mintpressnews--2020-06-26--Mass-Tracking COVI-PASS Immunity Passports Slated to Roll Out in 15 Countries

Through the magic of Internet meme culture , most Millennials will be familiar with the famous opening scene of the 1942 film , “ Casablanca , ” where two policemen stop a civilian in the “ old Moorish section ” of Nazi-occupied French Morocco and ask him for his “ papers.
” The subject is taken away at once after failing to produce the required documents .
The cinematic exchange has been used ever since as a popular reference to the ever-encroaching hand of the state , which is now on the verge of attaining a level of control over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crude Nazi methods to shame .
A British cybersecurity company , in partnership with several tech firms , is rolling out the COVI-PASS in 15 countries across the world ; a “ digital health passport ” that will contain your COVID-19 test history and other “ relevant health information.
” According to the company website , the passport ’ s objective is “ to safely return to work ” and resume “ social interactions ” by providing authorities with “ up-to-date and authenticated health information.
” These objectives mirror those that Bill Gates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 lockdown .
In an essay written by Gates in April , the software geek-cum-philanthropist lays out his support for the draconian measures taken in response to the virus and , like an old-timey mob boss , suggests the solutions to this deliberately imposed problem .
Ironically , Gates begins to make his case for the adoption of mass tracking and surveillance technology in the U.S. by saying that “ For now , the United States can follow Germany ’ s example ” ; He then touts the advantages of the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can “ remember where [ we ] have been ” and can “ choose to share it with whoever comes to interview you about your contacts.
” Gates goes on to predict that the ability to attend public events in the near future will depend on the discovery of an effective treatment .
But he remains pessimistic that any such cure will be good enough in the short term to make people “ feel safe to go out again.
” These warnings by the multi-billionaire dovetail perfectly with the stated purposes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also being carried out in partnership with Redstrike Group – a sports marketing consultancy firm that is working with England ’ s Premier League and their Project Restart to parse ticket sales and only make them available to people who have tested negative for the virus .
VST Enterprises Ltd ( VSTE ) is led by 31-year old entrepreneur , Louis-James Davis , who very recently stepped down from a “ science & technology ambassadorship ” in the African nation of Zimbabwe to focus on the company ’ s role in the UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Collaboratory initiative , comprising a series of “ cyber technology projects across all 193 member states of the United Nations.
” These will use the same proprietary VCode and VPlatform technologies underpinning the COVI-PASS that will reportedly tackle issues such as illegal mining and counterfeiting .
This “ third generation ” barcode technology overcomes the limitations of older “ second generation ” versions like QR-codes , according to Davis .
“ Data and sensitive information scanned or stored in either a QR code and barcode can be hacked and are inherently insecure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data and personal details to be compromised.
” These , and other flaws of the prevailing “ proximity apps ” were exploited by VST Enterprises to position itself to land large government and private sector contracts .
By all measures , the strategy has proven wildly successful and VST now enjoys strong favor in the highest circles of the UK government as evidenced by the ringing endorsement of former Prime Minister Theresa May , prominently displayed on the COVI-PASS website .
More practically , VST now has a direct partnership with the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its technology in 15 countries , including Italy , Portugal , France , India , the US , Canada , Sweden , Spain , South Africa , Mexico , United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands .
In May , VST signed a deal with international digital health technology firm and owner of COVI-PASS , Circle Pass Enterprises ( CPE ) to integrate VST ’ s VCode into the biometric RFID-enabled “ passports ” which can be accessed via mobile phone or a key fob will flash colored lights to denote if an individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be denied entry to public locations .
Awarded the ‘ Seal of Excellence ’ by the EU , VCode® technology will ensure that all of our most sensitive personal and health information can be accessed by authorities at a distance , dispensing with messy and potentially dangerous face-to-face encounters with police or other enforcement personnel .
So far , the concerns over the digital health passport ’ s threat to freedom and privacy have been lukewarm at best and it seems as if the world has already accepted that full-fledged population control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fact of life .
While the coronavirus pandemic has certainly done much to bring the public over to this way of thinking , the campaign to normalize this sort of Orwellian power-grab has been ongoing for many years and Bill Gates – who many media outlets have whitewashed out of stories related to these measures – has been at the forefront of its promotion .
The Innovation for Uptake , Scale and Equity in Immunisation ( INFUSE ) project was launched in Davos , Switzerland in 2016 .
The program was developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Melinda Gates Foundation called GAVI ( The Vaccine Alliance ) , which has been calling for a digital health ID for children along with partners in the broader !
D2020 initiative like the Rockefeller Foundation and Microsoft .
In a recent interview , the deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , Hassan Damluji , derided the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic was in any way subsiding and even warned that , far from receding , the pandemic was “ deep into wave three.
” His remarks were specifically targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the foundation , which include the Middle East and parts of Asia , which he stressed would be the focus of the next wave .
Damluji was “ most recently involved in a five-year fundraising cycle for GAVI , ” an effort led by Saudi Arabia , whose investment he praised as a powerful “ signal [ that ] others had an obligation to follow.
” Gates concludes his editorial with a comparison to World War II , stating that said conflict was a “ defining moment of our parents ’ generation ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , implying that the changes taking place now are akin to the Allied forces ’ defeat of the Third Reich .
Except , of course , that immunity passports or digital health certificates sound exactly like what Hitler wished for the most .
After all , wasn ’ t the idea of a superior race based on considerations of superior health and vitality over the ostensibly sick and unfit ?
Hard to argue against the idea that a universal health passport is nothing less than the ultimate fulfillment of that dystopian nightmare .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department public health nurse Lee Cherie Booth performs a coronavirus test outside the Salt Lake County Health Department in Salt Lake City , May 20 , 2020 .
Rick Bowmer | AP

Through the magic of Internet meme culture, most Millennials will be familiar with the famous opening scene of the 1942 film, “Casablanca,” where two policemen stop a civilian in the “old Moorish section” of Nazi-occupied French Morocco and ask him for his “papers.” The subject is taken away at once after failing to produce the required documents. The cinematic exchange has been used ever since as a popular reference to the ever-encroaching hand of the state, which is now on the verge of attaining a level of control over people’s movements that puts the crude Nazi methods to shame.
A British cybersecurity company, in partnership with several tech firms, is rolling out the COVI-PASS in 15 countries across the world; a “digital health passport” that will contain your COVID-19 test history and other “relevant health information.” According to the company website, the passport’s objective is “to safely return to work” and resume “social interactions” by providing authorities with “up-to-date and authenticated health information.”
These objectives mirror those that Bill Gates has been promoting since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown. In an essay written by Gates in April, the software geek-cum-philanthropist lays out his support for the draconian measures taken in response to the virus and, like an old-timey mob boss, suggests the solutions to this deliberately imposed problem. Ironically, Gates begins to make his case for the adoption of mass tracking and surveillance technology in the U.S. by saying that “For now, the United States can follow Germany’s example”; He then touts the advantages of the “voluntary adoption of digital tools” so we can “remember where [we] have been” and can “choose to share it with whoever comes to interview you about your contacts.”
Gates goes on to predict that the ability to attend public events in the near future will depend on the discovery of an effective treatment. But he remains pessimistic that any such cure will be good enough in the short term to make people “feel safe to go out again.” These warnings by the multi-billionaire dovetail perfectly with the stated purposes of the aforementioned COVI-PASS, whose development is also being carried out in partnership with Redstrike Group – a sports marketing consultancy firm that is working with England’s Premier League and their Project Restart to parse ticket sales and only make them available to people who have tested negative for the virus.
VST Enterprises goes viral
VST Enterprises Ltd (VSTE) is led by 31-year old entrepreneur, Louis-James Davis, who very recently stepped down from a “science & technology ambassadorship” in the African nation of Zimbabwe to focus on the company’s role in the UN’s SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Collaboratory initiative, comprising a series of “cyber technology projects across all 193 member states of the United Nations.”
These will use the same proprietary VCode and VPlatform technologies underpinning the COVI-PASS that will reportedly tackle issues such as illegal mining and counterfeiting. This “third generation” barcode technology overcomes the limitations of older “second generation” versions like QR-codes, according to Davis. “Data and sensitive information scanned or stored in either a QR code and barcode can be hacked and are inherently insecure,” Davis claims, “leaving data and personal details to be compromised.” These, and other flaws of the prevailing “proximity apps” were exploited by VST Enterprises to position itself to land large government and private sector contracts.
By all measures, the strategy has proven wildly successful and VST now enjoys strong favor in the highest circles of the UK government as evidenced by the ringing endorsement of former Prime Minister Theresa May, prominently displayed on the COVI-PASS website. More practically, VST now has a direct partnership with the UK government and has secured contracts to deploy its technology in 15 countries, including Italy, Portugal, France, India, the US, Canada, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Mexico, United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands.
In May, VST signed a deal with international digital health technology firm and owner of COVI-PASS, Circle Pass Enterprises (CPE) to integrate VST’s VCode into the biometric RFID-enabled “passports” which can be accessed via mobile phone or a key fob will flash colored lights to denote if an individual has tested negative, positive or is to be denied entry to public locations. Awarded the ‘Seal of Excellence’ by the EU, VCode® technology will ensure that all of our most sensitive personal and health information can be accessed by authorities at a distance, dispensing with messy and potentially dangerous face-to-face encounters with police or other enforcement personnel.
