UK Indymedia - Sheffield Iraq Newswire Archive

WikiLeaks reveals private security contractors killed Iraqis with impunity

WikiLeaks’ release of nearly 400,000 US military documents from operations in Iraq between 2003 and 2009 brings to light new evidence that private security contractors killed civilians with impunity.

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WikiLeaks: the largest classified military leak in history

At 5pm EST Friday 22nd October 2010 WikiLeaks released the largest classified military leak in history. The 391,832 reports ('The Iraq War Logs'), document the war and occupation in Iraq, from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2009 (except for the months of May 2004 and March 2009) as told by soldiers in the United States Army. Each is a 'SIGACT' or Significant Action in the war. They detail events as seen and heard by the US military troops on the ground in Iraq and are the first real glimpse into the secret history of the war that the United States government has been privy to throughout.

The nightmare: The Iraq invasion's atrocities, unearthing the unthinkable

It is a duty for those with any "voice", from countries responsible for this first documentable U.S., U.K., genocide of the 21st century, to draw attention to it, in the memory of and in tribute to, the voiceless, nameless, uncounted victims, in the hope that eventually, legal recourse might result.

As Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, now seem to be in would be imperial sights, a precedent which will flag a up a warning sign to leaders of ill intent, is surely needed.

Flying the flag, faking the news

In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger traces the history of propaganda to Edward Bernays, the American nephew of Sigmund Freud, who invented the term "public relations". Bernays believed in "engineering public consent" and creating "false realties" as news. Here are examples of how this works today.

Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Fallujah's Cancer Catastrophe

Compassion is sometimes a central theme of media reporting. On August 25, journalists across the UK described how a British woman, Mary Bale, had been filmed dropping a cat into a wheelie bin. The cat was later released unharmed. The Guardian reported and commented on the story on August 24 and 25. Matt Seaton wrote:

“OK, there are lots of acts of random cruelty involving humans on humans every day, but this was somebody's pet, for Pete's sake. Who would do such a thing?” (

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/24/coventry-cat-wheelie-bin)

"The Militarization of Hollywood": Unlocking "The Hurt Locker"

Why did "The Hurt Locker," a well-acted, tension-filled but otherwise undistinguished Hollywood war movie focusing on a military bomb-disposal team in Iraq, win the 2010 Academy Award for Best Picture?

Obama’s Iraq speech: An exercise in cowardice and deceit

President Barack Obama’s nationally televised speech from the White House Oval Office Tuesday night was an exercise in cowardice and deceit. It was deceitful to the people of the United States and the entire world in its characterization of the criminal war against Iraq. And it was cowardly in its groveling before the American military.

The address could inspire only disgust and contempt among those who viewed it. Obama, who owed his presidency in large measure to the mass antiwar sentiment of the American people, used the speech to glorify the war that he had mistakenly been seen to oppose.

Photos of the 7th Sharrow Lantern Carnival

The 7th Sharrow Lantern Carnival was held in Sheffield on 11th April 2010, starting in Mount Pleasant Park and ending at the General Cemetery. The first one was organised to mark the first anniversary of the start of the Iraq war in 2003.

Assassination of Reuters staff in Iraq. A US war crime.

Both Reuters journalists are dead, along with at least fifteen others. The Apache crew guide in ground troops to the scene and when the child is found, the crew casually dismiss the crime. Two Reuters journalists with exclusive access to the ground through their 'insurgent' contacts, who have long been a thorn in the side of occupying forces, lay dead. The Apache crew's primary work is done. The child, and the others, are collateral damage.

Iraq Enquiry: Sir Michael Wood Damns Blair, Straw and Croney Goldsmith

Sir Michael Wood confirmed today that the consistent advice from the FCO's Legal Advisers was that it was illegal in international law to invade Iraq without a second Security Council Resolution following UNSCR 1441. He also made plain that he consistently over two years advised both Blair and Straw direct that the war would be illegal.

A Politician Should Not Rule on the Legality of War

Tomorrow morning, Sir Michael Wood, former Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legal Adviser, gives evidence to the Chilcott Inquiry. To my mind, this is the most important evidence to be given so far. Michael's then deputy, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, who resigned over the war of aggression, will give evidence in the afternoon, I believe speaking in public for the first time since her resignation.

