Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in conversation at the Cathedral
February 2025
Nazanin will be in conversation with the Bishop of Sherborne on Saturday 8th March in the Cathedral. This is a free event. Details and booking are on the Cathedral site. Members of the Salisbury group and other Amnesty groups around the country campaigned on behalf of Nazanin over a long period of time. We were delighted when she secured her released from prison in Iran. Members of the local group were a little disappointed therefore not to be invited to play a part in the event.
Allegations by an ex diplomat that officials were instructed to manipulate findings of misuse of weapons by allies will not come as shock to readers of this site. We have frequently questioned the oft repeated statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that ‘Britain’s export licensing controls are some of the most robust in the world’ as palpable nonsense. We have regularly featured items published by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, CAAT.
In this case, featured on the front page of today’s Guardian newspaper (10 February), the ex-diplomat claims that officials are ‘bullied into silence’. Processes are manipulated to produce politically convenient outcomes. The article suggests that probably the most significant of his allegations was that officials had demanded the toning down of evidence that UK arms had been used to commit war crimes. This would appear to be a clear example of manipulation of what was intended to be an objective exercise. One tactic was to say they are ‘waiting for more evidence’ as cover for inaction. The FCDO office denies these allegations.
Palestinians returning to north Gaza have been shocked to see almost total devastation of their homes, communities, medical facilities and much else. What greets them are piles of rubble where once they lived their lives. The bombing of civilian targets using dumb bombs and the killing of thousands of non-combatants including many women and children, is clear evidence of a war crime. Israelis have been able to do this with weapons such as the F-35 parts of which are manufactured in the UK. Yet the UK government refuses to ban these exports.
The ‘revolving door’ enables corruption to continue
As we have argued before, the UK is in a kind of trap when it comes to these sales. Arms exports are one of the few areas where we do well from an economic perspective. Many jobs depend on these sales and a proper regime of controls would hit the industry. Arms firms employ many lobbyists to promote themselves. CAAT have spoken of the ‘revolving door‘ whereby senior staff from the civil service, the military and government retire and emerge as consultants or directors of these firms. Such senior staff have a clear incentive therefore, to sing the industry’s songs so as not to destroy the opportunity for lucrative employment post retirement. It is as close to corruption as you can get. We must not forget however, the end result of this corruption and manipulating processes as alleged, is the death, destruction, maiming and general mayhem as the weapons are used to destructive effect.
Apart from Gaza, another area where Britain turned a blind eye and pretended not to know was Yemen. We continued arming Saudi and provided support and advice stopping just short of arming the planes thus avoiding claims of being mercenaries.
Listening to ministers opine about peace ring hollow when its own staff are allegedly manipulating evidence to enable arms sales to continue.
And the vigils continue with the 62nd taking place in the market place Salisbury on Saturday 8 February. As we said in a previous post, we had hoped with the ceasefire underway, however shaky, and peace talks about to resume, that we might be seeing an end to the violence. And along came President Trump with his talk of ‘clearing out’ Palestinians and rebuilding Gaza to become a new Riviera for that part of the world. ‘Clearing out’ – like so much rubbish or emptying one’s shed. This was music to the ears of the far right in Israel. The problem is that it lowers the impetus for peace and a two state solution now seems dead in the water. The proposals have dismayed America’s allies and even some Republicans were taken by surprise. Arab countries are vehemently against.
The 61st vigil took place in Salisbury on Saturday 1st February and around 25 attended. With ceasefire still holding and hostages being released, it was hoped that the previous week’s was going to be the last at least for a while. But as we said in a previous post, the seemingly unqualified support for Israel coming from the US, the possible appointment of Mike Huckabee as ambassador and Israel’s decision to cancel the arrangements with Unwra are all bad omens for the future. Unwra are the largest agency by far operating in Gaza and no other agency has the scope or facilities to step into their shoes. There has been a mass return to the north following the ceasefire with thousands returning to rubble where once their homes were. The latest death toll in the territory stands at 46,707 with around 18,000 children having been killed. These figures are underestimates.
There has been an angry series of responses to the article published in the Salisbury Journal
Our last post was to draw attention to a piece in this week’s Salisbury Journal (30 January) reporting on the vigils which have taken place in Salisbury for over a year now. They are silent, last half an hour and the main theme is peace in Gaza. It is worth noting that the death toll is around 46,000 but the Lancet suggests it is higher because many bodies lie undiscovered in the rubble.
