Judge Boasberg ORDERS Trump Administration to ALLOW Deported Venezuelans from El Salvador to RETURN to the U.S.

In a sweeping 43-page opinion released late Monday night, Boasberg declared that the United States allegedly maintained “constructive custody” over the Venezuelans even after they were transferred to El Salvador, thereby giving his court jurisdiction to intervene and order their return.

“In many constructive-custody cases, it is hard for a court to discern whether petitioners would be released upon a respondent’s request. Not so here. Petitioners have indeed been released upon the United States’s request. Since this Court’s June 4 Opinion, multiple developments have shown that the United States is able to request, and has successfully requested, the release of CECOT detainees.

First, after the Government was ordered to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT, he was brought back to the United States on June 6. This return followed public statements made by the President of the United States agreeing that he could “call up the president of El Salvador” to secure the return of detainees like Abrego Garcia.

Second, Plaintiffs in this case were indeed released upon the United States’s request, in what appears to be a clear prisoner exchange between our country and Venezuela.

In July, all 252 Venezuelans removed from the United States and detained in CECOT were sent to Venezuela. At the same time, ten U.S. nationals were released from Venezuela and sent back to the United States.

[…]

The Court thus concludes that the Government retained, and exercised, the power to control the return of CECOT detainees.”

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436.215.0_1.pdf

Seth Rich Attorney Ty Clevenger Blasts FBI for “Nine-Year Coverup” — Accuses Bureau of Lying to Courts and Burying Evidence While Ignoring Court Orders

“In re Seth Rich… We now know that the FBI buried the J6 pipe bomber case for five years. Is it really so hard to believe that the FBI would bury the Seth Rich case for nine years?

And given recent revelations about massive fraud in the 2020 election in Georgia (media collusion, bad-faith lawsuits, and bogus prosecutions of anyone who dared to ask questions), is it really so hard to believe that the same tactics were used to silence those who questioned the Seth Rich narrative?

In eight years of FOIA litigation, we’ve repeatedly caught the FBI lying to the court and hiding records about Seth Rich — on a massive scale.

FBI Director Kash Patel’s FBI is currently defying a court order to produce records. (We have a pending motion to hold the FBI in contempt of court.)

I’ve made sure that Patel is personally aware of the issue, but he says he does not want to get involved in the Seth Rich matter. Why not?

I’d argue that Seth’s case is far more significant than the pipe bomber because it will likely show that the FBI has known since September 2016 that Seth — and not Russian “hackers” — was the source of the DNC emails published by WikiLeaks.

I suspect “grand conspiracy” indictments will be coming out of the Southern District of Florida in January or February (former Obama CIA Director John Brennan acknowledged today that he is a target of the Florida grand jury), so maybe Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi want to keep the Seth Rich documents under wraps until the indictments are made public.

Is the government on the verge of acknowledging that Seth was the source rather than the Russians? (I’m really trying to give them the benefit of the doubt here.)

Meanwhile, where have GOP representatives and senators been for the last nine years?

Representative Thomas Massie has been all over the Epstein files, but never asked any questions about Seth.

Representative Barry Loudermilk has been all over January 6, but never asked any questions about Seth.

Are Representatives Andy Biggs, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Senator Chuck Grassley, Representative Tim Burchett, Representative James Comer, et al., even aware of the ongoing FBI cover-up?

https://x.com/Ty_Clevenger/status/2003336348950798791

‘Deep state’ Western media sabotaging Trump’s peace efforts – Putin envoy

Kirill Dmitriev has backed the US president’s latest attack on the New York Times, alleging a coordinated campaign

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has backed US President Donald Trump’s latest criticism of the New York Times, saying some Western media outlets were working in sync against the American leader, his Ukraine peace efforts, and Russia.

Dmitriev, Russia’s senior negotiator, who just returned from talks in Miami with top US interlocutors, made the remarks in an X post on Tuesday while reposting a social media statement by Trump.

Trump, writing on Truth Social earlier in the day, called the NYT “a serious threat” to US national security and accused it of “lies and purposeful misrepresentations,” branding the outlet “a true enemy of the people.”

“Their radical left, unhinged behavior, writing fake articles and opinions in a never-ending way, must be dealt with and stopped,” Trump wrote.