Infusing the narrative
So far, the concerns over the digital health passport’s threat to freedom and privacy have been lukewarm at best and it seems as if the world has already accepted that full-fledged population control methods such as these will simply be a fact of life. While the coronavirus pandemic has certainly done much to bring the public over to this way of thinking, the campaign to normalize this sort of Orwellian power-grab has been ongoing for many years and Bill Gates – who many media outlets have whitewashed out of stories related to these measures – has been at the forefront of its promotion.
The Innovation for Uptake, Scale and Equity in Immunisation (INFUSE) project was launched in Davos, Switzerland in 2016. The program was developed by an organization funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation called GAVI (The Vaccine Alliance), which has been calling for a digital health ID for children along with partners in the broader !D2020 initiative like the Rockefeller Foundation and Microsoft.
In a recent interview, the deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hassan Damluji, derided the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic was in any way subsiding and even warned that, far from receding, the pandemic was “deep into wave three.” His remarks were specifically targeted to the very regions he oversees for the foundation, which include the Middle East and parts of Asia, which he stressed would be the focus of the next wave. Damluji was “most recently involved in a five-year fundraising cycle for GAVI,” an effort led by Saudi Arabia, whose investment he praised as a powerful “signal [that] others had an obligation to follow.”
Gates concludes his editorial with a comparison to World War II, stating that said conflict was a “defining moment of our parents’ generation” as the COVID-19 pandemic is to ours, implying that the changes taking place now are akin to the Allied forces’ defeat of the Third Reich. Except, of course, that immunity passports or digital health certificates sound exactly like what Hitler wished for the most. After all, wasn’t the idea of a superior race based on considerations of superior health and vitality over the ostensibly sick and unfit? Hard to argue against the idea that a universal health passport is nothing less than the ultimate fulfillment of that dystopian nightmare.
Feature photo | Salt Lake County Health Department public health nurse Lee Cherie Booth performs a coronavirus test outside the Salt Lake County Health Department in Salt Lake City, May 20, 2020. Rick Bowmer | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-06-26--UN Warns Many Will “Starve to Death” in Yemen as Saudi Fuel Blockade Hinders COVID-19 Battle

SANA ’ A , YEMEN — The streets of Sana ’ a have retained much of their character throughout the past six years of war .
This , despite the ever-present threat of Saudi bombardment and the myriad viruses methodically working their way through the population , most recently COVID-19 .
The afternoon rush hour still brings out the buses , taxis and private vehicles that choke Haddah Street in northern Sana ’ a .
Horns blare at junctions as drivers switch lanes , looking for any advantage they can find in a ritual that , until recently , brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country faced with constant uncertainty .
But six years of war have finally caught up with one of the last semblances of routine in Yemen .
In move undertaken by Saudi Arabia that is sure to exacerbate the country ’ s already-dire situation , the oil-rich U.S. ally is preventing oil tankers from delivering much-needed fuel to Yemen ’ s hospitals , water pumps , bakeries , cleaning trucks , and gas stations , plunging it , particularly its northern districts , into an acute fuel crisis .
According to a statement released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 15 tankers carrying over 419,789 tons of fuel have been trapped at sea for over a month despite being checked and issued permits by both the Saudi-led Coalition and the United Nations .
Now , the situation in the war-torn country is no longer tolerable .
The CEO of Yemen Oil said in a press conference held in the front of the United Nation office in Sana ’ a on Wednesday that the company ’ s remaining reserves won ’ t last for more than a few days .
A statement issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hodeida confirmed that its reserve stock had reached a critical stage and is no longer sufficient to supply the most important sectors in the country .
“ One of the biggest threats in the past 100 years ” This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has triggered a fuel crisis in Yemen , however , this blockade is significantly larger than previous ones and comes at a time when Yemen is battling COVID-19 , which is spreading rapidly across the country .
“ It is the worse than what we expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abdullah Masoud said from beneath his mask , bags under his tired eyes .
He had been waiting in line for two days for petrol .
His older brother died last week from COVID-19 and he is now responsible for providing his brother ’ s wife and children with food and medicine as they stay quarantined at home .
“ My brother ’ s family needs bread and some vegetables .
Nobody except me can provide them with essential necessities to stay alive .
If I don ’ t have the fuel by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad could happen to them.
” he told MintPress .
The Saudi fuel blockade has not only forced thousands of Yemenis already struggling against an unprecedented explosion of famine , disease , and epidemics to wait for days in lines as far as the eye can see , it has also left water pumps , hospital generators , and transport vehicles without fuel and that lack of fuel has accelerated the spread of the COVID-19 as lack of as empty generators shut down facilities including an oxygen factory , hospital , nurseries , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which need uninterrupted and stable electricity 24 hours a day .
Cholera , dengue fever , and malaria rates have also spiked , particularly in Hodeida , Sadaa , and Hajjah where summer temperatures can reach 129 degrees and the lack of fuel has left residents unable to escape the heat as the generators used to power air conditioners sit idle .
The price of food and medicine is also skyrocketing and the already negligible crops in Yemen are at risk of dehydration as farmers are unable to power the wells and pumps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At least 80 percent of Yemen ’ s 28 million-strong population is reliant on food aid to survive in what the United Nations has called the world ’ s worst humanitarian crisis and the decimation of the remaining agricultural sector is likely to increase that figure .
On Wednesday , Mark Lowcock , the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator , told a closed UN Security Council meeting that many more people are likely to starve to death , succumb to COVID-19 and die of cholera , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and about 25 percent of the country ’ s confirmed cases have died – “ five times the global average.
” He added , “ We have never before seen in Yemen a situation where such a severe acute domestic economic crisis overlaps with a sharp drop in remittances and major cuts to donor support for humanitarian aid – and this of course is all happening in the middle of a devastating pandemic.
” For her part , UN Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande described COVID-19 in Yemen as “ one of the biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Saudi blockade comes amid sustained Saudi-coalition bombing runs .
Warplanes have been hovering over Sana ’ a and other provinces and have targeted several areas in Bydha , al-Jawf , Marib , and Sana ’ a , killing and injuring dozens of people .
On Thursday , at least five people were killed and dozens were injured when Saudi warplanes destroyed four cars traveling on public roads in Radman and Qaneih .
Despite the challenges , Yemenis have strong morale and a seemingly unbreakable will to continue to withstand the Saudi ambitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silently but with glory .
We will never give in to Saudi Arabia , ” 37-years-old Hamid told MintPress as he stood in a fuel line at a gas station in Sana ’ a .
It has become a weekly ritual for Hamid , who queues in line for hours to get 30 liters of fuel every seven days .
Hamid and the others waiting in line were gleefully checking their social media feeds and celebrating news reports that explosions were taking place in the Saudi capital following attacks bu the Houthi-led Yemeni @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embargo and the continued airstrikes on their country , the Houthi-led Yemeni army carried out large-scale attacks on a number of strategic sites in Saudi Arabia using a barrage of ballistic and winged missiles and drones which targeted the headquarters of the Saudi Defense Ministry and the General Intelligence Agency as well as King Salman Air Base , among other military targets in the capital Riyadh and the southern regions of Najran and Jizan .
For many , retaliation against the Kingdom represents the only effective option to quell the Saudi attacks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the spokesman and chief negotiator for Ansar Allah , the political wing of the Houthis , emphasized that the operation was aimed at restoring stability to the country and securing an end to the Saudi-led blockade .
He said that Yemenis have no option but to confront and resist Saudi Arabia and urged international bodies to pressure the Saudi regime into ending the offensive .
The Saudi-led coalition has acknowledged the attacks but claims that the missiles and drones were intercepted and destroyed but provided no evidence to back that claim .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ strike a “ deliberate and systematic operation to target civilians and civilian objects , ” adding later that the coalition had “ intercepted ” eight bomb-laden drones and three ballistic missiles .
A high-ranking Houthi official told MintPress that the raids did indeed hit their intended targets , adding the army used a new weapon in the attack that will be soon be revealed .
The United States and other countries , including France and Britain , condemned the attack on their Saudi ally .
They have thus far remained silent on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yemen which preceded the attacks on Saudi Arabia .
Yemenis have accused Western countries of abandoning their much-touted commitment to human rights in exchange for Saudi arms deals .
“ We are killed by weapons belong [ ing ] to these countries , and get nothing from them except dirty statements that offend their [ own ] people , ” a Yemeni tribal leader who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals , told MintPress in response to the U.S. condemnation .
For their part , Ansar Allah censured statements condemning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ condemnations of our operations are no longer effective .
They come within the framework of political courtesies and are in part funded by Saudi Arabia.
” He insisted that Western countries should instead pressure the kingdom to stop the war .
“ The American administration practices the most heinous looting of Saudi money , ” he added , “ The statement of the American mission in Saudi Arabia following our operation is a kind of blackmail , nothing else.
” The Yemeni attacks are the tip of the iceberg as multiple high-ranking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to MintPress that they are preparing more attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia , including on oil facilities , royal palaces , military bases , airports , Saudi oil carriers , and other “ sensitive targets ” that they declined to mention .
The consequences for Saudi Arabia will be dire until the blockade is lifted and the offensive comes to an end , they promise .
