seen in Canada.
The New Silk Road and Economic Independence For All
Ellis Ross, a former elected Chief of the Haisa tribe and current MP for Skeena, BC has come out eloquently attacking eco-colonialism and described the importance of LNG development in a recent interview by saying:
“One project gets built, then I have the ability to say ‘no’ to funding coming from Ottawa. I mean that is independence! And it was always a dream of mine to say to Ottawa ‘I don’t need your $5-7 million/year come to my band. I can handle my own. I can handle my own infrastructure, my own sewer water. I can handle all of it. I don’t need you.” Interviewer: “Without the strings that are attached.” Ross: “Exactly! And the punishments! If you get a surplus in any of that funding, you get punished. If you get a deficit, you get punished.”
If Ottawa actually behaved in a manner becoming of a sovereign nation state, and offered productive credit through the publicly-owned national bank of Canada to help First Nations develop their economic resources, then Ross would not have come to the conclusions enunciated in his interview. However since Canada’s federal government has acted under the control of a Malthusian deep state since the 1963 ouster of John Diefenbaker, offering only IMF-styled loans with strict conditionalities which has kept First Nations in squalor for decades, native leaders seeking to liberate their people have been forced to take the approach outlined by Ross and the 20 bands supporting the LNG Coastal Gas Link pipeline today.
The $40 billion project to bring Canada’s liquid natural gas to four new major BC ports is tied entirely to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which has evolved to incredible proportions with major long term, win-win infrastructure projects across 160 nations and it is growing. China’s leading partner in this vision for the coming century is Russia, which has embarked on a Polar Silk Road extension and is driven by Putin’s bold Arctic development plans which is pulling upon Canada’s undeveloped Northern frontier today in a similar manner as that of the 1940s-1950s American pro-development northern strategy.
China has stated on multiple occasions that it wants to collaborate with every country on the BRI- including Canada and the USA! It has trillions to spend, technology to offer and an ever growing market hungry for goods and resources from other western nations wishing to escape the “post-industrial” model of consumerism dominant since the 1968 paradigm shift. Will Canada be able to capture this opportunity or will nation builders ignorant to Canada’s subtle dynamics fail to achieve this vision in the same manner that the well-intentioned but politically naive John Diefenbaker had 60 years ago?
Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk, and has authored 3 volumes of ‘Untold History of Canada’ book series. In 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation and can be reached at matt.ehret@tutamail.com
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theduran--2020-02-25--Leaked documents about Malaysian Boeing MH17

Bonanza Media published a new video with more explanations on the leaked documents from our previous newsletter .
You can check it out here : Complete documents of all 4 leaks plus a new one can be downloaded as one folder with separate PDF-files by clicking this link .
[ Total file size 3 Mb – link expires February 29 ] Regarding the authenticity of the leaked document ‘ Operation Avanella ’ , conducted by the AFP , the Australian police issued a following statement : Some of the documents recently distributed without permission are documents of the Australian Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation being carried out by the Joint Investigation Group ( JIT ) .
Regarding the authenticity of a leaked letter report about BUK positions in Russia and Ukraine made by Dutch Intelligence .
Last time we published an incomplete document in English that is based on a Dutch original .
Now you can also see what the original looks like .
The Dutch MIVD sent Bonanza Media a following statement on the authenticity of this leaked document : We do not comment on the request below .
For further questions , we refer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have already included in this question .
The Dutch Prosecution Service response to Bonanza Media was : In the run-up to the MH17 court case , various documents appear in the media that refer to the JIT investigation .
Although we understand that there are questions , the Dutch OM does not make statements about these documents .
Questions about evidence will be answered in court because that is the only place where we want to speak freely about this .
On the same day the document from MIVD was written ( 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made about another Buk Telar that was not mentioned in the main letter .
The Buk Telar mentioned in this document was closest to the point where the Malaysian Boeing was shot down , but MIVD explains this Telar could not have been the murder weapon , because it was heavily damaged .
More images on social media of this Telar ’ s location : As you can see the Dutch military did a thorough job locating relevant Buk Telar positions in the conflict area in which MH17 was shot down .
Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a professional organization with contacts at highest NATO levels and with access to satellite images of ESA and many other sources .
Based on the information presented , the main conclusion we make is this : The Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service on 21 September 2016 ( ONE WEEK before the JIT press-conference on 28th September 2016 ! )
had no information from any reliable source that any Russian Buk-M1 had crossed the border with Ukraine during any time during the conflict .
It will be interesting to follow the court proceedings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources such as social media , and sources that base their conclusions on social media .
Could it be that they are better informed than the military professionals who are trained and specialized to know these kind of things ?
Regarding a Record of Interview with a witness refuting the claim Ukrainian Air Force did not fly .
A quick reminder of what the witness saw and heard himself : – 2 fighter jets in the sky , which circled over the town a few minutes before the Boeing went down .
– @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a HORIZONTAL white trail – The Boeing coming down Here ’ s the witness .
His name is Boris .
We were able to trace him during our first trip to Donbass this year .
Thank you all who supported us financially to make it happen !
Boris agreed to an interview and his new testimony complies with what he said to the JIT .
We are in the process of making a report about Boris MH17 story .
Please keep us going !
Donation options : You can subscribe here and never @ @ @ @

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Via Bonanza Media…
Bonanza Media published a new video with more explanations on the leaked documents from our previous newsletter. You can check it out here:
Complete documents of all 4 leaks plus a new one can be downloaded as one folder with separate PDF-files by clicking this link. [Total file size 3 Mb – link expires February 29]
Regarding the authenticity of the leaked document ‘Operation Avanella’, conducted by the AFP, the Australian police issued a following statement:
Some of the documents recently distributed without permission are documents of the Australian Federal Police, prepared as part of the investigation being carried out by the Joint Investigation Group (JIT).
Regarding the authenticity of a leaked letter report about BUK positions in Russia and Ukraine made by Dutch Intelligence.
Last time we published an incomplete document in English that is based on a Dutch original. Now you can also see what the original looks like.
The Dutch MIVD sent Bonanza Media a following statement on the authenticity of this leaked document:
We do not comment on the request below. For further questions, we refer you to the OM, which you have already included in this question.