Backing Trump’s message, Dmitriev said it was “not just the NYT,” but what he described as a “globalist, well-funded, organized, and synchronized US/UK/EU deep-state-aligned fake media machine,” which he said was targeting “Trump, his team, his peace efforts, and Russia.”

Dmitriev has previously said that what he called coordinated media attacks were being timed to undermine the ongoing US-Russia negotiations and described the latest Miami round as “constructive.”

Last week’s talks in Miami occurred as several European powers have pushed to insert themselves into the US-led diplomatic efforts. Moscow has long accused these NATO members of undermining Trump’s peace efforts through their hawkish stance and attempts to use frozen Russian assets to bankroll Kiev and prolong the conflict.

https://www.rt.com/news/629920-media-sabotaging-trump-peace-efforts/

>>24019954

Pentagon taps Musk's xAI to boost sensitive government workflows, support military operations

Grok will be deployed across systems serving 3 million military and civilian personnel by early 2026

The Department of War announced Monday that the Pentagon is partnering with Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem to deploy Grok across its government systems.

The agency said the "frontier‑grade" capabilities of xAI’s Grok family of models will be integrated into the department’s recently launched AI platform, GenAI.mil.

As soon as early 2026, the partnership will allow the Department’s 3 million military and civilian personnel to safely access more advanced AI tools for everyday tasks, including handling sensitive government information.

According to xAI, its tools can support administrative tasks at the federal, state and local levels, as well as ‘critical mission use cases’ at the front line of military operations.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-taps-musks-xai-boost-sensitive-government-workflows-support-military-operations

US accuses Israel of ‘provoking’ Arab world after Katz’s call for Gaza settlements

The Trump administration suggests Israel is harming efforts to advance peace in Gaza with Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments in favor of building settlements in the Strip.

“The more Israel provokes, the less the Arab countries want to work with them,” reads a statement sent to querying reporters and attributed to a US official.

Katz said earlier today that Israel will establish Nahal pioneer communities in northern Gaza in what would amount to a defiance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, which envisions Israel gradually withdrawing from the Strip, rather than establishing settlements there.

Hours after the comments by Katz — who has become known for staking hardline positions to cater to his Likud party base — the defense minister issued a statement clarifying that Israel has no intention of re-establishing settlements in Gaza.

While the comments were initially seen as a walk-back, Katz says his comments on such a move were made in a “security context” only. Historically, however, such communes have been precursors to full-fledged settlements, even if they are launched initially for supposed security reasons.

Ostensibly unsatisfied with Katz’s clarification statement, the White House felt compelled to respond.

“The United States remains fully committed to President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan, which was agreed to by all parties and endorsed by the international community. The plan envisions a phased approach to security, governance, and reconstruction in Gaza. We expect all parties to adhere to the commitments they made under the 20-Point Plan,” reads the statement attributed to a US official.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-accuses-israel-of-provoking-arab-world-after-katzs-call-for-gaza-settlements/

Driver Plows Car Into Crowd During Christmas Light Parade in the Netherlands, Leaving More Than 10 People Injured

Another car plowing into a Christmas crowd, now in the Netherlands, but this time, apparently, it was an accident, not a deliberate attack.

The crash happened today (22), as spectators watched the annual Christmas Lighting Parade.

A car drove into a crowd in Nunspeet, the Netherlands, injuring several people Monday evening, according to Dutch regional news site GelreNieuws.

The collision occurred around 7 p.m., apparently during a candlelight parade, and multiple ambulances and trauma helicopters responded as authorities worked to secure the area.

Details remain limited as investigators continue to examine the circumstances and the number of injuries.”

https://www.womensystems.com/2025/12/driver-plows-car-into-crowd-during.html

Indicted ex-aide to Netanyahu says PM backed plan to utilize intel later leaked to Bild

Feldstein contradicts PM’s claim that he wasn’t aware of affair, says Netanyahu’s chief of staff told him he could quash probe into leak months before it was publicized

Eli Feldstein, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indicted former spokesperson, alleged on Monday that the premier was aware and supportive of his efforts to make use of classified intelligence in order to sway public opinion against a hostage deal, effectively contradicting Netanyahu’s assertion that he had no prior knowledge of Feldstein’s leak of the document to the German Bild tabloid.