“ We should not let Saudi Arabia starve us and carry on enjoying stability and wealth.
” The Saud-led Coalition is heavily backed by Western countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Frace , which have used systematic economic strangulation as a weapon of war — targeting jobs , infrastructure , the agricultural sector , fuel and water pumping stations , factories , and the provision of basic services , as well as imposing a land , sea , and air embargo .
Meanwhile , as a direct result of the oil blockade , many Yemeni officials say that they are already seeking assistance from Iran , hoping that the Iranian government will come to their aid as they did in Venezuela , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food , and medicine to Caracas in defiance of U.S. sanctions .
They asked Ansar Allah to work with Iran to circumvent the blockade and supply the vital facilities in the country with fuel .
If such a move is carried out , Tehran will no doubt win the hearts and minds of Yemenis wary of any foreign intervention , all thanks to the Saudi-led coalition and the United States which in large part are carrying out the war with hopes to limit “ Iranian influence ” in Yemen .
Feature photo | @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid fuel shortages in Sanaa , Yemen , Jun .
15 , 2020 .
Hani Mohammed | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media .

SANA’A, YEMEN — The streets of Sana’a have retained much of their character throughout the past six years of war. This, despite the ever-present threat of Saudi bombardment and the myriad viruses methodically working their way through the population, most recently COVID-19. The afternoon rush hour still brings out the buses, taxis and private vehicles that choke Haddah Street in northern Sana’a. Horns blare at junctions as drivers switch lanes, looking for any advantage they can find in a ritual that, until recently, brought a sense of welcome normalcy to a country faced with constant uncertainty. But six years of war have finally caught up with one of the last semblances of routine in Yemen.
In move undertaken by Saudi Arabia that is sure to exacerbate the country’s already-dire situation, the oil-rich U.S. ally is preventing oil tankers from delivering much-needed fuel to Yemen’s hospitals, water pumps, bakeries, cleaning trucks, and gas stations, plunging it, particularly its northern districts, into an acute fuel crisis.
According to a statement released by the Yemen Oil Company, at least 15 tankers carrying over 419,789 tons of fuel have been trapped at sea for over a month despite being checked and issued permits by both the Saudi-led Coalition and the United Nations. Now, the situation in the war-torn country is no longer tolerable.
The CEO of Yemen Oil said in a press conference held in the front of the United Nation office in Sana’a on Wednesday that the company’s remaining reserves won’t last for more than a few days. A statement issued by the company’s branch in Hodeida confirmed that its reserve stock had reached a critical stage and is no longer sufficient to supply the most important sectors in the country.
“One of the biggest threats in the past 100 years”
This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has triggered a fuel crisis in Yemen, however, this blockade is significantly larger than previous ones and comes at a time when Yemen is battling COVID-19, which is spreading rapidly across the country. “It is the worse than what we expected to happen,” taxi driver Mohammed Abdullah Masoud said from beneath his mask, bags under his tired eyes. He had been waiting in line for two days for petrol. His older brother died last week from COVID-19 and he is now responsible for providing his brother’s wife and children with food and medicine as they stay quarantined at home. “My brother’s family needs bread and some vegetables. Nobody except me can provide them with essential necessities to stay alive. If I don’t have the fuel by the end of the day, something bad could happen to them.” he told MintPress.
The Saudi fuel blockade has not only forced thousands of Yemenis already struggling against an unprecedented explosion of famine, disease, and epidemics to wait for days in lines as far as the eye can see, it has also left water pumps, hospital generators, and transport vehicles without fuel and that lack of fuel has accelerated the spread of the COVID-19 as lack of as empty generators shut down facilities including an oxygen factory, hospital, nurseries, and a kidney failure center, all which need uninterrupted and stable electricity 24 hours a day.
Cholera, dengue fever, and malaria rates have also spiked, particularly in Hodeida, Sadaa, and Hajjah where summer temperatures can reach 129 degrees and the lack of fuel has left residents unable to escape the heat as the generators used to power air conditioners sit idle.
The price of food and medicine is also skyrocketing and the already negligible crops in Yemen are at risk of dehydration as farmers are unable to power the wells and pumps needed o to irrigate their fields. At least 80 percent of Yemen’s 28 million-strong population is reliant on food aid to survive in what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and the decimation of the remaining agricultural sector is likely to increase that figure.
On Wednesday, Mark Lowcock, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told a closed UN Security Council meeting that many more people are likely to starve to death, succumb to COVID-19 and die of cholera, adding that the coronavirus was spreading rapidly across Yemen and about 25 percent of the country’s confirmed cases have died – “five times the global average.”
He added, “We have never before seen in Yemen a situation where such a severe acute domestic economic crisis overlaps with a sharp drop in remittances and major cuts to donor support for humanitarian aid – and this of course is all happening in the middle of a devastating pandemic.” For her part, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande described COVID-19 in Yemen as “one of the biggest threats in the past 100 years.”
The Saudi blockade comes amid sustained Saudi-coalition bombing runs. Warplanes have been hovering over Sana’a and other provinces and have targeted several areas in Bydha, al-Jawf, Marib, and Sana’a, killing and injuring dozens of people. On Thursday, at least five people were killed and dozens were injured when Saudi warplanes destroyed four cars traveling on public roads in Radman and Qaneih.
The only effective option
Despite the challenges, Yemenis have strong morale and a seemingly unbreakable will to continue to withstand the Saudi ambitions for their country. “We die silently but with glory. We will never give in to Saudi Arabia,” 37-years-old Hamid told MintPress as he stood in a fuel line at a gas station in Sana’a. It has become a weekly ritual for Hamid, who queues in line for hours to get 30 liters of fuel every seven days. Hamid and the others waiting in line were gleefully checking their social media feeds and celebrating news reports that explosions were taking place in the Saudi capital following attacks bu the Houthi-led Yemeni Army.
In retaliation for the fuel embargo and the continued airstrikes on their country, the Houthi-led Yemeni army carried out large-scale attacks on a number of strategic sites in Saudi Arabia using a barrage of ballistic and winged missiles and drones which targeted the headquarters of the Saudi Defense Ministry and the General Intelligence Agency as well as King Salman Air Base, among other military targets in the capital Riyadh and the southern regions of Najran and Jizan. For many, retaliation against the Kingdom represents the only effective option to quell the Saudi attacks and blockade on their country.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesman and chief negotiator for Ansar Allah, the political wing of the Houthis, emphasized that the operation was aimed at restoring stability to the country and securing an end to the Saudi-led blockade. He said that Yemenis have no option but to confront and resist Saudi Arabia and urged international bodies to pressure the Saudi regime into ending the offensive.
The Saudi-led coalition has acknowledged the attacks but claims that the missiles and drones were intercepted and destroyed but provided no evidence to back that claim. Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki called the strike a “deliberate and systematic operation to target civilians and civilian objects,” adding later that the coalition had “ intercepted” eight bomb-laden drones and three ballistic missiles. A high-ranking Houthi official told MintPress that the raids did indeed hit their intended targets, adding the army used a new weapon in the attack that will be soon be revealed.
The United States and other countries, including France and Britain, condemned the attack on their Saudi ally. They have thus far remained silent on the recent Saudi attacks and fuel blockade on Yemen which preceded the attacks on Saudi Arabia. Yemenis have accused Western countries of abandoning their much-touted commitment to human rights in exchange for Saudi arms deals. “We are killed by weapons belong[ing] to these countries, and get nothing from them except dirty statements that offend their [own] people,” a Yemeni tribal leader who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, told MintPress in response to the U.S. condemnation.
For their part, Ansar Allah censured statements condemning their retaliatory attacks. Abdulsalam said that “condemnations of our operations are no longer effective. They come within the framework of political courtesies and are in part funded by Saudi Arabia.” He insisted that Western countries should instead pressure the kingdom to stop the war. “The American administration practices the most heinous looting of Saudi money,” he added, “The statement of the American mission in Saudi Arabia following our operation is a kind of blackmail, nothing else.”
The Yemeni attacks are the tip of the iceberg as multiple high-ranking officials in the Houthi-backed Yemeni Army revealed to MintPress that they are preparing more attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, including on oil facilities, royal palaces, military bases, airports, Saudi oil carriers, and other “sensitive targets” that they declined to mention. The consequences for Saudi Arabia will be dire until the blockade is lifted and the offensive comes to an end, they promise. “We should not let Saudi Arabia starve us and carry on enjoying stability and wealth.”
The Saud-led Coalition is heavily backed by Western countries, especially the United States, Britain, and Frace, which have used systematic economic strangulation as a weapon of war — targeting jobs, infrastructure, the agricultural sector, fuel and water pumping stations, factories, and the provision of basic services, as well as imposing a land, sea, and air embargo.
Meanwhile, as a direct result of the oil blockade, many Yemeni officials say that they are already seeking assistance from Iran, hoping that the Iranian government will come to their aid as they did in Venezuela, where six Iranian vessels carried fuel, food, and medicine to Caracas in defiance of U.S. sanctions. They asked Ansar Allah to work with Iran to circumvent the blockade and supply the vital facilities in the country with fuel. If such a move is carried out, Tehran will no doubt win the hearts and minds of Yemenis wary of any foreign intervention, all thanks to the Saudi-led coalition and the United States which in large part are carrying out the war with hopes to limit “Iranian influence” in Yemen.