The Dutch Prosecution Service response to Bonanza Media was:
In the run-up to the MH17 court case, various documents appear in the media that refer to the JIT investigation. Although we understand that there are questions, the Dutch OM does not make statements about these documents. Questions about evidence will be answered in court because that is the only place where we want to speak freely about this.
NEW LEAK.
On the same day the document from MIVD was written (21 September 2016) a supplementary letter was made about another Buk Telar that was not mentioned in the main letter.
The Buk Telar mentioned in this document was closest to the point where the Malaysian Boeing was shot down, but MIVD explains this Telar could not have been the murder weapon, because it was heavily damaged.
More images on social media of this Telar’s location:
48°5’58.00″N 37°45’13.00″E
As you can see the Dutch military did a thorough job locating relevant Buk Telar positions in the conflict area in which MH17 was shot down. Let’s not forget that MIVD is a professional organization with contacts at highest NATO levels and with access to satellite images of ESA and many other sources.
Based on the information presented, the main conclusion we make is this: The Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service on 21 September 2016 (ONE WEEK before the JIT press-conference on 28th September 2016!) had no information from any reliable source that any Russian Buk-M1 had crossed the border with Ukraine during any time during the conflict.
It will be interesting to follow the court proceedings and study the evidence presented from other sources such as social media, and sources that base their conclusions on social media. Could it be that they are better informed than the military professionals who are trained and specialized to know these kind of things?
Regarding a Record of Interview with a witness refuting the claim Ukrainian Air Force did not fly.
We also published a Dutch version.
A quick reminder of what the witness saw and heard himself:
– 2 fighter jets in the sky, which circled over the town a few minutes before the Boeing went down.
– a loud bang over his head
– a HORIZONTAL white trail
– The Boeing coming down
Here’s the witness. His name is Boris. We were able to trace him during our first trip to Donbass this year. Thank you all who supported us financially to make it happen!
Boris agreed to an interview and his new testimony complies with what he said to the JIT. We are in the process of making a report about Boris MH17 story.
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theduran--2020-02-25--CIA & BND spy scandal shakes Switzerland neutrality (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the spying scandal involving Swiss encryption firm Crypto AG , the CIA and the German BND , which has blown apart the Swiss reputation for neutrality .
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute .
The Duran Audio Podcast : Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes .
It ’ s hard to exaggerate just how much the Crypto AG scandal has shaken Switzerland .
For decades , US and German intelligence used this Swiss company ’ s encoding devices to spy on other countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provoked outrage .
From the Cold War into the 2000s , Crypto AG sold the devices to more than 120 governments worldwide .
The machines were encrypted but it emerged this week that the CIA and Germany ’ s BND had rigged the devices so they could crack the codes and intercept thousands of messages .
Rumours had circulated in the past but now everybody knows .
There are only a handful of countries on the planet that have chosen neutrality ; Austria is one , Sweden another .
But no country has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the Swiss .
Now that the Crypto AG scandal has emerged in all its tawdry detail , there ’ s not a newspaper or broadcaster in the country that is not questioning Switzerland ’ s neutrality .
A federal judge is already on the case and politicians across the spectrum are calling for a parliamentary commission of inquiry .
This is a country whose neutrality has allowed it to represent US interests in Iran for 30 years , and Tehran ’ s interests in Washington .
Switzerland negotiated hard behind the scenes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanitarian aid to Iran to ease the worst effects of sanctions .
It is also a country that sold flawed encryption machines , bearing that Made in Switzerland label , to Iran , so that Washington could eavesdrop .
Swiss neutrality is revered as if it were in the country ’ s DNA , part of a unique national identity , and not the pragmatic policy of a small country that hired mercenaries to the rest of Europe until its leaders decided not fighting at all might be safer .
“ We survived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phrase you often hear in Switzerland .
It can be irritating to citizens of other European countries who also survived those wars , in rather more harrowing fashion .
But it ’ s true , Switzerland ’ s neutrality kept it out of those wars , and in 1945 Switzerland ’ s economy and infrastructure emerged , phoenix-like and unscathed , while its neighbours swept up the ash and the rubble .
How the Swiss made themselves useful Neutrality , however , is not some force field which keeps enemies out .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the bad guys will leave you alone .
In World War Two , Switzerland did all sorts of things to make sure its neighbours stayed away .
Mass mobilisation , sending every man between 18 and 60 to defend the borders , mining the tunnels and alpine passes , that was one thing : and until recently that took pride of place in Swiss history books .
But there was something else , equally important : Switzerland made itself useful , to all sides .
Nazi Germany found a safe place for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banks .
It sent trains full of weapons across Switzerland to support Italian dictator Benito Mussolini .
At the same time , Switzerland ’ s head of the armed forces , General Henri Guisan , was having secret chats with the French about fighting together should both countries be invaded .
There ’ s a street named after Guisan in every Swiss town .
Meanwhile the US intelligence-gathering body , the Office of Strategic Services , sent Allen Dulles to Europe .
Dulles set up his office in the Swiss capital , Bern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of war , spying on the Germans .
He later became head of the CIA .
In the 1990s the Swiss did a lot of soul searching about World War Two .
The history books were rewritten to include the shameful policy of turning Jewish refugees back at the borders .
Commissions of inquiry were set up , memorials held , and a Swiss government minister , Kaspar Villiger , formally apologised .
That ’ s the same Kaspar Villiger who now stands accused , while serving as defence minister in the 1990s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crypto AG , and was selling flawed encryption machines around the world in order to spy on foreign governments .
Mr Villiger , it must be stressed , denies this .
But many questions about Crypto were raised in Switzerland in the 1990s , so it ’ s curious that the defence minister didn ’ t hear them , or didn ’ t follow them up .
Asked about Mr Villiger on Swiss TV , rotating federal president Simonetta Sommaruga , said the speculation made no sense .
“ We will discuss it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Can Switzerland have it both ways ?
How on earth can those two concepts – neutrality and cooperation – exist together ?
Perhaps in the same way that Switzerland proudly does not fight wars , but sells plenty of weapons .
Or the way in which its bankers used to say “ money doesn ’ t smell ” .
In other words , they were happy to look after it whatever bloody conflict , brutal dictator , drug baron , or tax scam it had come from .
Or , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Cold War .
Its values were Western , why not turn a blind eye to a few covert operations by Europe ’ s protector in chief , the US , at one of Switzerland ’ s world-class precision engineering companies ?