Feldstein made the accusation in an interview with the Kan public broadcaster aired Sunday night — his first media appearance since being arrested in October 2024 and later charged for leaking stolen intelligence to Bild, which presented that classified document as evidence that Hamas was not interested in reaching a hostage deal with Israel.

He went on to claim that Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman got wind of the secret investigation into Feldstein’s September 2024 classified document leak to Bild months before it was publicized and had assured Feldstein then that he’d be able to quash the probe.

Feldstein also told Kan that well before the Bild affair, Netanyahu was hyper-focused on combating media narratives that were critical of his conduct and had directed his aides to limit public chatter about him being “responsible” for Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

The Bild affair was triggered by the execution of six Israeli hostages at the hands of their Hamas captors, who sensed Israeli troops approaching the tunnel where they were held in the southern Gaza city of Rafah at the end of August 2024.

The execution sparked massive public uproar against the government, which was seen as the obstacle in hostage negotiations due to Netanyahu’s perceived prioritization of an amorphous “total victory” against Hamas at the expense of the captives’ lives.

Feldstein told Kan that he urged Netanyahu to hold a press conference to combat this narrative, which the premier ended up doing on September 2. During the press conference, Netanyahu displayed an internal Hamas memo obtained by the IDF that suggested the terror group was not interested in a hostage deal.

The memo was from nine months earlier and Feldstein said he knew someone in the IDF’s Military Intelligence Division who had access to a more recent document detailing Hamas’s approach to the hostage negotiations, which he felt would further bolster Netanyahu’s argument that only military pressure could bring about the release of the hostages.

Feldstein said he first went to Jonathan Urich — another top Netanyahu adviser — about the document before approaching the prime minister himself after the September 2 press conference.

He said he told the premier that he had a source from whom he and Urich were working to obtain the recent Hamas memo, which had been deemed classified in order to protect the source behind it.

“‘Excellent,'” Feldstein said Netanyahu told him in response.

Feldstein and Urich followed through and a story appeared in the Bild several days later, citing a “secret” internal Hamas memo that detailed the terror group’s strategy of sowing discord in the Israeli public regarding the hostage issue.

Netanyahu subsequently referenced the story in several public appearances in which he sought to deflect criticism over his handling of the hostage negotiations, though it was later revealed in media reports that Bild had seriously distorted the file to serve the interests of the Netanyahu government.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/indicted-ex-netanyahu-aide-says-pm-backed-effort-to-utilize-intel-later-leaked-to-bild/

Ex-Congressman Matt Gaetz makes huge claim to Tucker Carlson about Israeli govt

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/12OkLeDam9w

Sen Graham: Trump Should Unleash Israel If Hamas Does Not Disarm

Senator Lindsey Graham said President Donald Trump should give Israeli Prime Minister the green light to restart wars in Gaza and Lebanon if Hamas and Hezbollah do not disarm. While Tel Aviv has agreed to ceasefires with both groups, Israel has continued to attack and occupy southern Lebanon and the Strip.

“It’s imperative we come up with a plan quickly, put Hamas on a time clock, give them a period of time to achieve the goal of disarmament,” Graham said on a trip to Israel. “And if you don’t, I would encourage President Trump to unleash Israel to go finish off Hamas.”

The Senator added, “If Hezbollah refuses to give up their heavy weapons, down the road we should engage in military operations working with Lebanon, Israel and the United States, where we fly with Israel… to take Hezbollah out.”

https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/sen-graham-trump-should-unleash-israel-if-hamas-does-not-disarm/

Smotrich urges Netanyahu to return from US ‘with de-facto sovereignty’ for West Bank

He cited settlement construction and administrative work as part of recent advances, adding that without a cabinet decision to apply sovereignty, Israel risks missing a “historic opportunity.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return from his visit to the United States with sovereignty for the West Bank.

Speaking at a ceremony in the Binyamin region marking the official transfer of Civil Administration service units from an IDF base to a permanent civilian complex, Smotrich said the move separates civilian services from the military and is part of a broader effort to normalize governance for Israeli residents of the West Bank.

Addressing Netanyahu’s trip to Washington for meetings with US President Donald Trump, Smotrich said Israel must convert “de facto sovereignty” into a formal decision to apply Israeli law in the West Bank.

He cited settlement construction, authorization processes, and administrative work as part of recent advances, adding that without a cabinet decision to apply sovereignty, Israel risks missing a “historic opportunity.”