Feature photo | Cars line up at a petrol station amid fuel shortages in Sanaa, Yemen, Jun. 15, 2020. Hani Mohammed | AP
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.


mintpressnews--2020-06-26--Activists Urge US Dept of Agriculutre to Deny Deadly New Monsanto GMO-Herbicide Combo

The United States Department of Agriculture is currently considering approving a new Monsanto corn genetically engineered to be used with five deadly herbicides .
The vast majority of soy and corn grown in the United States is Monsanto ’ s patented Roundup Ready product .
Roundup is the trade name of glyphosate , a chemical agent widely accepted as causing cancer in humans , including by the World Health Organization and the State of California .
Monsanto ’ s new corn , however , is designed to be used not just with glyphosate , but also with dicamba , glufosinate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that the U.S. government may be expanding — not reducing — the amount of deadly chemicals used in food production is remarkable , considering that this week Monsanto ’ s parent company , Bayer , announced it was paying nearly $ 11 billion to settle a myriad of lawsuits from cancer patients over claims Roundup causes the deadly condition .
In 2018 , a California court ordered Monsanto to pay former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson $ 289 million , finding that Roundup was a factor in his terminal cancer .
And last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in damages to an individual who sprayed the product on his lawn for years , opening the floodgates for far more lawsuits .
Yet the government appears to still be protecting Monsanto ; in January the Environmental Protection Agency insisted that glyphosate did not cause cancer , non-Hodgkin ’ s Lymphoma , or any other fatal condition .
“ This administration ’ s troubling allegiance to Bayer/Monsanto and the pesticide industry doesn ’ t change the trove of peer-reviewed research by leading scientists finding troubling links between glyphosate and cancer , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental health for the Center for Biological Diversity .
The idea that there is no connection between Monsanto products and health problems will certainly be news to the people of Vietnam .
During the Vietnam War , Monsanto ’ s Agent Orange was dropped across the country , destroying more than 3.1 million hectares ( around 12,000 square miles ) of forest .
12 million gallons of Agent Orange were produced during the time period .
The substance is well known to cause birth defects , retard fetal growth , and reduce female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The consequences of the bombings are impossible not to notice for anyone traveling in Vietnam today , such as the ubiquity of severely disabled people .
The Vietnamese Red Cross estimates that up to one million people ( over one percent of the population ) are disabled or have health complications as a direct result of exposure to the chemical .
“ Vietnam has suffered tremendous consequences from the war , especially with regard to the lasting and devastating effects of toxic chemicals , including Agent Orange , ” said Nguyen Phuong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign ministry spokesman .
Environmental group the Pesticide Action Network has described Monsanto ’ s latest invention as a “ truly terrible idea.
” One of the many reasons why the Department of Agriculture ’ s decision is so important , they claim , is that the use of Roundup has already led to the development of “ superweeds ” resistant to the chemical , putting the country on an ever faster “ pesticide treadmill , ” which will have devastating consequences for the environment , animal and human life .
Spraying so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other outdoor areas like woods , rivers , parks , and organic farms , with superweeds taking over these areas , leading to a situation where pesticides will become increasingly necessary for anything to grow .
Glyphosate is now everywhere , including in our bodies .
One academic study found that the number of southern Californians whose blood tested positive for glyphosate increased by 500 percent between 1993 and 2016 , with the levels of the substance spiking by over 1,200 percent over the same period .
A 2018 study of 45 breakfast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , found that all but two of them contained dangerous levels of the chemical .
Around 1.8 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year , according to the National Cancer Institute .
Monsanto is also playing a role in driving U.S. policy in Latin America .
In 2004 , the socialist president Hugo Chavez banned GMOs , effectively ending the company ’ s presence in Venezuela .
U.S.-backed self-declared president Juan Guaidó has pledged to allow Monsanto back into the country , giving it free rein and a fresh new market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done the same , issuing a supreme decree forcing through the use of GMOs in the country ’ s relatively organic agricultural system .
The Pesticide Action Network is calling for a move away from a system dominated by multinational giants like Monsanto and towards a Green New Deal for Food and farming that would end the chemical-intensive system of agriculture , urging people to oppose Monsanto ’ s latest plans .
Feature photo | A protester wearing a protective suit and mask holds up a bottle of Monsanto ’ s Roundup herbicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paulo , Brazil .
Nelson Antoine | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

The United States Department of Agriculture is currently considering approving a new Monsanto corn genetically engineered to be used with five deadly herbicides. The vast majority of soy and corn grown in the United States is Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready product. Roundup is the trade name of glyphosate, a chemical agent widely accepted as causing cancer in humans, including by the World Health Organization and the State of California. Monsanto’s new corn, however, is designed to be used not just with glyphosate, but also with dicamba, glufosinate, quizalofop, and 2,4-D.
The fact that the U.S. government may be expanding — not reducing — the amount of deadly chemicals used in food production is remarkable, considering that this week Monsanto’s parent company, Bayer, announced it was paying nearly $11 billion to settle a myriad of lawsuits from cancer patients over claims Roundup causes the deadly condition. In 2018, a California court ordered Monsanto to pay former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson $289 million, finding that Roundup was a factor in his terminal cancer. And last year a federal court awarded $80 million in damages to an individual who sprayed the product on his lawn for years, opening the floodgates for far more lawsuits. Yet the government appears to still be protecting Monsanto; in January the Environmental Protection Agency insisted that glyphosate did not cause cancer, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, or any other fatal condition. “This administration’s troubling allegiance to Bayer/Monsanto and the pesticide industry doesn’t change the trove of peer-reviewed research by leading scientists finding troubling links between glyphosate and cancer,” said Lori Ann Burd, director of environmental health for the Center for Biological Diversity.
The idea that there is no connection between Monsanto products and health problems will certainly be news to the people of Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, Monsanto’s Agent Orange was dropped across the country, destroying more than 3.1 million hectares (around 12,000 square miles) of forest. 12 million gallons of Agent Orange were produced during the time period. The substance is well known to cause birth defects, retard fetal growth, and reduce female fertility, with symptoms lasting for generations. The consequences of the bombings are impossible not to notice for anyone traveling in Vietnam today, such as the ubiquity of severely disabled people. The Vietnamese Red Cross estimates that up to one million people (over one percent of the population) are disabled or have health complications as a direct result of exposure to the chemical. “Vietnam has suffered tremendous consequences from the war, especially with regard to the lasting and devastating effects of toxic chemicals, including Agent Orange,” said Nguyen Phuong Tra, the country’s deputy foreign ministry spokesman.
Environmental group the Pesticide Action Network has described Monsanto’s latest invention as a “truly terrible idea.” One of the many reasons why the Department of Agriculture’s decision is so important, they claim, is that the use of Roundup has already led to the development of “superweeds” resistant to the chemical, putting the country on an ever faster “pesticide treadmill,” which will have devastating consequences for the environment, animal and human life. Spraying so many chemicals on fields already seriously harms other outdoor areas like woods, rivers, parks, and organic farms, with superweeds taking over these areas, leading to a situation where pesticides will become increasingly necessary for anything to grow.
Glyphosate is now everywhere, including in our bodies. One academic study found that the number of southern Californians whose blood tested positive for glyphosate increased by 500 percent between 1993 and 2016, with the levels of the substance spiking by over 1,200 percent over the same period. A 2018 study of 45 breakfast products, including cereals and oat bars, found that all but two of them contained dangerous levels of the chemical. Around 1.8 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Monsanto is also playing a role in driving U.S. policy in Latin America. In 2004, the socialist president Hugo Chavez banned GMOs, effectively ending the company’s presence in Venezuela. U.S.-backed self-declared president Juan Guaidó has pledged to allow Monsanto back into the country, giving it free rein and a fresh new market. Bolivian dictator Jeanine Añez has also done the same, issuing a supreme decree forcing through the use of GMOs in the country’s relatively organic agricultural system.
The Pesticide Action Network is calling for a move away from a system dominated by multinational giants like Monsanto and towards a Green New Deal for Food and farming that would end the chemical-intensive system of agriculture, urging people to oppose Monsanto’s latest plans.
Feature photo | A protester wearing a protective suit and mask holds up a bottle of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide during a protest against Monsanto in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Nelson Antoine | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-26--Is America a Failed State? Trump’s COVID Response Has Many Saying “Yes”

Even as every other advanced , industrialized nation has eliminated or is drastically reducing their coronavirus pandemics , Thursday was the worst day on record for the United States in terms of infections with over 40,000 confirmed cases reported , beating the previous high on April 24 by over 1,000 .
The United States had months to learn from China and prepare for the worst , but the Trump administration spent that time dismissing COVID-19 as a liberal “ hoax ” intended to force the president out of the White House .
While being warned privately that the pandemic would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act , Trump publicly claimed that he had the situation under control and that it would naturally disappear by April .
By the time the United States became the country with ( by far ) the most fatalities , he was shifting the blame onto China and extolling the virtues of injecting bleach into the body as a method of fighting the virus .
At a public rally in COVID-19 spiking Oklahoma , he argued that the U.S. should simply test fewer people so the figures — along with the negative publicity — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken the opportunity of a worldwide pandemic to attempt to overthrow the governments of Iran and Venezuela .