The article has prompted a large number of almost exclusively critical ‘below the line’ comments some of which have attracted 70, 80 or more ‘likes’ [accessed 31.01.25, 21:38]. Two drew attention to the fact it was published on Holocaust Memorial Day and said that whoever on the Journal decided to publish it ‘should be fired’, that it was ‘not appropriate’ and they ‘should hang their heads in shame’. This is to misunderstand the themes behind the day which the Holocaust Memorial Trust points out is about empathising with people today and helping to build a better future. Of course it is about the terrible events during the war and the millions of Jews and others murdered by the Nazis. But is also reminding us that violence on the scale we have seen in Gaza and its indiscriminate nature is also a cause of great concern. [UPDATE: 2 February. The adverse comments attracted over 700 ‘likes’]
Another called it ‘unbelievably crass’ to pass on unfiltered pro-Hamas views. It is difficult to see where a description of a peaceful vigil can be described as ‘pro-Hamas’. It was also described as a ‘demonstration’. It was not. One wrote: ‘on Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, Isabella Holliday [the journalist who’s by-line was at the top of the article] has failed in her professional duty as a journalist, to write an accurate unbiased article on the Israel/Hamas conflict’. It was not such a piece.
Other wild comments include the assertion that ‘Hamas is responsible for all the civilian deaths in Gaza and that most of the casualties are Hamas terrorists’. Since around 15,000 of the deaths are children this is a bold claim and demonstrably untrue. The hostility of the comments might come as a surprise since the vigil is just that: between 30 or 40 people typically, who come together each week to express their concern for the violence that is taking place. There is no visible or overt support for Hamas. It might be worth remembering that it was Benjamin Netanyahu who did support Hamas according to the Times of Israel and others.
Last week was meant to be the last, and we welcomed the cease fire and the release of some of the hostages with more to come out. But the increase in violence on the West Bank, the ending of aid provided by Unwra, and the possible appointment of Mike Huckabee as the US ambassador, led to the decision to continue.
Hamas has not been destroyed. Gaza has been reduced to rubble. At least 46,000 Palestinians have died and many thousands injured. Channel 4 News featured some distressing images of injured children unable to get proper medical help (31 January). Almost nothing has been achieved and certainly not the long term security of Israel. It is disappointing to see so many hostile comments and the large numbers of people who appear to like them i.e. approve of them.
The next vigil will take place tomorrow, 1st February as usual.
The Salisbury Journal published a short piece describing the Vigils we have been holding each week in this week’s edition (30 January 2025). It said:
“A silent vigil took place outside the library to express a hope for the of violence in the Middle East. On Saturday the 60th silent vigil took place outside Salisbury Library with around 50 people attending. The weekly vigils are an expression of hope for an end to violence and a peaceful future in the Middle East and in the most recent [event] people carried flowers and candles and displayed heartfelt messages.
The messages emphasised the message for a permanent ceasefire. A spokesperson from vigil said “we call on the UK government to take immediate action to ensure accountability and justice for Palestinians. All arms sales to Israel muse be suspended. This is a moment of truth for the UK. To continue shielding Israel from accountability is to abandon the principles of justice and human rights that the UK claims to uphold.”
These vigils are supported by local groups of Amnesty International, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Christian Aid, Quakers, Sarum Concern for Israel Palestine and many others.”
The vigils will continue and the next is this Saturday 1st February at 5pm as usual for half an hour. All welcome.
Also in the Journal, the local MP Mr Glen, spoke of his presence at the Holocaust memorial which took place in the city. He has not acknowledged in his weekly columns any of the 60 vigils so far held.
The 27 January, was Holocaust Memorial Day. We remember the millions of Jews, Romanies, Sinti and others who were murdered in a variety of camps in Germany and occupied Poland. Around 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.
Vigils to continue. Violence intensifies on the West Bank
January 2025
In a previous post we said we hoped that tonight’ vigil (25 January) would be the last following the cease fire deal agreed. It seems we were a trifle premature. Although the deal is holding for the moment with three more hostages released today, violence in the West Bank has escalated with settlers attacking Palestinian villages and setting fire to homes and vehicles.
“No such thing as a Palestinian” Mike Huckabee
But the biggest worry is the future with the impending appointment of Mike Huckabee as the US Ambassador to Israel. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has nominated former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee who is a strong defender of Israel who once argued that there was “no such thing as a Palestinian.”
Trump is quoted as saying: “Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
Gov. Huckabee has been staunchly pro-Israeli throughout his career – including on what he says is the country’s claims to the West Bank. On Wednesday he said it was “of course” possible that the US would back the Israeli government if it were to try and annex the Israeli-occupied territory. The full throated support for Israel’s claims to the West Bank and the denial of a Palestinian state or indeed a two state solution, can only mean an increase in tensions in the area. The Atlantic reports that the majority of American Jews (66%) support a two state solution. He has also gone further than most US politicians with his stance on the West Bank saying: “There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement, they’re communities, they’re neighbourhoods, they’re cities.”