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-881153

Gaetz slams antisemitism envoy, blames Israel for sex-trafficking probe on Tucker Carlson's podcast

“Anti-semitism used to mean somebody who didn’t like Jews. Now it just means somebody Jews don’t like," Gaetz said in the episode.

"It was an op to silence me, and Israel was involved, and I hate to say that," Gaetz told Carlson.

Gaetz related that his father had been approached by an Israeli consulate worker with images of him with underage prostitutes, seeking $25 million and aid in securing the rescue of a US spy in Iran. He claimed that the alleged extortionist had told Dilbert comic creator Scott Adams of the scheme. Ultimately, Gaetz said his family went to the FBI about the blackmail.

Fort Walton Beach resident Stephen Alford pleaded guilty to attempting to defraud Gaetz's father after having made false promises to secure a presidential pardon for Gaetz. Gaetz alleged that a second man, Real American Voice host and former Israeli consulate contractor Jake Novak, had also been involved in the plot.

"It was troubling and concerning to me that someone who was getting paid by the Israeli government was involved in a criminal shakedown of a US congressman," said Gaetz. "There was never really an effort to figure out what the government of Israel's involvement was in this matter. But you know that the government of Israel was involved because this was an Israeli government official who was involved in this."

Novak denied having attempted to extort Gaetz in a social media video on Tuesday, saying that he had never met Alford and was not connected to his crimes. Novak said that a friend of his contacted Gaetz's father for help saving the Iranian spy concurrently with Alford. Novak clarified that he had contacted Adams while he was working as a new media advisor for the consulate to discuss the allegations against Gaetz.

I have never extorted anyone, and I have never had any contact with either him or his father," said Novak.

‘Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism’

Gaetz said that he had been the target of a supposed Israeli operation because he had taken a more isolationist foreign policy.

With "Israel influence operation, it's always fire and ice. It's always outreach followed by consequence and then outreach and then consequence," said Gaetz, noting he had been contacted by someone offering to pay him to come to Israel and speak.

Gaetz shared with Carlson that he still considered himself pro-Israel, but believed "what the Netanyahu government is doing to Israel is bad for Israel. Much in the way the United States created more terrorists than we killed during the wars in the Middle East that have consumed most of my life." Israel was currently engaging in adventurism and expansionism, according to Gaetz.

The former congressman rejected the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, explaining, "I think that you can be critical of foreign policy choices that a country makes without the assumption that you hate the religion or the ethnic group associated with it."

The definition of antisemitism had "migrated" to mean those who didn't like Jews to now mean those whom Jews didn't like, Gaetz asserts, "and that's not a standard that we can live with because…antisemitism is terrible."

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-881114

Candace Owens urges audience read antisemitic book, asserts Jews controlled slave trade

According to Owens, Jews like Shapiro supposedly believed that they were "contract lords and that people are not allowed to violate contracts or you will ruin them for years."

Political commentator Candace Owens urged her audience to read a 19th-century antisemitic book and accused Jews of orchestrating the transatlantic slave trade and racial conflict between Caucasian and African Americans during her YouTube show over the weekend.

The episode focused on Owens’ grievances with conservative pundit and Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, who had criticized her in his Thursday speech at the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) AmericaFest conference.

Owens railed against Shapiro for the circumstances of her 2024 dismissal from the Daily Wire under allegations of antisemitism and tensions with the editor emeritus.

Further, she accused Shapiro of stealing interview guests and leading “legal abuse” and harassment against her over contractual disputes. According to Owens, Jews like Shapiro supposedly believed that they were “contract lords and that people are not allowed to violate contracts or you will ruin them for years.”

Addressing Shapiro, she said, “You have absolutely no values that exist outside of the Talmud. You describe yourself as a Talmudic Jew.”

“And I’ve learned what’s in that Talmud,” Owens continued, holding up an English copy of Der Talmudjude. “I encourage other people at home to learn what is in that Talmud so that you know what Ben thinks of you because he doesn’t just hate me, he hates you, too, white men. He hates all black people.”

“If he’s following the rules of the Talmud… I mean, when I say hate, they think that we’re animals, that they have a right to own us, make us worship them, lie to us, sue us, take everything that we have, and deceive us,” she said.