But the president ’ s latest move is the most striking .
Last night , in response to news that the United States was entering a clear second wave of infections , Trump filed a legal brief requesting the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) , an action that would strip some 23 million Americans of any healthcare insurance in the middle of the biggest public health crisis in living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent COVID-19 survivors from receiving treatment for long-term respiratory damage .
However , if the ACA is repealed , the top 0.1 percent of Americans are projected to save nearly $ 200,000 per year in reduced taxes , according to a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities .
In his book “ Failed States : The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy , ” Professor Noam Chomsky defined the concept as a country with a weak , non-existent or dictatorial government , where elections , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A failed state , according to Chomsky , is one with a government incapable of satisfying the basic needs of its citizens and is a danger to the world and its own people , categorizing the U.S. as meeting these criteria .
While this opinion was limited to the margins in 2006 , in the wake of a disastrous 2020 , the idea has quickly become mainstream .
The Atlantic ’ s George Packer wrote that the virus has exposed “ a corrupt political class , a sclerotic bureaucracy , a heartless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and distracted public.
” The U.S. , Parker argued , has reacted “ like a country with shoddy infrastructure and a dysfunctional government whose leaders were too corrupt or too stupid to head off mass suffering , ” noting that Russia , Taiwan and the United Nations sent emergency humanitarian aid to the country .
Elsewhere Trump ’ s government has been described as a “ death cult ” and a “ failed state in slow motion , ” compared to Afghanistan .
Last night , Trump himself likened multiple cities , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the country the U.S. invaded in 2001 , telling Fox News ’ Sean Hannity that they were “ like living in hell ” and “ worse than Afghanistan.
” In response to nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd , the president reacted angrily , calling participants “ thugs ” and “ looters , ” suggesting that the National Guard should open fire on them .
“ When the looting starts , the shooting starts , ” he said .
The election chaos across the nation is another harbinger of worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters in poor , black neighborhoods waited for up to four and a half hours to cast ballots , while those in wealthier , white areas had few problems .
Across the South , over 1,200 polling stations have been closed since 2013 .
In Kentucky , voters literally had to break the doors open to the only polling station assigned to more than half a million mostly poor , mostly black , people .
Trump , who in May said that Republicans would never be elected again if more people cast their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on expanding the postal voting system , claiming that the November elections have already been rigged against him and that “ foreign countries ” will stuff the ballot with votes for Democrats .
“ IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES , ” he thundered .
Thus , he appears hellbent on forcing Americans to go to the polls in person during the world ’ s most deadly coronavirus pandemic in the modern era .
Public opinion surveys show that Trump ’ s COVID-19 response and his handling of the George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he now trails Democratic candidate Joe Biden by double digits .
However , there is an increasing amount of speculation that if he loses , he will not leave the White House , effectively becoming a dictator .
The fact that this is even being discussed is a tacit acceptance that the U.S. is already on the way to becoming a failed state .
Thursday ’ s record spike saw the number of confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases top 2.5 million , with 126,798 recorded deaths .
Feature photo | A protester wears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flag during a rally in response to Michigan ’ s coronavirus stay-at-home order at the State Capitol in Lansing , Mich. , May 14 , 2020 .
Paul Sancya | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Even as every other advanced, industrialized nation has eliminated or is drastically reducing their coronavirus pandemics, Thursday was the worst day on record for the United States in terms of infections with over 40,000 confirmed cases reported, beating the previous high on April 24 by over 1,000.
The United States had months to learn from China and prepare for the worst, but the Trump administration spent that time dismissing COVID-19 as a liberal “hoax” intended to force the president out of the White House. While being warned privately that the pandemic would rip through America if he did not act, Trump publicly claimed that he had the situation under control and that it would naturally disappear by April. By the time the United States became the country with (by far) the most fatalities, he was shifting the blame onto China and extolling the virtues of injecting bleach into the body as a method of fighting the virus. At a public rally in COVID-19 spiking Oklahoma, he argued that the U.S. should simply test fewer people so the figures — along with the negative publicity — would decrease. His government has also taken the opportunity of a worldwide pandemic to attempt to overthrow the governments of Iran and Venezuela.
But the president’s latest move is the most striking. Last night, in response to news that the United States was entering a clear second wave of infections, Trump filed a legal brief requesting the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), an action that would strip some 23 million Americans of any healthcare insurance in the middle of the biggest public health crisis in living memory. The bill is also expected to prevent COVID-19 survivors from receiving treatment for long-term respiratory damage. However, if the ACA is repealed, the top 0.1 percent of Americans are projected to save nearly $200,000 per year in reduced taxes, according to a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Italy down to only 190 Covid cases yesterday after their insane outbreak. France down to 81. Spain around 330. The USA? 33,399. Birdbrained nation. — sabres doomer (@BrianduNord) June 24, 2020
A Failed State?
In his book “Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy,” Professor Noam Chomsky defined the concept as a country with a weak, non-existent or dictatorial government, where elections, if they occur at all, are farcical. A failed state, according to Chomsky, is one with a government incapable of satisfying the basic needs of its citizens and is a danger to the world and its own people, categorizing the U.S. as meeting these criteria. While this opinion was limited to the margins in 2006, in the wake of a disastrous 2020, the idea has quickly become mainstream.
The Atlantic’s George Packer wrote that the virus has exposed “a corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureaucracy, a heartless economy, [and] a divided and distracted public.” The U.S., Parker argued, has reacted “like a country with shoddy infrastructure and a dysfunctional government whose leaders were too corrupt or too stupid to head off mass suffering,” noting that Russia, Taiwan and the United Nations sent emergency humanitarian aid to the country.
Elsewhere Trump’s government has been described as a “death cult” and a “failed state in slow motion,” compared to Afghanistan.
Last night, Trump himself likened multiple cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland and Detroit to the country the U.S. invaded in 2001, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity that they were “like living in hell” and “worse than Afghanistan.”
A nation in decline
In response to nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, the president reacted angrily, calling participants “thugs” and “looters,” suggesting that the National Guard should open fire on them. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he said.
The election chaos across the nation is another harbinger of worse things to come. In Georgia, voters in poor, black neighborhoods waited for up to four and a half hours to cast ballots, while those in wealthier, white areas had few problems. Across the South, over 1,200 polling stations have been closed since 2013. In Kentucky, voters literally had to break the doors open to the only polling station assigned to more than half a million mostly poor, mostly black, people. Trump, who in May said that Republicans would never be elected again if more people cast their ballots, has launched a searing attack on expanding the postal voting system, claiming that the November elections have already been rigged against him and that “foreign countries” will stuff the ballot with votes for Democrats. “IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES,” he thundered. Thus, he appears hellbent on forcing Americans to go to the polls in person during the world’s most deadly coronavirus pandemic in the modern era.
Public opinion surveys show that Trump’s COVID-19 response and his handling of the George Floyd protests have greatly damaged his reputation, and he now trails Democratic candidate Joe Biden by double digits. However, there is an increasing amount of speculation that if he loses, he will not leave the White House, effectively becoming a dictator. The fact that this is even being discussed is a tacit acceptance that the U.S. is already on the way to becoming a failed state.
Thursday’s record spike saw the number of confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases top 2.5 million, with 126,798 recorded deaths.
Feature photo | A protester wears a gas mask and carries an American flag during a rally in response to Michigan’s coronavirus stay-at-home order at the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich., May 14, 2020. Paul Sancya | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-30--Learning From the Past: History Provides Clues into Israel’s West Bank Annexation

Palestine has been annexed , occupied , stolen , and Palestinians have been dispossessed , exiled , caged , detained , subjected to an apartheid regime , and killed by the state of Israel for over seven decades .
Every few years the world wakes up to protest some aspect of Israeli apartheid , occupation , or a massacre , and then it returns safely to its deep slumber .
Every so often , Israel manages to awaken the angst of the European Union and other international organizations with some announcement or another , a murderous attack on Palestinians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” and then , as if under the influence of a spell , the angst disappears just as fast as it arose .
What usually follows is a long procession of world leaders coming to visit Israel or inviting the Israeli prime minister to their capital to bestow their love and respect for him and the so-called Jewish State .
This time seems to be no different .
The Israeli annexation of the Palestinian Jordan River Valley has brought about the world ’ s displeasure .
“ A violation of human rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UN High Commissioner for Human Rights .
We hear that it is a violation of international law and the end of the prospect for peace , as though this is unprecedented and as though it was unexpected .
It has long been clear that Israel would annex part of the West Bank , and it was obvious that the Jordan River Valley – the eastern part of the West Bank – was the most likely to be first .
Annexing the entire eastern part of the West Bank means Palestinians will be cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will be surrounded by Israel on all sides .
Israel wants access to that land , which currently provides West Bank Palestinians some 50 percent of their agricultural products , and wants complete access to the Jordan River .
What Will It Mean What exactly is the declaration of sovereignty and annexation ?
No one seems to know for sure .
Israeli military experts admit they were not informed as to the details of the move .
Israeli politicians are vague and Palestinians , well , no one talked to them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positions of power don ’ t care what they think .
Saeb Erikat , who still holds to the title of Palestinian Chief Negotiator , said in an interview with the Israeli television channel Ynet , that “ the situation is very severe.
