The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes 24 sites in Iran (more than almost any other country in the world) that are of such critical cultural and historical importance that they belong to all of humanity.
The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of UNESCO, owing $600 million to the organization after it admitted #Palestine as a full member. mintpressnews.com/us-pulls-unesc…
Trump’s statements are in violation of Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which states any int'l agreement made under duress or threat of force is null and void. Targeting cultural sites is also specifically recognized as a major war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention.
Section 5.16.2 of the Department of Defense Law of War Manual also prohibits threats to destroy cultural objects for the express purpose of deterring enemy operations, meaning Trump’s action directly contravene American codes of war.
It's unlikely any action will be taken, just as it's unlikely Trump will be removed from Twitter for breaking terms of service on threatening behavior despite threatening enemy states with nuclear annihilation. Meanwhile, the rest of us face censorship.
🧵With three billion monthly users, Facebook is the world’s largest media platform. This gives whoever controls it enormous power to shape narratives worldwide.
The US government has consistently used this power to influence Facebook and censor and delete viewpoints it does not like.
Last August, Facebook deleted nearly 8,000 accounts and 1,000 pages that spread positive messages about China and criticized US actions against Beijing.
Facebook did not claim these accounts were linked to the Chinese government, and so it was merely their opinions that triggered their removal.
🧵Tommy Robinson has been deeply linked to Israel since the very beginning of his political activity in 2009.
MintPress outlines what we know so far:
Tommy Robinson founded the English Defence League with Paul Ray in 2009. Ray previously infiltrated and spied on the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
Former Israeli soldier Roberta Moore registered the EDL on Companies House and later changed the name to the Jewish Defence League (JDL UK) as a branch of the Zionist terror group founded by Meir Kahane.
She officially headed the Jewish Unit of the EDL and regularly hosted rallies outside the Israeli embassy with the Zionist Federation.
🧵The BBC’s reporting on Gaza has been called out repeatedly by both the viewing public and internally from staffers, which leaked internal emails have now provided further information on. From sanitised and misleading headlines to outright double standards, the British national broadcaster has consistently presented a narrative favourable to Israel.
Leaked internal BBC emails presented “evidence of a collapse in the application of basic standards and norms of journalism that seems aligned with Israel’s propaganda strategy.”
Spreading atrocity propaganda hoaxes goes without questioning.
🧵Following the attempt on Donald Trump’s life, political leaders have joined a chorus of denunciations, all agreeing that political violence has no place in America. Yet the U.S. itself has constantly used assassinations and other forms of political violence against its enemies all over the world. This includes Donald Trump himself, who ordered the assassination of Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani.
🧵The images of a defiant Trump, surrounded by bodyguards, his arm raised in the air, have gone viral, with many supporters claiming that they represent the most iconic, powerful pictures of all time.
But this assertion was strongly challenged by many on social media, who suggested their own, more powerful political images – ones with a far more progressive, radical or revolutionary undertone to them.
For your viewing pleasure, MintPress has collated some of the best ones here.