At the crack of dawn on Thursday 17 October, Asa Winstanley – associate editor of Electronic Intifada and author of Weaponising Anti-Semitism – had his home raided by about ten masked thugs acting under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism’.
The raid lasted three “terrifying” hours, as Metropolitan Police officers seized all of the devices that Winstanley uses for his work as a journalist, purportedly due to unspecified social media posts “encouraging terrorism”.
“They took away my means of livelihood…” Winstanley reported. “My main computer, my laptop, my phone, they took an old phone they found, hard-drive, an iPad… all my main devices that I use for my journalism”.
Winstanley was not charged with any crime, nor was he even arrested! He doubts he will ever get the devices back – or at the very least he won’t see them for a long time.
This means the devices will need to be replaced at his own expense or at the expense of Electronic Intifada, an independent Palestine-focused online journal.
Political attack
These charges of ‘terrorism’ against Winstanley are slander – pure and simple. This is yet another egregious example of intimidation of those who stand in solidarity with the oppressed..
This is what ruling class’s beloved ‘British values’ boil down to: ‘freedom of press’ – in the eyes of the capitalist class – means seizures, arrests, and crackdowns on real journalists who speak the truth; and complete freedom for the bosses’ press to lie, slander, and cover up the bloodshed of imperialism.
lol pic.twitter.com/NEhw5C10pe
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) October 28, 2024
Winstanley is far from the first journalist targeted by the British state since Israel began its latest genocidal campaign against Gaza.
In late August, over a dozen officers arrested pro-Palestine journalist Sarah Wilkinson under the Terrorism Act 2000. She also had her phone, passport, and electronic equipment seized, on the grounds of “content posted online”.
She was held for multiple hours, deprived of medication and released without charge, with initial bail conditions requiring her to refrain from using electronic devices and commenting on the news! For a journalist, this is essentially a redundancy notice from the state.
These individuals are not terrorists, they are journalists. But to expose the truth is a dangerous thing for a system built upon lies. That’s why the state wants to scare journalists away from discussing ‘controversial’ topics (read: facts inconvenient to the capitalist class).
It’s no coincidence, therefore, that these same attacks are being carried out internationally, using the war on Gaza as a pretext. Israel itself has arrested 66 journalists in the Palestinian territories since the war started. And just recently, Israeli forces raided and shut down Al Jazeera’s West Bank bureau.
And it’s not just journalists who are being clamped down upon. There have been dozens of politically motivated arrests and detentions at Palestine demonstrations – including of RCP members. Students and academics have also faced suspensions and investigations for their anti-imperialist views.
‘British values’
Our rulers constantly harangue us about the principles of British ‘democracy’ – this special aspect of our ‘great’ nation which differentiates it from the ‘uncivilised nations’.
In schools, they teach children tall tales about how British culture is based upon “liberty”, “tolerance”, and the “rule of law”.
A government of war criminals and liars. Just like the ones before them https://t.co/T33w2C7SFQ
— Fiona Lali (@fiona_lali) October 28, 2024
In reality, our hard-won democratic rights only exist inasmuch as they don’t harm the rich and powerful. Ultimately, our ‘inalienable rights’ are very alienable indeed. They are secondary to the narrow whims of a tiny minority.
While principled journalists face constant persecution from the state, the capitalist rags are ‘free’ to publish whatever crap they choose – from demonising immigrants to labelling pro-Palestine protests antisemitic “hate marches”, to cheering on the Israeli war machine.
These outlets face no censorship from the state – of course not! The top editors have a cosy relationship with the bosses and the state. They are all part of the same exclusive elite, united in their defence of the status quo.
The British state can slander pro-Palestine journalists and activists as ‘terrorists’ all it wants. We know that the western imperialists are the biggest terrorists in the world – and the British government is guilty beyond all doubt.
- Journalism is not a crime!
- End all attacks on the anti-imperialist movement!
- Mobilise to defend freedom of speech, assembly, and the press!
- Down with the warmongers!