” “ I have never seen it more severe than I see it now.
” Much of the Israeli press is focused on what the potential Palestinian response may be , and particularly if Israelis should expect violence .
Considering the fact that for over seven decades now , Palestinians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli violence , it is a cynical thing to ask .
According to leaks from a meeting of Israel ’ s top security chiefs though , the answer to that question is unclear .
While the army and Shabak ( Israel ’ s secret police ) chiefs claim there will be a violent reaction and that Israelis will see “ terrorism ” rise , the Mossad chief claims that scenario is unlikely .
Either way , Israel never cared much for what Palestinians think and is not concerned with their reactions .
Knowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to Christians United for Israel ( CUFI ) .
CUFI is amongst the largest pro-Israel groups in the United States .
Netanyahu spoke of the annexation of in biblical terms .
He spoke of biblical lands and what he called “ Israeli sovereignty over Jewish communities.
” He also made the point that these areas are also a part of what he called , “ Christian identity , ” and part of “ Our common civilization.
” His speech , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the topic , did not clarify what the annexation will entail .
Israel ’ s most influential political block , known as the Right Block , wants all of the Palestinian West Bank to be annexed and for Israeli sovereignty to be declared on all of its Jewish settlements .
Israel ’ s political right is made up largely , though not exclusively , of religious Zionists , and settling the West Bank is their number one priority .
Annexation will not only give them a political boost , it will make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whereas today , construction of new Jewish settlements in the West Bank must be approved by the prime minister , Israel ’ s declaration of sovereignty would make it a matter for local councils .
In 1948 , the Western part of Jerusalem was conquered by Israeli forces and Palestinian residents were forcibly exiled .
Not a single Palestinian was permitted to remain or return and overnight , the city became the capital of Israel .
The world stood still then , and it stood still when the eastern part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in 1980 , Israel announced its sovereignty over East Jerusalem , or in other words , annexed the eastern part of the city .
The UN Security Council reacted by passing resolution 476 , which among other things reaffirmed that “ acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible.
” The resolution stated that the Security Council was “ Gravely concerned over the legislative steps initiated in the Israeli Knesset with the aim of changing the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem.
” Furthermore , it stated that it “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the occupying Power , to comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.
” It also reiterated that “ all such measures which have altered the geographic , demographic and historical character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.
” A year later , in 1981 , Israel declared its sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights .
The UN security council passed resolution 497 which states , among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again “ Reaffirming that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible , in accordance with the United Nations Charter , the principles of international law , and relevant Security Council resolutions.
” The Security Council declared that it “ Decides that the Israeli decision to impose its laws , jurisdiction , and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect .
It even “ Demands that Israel , the occupying power , should rescind forthwith its decision.
” Israel , of course , did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and no action was taken to sanction Israel .
There is no Israel proper In 1948 , the Zionist movement created the state of Israel in Palestine .
By year ’ s end , 78 percent of Palestine had become Israel , and close to one million Palestinians were forcibly exiled .
The rest of Palestine became Israel in 1967 .
Israel has annexed , occupied , taken , destroyed , built , and renamed everything from individual homes and property to public spaces , to historic monuments .
And it has no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The issue at hand is not a “ proper Israel ” doing something that is illegal .
It is an illegal entity that has planted itself in Palestine continuing its pursuit of illegal activity .
The race to create the mythical Greater Israel in Palestine , with the new temple in place of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in its center has been going on in full force .
It is a never-ending project that is well funded , well planned , and very well executed .
Only isolation , boycotts sanctions , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to save Palestine .
Feature photo | Two Israeli soldiers drag a Palestinian to the ground , Nov. 19 , 1996 as he protests the bulldozing of his land near the Jewish settlement of Efrat in the West Bank .
Jacqueline Arzt | AP Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem .
He is the author of “ The General ’ s Son .
Journey of an Israeli in Palestine , ” and “ Injustice , the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five .
”

Palestine has been annexed, occupied, stolen, and Palestinians have been dispossessed, exiled, caged, detained, subjected to an apartheid regime, and killed by the state of Israel for over seven decades. Every few years the world wakes up to protest some aspect of Israeli apartheid, occupation, or a massacre, and then it returns safely to its deep slumber.
Every so often, Israel manages to awaken the angst of the European Union and other international organizations with some announcement or another, a murderous attack on Palestinians, a declaration of annexation or “sovereignty,” and then, as if under the influence of a spell, the angst disappears just as fast as it arose. What usually follows is a long procession of world leaders coming to visit Israel or inviting the Israeli prime minister to their capital to bestow their love and respect for him and the so-called Jewish State.
This time seems to be no different. The Israeli annexation of the Palestinian Jordan River Valley has brought about the world’s displeasure. “A violation of human rights,” says Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We hear that it is a violation of international law and the end of the prospect for peace, as though this is unprecedented and as though it was unexpected. It has long been clear that Israel would annex part of the West Bank, and it was obvious that the Jordan River Valley – the eastern part of the West Bank – was the most likely to be first.
Annexing the entire eastern part of the West Bank means Palestinians will be cut off from the international border with Jordan and will be surrounded by Israel on all sides. Israel wants access to that land, which currently provides West Bank Palestinians some 50 percent of their agricultural products, and wants complete access to the Jordan River.
What Will It Mean
What exactly is the declaration of sovereignty and annexation? No one seems to know for sure. Israeli military experts admit they were not informed as to the details of the move. Israeli politicians are vague and Palestinians, well, no one talked to them, and in any case, people in positions of power don’t care what they think.
Saeb Erikat, who still holds to the title of Palestinian Chief Negotiator, said in an interview with the Israeli television channel Ynet, that “the situation is very severe.” “I have never seen it more severe than I see it now.”
Much of the Israeli press is focused on what the potential Palestinian response may be, and particularly if Israelis should expect violence. Considering the fact that for over seven decades now, Palestinians have been on the receiving end of Israeli violence, it is a cynical thing to ask. According to leaks from a meeting of Israel’s top security chiefs though, the answer to that question is unclear. While the army and Shabak (Israel’s secret police) chiefs claim there will be a violent reaction and that Israelis will see “terrorism” rise, the Mossad chief claims that scenario is unlikely. Either way, Israel never cared much for what Palestinians think and is not concerned with their reactions.
Knowing all too well where his support lies in the United States, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). CUFI is amongst the largest pro-Israel groups in the United States. Netanyahu spoke of the annexation of in biblical terms. He spoke of biblical lands and what he called “Israeli sovereignty over Jewish communities.”
He also made the point that these areas are also a part of what he called, “Christian identity,” and part of “Our common civilization.” His speech, like previous comments he’s made on the topic, did not clarify what the annexation will entail.
Who Wants Annexation
Israel’s most influential political block, known as the Right Block, wants all of the Palestinian West Bank to be annexed and for Israeli sovereignty to be declared on all of its Jewish settlements. Israel’s political right is made up largely, though not exclusively, of religious Zionists, and settling the West Bank is their number one priority. Annexation will not only give them a political boost, it will make the construction of new Jewish settlements much easier. Whereas today, construction of new Jewish settlements in the West Bank must be approved by the prime minister, Israel’s declaration of sovereignty would make it a matter for local councils.
Learning from the Past
In 1948, the Western part of Jerusalem was conquered by Israeli forces and Palestinian residents were forcibly exiled. Not a single Palestinian was permitted to remain or return and overnight, the city became the capital of Israel. The world stood still then, and it stood still when the eastern part of the city was taken in 1967.
Then, in 1980, Israel announced its sovereignty over East Jerusalem, or in other words, annexed the eastern part of the city. The UN Security Council reacted by passing resolution 476, which among other things reaffirmed that “acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible.” The resolution stated that the Security Council was “Gravely concerned over the legislative steps initiated in the Israeli Knesset with the aim of changing the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem.” Furthermore, it stated that it “Strongly deplores the continued refusal of Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.” It also reiterated that “all such measures which have altered the geographic, demographic and historical character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”
A year later, in 1981, Israel declared its sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights. The UN security council passed resolution 497 which states, among other things, that it is once again “Reaffirming that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, the principles of international law, and relevant Security Council resolutions.” The Security Council declared that it “Decides that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction, and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect. It even “Demands that Israel, the occupying power, should rescind forthwith its decision.” Israel, of course, did not adhere to the UN resolutions, and no action was taken to sanction Israel.
There is no Israel proper
In 1948, the Zionist movement created the state of Israel in Palestine. By year’s end, 78 percent of Palestine had become Israel, and close to one million Palestinians were forcibly exiled. The rest of Palestine became Israel in 1967. Israel has annexed, occupied, taken, destroyed, built, and renamed everything from individual homes and property to public spaces, to historic monuments. And it has no intention, or reason, to stop.
The issue at hand is not a “proper Israel” doing something that is illegal. It is an illegal entity that has planted itself in Palestine continuing its pursuit of illegal activity. The race to create the mythical Greater Israel in Palestine, with the new temple in place of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in its center has been going on in full force. It is a never-ending project that is well funded, well planned, and very well executed. Only isolation, boycotts sanctions, and divestment have the ability to stop it and to save Palestine.
Feature photo | Two Israeli soldiers drag a Palestinian to the ground, Nov. 19, 1996 as he protests the bulldozing of his land near the Jewish settlement of Efrat in the West Bank. Jacqueline Arzt | AP
Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem. He is the author of “The General’s Son. Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.”