To be fair , there are millions of Swiss who think deeply about these things , and who have campaigned hard for a less self-interested policy , certainly when it comes to banking and arms trading , both of which are now subject to much stricter regulation .
But still , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a wake-up call about their neutrality .
They have to learn all over again that it ’ s not a shining beacon of hope at the heart of Europe .
Rather it is a pragmatic and often grubby survival tactic in a continent with a very bloody history .
And sometimes , as with Crypto AG , that pragmatism , together with a desire to see the myth of neutrality rather than the reality , leads to some very questionable decisions .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the spying scandal involving Swiss encryption firm Crypto AG, the CIA and the German BND, which has blown apart the Swiss reputation for neutrality.
Support Free Speech:
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute.
The Duran Audio Podcast:
Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes.
Via The BBC…
It’s hard to exaggerate just how much the Crypto AG scandal has shaken Switzerland.
For decades, US and German intelligence used this Swiss company’s encoding devices to spy on other countries, and the revelations this week have provoked outrage.
From the Cold War into the 2000s, Crypto AG sold the devices to more than 120 governments worldwide. The machines were encrypted but it emerged this week that the CIA and Germany’s BND had rigged the devices so they could crack the codes and intercept thousands of messages.
Rumours had circulated in the past but now everybody knows.
Why Swiss neutrality matters
There are only a handful of countries on the planet that have chosen neutrality; Austria is one, Sweden another. But no country has made a status symbol out of neutrality like the Swiss.
Now that the Crypto AG scandal has emerged in all its tawdry detail, there’s not a newspaper or broadcaster in the country that is not questioning Switzerland’s neutrality.
“It’s shattered,” is a common phrase.
A federal judge is already on the case and politicians across the spectrum are calling for a parliamentary commission of inquiry.
This is a country whose neutrality has allowed it to represent US interests in Iran for 30 years, and Tehran’s interests in Washington. Switzerland negotiated hard behind the scenes with the US to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid to Iran to ease the worst effects of sanctions.
It is also a country that sold flawed encryption machines, bearing that Made in Switzerland label, to Iran, so that Washington could eavesdrop.
Swiss neutrality is revered as if it were in the country’s DNA, part of a unique national identity, and not the pragmatic policy of a small country that hired mercenaries to the rest of Europe until its leaders decided not fighting at all might be safer.
“We survived two world wars,” is a phrase you often hear in Switzerland. It can be irritating to citizens of other European countries who also survived those wars, in rather more harrowing fashion.
But it’s true, Switzerland’s neutrality kept it out of those wars, and in 1945 Switzerland’s economy and infrastructure emerged, phoenix-like and unscathed, while its neighbours swept up the ash and the rubble.
How the Swiss made themselves useful
Neutrality, however, is not some force field which keeps enemies out. Not a magic word which you can chant and the bad guys will leave you alone.
In World War Two, Switzerland did all sorts of things to make sure its neighbours stayed away.
Mass mobilisation, sending every man between 18 and 60 to defend the borders, mining the tunnels and alpine passes, that was one thing: and until recently that took pride of place in Swiss history books.
But there was something else, equally important: Switzerland made itself useful, to all sides.
Nazi Germany found a safe place for its looted art and gold in Swiss banks. It sent trains full of weapons across Switzerland to support Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
At the same time, Switzerland’s head of the armed forces, General Henri Guisan, was having secret chats with the French about fighting together should both countries be invaded. There’s a street named after Guisan in every Swiss town.
Meanwhile the US intelligence-gathering body, the Office of Strategic Services, sent Allen Dulles to Europe.
Dulles set up his office in the Swiss capital, Bern, and stayed there for the rest of war, spying on the Germans. He later became head of the CIA.
Who knew what?
In the 1990s the Swiss did a lot of soul searching about World War Two.
The history books were rewritten to include the shameful policy of turning Jewish refugees back at the borders. Commissions of inquiry were set up, memorials held, and a Swiss government minister, Kaspar Villiger, formally apologised.
That’s the same Kaspar Villiger who now stands accused, while serving as defence minister in the 1990s, of knowing that the CIA controlled Crypto AG, and was selling flawed encryption machines around the world in order to spy on foreign governments.
Mr Villiger, it must be stressed, denies this. But many questions about Crypto were raised in Switzerland in the 1990s, so it’s curious that the defence minister didn’t hear them, or didn’t follow them up.
Asked about Mr Villiger on Swiss TV, rotating federal president Simonetta Sommaruga, said the speculation made no sense. “We will discuss it when we have the facts,” she said.
Can Switzerland have it both ways?
How on earth can those two concepts – neutrality and cooperation – exist together?
Perhaps in the same way that Switzerland proudly does not fight wars, but sells plenty of weapons.
Or the way in which its bankers used to say “money doesn’t smell”. In other words, they were happy to look after it whatever bloody conflict, brutal dictator, drug baron, or tax scam it had come from.
Or, more charitably, Switzerland wanted to survive the Cold War. Its values were Western, why not turn a blind eye to a few covert operations by Europe’s protector in chief, the US, at one of Switzerland’s world-class precision engineering companies?
To be fair, there are millions of Swiss who think deeply about these things, and who have campaigned hard for a less self-interested policy, certainly when it comes to banking and arms trading, both of which are now subject to much stricter regulation.
But still, every few years it seems the Swiss get a wake-up call about their neutrality.
They have to learn all over again that it’s not a shining beacon of hope at the heart of Europe. Rather it is a pragmatic and often grubby survival tactic in a continent with a very bloody history.
And sometimes, as with Crypto AG, that pragmatism, together with a desire to see the myth of neutrality rather than the reality, leads to some very questionable decisions.
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theduran--2020-02-25--MSNBC’s Chris Matthews goes WW2 on Bernie after Nevada win (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss MSNBC ’ s Chris Matthews comparison of Bernie Sanders ’ Nevada win to France ’ s fall to Germany in WW2 .
Matthews statement enraged Bernie supporters who are now calling for his firing .
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute .
The Duran Audio Podcast : Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes .
MSNBC ’ s Chris Matthews drew ire on social media Saturday after he compared the Nevada Democratic caucus victory of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to France ’ s fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I ’ m reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940 , ” Matthews said during the network ’ s caucus coverage .
“ And the general calls up Churchill and says , ‘ It ’ s over , ’ and Churchill says , ‘ How can it be ?
