1/. 18 years ago as the bombs rained down on #Iraq as Operation Shock & Awe began, Eric Levy was in Baghdad in a power station
He'd gone to #Iraq with hundreds of human shields to try & stop an illegal war & to protect Iraqi civilians by staying in civilian infrastructure sites.
He'd gone to #Iraq with hundreds of human shields to try & stop an illegal war & to protect Iraqi civilians by staying in civilian infrastructure sites.
2/. Eric - now 92 - was one of about 80 human shields who stayed throughout the #IraqWar
"The war was illegal & immoral. We may have failed to stop the invasion, but by putting ourselves in harm’s way, we sent a clear message to the world"
That's courage
vice.com/en/article/kw5…
"The war was illegal & immoral. We may have failed to stop the invasion, but by putting ourselves in harm’s way, we sent a clear message to the world"
That's courage
vice.com/en/article/kw5…
3/. In 2003, a convoy of 3 double- decker buses left London for Baghdad
On board were 50+ human shields; the first hundreds of Western
anti-war activists to travel to #Iraq
None knew what lay ahead
All of them knew that they might not be coming back. zcomm.org/zmagazine/the-…
On board were 50+ human shields; the first hundreds of Western
anti-war activists to travel to #Iraq
None knew what lay ahead
All of them knew that they might not be coming back. zcomm.org/zmagazine/the-…
4/. “Combining the idealism & solidarity of the International Brigades with Gandhian principles of non-violent direct action, the human shields who travelled to Iraq to try & stop the war were a new incarnation in a long tradition of protest.”
@CNN👉 edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/mea…
@CNN👉 edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/mea…
5/. The human shield movement arose in response to a frustration at the efficacy of traditional forms of protest
Marches, petitions & candle-lit vigils remain crucial devices but are easily disregarded by politicians
So new brand forms of protest emerge.
redpepper.org.uk/the-ones-that-…
Marches, petitions & candle-lit vigils remain crucial devices but are easily disregarded by politicians
So new brand forms of protest emerge.
redpepper.org.uk/the-ones-that-…
6/. The departure of the shields from London was covered by every major news network & coverage continued as hundreds of others of flew directly to Iraq
But as war drew nearer, media became more hostile
“Human shields? Call me if one of them gets killed,” one journalist told me
But as war drew nearer, media became more hostile
“Human shields? Call me if one of them gets killed,” one journalist told me
https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/976025114981650433
7/ Some years after the #IraqWar @johnpilger interviewed some key journalists
@ragehomaar admitted: “I didn’t really do my job properly. We didn’t push the uncomfortable buttons hard enough”
@DanRather went further: “The war made stenographers out of us"
medium.com/@stefanowitz/h…
@ragehomaar admitted: “I didn’t really do my job properly. We didn’t push the uncomfortable buttons hard enough”
@DanRather went further: “The war made stenographers out of us"
medium.com/@stefanowitz/h…
https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1213912586888069126
8/ “If people really knew the truth, the war would be stopped tomorrow,” said CP Scott during WW1. “But of course they don’t know & can’t know”
It would be comforting to think that lessons have been learned from Iraq & other wars
But I doubt it
@Oprah👇
It would be comforting to think that lessons have been learned from Iraq & other wars
But I doubt it
@Oprah👇
9/. “You call us courageous, but we’re only doing what we have to do. We have no more choice in doing what we do than the sun has choice to rise each day. Perhaps that’s what courage is” (E Warner)
Eric doesn’t view himself as courageous
“Have you met who was?”
“Paul Robeson”
Eric doesn’t view himself as courageous
“Have you met who was?”
“Paul Robeson”
10/. None of the human shields in #Iraq were killed or injured
Unlike in the 1991 Gulf war, none of the sites they were protecting were targeted
Tragically, Tom Hurndall (21), who left Baghdad for Palestine before the war, was killed by an Israeli sniper
theguardian.com/artanddesign/2…
Unlike in the 1991 Gulf war, none of the sites they were protecting were targeted
Tragically, Tom Hurndall (21), who left Baghdad for Palestine before the war, was killed by an Israeli sniper
theguardian.com/artanddesign/2…
11/. The #IraqWar lasted only 5 weeks but the fallout is still being felt, 18 years later
We know our govts & media don’t always tell us the full truth, but they never tell bigger, more blatant, more obvious lies than before, during & after times of war.
We know our govts & media don’t always tell us the full truth, but they never tell bigger, more blatant, more obvious lies than before, during & after times of war.
12/. “I saw things like this happen in Iraq”
In 2003 @JohnSimpsonNews, who was injured by ‘friendly fire’ while reporting from Iraq, accused US troops in Iraq of “trigger-happy" behaviour
Eleven years after @wikileaks published Collateral Murder, no one has been held to account
In 2003 @JohnSimpsonNews, who was injured by ‘friendly fire’ while reporting from Iraq, accused US troops in Iraq of “trigger-happy" behaviour
Eleven years after @wikileaks published Collateral Murder, no one has been held to account
https://twitter.com/johnsimpsonnews/status/1378754010132414474
13/. After the #Iraq war, many journalists held up their hands & admitted they hadn’t done their jobs properly
“There was a fear in every newsroom. A fear of losing your job...the fear of being stuck with some label, unpatriotic or otherwise." Dan Rather
“There was a fear in every newsroom. A fear of losing your job...the fear of being stuck with some label, unpatriotic or otherwise." Dan Rather
14/. “Journalist had very little choice but to accept our version of events & relay it more-or-less unedited to the public. Govt is an information machine. If journalists weren’t supportive we’d freeze them out” Ex civil servant @carneross
Sound familiar?
Sound familiar?