mintpressnews--2020-06-29--Twitter Targets Accounts of MintPress and Other Outlets Covering Unrest in Bolivia

Social media giant Twitter took the step of suspending the official account of MintPress News on Saturday .
Without warning , the nine-year-old account with 64,000 followers was abruptly labeled as “ fake ” or “ spam ” and restricted .
This move is becoming a frequent occurrence for alternative media , especially those that openly challenge U.S. power globally .
Immediately preceding the ban , MintPress had been sharing stories about Israeli government crimes against Palestinians , the Saudi-led onslaught in Yemen ( both funded and supported by Washington ) , and about activists challenging chemical giant Monsanto ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correspondent Ollie Vargas , stationed in Bolivia and covering the coup and other events there , had another theory on the suspension .
Vargas noted that his account , along with union leader Leonardo Loza and independent Bolivian outlets Kawsachun Coca and Kawsachun News were all suspended at the same time .
“ There was a coordinated takedown of numerous users & outlets based in Chapare , Bolivia .
Thousands of fake accounts appeared after the coup .
We believe they ’ re being mobilized to mass report those who criticize the regime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November coup , Bolivia has been the sight of intense political struggle , with MintPress one of the only Western outlets , large or small , extensively covering the situation ( and from a perspective that directly challenges the official US government line ) .
Vargas added that all those accounts suspended appeared in his Twitter bio .
In December , MintPress reported how the strongly conservative Bolivian elite is treating social media as a key battleground in pushing the coup forward , with over 5,000 accounts created on the day of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new administration still lacking both legitimacy and public support , it appears the next step is to simply silence dissenting voices online like they have been silenced inside the country .
Kawsachun Coca and Kawsachun News , located in the Chapare region , still not under government control , are among the only remaining outlets critical of the Añez administration .
As Twitter has developed into a worldwide medium of communication , it has also grown an increasingly close relationship with Western state power .
In September , a senior Twitter executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a British Army brigade whose specialty was online and psychological warfare .
It was almost entirely ignored by corporate media ; the one and only journalist at a major publication covering the story was pushed out of his job weeks later .
Earlier this month , Twitter announced it worked with a hawkish U.S.- and Australian-government sponsored think tank to purge nearly 200,000 Chinese , Russian and Iranian accounts from its platform .
It has also worked hard to remove Venezuelan users critical of U.S. regime change , including large numbers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ academic work exposing them , Venezuelan opposition bot networks remain free to promote intervention .
Facebook has also been working hand-in-hand with the Atlantic Council , a NATO think tank , to determine what users and posts are legitimate and what is fake news , effectively giving control over what its 2.4 billion users see in their news feeds to the military organization .
Reddit , another huge social media platform , recently appointed a former deputy director at the council to be its head of policy .
Earlier this year , Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appraisals of Qassem Soleimani , the Iranian general and statesman assassinated by the Trump administration .
This , it explained , was because Trump had labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) a terrorist organization .
“ We operate under U.S. sanctions laws , including those related to the U.S. government ’ s designation of the IRGC and its leadership , ” it said in a statement .
This is particularly worrying , as Soleimani was the country ’ s most popular public figure , with over 80 percent of Iranians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a University of Maryland poll .
Therefore , because of the whims of the Trump administration , Facebook began suppressing a majority view shared by Iranians with other Iranians in Farsi across all its platforms , including Instagram .
Thus , the line between the state , the military industrial complex , and big media platforms whose job should be to hold them to account has blurred beyond distinction .
The incident also once again highlights that big tech monopolies are not public resources , but increasingly tightly controlled American enterprises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worryingly , it is the tech companies themselves who are pushing for this integration .
“ What Lockheed Martin was to the twentieth century , ” wrote Google executives Eric Schmidt and Larry Cohen in their book , The New Digital Age , “ technology and cyber-security companies [ like Google ] will be to the twenty-first.
” The book was heartily endorsed by Atlantic Council director Henry Kissinger .
After an online outcry including journalists like Ben Norton directly appealing to administrators , the accounts were reinstated today .
However , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reference in the trend of harassing and suppressing independent , alternative or foreign media that challenges the U.S. state power , an increasingly large part of which is linked to the big online media platforms we rely on for free exchange of ideas , opinions and discourse .
On the incident , MintPress founder Mnar Muhawesh said : Feature photo | A coca leaf producer kneels holding a bible with his arms outspread asking police to open the way so a march by supports of Evo Morales may continue to Cochabamba , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Juan Karita | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Social media giant Twitter took the step of suspending the official account of MintPress News on Saturday. Without warning, the nine-year-old account with 64,000 followers was abruptly labeled as “fake” or “spam” and restricted. This move is becoming a frequent occurrence for alternative media, especially those that openly challenge U.S. power globally.
Immediately preceding the ban, MintPress had been sharing stories about Israeli government crimes against Palestinians, the Saudi-led onslaught in Yemen (both funded and supported by Washington), and about activists challenging chemical giant Monsanto’s latest plans. However, MintPess correspondent Ollie Vargas, stationed in Bolivia and covering the coup and other events there, had another theory on the suspension. Vargas noted that his account, along with union leader Leonardo Loza and independent Bolivian outlets Kawsachun Coca and Kawsachun News were all suspended at the same time. “There was a coordinated takedown of numerous users & outlets based in Chapare, Bolivia. Thousands of fake accounts appeared after the coup. We believe they’re being mobilized to mass report those who criticize the regime,” he said. Since the November coup, Bolivia has been the sight of intense political struggle, with MintPress one of the only Western outlets, large or small, extensively covering the situation (and from a perspective that directly challenges the official US government line). Vargas added that all those accounts suspended appeared in his Twitter bio.
A number of accounts based in the Trópico of Cochabamba – [the] strongest base of support for Evo Morales’ MAS party – were suspended at the same time. MintPress News isn’t based here, but I have contributed a number of times to the outlet and it was in my bio. At Radio Kawsachun Coca, we believe it was a campaign of mass-reporting, mobilizing thousands of fake accounts that were created after the coup. Its a well funded campaign that’s been targetting pages relate to the MAS for many months. At a time when mainstream media likes to talk about ‘Russian bots’, no ones talking about the troll farms working to support the US government’s foreign policy aims,” Vargas told MintPress.
In December, MintPress reported how the strongly conservative Bolivian elite is treating social media as a key battleground in pushing the coup forward, with over 5,000 accounts created on the day of the insurrection tweeting using pro-coup hashtags. With the new administration still lacking both legitimacy and public support, it appears the next step is to simply silence dissenting voices online like they have been silenced inside the country. Kawsachun Coca and Kawsachun News, located in the Chapare region, still not under government control, are among the only remaining outlets critical of the Añez administration.
As Twitter has developed into a worldwide medium of communication, it has also grown an increasingly close relationship with Western state power. In September, a senior Twitter executive was unmasked as an active duty officer in a British Army brigade whose specialty was online and psychological warfare. It was almost entirely ignored by corporate media; the one and only journalist at a major publication covering the story was pushed out of his job weeks later. Earlier this month, Twitter announced it worked with a hawkish U.S.- and Australian-government sponsored think tank to purge nearly 200,000 Chinese, Russian and Iranian accounts from its platform. It has also worked hard to remove Venezuelan users critical of U.S. regime change, including large numbers of government members. Meanwhile, despite detailed academic work exposing them, Venezuelan opposition bot networks remain free to promote intervention.
Facebook has also been working hand-in-hand with the Atlantic Council, a NATO think tank, to determine what users and posts are legitimate and what is fake news, effectively giving control over what its 2.4 billion users see in their news feeds to the military organization. Reddit, another huge social media platform, recently appointed a former deputy director at the council to be its head of policy.
Earlier this year, Facebook announced that it was banning all positive appraisals of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general and statesman assassinated by the Trump administration. This, it explained, was because Trump had labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization. “We operate under U.S. sanctions laws, including those related to the U.S. government’s designation of the IRGC and its leadership,” it said in a statement. This is particularly worrying, as Soleimani was the country’s most popular public figure, with over 80 percent of Iranians holding a positive view of him, according to a University of Maryland poll. Therefore, because of the whims of the Trump administration, Facebook began suppressing a majority view shared by Iranians with other Iranians in Farsi across all its platforms, including Instagram. Thus, the line between the state, the military industrial complex, and big media platforms whose job should be to hold them to account has blurred beyond distinction. The incident also once again highlights that big tech monopolies are not public resources, but increasingly tightly controlled American enterprises working in conjunction with Washington.
More worryingly, it is the tech companies themselves who are pushing for this integration. “What Lockheed Martin was to the twentieth century,” wrote Google executives Eric Schmidt and Larry Cohen in their book, The New Digital Age, “technology and cyber-security companies [like Google] will be to the twenty-first.” The book was heartily endorsed by Atlantic Council director Henry Kissinger.
After an online outcry including journalists like Ben Norton directly appealing to administrators, the accounts were reinstated today. However, the weekend’s events are another point of reference in the trend of harassing and suppressing independent, alternative or foreign media that challenges the U.S. state power, an increasingly large part of which is linked to the big online media platforms we rely on for free exchange of ideas, opinions and discourse.
