We will add Richard Medhurst to Tulsi Gabbard, Scott Ritter, Amb. Craig Murray, Julian Assange, and lots of others who’re harassed, arrested, imprisoned by police state authorities within the US, UK, EU, and Canada for working towards the disappearing career of journalism. When Richard Medhurst may be arrested in a London airport for “expressing an opinion or perception that’s supportive of a proscribed group,” we all know freedom is useless and journalism now not exists. All that Western journalists are permitted to do in the present day is to assist the official lies within the official narratives which can be used to assemble the false actuality during which we dwell.
We now not have the BBC, the New York Instances, the London Instances, ABC, NBC, CBS to carry authorities accountable. What now we have are propaganda ministries that assist official narratives. The job of the Western media is to deceive the individuals in behalf of the institution that guidelines them.
Because the rising intimidation of other media makes clear, the power to precise fact is quickly disappearing within the Western world. Quickly we will likely be locked into The Matrix, solely there will likely be no superhuman opposition.
It has been years since we might imagine one phrase that we hear from the New York Instances, Washington Publish, NPR, CNN, Fox Information, ABC, CBS, NBC, the London Instances, Telegraph, The Guardian, or the primary European media sources.
The notion that the West is free is a joke. When there is no such thing as a free expression there may be solely tyranny. And that’s what the Western world is. A tyranny.
The rationale the Western governments haven’t any problem supporting the Nazi governments in Ukraine and Israel is that they’re Nazis themselves.
Medhurst describes his arrest. It jogs my memory of Franz Kafka’s e book, The Trial, a narrative of a person who’s arrested by an unaccountable authority who prosecutes him with out ever revealing the crime for which he’s being punished. That is what occurred to Julian Assange who misplaced a decade of his life to pure tyranny, tyranny supported by American conservatives who’re so totally silly that they had been satisfied by official narratives that he was a Russian spy towards America. How does a individuals this silly survive. They don’t. The police state that they fell for is now closing round them.
Right here is Richard Medhurst to let you know about it:
I Was Arrested at Heathrow Airport as a “Terrorist” for My Journalism
August 20, 2024
My identify is Richard Thomas Medhurst.
I’m an internationally accredited journalist from the UK.
On Thursday, as I landed in London Heathrow airport, I used to be instantly escorted off the airplane by 6 cops who had been ready for me on the entrance of the plane.
They arrested me—not detained—however arrested me beneath Part 12 of the Terrorism Act of 2000 and accused me of allegedly “expressing an opinion or perception that’s supportive of a proscribed group” however wouldn’t clarify what this meant.
One officer took my luggage, and after I requested why he was nonetheless again within the plane, I used to be instructed “look mate, you may get nicked proper right here in entrance of everybody, or in there. Your selection.”
I used to be taken to an adjoining room, patted down, my cellphone confiscated.
I used to be not allowed to tell my household.
Regardless of being calm and cooperative, I used to be handcuffed with one thing that positioned my shoulders in an ungainly place, and my wrists on high of, somewhat than subsequent to one another. {The handcuffs} had been extraordinarily tight. Regardless of the police loosening them, they left marks on me for 2 days.
The police took me down onto the runway and put me in a police van; primarily a cell cage and knowledgeable me every little thing was being recorded.
The van was cramped. I needed to battle the whole time to maintain my steadiness and check out to not fall over as we drove to the police station.
As soon as contained in the station, they searched me once more for the 2nd time in 10 minutes.
I used to be instructed to take a seat on a bench, take away my footwear; take away my socks. I used to be instructed to show my socks inside out and maintain them up for the officers to examine.
Additionally they made me maintain up my toes for them to examine.
The officers took me to a room with UV lights, which they instructed me is used to catch burglars sprayed with one thing—I do not know why they did this, since they simply eliminated me off a airplane.
My suitcase was then opened within the foyer and ransacked; all my journalistic gear and units had been seized, together with telephones, sim playing cards, wi-fi microphones, microphones and headphones. Even my shoelaces.
They later took my DNA, fingerprints, palmprints, and photographed me.
I used to be positioned in solitary confinement, in a chilly cell that smelt like urine. There was barely any gentle, and the mattress—in case you may even name it a mattress—was a small concrete ledge, with a paper skinny mattress.
The cell had no home windows. No heating. No rest room paper.
I used to be recorded 24/7, with audio and video— even when going to the bathroom.
I needed to eat meals with a chunk of cardboard, that you just’re purported to fold in two so as to scoop up the meal.
The police stated I’ve the best to tell somebody I’m locked up. So I stated, okay I wish to name my household. After which they’d go: “properly, your calls are withheld due to the character of the alleged offense”.
I attempted to ask: properly what’s the purpose of a proper in case you can randomly withdraw it? Why inform me that I’ve this proper in any respect?
And certainly one of them stated one thing alongside the traces of: “properly it’s not an absolute proper. It may be waived”.
Equally, they stated I had the best to know why I used to be being detained. So I requested (once more), and the police would say one thing like: “we’re simply the arresting officers, we don’t actually know”, or, “this will likely be defined to you throughout the interview”, or another generic response.
Regardless of the cops’ civility and cheerfulness, I felt the entire course of was designed to humiliate, intimidate, and dehumanize me; to deal with me like a legal, despite the fact that they will need to have been conscious of my background and that I’m a journalist.