You got the greatest army in Europe .
How can it be over ?
’ He said , ‘ It ’ s over.
’ ” The backlash on Twitter was swift and severe , with many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be fired .
Many pointed out that Sanders ’ family includes survivors of the Holocaust .
But Larry O ’ Connor , a commentator with the Washington Examiner and KABC radio in Los Angeles , shared a different view .
“ For the past four years , ” O ’ Connor wrote , “ Donald Trump has been incessantly likened to Hitler and his supporters to Nazis , so to all the outraged Dems screaming about Chris Matthews making a clumsy , innocuous comparison between Bernie ’ s win and 1940 France , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentary , Matthews expressed doubts about Sanders ’ chances in November if he goes on to win the Democratic nomination and face President Trump .
“ It looks like Bernie Sanders is hard to beat right now , ” Matthews said .
“ I ’ m with [ James ] Carville all the way in terms of the dangers of what lies ahead in November .
They ’ re sitting on so much oppo research on Bernie.
” Matthews said Republicans would “ kill ” Sanders in the general election but right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop him .
”

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss MSNBC’s Chris Matthews comparison of Bernie Sanders’ Nevada win to France’s fall to Germany in WW2.
Matthews statement enraged Bernie supporters who are now calling for his firing.
Support Free Speech:
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute.
The Duran Audio Podcast:
Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes.
Via Fox News…
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews drew ire on social media Saturday after he compared the Nevada Democratic caucus victory of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to France’s fall to the Nazis during World War II.
“I’m reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940,” Matthews said during the network’s caucus coverage. “And the general calls up Churchill and says, ‘It’s over,’ and Churchill says, ‘How can it be? You got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over.’”
The backlash on Twitter was swift and severe, with many commenters calling for Matthews to resign or be fired. Many pointed out that Sanders’ family includes survivors of the Holocaust.
Chris Matthews needs to step down or be fired!
These comments are completely out of line. We need journalism not hyperbolic hysteria. #FireChrisMatthewshttps://t.co/uRH7pbIdvk — James Thompson (@JamesThompsonKS) February 23, 2020
This is amazing. Chris Matthews ages live on camera the #NVCaucus lead becomes insurmountable and he lashes out comparing first Jewish frontrunner to Nazis. pic.twitter.com/TydNFihQqo — ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? (@SocialistBoomer) February 23, 2020
so yeah Chris Matthews should be out of a job for comparing Bernie’s win to the fall of France to the Nazis in WWII, goodnight everybody — Callisto ????✨ (@ThatCallisto) February 23, 2020
Chris Matthews just compared a Jewish man (who is running on a platform of equality) to the Nazis occupying France. This is beyond inappropriate https://t.co/t16LPKgFM4 — Carolyn Agee (@ageec) February 23, 2020
But Larry O’Connor, a commentator with the Washington Examiner and KABC radio in Los Angeles, shared a different view.
“For the past four years,” O’Connor wrote, “Donald Trump has been incessantly likened to Hitler and his supporters to Nazis, so to all the outraged Dems screaming about Chris Matthews making a clumsy, innocuous comparison between Bernie’s win and 1940 France, may I just say…”
For the past four years Donald Trump has been incessantly likened to Hitler and his supporters to Nazis, so to all the outraged Dems screaming about Chris Matthews making a clumsy, innocuous comparison between Bernie's win and 1940 France, may I just say… pic.twitter.com/Np8TMUo4pu — Larry O'Connor (@LarryOConnor) February 23, 2020
During his commentary, Matthews expressed doubts about Sanders’ chances in November if he goes on to win the Democratic nomination and face President Trump.
“It looks like Bernie Sanders is hard to beat right now,” Matthews said. “I’m with [James] Carville all the way in terms of the dangers of what lies ahead in November. They’re sitting on so much oppo research on Bernie.”
Matthews said Republicans would “kill” Sanders in the general election but right now “it’s a little late to stop him.”
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theduran--2020-02-25--Ampleforth: a school for scandal

Ampleforth: a school for scandal

There have been more paedophile scandals at Ampleforth College than any other school in the UK I know of .
How is the school still open ?
The word ‘ school ’ is overgenerous in case of this institution .
I would not put a dog in that school .
I am not that cruel .
But the dog would be accepted such are the admission standards .
The scandal struck institution has lurched from one crisis to the next .
It has had four heads in four years !
In the old days there were a few monks who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a long list of staff who have been convicted of the sexual abuse of minors .
Fr Piers Grant-Ferris sexually abused several boys some as young as 6 !
Fr Gregory Carroll is another monk also sent down for sex crimes against minors .
Frank Hopkinson was also sent to prison for child sex abuse while working at the school .
Fr Bernard Green was found guilty of sexually abusing a minor .
David Lowe was also awarded a sentence of incarceration of crimes of a sexual nature committed against minors .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for paying for sex with underage male prostitutes .
He committed suicide before he could be charged .
Fr Christian Shore confessed to unlawful sexual contact with minors .
Peter Turner was also sent down for sex crimes with children .
Another monk was arrested about 30 years ago on suspicion of sexual abuse but was released due to an order from a government official .
He subsequently died of natural causes .
That is quite a rap sheet !
Ampleforth is the best at one thing – paedophilia .
It is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school .
Am I being unfair ?
Can you name a school with a worse record on this most serious of issues ?
Some staff who left Ampleforth have gone on to get into trouble for wrongdoing in other schools .
I wonder where they picked up these dirty habits ?
When monks are released from prison after committing sex crimes against kids these monks are welcomed back to Ampleforth Abbey .
We are told that the monks are not allowed contact with children .
But they still sleep , dine and live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The school is down the corridor from the monastic part of the building .
That is not exactly reassuring .
Dara de Cogan was a music teacher .
He was in fact very amiable on a personal level .
But that does not excuse his unlawful sexual encounters with an underage girl .
This was a real first : a sex crime against a female .
Until Mr de Cogan the offences had been directed solely against males of the species .
For decades the school knowingly covered up sexual abuse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ secret .
They did not even remove accused monks from their duties .
Of course , it was possible that the allegations were bogus .
But the school chose to kept the allegations a closely guarded secret .
There are those who say that a consensual encounter between a teacher and a pupil who is just below 18 is not even that bad despite it being illegal .
But what happened at Ampleforth was nowhere near a grey area .
