news

UK anti-terror police & intelligence services detained journalist Richard Medhurst recently and have now arrested Palestine activist and Gaza linked journalist on terrorism charges.

She gave the details of her impossible to abide by bail conditions in an interview someone else had to set up as she's forbidden from travelling, touching any electronic device.

I've had to remove the link entirely. The female journalist in question Sarah Wilkinson. Her Twitter account seems to be being run by a friend or her son now and you can search out the couple of interviews she's given so far

~~Sorry for the rubbish links. Xcancel just 403s for me and none of the four Hexbear recommended YouTube link alternatives work. All either don't work at all or are not allowing new users / posts. If the links are too tricky or you don't have time to watch the 30-45min interview here's the key points.~~

• First thing in the morning her home was raised by anti-terror police who wouldn't identify themselves, some even wearing balaclavas to hide their identities
• They claimed a warrant exists but would not show it or tell her what was contained in it as anti-terror legislation says they don't have to
• She wasn't allowed to dress, call anyone, or get her medication (she suffers from Crohn's disease).
• The tightness of the cuffs caused injuries to her hands but weren't loosened
• They ransacked her house and physically restrained her son, including throwing him up against the wall.
• They confiscated any and all electronic items, phones, and computers, as well as files, address books and more. These are the items that were on the official itemized list they provided her.
• They also stole money, personal items, and her passport, taking them without listing them.
• Taking her passport without itemising it guarantees she cannot meet the terms of her bail as she is required to turn it in on a future date. Her bail conditions also stop her applying for a replacement. The penalty for not being able to hand it in is likely to be 5 years in prison without a trial or legal representation.
• She also cannot travel, including buying any form of train or bus ticket despite living in a rural village, seeming including to her required 'check ins' on future dates.
• They deliberately desecrated her parents' ashes, spreading them so she couldn't retrieve them all, and damaged the urn.
• They loaded her into an unmarked black van, cuffed but unsecured and gave her a rough ride.
• They deliberately drove 45 minutes in the wrong direction, away from the police station they said they were taking her to. At this point she seriously considered that she might be being kidnapped as they still hadn't shown her a warrant or verifiable ID and were hiding their identities.
• While being held, they denied her any medication meaning that she also couldn't eat, essentially denying her food or drink.
• They eventually brought her a cup of tea and said she could have her meds as soon as she'd drank it. When she did, they then denied her meds again in an apparent attempt to make her ill.
• When she demanded to see a doctor they eventually sent in someone they claimed was a nurse. However, she seemed to have little to no medical knowledge, didn't seem to actually know anything about Crohn's disease despoite claiming to and couldn't even spell it when asked to. She did not appear to be a qualified medical professional and wouldn't give any details of her qualifications.
• They tried to deny her access to a lawyer, claiming she didn't have that right until she repeatedly demonstrated that she knew she did under Section 12 of the law. They eventually relented for the interrogation.
• She gave a no comment interview, but the questions they asked over several hours were apparently very interesting. They were riddled with racist comments and questions that implied Palestinian's weren't human, they repeatedly asked her "why she would value Palestinians over people like us" which she took to mean white and/or Zionist.
• She also says that her interrogators frequently used talking points, language, and tactics that organisations like the IDF and Shin-Bet do.
• Most notable was their interrogation and demand that she give details of the people in Gaza that she works with via a charity that digs wells and provides water. They wanted names, locations, contact details, phone numbers etc. Naturally she refused as she suspects they would be then given to Israel to use for targeting purposes.