Thread by @LetsStopC9

TRIBUNAL TO RULE ON #ShamimaBegum 's CITIZENSHIP CASE THIS WEDNESDAY.

But the hypocrisy of our government is out of this world... 🧵

VIDEO FOOTAGE FILMED BY CANADIAN SPY:
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The verdict for her appeal over the removal of her UK citizenship for joining Islamic State, which started in Nov last year, is about to be delivered.

#ShamimaBegum ended up in Syria as a 15-year-old with two other girls in 2015...

Here’s a recap of what’s occurred so far:
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Her lawyers are arguing the [then] Home Secretary @sajidjavid should have taken into account that she was trafficked to Syria and sexually exploited, when making his 2019 decision to revoke her citizenship rendering her stateless, against international law.
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AND THE HYPOCRISY... Seumas Milne [Wed 03 June 2015] wrote: ‘On Monday the trial in London of a Swedish man, Bherlin Gildo, accused of terrorism in Syria, collapsed after it became clear British intelligence had been arming the same rebel groups...
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the defendant was charged with supporting.’ –

‘The prosecution abandoned the case, apparently to avoid embarrassing the intelligence services. The defence argued that going ahead with the trial would have been an “affront to justice”...
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when there was plenty of evidence the British state was itself providing “extensive support” to the armed Syrian opposition.’ –

‘Clearly, the absurdity of sending someone to prison for doing what ministers and their security officials were up to themselves became too much.’-
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‘But terrorism is now squarely in the eye of the beholder. And nowhere is that more so than in the Middle East, where today’s terrorists are tomorrow’s fighters against tyranny – & allies are enemies – often at the bewildering whim of a western policymaker’s conference call.’
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Begum paid the price for “coming across in the wrong way” on television. Considering she was trafficked, abused, and spent her latter teenage years as a housewife amidst terrible violence, this onus on the finer points of her media presentation seems unfair.
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She was left in a refugee camp with her newborn, who died of a lung infection. A decent person wouldn't wish this on anyone.

But there is much more in Begum’s case to suggest she does not deserve one of the UK’s very harshest treatments - the stripping of her citizenship
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It is important to keep in mind that [at the age of 15], Begum was recruited and trafficked by a Western spy, [as it later transpired last year] in full knowledge of our authorities. Other than running away to Syria, there is no evidence that she committed ANY crime.
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And yet there is a lot in the British attitude to Begum that smacks of immaturity, racism and Islamaphobia. Much of Britain cannot seem to grasp that someone brainwashed as a teenager by ISIS might actually act like a teenager brainwashed by ISIS.
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Those who want Begum left in a detention camp in Syria say we shouldn’t make an exception for her. But we already are, as her fate became political.

Essentially, these people want Begum to court them, or charm them, if she wants any hope of us abiding by international law.
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Begum has already paid a heavy price for her involvement with the group, and her story is a stark reminder of the consequences of radicalisation. It is also a reminder of the importance of responding to radicalisation with compassion, understanding
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and appropriate legal measures, rather than with condemnation and retribution.

We must not forget that Begum was a child at the time, is still a human being, and her story must be considered and debated with a sense of fairness, justice and humanity.
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Her centering in this story of neglect and rejection undermines the more crucial roles of those who groomed and trafficked her as a child.

Why are we so invested, as a nation, in victim-blaming, whilst ignoring the adults who perpetrated the crimes?
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