It was a long way on the wrong side of the law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ampleforth when multiple allegations of sex abuse were brought to his attention in the 1960s and the 1970s .
He chose to bury the allegations .
The monks concerned continued unchecked .
The carried on their campaign of gross mistreatment of children for over 20 years after that !
The school compiled evidence about the allegations but refused to disclose it to the police .
Basil Hume was later made Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster .
There is a statue of him at Ampleforth and indeed a Basil Hume Award named in his honour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse be exalted as a role model ?
Is that really what the Catholic Church and Ampleforth stand for ?
I like to think not .
Several of the monks are blatantly of a homosexual cast of mind .
There is nothing wrong with that .
I am not suggesting that they are sexually active .
But from their timbre and gait it was obvious from a mile off that they were gay .
Homosexual acts are totally against the teachings of the Catholic Church as is playing with such thoughts .
Do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Ampleforth was limited to sexual abuse .
Many pupils spoke of suffering violent attacks and vicious psychological abuse .
At least one victim of sexual abuse has committed suicide because of what he suffered at Ampleforth .
Others have self-harmed and been driven to substance abuse .
Several other staff have been investigated on suspicion of sex crimes .
So far no charges have been levelled at the staff concerned .
There was a teacher who was sacked for being a panty sniffer .
However , in terms of Ampleforth he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underwear of adults .
He was an ordinary , decent pervert .
Fr Jeremy Sierla was accused of highly inappropriate conduct towards boys .
He had a collection of many photos of his schoolboys but none of the photos was immoral .
Fr Jeremy is an odd bod who greets people with ‘ hello nice person ’ .
One monk said about him ‘ you never know where you are with him ’ .
Has Fr Jeremy suffered an injustice ?
He has been removed from all contact with children despite never having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convicted .
One monk housemaster repeatedly made lewd comments about women .
Let me make it crystal clear – that are no child protection concerns about this particular man .
But this priest still used swear words all the time even in front of pupils .
Staff smoked cigarettes in the presence of pupils .
If you go to the students ’ hideouts in the woods you will find hundreds of cigarette butts , empty bottles of liquor and used condoms .
The staff know about this yet do nothing .
If a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and marries her then he is immediately unfrocked .
If on the other hand he rapes dozens of children he is not unfrocked .
Honestly , which is worse ?
The schools soft spot for paedophilia is astonishing considering its intolerance of consensual relationships .
One teenage boy was seen hugging his girlfriend and was punished for it .
An unwed member of staff is not allowed to spend the night with his girlfriend in a guesthouse .
One teacher was reprimanded for mentioning to her pupils that she shared a house with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex crimes against prepubescents were considered entirely acceptable but a loving relationship between adults is outrageous ?
Drug abuse at the school was common in the 1980s and 1990s and possibly more recently .
The whole place reeked of cannabis .
The monks did not give a damn .
As recently as the early 1990s a housemaster would say to the house captain ‘ I am going away for the weekend so look after the house.
’ 60 adolescents would be left in the charge of a 17 year old !
Bearing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing this was probably a good thing !
There was severe sexual bullying of pupils by other pupils in the early 1990s .
Besides that scholarship children are regularly insulted about coming from low income families .
One scholarship boy left the school within a year because he was so badly bullied due to his working class background .
Racist bullying of black and Chinese pupils was not uncommon .
The school conducted a survey into the level of bullying .
The Catholic Church is supposed to believe in equality .
The school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people had a deeply unhealthy fixation with the Holocaust .
There were some among middle management bullied staff and persistently lied at meetings .
One deputy head said that the school would close if the staff did not do as he ordered .
The conduct of the staff is not morally upstanding .
There was a heavy drinking culture among some even at lunchtime .
Teacher could be found drunk in the pubs the White Swan and the White Horse on Friday and Saturday night .
Premarital sex between staff is not unknown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A young man was so stressed out by workplace harassment from his obsessive compulsive , anally retentive control freak line manager that he contemplated suicide .
A mentally ill young woman named Emily Wiffen was employed by the school .
She drank vodka in lessons .
This trouble teacher drank herself to death at the age of 28 .
The exam results are atrocious .
The school lies about the number of pupils it gets into Oxford and Cambridge .
Reports are utterly dishonest .
Problems are not admitted to .
Staff are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not find out what needs to be done .
The absolute dregs go to this school .
They will take your children no matter how stupid or indolent they are .
No matter how atrocious their behaviour they shall not be expelled .
Pupils have even sexually assaulted staff and this has been reported to the deputy head and nothing was done about it .
The school has such a horrific reputation that it is not surprising it is a struggle to get staff .
Staff from the worst universities in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are highly sought at the school .
The school has teachers who are unqualified .
The school used to hired 17 year old Australians as staff and put them in charge of 18 year old pupils !
Monks who were incapable of teaching were often used to teach .
Fr Francis was a likeable lunatic who taught politics for years .
This Catholic madrassa has a crucifix on every wall .
The humility of Our Lord and Saviour is lost on many of the pupils who are crashing snobs .
If the Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run a school that is financially exclusionary .
This is about as far from the mission of Jesus as it is possible to be .
Most Ampleforth staff are not suspected of any abuse of children or of covering it up .
Ampleforth sends monks overseas in a desperate bid to find pupils .
I wonder why they find it so hard to get enough bums on seats ?
They have sent staff to the UAE to find pupils .
Really ?
Going to a Muslim country to get pupils for a Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in every room and compulsory daily prayer is not extreme then what it ?
The school suffered from poor leadership .
Fr Leo was headmaster for 10 years .
He was an irascible and frightening figure .
Staff often called trades union officials in terror .
If even teachers were scared of him what was it like for little children ?
Leo Chamberlain is notorious for covering up child abuse of the foulest possible kind .
Fr Gabriel Everitt appeared to hate being head – it was ‘ father take this cup from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under obedience to the abbot ?
The man lacked presence and his hissing lisp made public announcements farcical .
Fr Wulfstan was a more credible headmaster .
But he lacked a certain warmth .
He was a satisfactory administrator .
I was more confident with him in charge .
Ampleforth was reduced to appointing a head who is only a lay person .
Mr Lambton left after only two years !
After that the school appointed someone who was not only a lay person but also a woman .
Miss was actually not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that some of the heads of the recent past .
She could hardly be worse !