I used to be beneath surveillance nearly the whole time, from the second I used to be arrested till I used to be launched, be it within the police van, the station, the cell—all of it. No privateness in anyway.
Lots of my requests had been additionally delayed or outright ignored.
Once I was detained, I requested for water a number of occasions. The police would all the time say “certain”, however I ended up ready hours for a tiny cup of water.
I requested if I might have my very own garments as a result of I used to be in a t-shirt, it was chilly and couldn’t sleep. They stated they’d give me a pullover however by no means did. Though one guard did give me a 2nd blanket.
See, it’s important to nag and nag for essentially the most basic items. For this reason I used to be afraid they weren’t even going to name a solicitor for me.
I used to be in a position to see the nurse on one event. However on three different events after I requested to see the nurse, they’d say “sure”, then nothing.
For a lot of hours, nobody on this planet knew what had occurred to me or the place I used to be.
Solely the police might name a solicitor for me. I needed to ask 4-5 totally different guards for a number of hours till I lastly acquired a name.
A few of my solicitor’s calls didn’t get via or weren’t answered. One of many calls, my solicitor was instructed can be monitored and they also siply refused to take it.
I requested to talk to them afterwards when that occurred however was not allowed to.
In complete, I spent nearly 24 hours in detention. At no level, in anyway, was I allowed to talk to a member of the family or pal.
After ready 15 hours, I used to be lastly interviewed by two detectives. The interview lasted nearly an hour, an hour and a half.
So there was clearly no want to carry me there this whole time.
However I imagine that this was finished on function to attempt to rattle me psychologically.
That failed.
I categorically and totally reject all of the accusations by the police.
I’m not a terrorist. I’ve no legal file.
Previous to this incident, I’d by no means been detained in my whole life.
I’m a product of the diplomatic neighborhood and I’m raised to be anti-war.
Each my mother and father gained Nobel Peace Prizes for his or her work as United Nations peacekeepers. They’d an amazing impact on my worldview and outlook, and instilled in me the significance of diplomacy, worldwide legislation and peace.
I actually, am a sufferer of terrorism. Once I attended the British college in Islamabad, the Egyptian embassy adjoining to my college was blown up in a double bombing.
I categorically and unequivocally condemn terrorism.
I’m a Medhurst. My household goes again 1000 years on this nation. I come from a protracted line of public servants. My father served within the London Metropolitan Police, earlier than getting into the UN. He’s an professional and an authority on counterterrorism who taught me a lot. My grandfather was within the Royal Air Power throughout WWII, and his father earlier than him within the British Military in WWI.
I maybe don’t have the identical profession paths as them, however I take into account my journalism to be a public service and my method of doing my bit for the nation, by offering a counterweight to mainstream media.
I like my nation and respect its legal guidelines and authorized establishments.
I get the sensation, however, that these like myself who’re talking up and reporting on the scenario in Palestine are being focused.
I had booked my ticket to London on the identical day. But a complete crew of police had been mobilized to arrest and query me. For this reason I felt that it was a pre-planned, coordinated arrest.
Many individuals have been detained in Britain due to their connection to journalism. Typically beneath the Terrorism Act, generally not.
I consider Julian Assange, Craig Murray, Equipment Klarenberg, David Miranda, Vanessa Beeley.
Nevertheless, so far as I’m conscious, I’m the one journalist to have been arrested, and held for as much as 24 hours beneath Part 12 of the Terrorism Act.
Be mindful the circumstances I outlined beforehand: the psychological component that you just’re made to attend endlessly, you’re not instructed what you’re accused of, nor whenever you’ll be questioned.
Regardless of being launched unconditionally, I don’t really feel that my bail is actually unconditional.
I’m successfully in limbo, not figuring out if I will likely be charged in 3 months, or if I’ll go to jail.
Journalism is my livelihood. I’ve an moral and ethical duty towards most people to tell. However I really feel {that a} muzzle has been positioned on me.
I merely have no idea if or how I can work in any respect throughout the subsequent months. Palestine—the humanitarian disaster in Gaza— stay essentially the most urgent information story on this planet, nevertheless, evidently any assertion, irrespective of how harmless, factual, and well-intentioned, may be skewed and twisted into an offense of the best order.
That is exactly the hazard and absurdity of the Terrorism Act that I’ve all the time sought to impress upon the general public, lengthy earlier than I ever turned a sufferer of it myself.
It’s uncontrolled and has no place in a democracy.
Counter terrorism legal guidelines must be used to combat precise terrorism, not journalism.
We can not name ourselves a democracy so long as reporters are dragged off of planes and detained and handled like murderers.
I’m disgusted that I’m being politically persecuted in my very own nation.
As I have no idea if I can nonetheless report as a journalist for the following months, I kindly ask to your assist throughout these occasions.
Freedom of the press, freedom of speech actually are beneath assault. The state is cracking down and escalating, to attempt to cease individuals from talking out towards our authorities’s complicity in genocide.
Please stand not simply with me, however with the others who’re nonetheless inside. I do know what they’re going via, and the most effective aid is to know that folks on the surface are rooting for you, and doing every little thing they will to get you out.
Thanks.
Richard Medhurst