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-881052

Australia announces crackdown on “hate speech”

They’re about to start arresting people for memes like the UK

RIP…

https://twitter.com/i/status/2002437928077963352

This is where it stops being jokes and starts being a trap. Memes, tweets, anything the government decides is “offensive” can get you in trouble.

Bill Clinton demands ALL Epstein files be released by DOJ as victims claim THOUSANDS more pictures still being held from public

Bill Clinton has demanded that Trump's Department of Justice releases the rest of the Epstein files, after he was featured in multiple images in the last drop.

The former president, in a statement through his spokesman, said 'someone or something is being protected. We need no such protection.'

Clinton called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to 'immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton'.

He accused the DOJ of 'selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years.'

Clinton further alleged that by not releasing the files, the DOJ would be confirming suspicions that its actions are about 'insinuation' and not transparency.

His statement comes as a group of 19 alleged victims of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell accused the government of missteps in the partial release of the files.

They accused the DOJ of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by 'withholding massive quantities of documents' and 'failing to redact survivor identities.'

They argued that the failure to release the full trove of files and the DOJ's alleged lack of communication about its actions 'suggests an ongoing intent to keep survivors and the public in the dark as much as possible and as long as possible.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15406527/Bill-Clinton-Epstein-files-DOJ-victims-pictures.html

UK doctor arrested under pressure from Israel lobby over anti-genocide posts

British police have arrested a senior doctor under pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups over social media posts condemning the regime’s genocide against Palestinians.

Ellen Kriesels, a consultant paediatrician with more than 15 years of service at London’s Whittington Hospital, was arrested at her home on Saturday by officers from the Metropolitan Police.

According to a colleague of Kriesels, she was arrested in front of her children.

“The Israeli lobby began hunting her in September because of her sign at a national Palestine demonstration,” Doctor Rahmeh Aladwan wrote in a post on X.

https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=320379

Tucker Carlson named ‘Antisemite of the Year’ for opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza

A US pro-Israel advocacy group has named political commentator and journalist Tucker Carlson as its “Antisemite of the Year”, citing his opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

StopAntisemitism announced the designation on Sunday, accusing Carlson of hostility towards Israel after he used his podcast and media appearances to criticise the war and the political influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington.

Carlson, whose online platform reaches millions, has become one of the most prominent rightwing voices denouncing Israel’s grip on US politics, particularly since Tel Aviv launched its war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.

He has singled out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), calling its influence “an ongoing humiliation ritual” for American lawmakers and the country, and has warned that the US is complicit in Israel’s war.

He has also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, of openly boasting about his leverage over US leaders.

“[Netanyahu] is running around, this is a fact…, the Middle East, his region and his own country and telling people point blank, just stating it, ‘I control the United States. I control Donald Trump,’” Carlson said in September during an interview with journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Carlson has further criticised Christian Zionism, describing it as a major force shaping unconditional US backing for Israel.

“The single biggest threat to Christianity in this country [US] is Christian Zionism,” he said, accusing its adherents of treating Israel’s founding and military dominance as a biblical mandate.

“They’re not Christians; they’re heretics,” he added.

StopAntisemitism has claimed Carlson targeted prominent pro-Israel commentator Ben Shapiro, for prioritising Israel while the United States faces deepening domestic crises.

Steve Bannon, former White House strategist for US President Donald Trump who remains a closy ally, launched scathing criticism of Shapiro over the weekend at a major conservative convention.

“Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads,” Bannon declared to cheers from the crowd calling him a “Israel First” political pundit.

StopAntisemitism executive director, Liora Reznichenko, has been explicit about its strategy aganst Israel’s critics.

Speaking at a Jerusalem Post conference on Capitol Hill in December, she argued that punishing critics of Israel is an effective way to combat antisemitism.

“The results speak for themselves,” she said. “We will shine a light on you that, thanks to Google and SEO, will follow you for the rest of your life.”

“When you look for a job, when you look for a spouse, when you look for a nanny, when you look for anything, our work will always be documented,” she added.