Her whole remit was to improve child protection .
But a report into safeguarding was extremely scathing .
Miss Rowe immediately resigned .
There is now another lay head .
Monks are dying twice as fast as they are replaced .
At this rate the school will have no monks in 40 years .
Who in his right mind would send his child to Ampleforth ?
It says it is a school of the Lord ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by Simon Irvine…
See:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1676187/scandal-hits-33k-catholic-college-of-stars-amid-suicide-and-27yr-sex-abuse-cover-up/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse_scandal_in_the_English_Benedictine_Congregation
There have been more paedophile scandals at Ampleforth College than any other school in the UK I know of. How is the school still open? The word ‘school’ is overgenerous in case of this institution. I would not put a dog in that school. I am not that cruel. But the dog would be accepted such are the admission standards. The scandal struck institution has lurched from one crisis to the next. It has had four heads in four years! In the old days there were a few monks who confused pederasty for pedagogy.
The school has a long list of staff who have been convicted of the sexual abuse of minors. Fr Piers Grant-Ferris sexually abused several boys some as young as 6! Fr Gregory Carroll is another monk also sent down for sex crimes against minors. Frank Hopkinson was also sent to prison for child sex abuse while working at the school. Fr Bernard Green was found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. David Lowe was also awarded a sentence of incarceration of crimes of a sexual nature committed against minors. There was a monk who was exposed for paying for sex with underage male prostitutes. He committed suicide before he could be charged. Fr Christian Shore confessed to unlawful sexual contact with minors. Peter Turner was also sent down for sex crimes with children. Another monk was arrested about 30 years ago on suspicion of sexual abuse but was released due to an order from a government official. He subsequently died of natural causes. That is quite a rap sheet! Ampleforth is the best at one thing – paedophilia. It is not much of a selling point for the school. Am I being unfair? Can you name a school with a worse record on this most serious of issues?
Some staff who left Ampleforth have gone on to get into trouble for wrongdoing in other schools. I wonder where they picked up these dirty habits?
When monks are released from prison after committing sex crimes against kids these monks are welcomed back to Ampleforth Abbey. We are told that the monks are not allowed contact with children. But they still sleep, dine and live in the same building as the school. The school is down the corridor from the monastic part of the building. That is not exactly reassuring.
Dara de Cogan was a music teacher. He was in fact very amiable on a personal level. But that does not excuse his unlawful sexual encounters with an underage girl. This was a real first: a sex crime against a female. Until Mr de Cogan the offences had been directed solely against males of the species.
For decades the school knowingly covered up sexual abuse. Successive headmasters chose to keep the matter secret. They did not even remove accused monks from their duties. Of course, it was possible that the allegations were bogus. But the school chose to kept the allegations a closely guarded secret.
There are those who say that a consensual encounter between a teacher and a pupil who is just below 18 is not even that bad despite it being illegal. But what happened at Ampleforth was nowhere near a grey area. It was a long way on the wrong side of the law.
Fr Basil Hume was the Abbot of Ampleforth when multiple allegations of sex abuse were brought to his attention in the 1960s and the 1970s. He chose to bury the allegations. The monks concerned continued unchecked. The carried on their campaign of gross mistreatment of children for over 20 years after that! The school compiled evidence about the allegations but refused to disclose it to the police.
Basil Hume was later made Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. There is a statue of him at Ampleforth and indeed a Basil Hume Award named in his honour. Should a man who facilitated sexual abuse be exalted as a role model? Is that really what the Catholic Church and Ampleforth stand for? I like to think not.
Several of the monks are blatantly of a homosexual cast of mind. There is nothing wrong with that. I am not suggesting that they are sexually active. But from their timbre and gait it was obvious from a mile off that they were gay. Homosexual acts are totally against the teachings of the Catholic Church as is playing with such thoughts.
Do not imagine that the abuse of children at Ampleforth was limited to sexual abuse. Many pupils spoke of suffering violent attacks and vicious psychological abuse.
At least one victim of sexual abuse has committed suicide because of what he suffered at Ampleforth. Others have self-harmed and been driven to substance abuse.
Several other staff have been investigated on suspicion of sex crimes. So far no charges have been levelled at the staff concerned.
There was a teacher who was sacked for being a panty sniffer. However, in terms of Ampleforth he was morally upstanding. He only stole the underwear of adults. He was an ordinary, decent pervert.
Fr Jeremy Sierla was accused of highly inappropriate conduct towards boys. He had a collection of many photos of his schoolboys but none of the photos was immoral. Fr Jeremy is an odd bod who greets people with ‘hello nice person’. One monk said about him ‘you never know where you are with him’. Has Fr Jeremy suffered an injustice? He has been removed from all contact with children despite never having been charged with a crime let alone convicted.
One monk housemaster repeatedly made lewd comments about women. Let me make it crystal clear – that are no child protection concerns about this particular man. But this priest still used swear words all the time even in front of pupils.
Staff smoked cigarettes in the presence of pupils. If you go to the students’ hideouts in the woods you will find hundreds of cigarette butts, empty bottles of liquor and used condoms. The staff know about this yet do nothing.
If a priest falls in love with a woman and marries her then he is immediately unfrocked. If on the other hand he rapes dozens of children he is not unfrocked. Honestly, which is worse?
The schools soft spot for paedophilia is astonishing considering its intolerance of consensual relationships. One teenage boy was seen hugging his girlfriend and was punished for it. An unwed member of staff is not allowed to spend the night with his girlfriend in a guesthouse. One teacher was reprimanded for mentioning to her pupils that she shared a house with her fiancé. Why is it that sex crimes against prepubescents were considered entirely acceptable but a loving relationship between adults is outrageous?
Drug abuse at the school was common in the 1980s and 1990s and possibly more recently. The whole place reeked of cannabis. The monks did not give a damn.
As recently as the early 1990s a housemaster would say to the house captain ‘I am going away for the weekend so look after the house.’ 60 adolescents would be left in the charge of a 17 year old! Bearing in mind what some of the housemasters were doing this was probably a good thing!
There was severe sexual bullying of pupils by other pupils in the early 1990s. Besides that scholarship children are regularly insulted about coming from low income families. One scholarship boy left the school within a year because he was so badly bullied due to his working class background. Racist bullying of black and Chinese pupils was not uncommon. The school conducted a survey into the level of bullying. The Catholic Church is supposed to believe in equality.