On the incident, MintPress founder Mnar Muhawesh said:
Twitter’s ban hammer and censorship army of flaggers is an attempt to re-tighten state and corporate control over the free flow of information. That’s why it’s no wonder independent media like MintPress News, Kawsachun, and watchdog journalists covering state crimes like Ollie Vargas have been targeted in what appears to be an organized effort to silence and censor dissent. Twitter’s message is very clear: our first amendment is not welcome, as long as it challenges establishment narratives.”
Editor’s Note | This article has been updated to include comment from Ol=liver Vargas that was not received until after the article was published.
Feature photo | A coca leaf producer kneels holding a bible with his arms outspread asking police to open the way so a march by supports of Evo Morales may continue to Cochabamba, Bolivia, Nov. 16, 2019. Juan Karita | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-29--Aurora Police Violently Crackdown on Peaceful Vigil for Black Man Killed in Police Chokehold

Clad in full riot gear , wielding batons and pepper spray , police in Aurora , Colo , broke up last night ’ s vigil to the memory of 23-year-old massage therapist Elijah McClain — a man killed by the same police force last August .
The day had begun with demonstrations organized by the local chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation .
At 8.30 p.m. a somber violin vigil was held in the city ’ s Center Park , where dozens of musicians , including children from local orchestras , congregated to mourn his killing last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police charging the sizable crowds , spraying protestors with pepper spray and beating them with their batons .
Elijah McClain was an introverted 23-year-old black man killed by the police in August of 2019 .
A quirky , pacifistic vegetarian , he was described by those who knew him as a “ child-like spirit.
” A lover of music , in his spare time he would visit shelters to play his violin to the homeless cats and dogs , believing it comforted them ( hence yesterday ’ s violin vigil ) .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was on his way home from buying his brother an iced tea at the convenience store , when he was accosted by three officers , Nathan Woodyard , Jason Rosenblatt , and Randy Roedema , who claimed they were on the lookout for a suspicious person .
The officers quickly put McClain in a now-banned carotid chokehold , cutting off blood supply to his brain .
They claimed that the 5 ’ 6 ” 140-pound McClain , medically diagnosed with anemia , fought back with “ crazy strength , ” and therefore instructed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a drug often reserved for tranquilizing horses .
He was pronounced brain dead after arriving at the hospital .
Bodycam footage from the event , however , tells another story , showing McClain gasping for air repeatedly saying “ I can ’ t breathe ” and officers threatening to unleash their dogs on him if he moved a muscle .
Officers also admit that he had done nothing illegal .
His final words were : I can ’ t breathe .
I have my I.D .
right here .
My name is Elijah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I was just going home .
I ’ m an introvert .
I ’ m just different .
That ’ s all .
I ’ m so sorry .
I have no gun .
I don ’ t do that stuff .
I don ’ t do any fighting .
Why are you attacking me ?
I don ’ t even kill flies !
I don ’ t eat meat !
But I don ’ t judge people , I don ’ t judge people who do eat meat .
Forgive me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was become better .
I will do it .
I will do anything .
Sacrifice my identity , I ’ ll do it .
You all are phenomenal .
You are beautiful and I love you .
Try to forgive me .
I ’ m a mood Gemini .
I ’ m sorry .
I ’ m so sorry .
Ow , that really hurt .
You are all very strong .
Teamwork makes the dream work .
Oh , I ’ m sorry I wasn ’ t trying to do that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His last words pleading for air closely resemble those of other high profile black victims of police violence , Eric Garner ( choked to death by NYPD in 2014 ) and George Floyd ( choked to death by Minneapolis police in May ) .
Indeed , without the protest movement engulfing the nation , it is very likely that McClain ’ s name would have been forgotten , becoming a statistic ; one of over 1,000 civilians police kill , on average , every year in the U.S. Like with Garner and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been no justice for McClain .
A series of courts refused to prosecute the NYPD officer filmed killing Garner , and he was only fired from his job in 2019 .
Meanwhile , authorities declined to arrest Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin until protestors threatened to take over the entire city .
It was only on June 20 , after huge local rallies and a petition signed by over 3.8 million people that the Aurora Police Department even removed all the officers involved in the killing from regular duty .
The message delivered appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers ’ conduct that led to their censure , but the public outcry forcing police to act .
The actions of the Aurora Police Department come at a time of heightened scrutiny of law enforcement and are sure to add fuel to the fire to those calling for the defunding or abolition of the police entirely .
Between May 26 and June 3 the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker identified 180 assaults on journalists covering the protest , 149 of them by the police .
This weekend the NYPD broke up an LGBT pride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riots , where cops ransacked a gay bar in Manhattan .
Meanwhile , in Detroit , a police car plowed through a crowd of around a dozen Black Lives Matter activists yesterday .
The incident was caught on camera .
A recent Reuters poll found that 39 percent of Americans favored entirely dismantling the police altogether .
It is unlikely that the event in Aurora will endear them to any of the undecided population concerned about police brutality .
Feature photo | Officers in riot gear guard the police department Saturday , June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colo. , during a rally and march over the death of Elijah McClain .
David Zalubowski | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary @

Clad in full riot gear, wielding batons and pepper spray, police in Aurora, Colo, broke up last night’s vigil to the memory of 23-year-old massage therapist Elijah McClain — a man killed by the same police force last August. The day had begun with demonstrations organized by the local chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. At 8.30 p.m. a somber violin vigil was held in the city’s Center Park, where dozens of musicians, including children from local orchestras, congregated to mourn his killing last year. Videos of the event show the police charging the sizable crowds, spraying protestors with pepper spray and beating them with their batons.
Aurora PD breaking up the peaceful violin vigil for the very kid they murdered. #ElijahMclain pic.twitter.com/OP4TlawVk5 — Jessie B (@jessiedesigngal) June 28, 2020
As #Aurora municipal security forces lost patience with how long it was taking to illegally evict us from the #ElijahMcClain violin vigil, they began deploying chemical agents directly into protesters faces and at protesters that were fleeing while attempting to make arrests pic.twitter.com/ElDeu8Q4LD — dula lipa (@dulapalooza) June 28, 2020
Elijah McClain was an introverted 23-year-old black man killed by the police in August of 2019. A quirky, pacifistic vegetarian, he was described by those who knew him as a “child-like spirit.” A lover of music, in his spare time he would visit shelters to play his violin to the homeless cats and dogs, believing it comforted them (hence yesterday’s violin vigil). On the evening of August 24, he was on his way home from buying his brother an iced tea at the convenience store, when he was accosted by three officers, Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema, who claimed they were on the lookout for a suspicious person.
The officers quickly put McClain in a now-banned carotid chokehold, cutting off blood supply to his brain. They claimed that the 5’6” 140-pound McClain, medically diagnosed with anemia, fought back with “crazy strength,” and therefore instructed medics to inject him with ketamine, a drug often reserved for tranquilizing horses. He was pronounced brain dead after arriving at the hospital.
Bodycam footage from the event, however, tells another story, showing McClain gasping for air repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” and officers threatening to unleash their dogs on him if he moved a muscle. Officers also admit that he had done nothing illegal. His final words were:
I can’t breathe. I have my I.D. right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That’s my house. I was just going home. I’m an introvert. I’m just different. That’s all. I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that stuff. I don’t do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don’t even kill flies! I don’t eat meat! But I don’t judge people, I don’t judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I’ll do it. You all are phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to forgive me. I’m a mood Gemini. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Ow, that really hurt. You are all very strong. Teamwork makes the dream work. Oh, I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to do that. I just can’t breathe correctly.
His last words pleading for air closely resemble those of other high profile black victims of police violence, Eric Garner (choked to death by NYPD in 2014) and George Floyd (choked to death by Minneapolis police in May). Indeed, without the protest movement engulfing the nation, it is very likely that McClain’s name would have been forgotten, becoming a statistic; one of over 1,000 civilians police kill, on average, every year in the U.S.
Like with Garner and Floyd’s killers, there has been no justice for McClain. A series of courts refused to prosecute the NYPD officer filmed killing Garner, and he was only fired from his job in 2019. Meanwhile, authorities declined to arrest Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin until protestors threatened to take over the entire city. It was only on June 20, after huge local rallies and a petition signed by over 3.8 million people that the Aurora Police Department even removed all the officers involved in the killing from regular duty. The message delivered appears to be that it is not the officers’ conduct that led to their censure, but the public outcry forcing police to act.
The actions of the Aurora Police Department come at a time of heightened scrutiny of law enforcement and are sure to add fuel to the fire to those calling for the defunding or abolition of the police entirely. Between May 26 and June 3 the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker identified 180 assaults on journalists covering the protest, 149 of them by the police. This weekend the NYPD broke up an LGBT pride march celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, where cops ransacked a gay bar in Manhattan. Meanwhile, in Detroit, a police car plowed through a crowd of around a dozen Black Lives Matter activists yesterday. The incident was caught on camera.
A recent Reuters poll found that 39 percent of Americans favored entirely dismantling the police altogether. It is unlikely that the event in Aurora will endear them to any of the undecided population concerned about police brutality.
Feature photo | Officers in riot gear guard the police department Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Aurora, Colo., during a rally and march over the death of Elijah McClain. David Zalubowski | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.