15/. Since the start of the #COVID19 crisis it’s felt like many journalists haven’t been “pushing the buttons hard enough”
At a time of national crisis, the media are inevitably called into line
But digging beneath the official line - asking “why” - is vital
Now more than ever
At a time of national crisis, the media are inevitably called into line
But digging beneath the official line - asking “why” - is vital
Now more than ever
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1298981880906133505
16/. On “the science”, why are Ministers not challenged on claims they “didn’t know” about asymptomatic transmission or asked where the unscientific concept of “behavioural fatigue” came from or why the UK went down a #HerdImmunity path or about the work of #Palantir & #GenomeUK?
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1372460227619135493
17/. The #HerdImmunityScandal isn’t an accidental mistake that the govt “pivoted” away from on 16 March
It was - & perhaps remains - part of a deliberate strategy
This leads to the next “Why?”
Does the answer lie In the #PalantirPlan & #GenomeUK?
This THREAD👇has some clues
It was - & perhaps remains - part of a deliberate strategy
This leads to the next “Why?”
Does the answer lie In the #PalantirPlan & #GenomeUK?
This THREAD👇has some clues
https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1370281854067179521
18/. The central role of #Palantir & their connection with genomics needs urgent scrutiny
Incredibly, #GeneomeUK - the new decade-long strategy that will transform the NHS & put genomics at the heart of the programme for govt - has had almost no coverage
Incredibly, #GeneomeUK - the new decade-long strategy that will transform the NHS & put genomics at the heart of the programme for govt - has had almost no coverage
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1345515085096230914
19/. Why was #GenomeUK launched on a Sat with zero fanfare or coverage?
Why did the Dept of Trade sent out this “invitation to invest”?
“The UK offers companies...active life sciences & increasingly expanding access to rich longitudinal data from the NHS’s 65 million patients”
Why did the Dept of Trade sent out this “invitation to invest”?
“The UK offers companies...active life sciences & increasingly expanding access to rich longitudinal data from the NHS’s 65 million patients”
20/. So does this mean the govt is sharing private NHS health data for research purposes?
I asked the Dept of Health in Oct but haven’t had a reply
The initial deadline to opt out of the scheme was 30 Sept, but opt out isn’t possible during a pandemic.
nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-…
I asked the Dept of Health in Oct but haven’t had a reply
The initial deadline to opt out of the scheme was 30 Sept, but opt out isn’t possible during a pandemic.
nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-…
21/. “We have a duty to do more especially with data that the govt itself holds which can be used & shared for the benefit of society”
Govt's data strategy hints at the almost evangelical belief in removing all barriers to the unfettered use of genomics.
gov.uk/government/pub…
Govt's data strategy hints at the almost evangelical belief in removing all barriers to the unfettered use of genomics.
gov.uk/government/pub…
22/. This zeal for the transformative power of genomics or ‘positive eugenics’, won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed Peter Thiel or read Cummings
Genomics are transformative
In the right hands & properly regulated, they’re a force for good
But in the wrong hands👇
Genomics are transformative
In the right hands & properly regulated, they’re a force for good
But in the wrong hands👇
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1312751830523424770
23/. “You ask for forgiveness not permission” Peter Thiel
Genomics limited to somatic cells affects individuals, but germline technology means changes pass to future generations
It could reshape humans & transform society
It’s popular with the far-right
Genomics limited to somatic cells affects individuals, but germline technology means changes pass to future generations
It could reshape humans & transform society
It’s popular with the far-right
24/. We already know that Big Tech mine & sell our data, but the new frontier lies not in our consumer behaviour, but in our biological selves
It’s perhaps not surprising that such a project should be ‘top secret’ & overseen by the intelligence services on both sides of the pond
It’s perhaps not surprising that such a project should be ‘top secret’ & overseen by the intelligence services on both sides of the pond
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1316166161067921409
25/. This diagram👆suggests the US & have a joint/parallel #COVID19 strategy, giving military-backed data-mining company, #Palantir, access to heath data on a mass scale
Recognising the centrality of genomics throws a new light on the PM’s “Britain as Superman” #GreenwichSpeech
Recognising the centrality of genomics throws a new light on the PM’s “Britain as Superman” #GreenwichSpeech
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1356875898381869056
26/. This diagram also shows the move by the #PalantirThree to the Trump admin in Feb/March 2017
Kevin Harrington > Dep Asst to the President for strategic planning
Michael Kratsios > WH deputy Chief Tech Officer
Justin Mikolay > Special Asst to Sec of Defence
No coincidence!
Kevin Harrington > Dep Asst to the President for strategic planning
Michael Kratsios > WH deputy Chief Tech Officer
Justin Mikolay > Special Asst to Sec of Defence
No coincidence!
27/. Those sounding the loudest warnings haven’t been journalists but political insiders who know all about govt lies (Powell/Campbell)
@jnpowell1 wrote “This looks like the beginning of a rolling coup. It starts with the civil service then moves on to the judiciary & the media”
@jnpowell1 wrote “This looks like the beginning of a rolling coup. It starts with the civil service then moves on to the judiciary & the media”
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1377030730178555906
28/. “We’ve arranged a society based on science & technology, in which nobody understands anything about science & technology. This combustible mixture of ignorance & power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces.” Carl Sagan
That time is now👇
That time is now👇
29/. You mightn’t have heard of them, but #Palantir are running the NHS #COVID digital platform & the HHS platform in US
They’re also working with dozens of govts around the world on data-driven #coronavirus responses
Could Palantir hoover up genetic data of entire populations?
They’re also working with dozens of govts around the world on data-driven #coronavirus responses
Could Palantir hoover up genetic data of entire populations?
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1282288536016871426
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