The school suffers toxic management. One of these people had a deeply unhealthy fixation with the Holocaust. There were some among middle management bullied staff and persistently lied at meetings. One deputy head said that the school would close if the staff did not do as he ordered.
The conduct of the staff is not morally upstanding. There was a heavy drinking culture among some even at lunchtime. Teacher could be found drunk in the pubs the White Swan and the White Horse on Friday and Saturday night. Premarital sex between staff is not unknown.
Staff have been horrifically bullied. A young man was so stressed out by workplace harassment from his obsessive compulsive, anally retentive control freak line manager that he contemplated suicide. A mentally ill young woman named Emily Wiffen was employed by the school. She drank vodka in lessons. This trouble teacher drank herself to death at the age of 28.
The exam results are atrocious. The school lies about the number of pupils it gets into Oxford and Cambridge.
Reports are utterly dishonest. Problems are not admitted to. Staff are ordered to rewrite reports so that parents do not find out what needs to be done.
The absolute dregs go to this school. They will take your children no matter how stupid or indolent they are. No matter how atrocious their behaviour they shall not be expelled. Pupils have even sexually assaulted staff and this has been reported to the deputy head and nothing was done about it.
The school has such a horrific reputation that it is not surprising it is a struggle to get staff. Staff from the worst universities in the UK are often hired. Tattooed chavs are highly sought at the school. The school has teachers who are unqualified. The school used to hired 17 year old Australians as staff and put them in charge of 18 year old pupils!
Monks who were incapable of teaching were often used to teach. Fr Francis was a likeable lunatic who taught politics for years.
This Catholic madrassa has a crucifix on every wall. The humility of Our Lord and Saviour is lost on many of the pupils who are crashing snobs.
If the Catholic Church cares about everyone it should not run a school that is financially exclusionary. This is about as far from the mission of Jesus as it is possible to be.
Most Ampleforth staff are not suspected of any abuse of children or of covering it up.
Ampleforth sends monks overseas in a desperate bid to find pupils. I wonder why they find it so hard to get enough bums on seats? They have sent staff to the UAE to find pupils. Really? Going to a Muslim country to get pupils for a Christian extremist school? If having a crucifix in every room and compulsory daily prayer is not extreme then what it?
The school suffered from poor leadership. Fr Leo was headmaster for 10 years. He was an irascible and frightening figure. Staff often called trades union officials in terror. If even teachers were scared of him what was it like for little children? Leo Chamberlain is notorious for covering up child abuse of the foulest possible kind.
Fr Gabriel Everitt appeared to hate being head – it was ‘father take this cup from me’. Did he do it under obedience to the abbot? The man lacked presence and his hissing lisp made public announcements farcical.
Fr Wulfstan was a more credible headmaster. But he lacked a certain warmth. He was a satisfactory administrator. I was more confident with him in charge.
Ampleforth was reduced to appointing a head who is only a lay person. Mr Lambton left after only two years!
After that the school appointed someone who was not only a lay person but also a woman. Miss was actually not of poor competence. She is better that some of the heads of the recent past. She could hardly be worse! Her whole remit was to improve child protection. But a report into safeguarding was extremely scathing. Miss Rowe immediately resigned. There is now another lay head.
Monks are dying twice as fast as they are replaced. At this rate the school will have no monks in 40 years.
Who in his right mind would send his child to Ampleforth? It says it is a school of the Lord’s service!
Close this school down now!
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theduran--2020-02-25--Assange’s Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump’s War on Free Press Is Targeting WikiLeaks Publisher

Submitted by Nozomi Hayase , Ph.D. , is an essayist and author of “ WikiLeaks , the Global Fourth Estate : History Is Happening ” .
Follow her on Twitter : @ nozomimagine On Monday , WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange ’ s one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in SouthEast London .
The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense .
The prosecution began , accusing the journalist who exposed the US government ’ s war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in jail .
The US-based investigative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media annex during the proceeding , reported that U.S. Government barrister , James Lewis QC , said that prosecutors “ are not criminalizing the publication of classified materials but rather the publication of names of informants or dissidents who help the US and allies in military operations.
” Gosztola noted that James Lewis QC “ listed off specific documents that Assange is accused of releasing which allegedly contained names of ‘ human sources ’ that were endangered.
” When asked by the judge if the offense of publishing would extend to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1989 Official Secrets Act would cover [ that ] ” and “ If a journalist or newspaper publishes secret information likely to cause harm in the categories , it commits an offense.
” Updating the media on the hearing , the WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson reminded the crowd that this is “ journalism on trial ” and stated that the US argument is repeating the same old line they used 10 years ago , while dismissing the importance of the harm the US was doing , as revealed WikiLeaks by in their 2010-2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s claims that WikiLeaks publications put lives at risk , stating that during the 2013 Manning Trial , the US government could not prove any harm , and had to admit that no physical harm had occurred to a single individual due to WikiLeaks revelations .
Assange ’ s defense lawyer Edward Fitzgerald QC argued that this prosecution is politically motivated and so the UK can ’ t extradite Assange , since their treaty with the US strictly forbids extradition for a political offense .
The defense for Assange provided a background @ @ @ @ @ @ @ client .
He noted that “ President Trump came into power with a new approach to freedom of speech… .
Effectively declaring war on investigative journalists.
” He said that “ President Trump met with FBI Director James Comey and agreed that they should be ‘ putting a head on a pike ’ as a message to journalists over leaks , and ‘ putting journalists in jail ” .
Edward Fitzgerald QC indicated Assange has become a target of Trump ’ s “ war on leakers and journalists.
” He stated that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all that Trump condemned .
He had brought American war crimes to the attention of the world.
” Then , examples of egregious government “ abuse of power ” and the “ abuse of the rule of law ” were presented to the court as key defenses .
These include the breach of client and attorney confidentiality .
Assange ’ s conversations with lawyers were spied on by a Spanish security firm hired by the US while he was living under political asylum inside the London Ecuadorian Embassy .
His grant of asylum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk of extradition to the US ; a risk related to his publishing activities with WikiLeaks .
A further breach of legal privilege occurred after the Ecuadorian government illegally breached his asylum and evicted Assange , having the UK police arrest him within the embassy .
The US authorities were then permitted , by the embassy , to seize his legally privileged materials .