Reznichenko has claimed responsibility for at least 400 people losing their jobs as a result of the group’s online campaigns, which have targeted academics, activists and media figures.

https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=320369

New satellite images confirm Israel continues systematic destruction of Gaza despite 'ceasefire'

Israel has established 13 new military outposts since the truce agreement, and is paving the way for a permanent occupation in the strip

https://twitter.com/i/status/2003002037513175189

MSM Belatedly Details Syrian 'Prisons Filling Up Again, Torture' Under Jolani Regime

More than a year after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, and some mainstream media outlets are finally taking a critical eye to the new Sharaa/Jolani regime and its human rights abuses, religious oppression, and war crimes.

While the West and Gulf countries celebrated Assad fleeting the country for Russia in December 2024, with the al-Qaeda linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) taking over Damascus, the new government quickly got to work persecuting, massacring, and disappearing religious minorities.

First Alawites were targeted last spring, then Christians, and more recently Druze - or anyone not acting according to the HTS brand of fanatical Islam and jihad. But CNN and other establishment news outlets have 'moved on' and are turning a blind eye.

But somewhat surprisingly, Reuters has issued a new report which highlights the country simply traded Assad's 'notorious prisons' for Jolani's dark dungeons:

The first wave of detentions in the new Syria came almost immediately – just after victorious rebels flung open the doors of Bashar al-Assad’s notorious prisons.

As ordinary Syrians stormed detention complexes last December to search for loved ones who had vanished under Assad’s rule, thousands of the deposed dictator’s soldiers who had abandoned their posts – officers and conscripts alike – were taken prisoner by the rebels.

Then came the second wave in late winter: Hundreds of people from Assad’s Alawite sect, mostly men, were seized by the new authorities throughout Syria. Their detentions spiked after a brief uprising along the coast in March killed dozens of security forces, sparking reprisals that left nearly 1,500 Alawites dead. Those arrests continue to this day.

In the next wave to be targeted for mass detentions by the new government were Druze, especially after fighting and unrest was sparked in the south between locals and Jolani's Sunni security forces.

Reuters underscores, "Prisons and lockups that jailed tens of thousands of people during Assad’s rule are now crowded with Syrians detained by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s security forces and held without formal charges."

The outlet has compiled names of over 800 Syrians held under such circumstances, and says the true figure is likely much higher.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2003162310249185581

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/mainstream-media-belatedly-details-syrian-prisons-filling-again-torture-under-jolani

Britain Has Officially Criminalized Journalism

Reporting facts in Keir Starmer’s Britain can now land you in jail for 14 years as a terrorist. This is what authoritarian governments do.

The moment the British government began proscribing political movements as terrorist organisations, rather than just militant groups, it was inevitable that saying factual things, making truthful statements, would become a crime.

And lo behold, here we are.

The Terrorism Act 2000 has a series of provisions that make it difficult to voice or show any kind of support for an organisation proscribed under the legislation, whether it is writing an article or wearing a T-shirt.

Recent attention has focused on Section 13, which is being used to hound thousands of mostly elderly people who have held signs saying: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” They now face a terrorism conviction and up to six months in jail.

But an amendment introduced in 2019 to Section 12 of the act has been largely overlooked, even though it is even more repressive. It makes it a terrorism offence for a person to express “an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation” and in doing so be “reckless” about whether anyone else might be “encouraged to support” the organisation.

It is hard to believe this clause was not inserted specifically to target the watchdog professions: journalists, human rights groups and lawyers. They now face up to 14 years in jail for contravening this provision.

When it was introduced, six years ago, Section 12 made it impossible to write or speak in ways that might encourage support for groups whose central aim was using violence against people to achieve their aims.

The law effectively required journalists and others to adopt a blanket condemnatory approach to proscribed militant groups. That had its own drawbacks. It made it difficult, and possibly a terrorist offence, to discuss or analyse these organisations and their goals in relation to international law, which, for example, allows armed resistance — violence — against an occupying army.

But these problems have grown exponentially since the Conservatives proscribed Hamas’ political wing in 2021 and the government of Keir Starmer proscribed Palestine Action in 2025, the first time in British history a direction-action group targeting property had been declared a terrorist group.

Legal Minefield

Now journalists, human rights activists and lawyers face a a legal minefield every time they try to talk about the Gaza genocide, the trials of people accused of belonging to Palestine Action, or the hunger strikes of those on remand over attacks on weapons factories supplying killer drones to Israel.

More

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/12/22/jonathan-cook-britain-has-officially-criminalized-journalism/