As a result, we shall be continuing with our vigil and we shall be back next Saturday 1st February at 5pm. Over 40 attended today (25 January) and we had a display of flowers thinking we had a small thing to celebrate. The increased violence in the West Bank and Huckabee’s likely appointment means continued violence is a likelihood.
Sources include: Jewish Chronicle, The Atlantic, CNN,
Reform calls for return of death penalty for Southport murderer
January 2025
Following the horrific murder of three young girls in Southport last year and the attempted murder of others, the man who committed the murders, Axel Rudakubana, was sentenced this week to 52 years in custody before he can be considered for parole. He could not be sentenced to a whole life tariff because he was 17 at the time he committed the crime and such a sentence cannot be passed on someone below the age of 18.
As is normal in cases of crimes of this gravity which deeply shocked the nation, there are some who call
for the return of the death penalty. This was kicked off this week by the Reform party currently doing well in the polls. They have called for a debate on the issue although it is clear from the chief whip Lee Anderson MP, he is keen for the penalty to be restored. The Labour MP for Southport, Patrick Hurley, said the sentence ‘was not severe enough’.
“This animal has no right to breathe the same air as the rest of us” Lee Anderson MP [Daily Express]
This came up on today’s Any Questions (24 January) programme on BBC Radio 4 and Any Answers was substantially devoted to the topic. The answers were interesting and there did seem a majority in favour for its return. The presenter of the programme, Anita Anand asked several times about mistakes. If you have executed someone and discover a mistake some years later it is too late to undo it. Answers mostly seemed to base themselves on the availability now of DNA inferring that this provides some kind of guarantee of correctness. She also questioned the deterrent claims by pointing out that several North American states maintain the penalty but studies show no link to a reduction in violent crime as a result. One person tried to say that violent crime has increased since the death penalty was abolished in the ’60s. As Anand pointed out, it hasn’t and the murder rate has remained fairly consistent for many years. There did seem to be a touching faith in the justice system not making mistakes because we have DNA evidence now. Have they not heard of Andrew Malkinson, released after 17 years for a crime he did not commit?
One feature which came up was cost. Several people phoned in to say keeping him incarcerated for 52 years or more will be very expensive (someone had done a calculation). Whereas they argued, an execution would be over and done with. A few argued he would have time in prison to reflect on his crime.
A high degree of emotion and disgust at crimes as serious and heinous as this is to be expected. The moral argument did not make an appearance however and whether it is right for the state to take someone’s life. One thought it might make him a martyr.
A lot of the debate focused on how do you stop this kind of thing happening in the first place. Young men (it mostly is) sat in their rooms downloading violent material including the al Qaeda training manual. He bought his knife just days before from Amazon. It is reported today that he deleted his search history and if Google, Facebook, X et al decline to release details from their servers, it could take years through the American courts to retrieve the information. Finding out the source of his rage may take years.
Around 40 attended this evenings Vigil in Salisbury (18th January) with the highest number of passers-by stopping to join us even if it was for a short while. Tomorrow, the peace process starts with another 6 weeks of negotiations to discuss a peace deal. Will it hold? Listening to Netanyahu’s address this evening, it does not look promising. As the Israeli human rights organisation Gisha says ‘we are hopeful but not optimistic’.
There are many problems for both sides to overcome. This deal has been achieved largely through American pressure. The fundamentals of the conflict remain unresolved. The factors which research shows lead to the ending of hostilities are only partially present. One factor for example, is the exhaustion of both sides with losses of soldiers and weaponry making further advances difficult. Another factor is the public getting tired of the war with restrictions and higher prices. This does not look to be true here. Israel has lost around 900 soldiers. The Israeli public is largely supportive and the Americans are committed to supplying as much weaponry as needed. Hamas is much reduced but not eliminated.
Netanyahu said the IDF will keep control of the Philadelphi corridor with more troops. Gaza will remain contained. In his statement last evening, he said Israel can re-enter Gaza at any time. A lot will depend on aid being allowed in.
We must hope that peace will hold and the first phase is successful with hostage and prisoner swaps successfully achieved. A video of the Vigil can be viewed here. It is noteworthy that the local MP for Salisbury Mr John Glen, has never appeared at any of the 59 Vigils.
We will hold our 60th Vigil today, Saturday 25th January at 5pm as usual. If you are planning to come, please bring flowers.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 