On the first day of the hearing , the unprecedented scale of the assault on the journalist was revealed .
Extreme measures employed in the targeting Assange included plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while he was in the embassy .
As another example of abuse of process , Fitzgerald QC brought up Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher ’ s alleged pardon offer , made to Mr Assange in August 2017 .
The opening summary of defense case states : “ Mr Rohrabacher visited Julian Assnage and discussed a preemptive pardon in exchange for personal assistance to President Trump in the enquiry then ongoing concerning Russian involvement in the hacking and leaking of the Democratic National Committee emails… ” [ 3.7 ] Fitzgerald QC continued : “ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , just as the prosecution was initiated in December 2017 for political purposes , so too the Trump administration had been prepared to use the threat of prosecution as a means of extortion to obtain personal political advantage from Mr Assange.
” [ 3.9 ] From the US government spying on the embassy , to the alleged extortion , Julian Assange ’ s lawyer argued , this extradition case “ is not about criminal justice , it ’ s about the manipulation of the system to ensure the United States could make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extradition hearing began , hundreds of supporters gathered outside the courthouse , chanting for freedom of the WikiLeaks founder .
Major human rights organizations and press freedom groups , including Amnesty International and The Committee to Protect Journalists , have now come out strongly against Assange ’ s extradition to the US .
After the first day of monitoring the hearing , Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) UK bureau director Rebecca Vincent noted , “ Nothing we heard today was surprising , and has reinforced our position .
We believe he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest reporting.
” For case overview of USA v Julian Assange Extradition Hearing , go to… To read the “ Opening Summary of Defence Case ” , go to https : //dontextraditeassange .
com/JA_Defence_Opening.pdf

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by Nozomi Hayase, Ph.D., is an essayist and author of “WikiLeaks, the Global Fourth Estate: History Is Happening”. Follow her on Twitter: @nozomimagine
On Monday, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange’s one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in SouthEast London. The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense. The prosecution began, accusing the journalist who exposed the US government’s war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in jail.
The US-based investigative journalist Kevin Gosztola, who was at the media annex during the proceeding, reported that U.S. Government barrister, James Lewis QC, said that prosecutors “are not criminalizing the publication of classified materials but rather the publication of names of informants or dissidents who help the US and allies in military operations.”
Gosztola noted that James Lewis QC “listed off specific documents that Assange is accused of releasing which allegedly contained names of ‘human sources’ that were endangered.” When asked by the judge if the offense of publishing would extend to a newspaper, the Prosecution replied, “1989 Official Secrets Act would cover [that]” and “If a journalist or newspaper publishes secret information likely to cause harm in the categories, it commits an offense.”
Updating the media on the hearing, the WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson reminded the crowd that this is “journalism on trial” and stated that the US argument is repeating the same old line they used 10 years ago, while dismissing the importance of the harm the US was doing, as revealed WikiLeaks by in their 2010-2011 publications. Hrafnsson rejected the US government’s claims that WikiLeaks publications put lives at risk, stating that during the 2013 Manning Trial, the US government could not prove any harm, and had to admit that no physical harm had occurred to a single individual due to WikiLeaks revelations.
Assange’s defense lawyer Edward Fitzgerald QC argued that this prosecution is politically motivated and so the UK can’t extradite Assange, since their treaty with the US strictly forbids extradition for a political offense.
The defense for Assange provided a background that led to this prosecution of his client. He noted that “President Trump came into power with a new approach to freedom of speech…. Effectively declaring war on investigative journalists.” He said that “President Trump met with FBI Director James Comey and agreed that they should be ‘putting a head on a pike’ as a message to journalists over leaks, and ‘putting journalists in jail”.
Edward Fitzgerald QC indicated Assange has become a target of Trump’s “war on leakers and journalists.” He stated that his client was “the obvious symbol of all that Trump condemned. He had brought American war crimes to the attention of the world.”
Then, examples of egregious government “abuse of power” and the “abuse of the rule of law” were presented to the court as key defenses. These include the breach of client and attorney confidentiality. Assange’s conversations with lawyers were spied on by a Spanish security firm hired by the US while he was living under political asylum inside the London Ecuadorian Embassy. His grant of asylum was explicitly to protect him from the risk of extradition to the US; a risk related to his publishing activities with WikiLeaks.
A further breach of legal privilege occurred after the Ecuadorian government illegally breached his asylum and evicted Assange, having the UK police arrest him within the embassy. The US authorities were then permitted, by the embassy, to seize his legally privileged materials.
On the first day of the hearing, the unprecedented scale of the assault on the journalist was revealed. Extreme measures employed in the targeting Assange included plans to try to kidnap or poison Assange while he was in the embassy.
As another example of abuse of process, Fitzgerald QC brought up Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s alleged pardon offer, made to Mr Assange in August 2017. The opening summary of defense case states:
“Mr Rohrabacher visited Julian Assnage and discussed a preemptive pardon in exchange for personal assistance to President Trump in the enquiry then ongoing concerning Russian involvement in the hacking and leaking of the Democratic National Committee emails… ” [3.7]
Fitzgerald QC continued: “We say that this whole pardon incident shows that, just as the prosecution was initiated in December 2017 for political purposes, so too the Trump administration had been prepared to use the threat of prosecution as a means of extortion to obtain personal political advantage from Mr Assange.” [3.9]
From the US government spying on the embassy, to the alleged extortion, Julian Assange’s lawyer argued, this extradition case “is not about criminal justice, it’s about the manipulation of the system to ensure the United States could make an example of Assange.”
As the extradition hearing began, hundreds of supporters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting for freedom of the WikiLeaks founder. Major human rights organizations and press freedom groups, including Amnesty International and The Committee to Protect Journalists, have now come out strongly against Assange’s extradition to the US.
After the first day of monitoring the hearing, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) UK bureau director Rebecca Vincent noted, “Nothing we heard today was surprising, and has reinforced our position. We believe he has been targeted for his contributions to public interest reporting.”
Note:
For live updates from Julian Assange’s extradition hearing, follow Kevin Gosztola @kgosztola
For case overview of USA v Julian Assange Extradition Hearing, go to…
https://defend.wikileaks.org/ 2020/02/23/usa-v-julian- assange-extradition-hearing/
To read the “Opening Summary of Defence Case”, go to https://dontextraditeassange. com/JA_Defence_Opening.pdf
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