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Craig Murray: Jack Straw's Biggest Lie

I was a British Ambassador at the time of the events covered by the Iraq Inquiry. I know many of the witnesses and a great deal of the background. I can therefore see right through the smooth presentation. Jack Straw was the smoothest of all - but he told lie after lie.

Normalising the Crime of the Century

I tried to contact Mark Higson the other day only to learn he had died nine years ago. He was just 40, an honourable man. We met soon after he had resigned from the Foreign Office in 1991 and I asked him if the government knew that Hawk fighter-bombers sold to Indonesia were being used against civilians in East Timor.

“Everyone knows,” he said, “except parliament and the public.”

“And the media?”

“The media – the big names – have been invited to King Charles Street (the Foreign Office) and flattered and briefed with lies. They are no trouble.”

As Iraq desk officer at the Foreign Office, he had drafted letters for ministers reassuring MPs and the public that the British Government was not arming Saddam Hussein. “This was a downright lie”, he said. “I couldn’t bear it”.

22 Days of Waging Peace: Targeting Brimar, Targeting Bloodshed, Remembering Gaza

On 27th December it will be one year since Operation Cast Lead, the brutal 22 day bombing of Gaza by Israeli forces. Target Brimar will be organising 22 days of protest to commemorate not only those killed in Gaza, but those killed by UK/US forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world.

Opposition to Obama, Browne and NATO War and Troop Increase Grow

The Obama prosecution of the Afghan war benefits the Zionist agenda, the Chinese policy of exhausting their Muslim and American foes in fighting each other, petroplutocrats, CIA and ATF heroin distribution and war profiteers as it hemorrhages money to over 1000 imperialist bases around the world. American soldiers died in the last 3 months in FOUR war zones: Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, and in aircrashes in the US.

The BBC’S Jeremy Paxman on Iraq - “We were hoodwinked”

In an interview last week, Jeremy Paxman - leading interviewer on BBC 2’s flagship Newsnight programme - claimed that he had been “hoodwinked” by US government propaganda prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Paxman commented:

"As far as I personally was concerned, there came a point with the presentation of the so-called evidence, with the moment when Colin Powell sat down at the UN General Assembly and unveiled what he said was cast-iron evidence of things like mobile, biological weapon facilities and the like...

"When I saw all of that, I thought, well, 'We know that Colin Powell is an intelligent, thoughtful man, and a sceptical man. If he believes all this to be the case, then, you know, he's seen the evidence; I haven't.’

"Now that evidence turned out to be absolutely meaningless, but we only discover that after the event. So, you know, I’m perfectly open to the accusation that we were hoodwinked. Yes, clearly we were."
(Paxman, ‘Is World Journalism in Crisis?‘, Coventry University online interview, October 28, 2009. The entire interview is available here:

http://coventryuniversity.podbean.com/2009/10/29/is-there-a-crisis-in-world-journalism-jeremy-paxman/ )

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Military machine imploding

WESTERN imperialism in central Asia looks closer to imploding today after two extremely serious incidents over the last few days.

25ft gun being marched to Heckler and Koch

A small but dedicated group of Nottingham residents and activists have built a 25 foot willow wood rifle. It will be marched to the UK head quarters of international gun makers and sellers Heckler and Koch, Easter Park Industrial Estate, Lenton, Nottingham.

Hands Off the People of Iran Meeting in Leeds

In the last few months, Iranian society has been gripped by political crisis, sparked by the nakedly fraudulent outcome of its recent elections

We must consider serious questions such as what vehicle can the Iranian people use to positively overcome the theocratic regime which they live and die under. What is our station in any of this and what on earth can we do to prevent questioning of the state in Iran becoming a pretext to greater Imperialist intervention, further than the UN sponsored strangle hold it has on the people of Iran right now

This is an open invitation, please come along

Sachin Sharma
of the Steering Committee of Hands Off the People of Iran, Leeds

map of arms dealers in Sheffield - take action in the run up to DSEi

here's a handy map of arms dealers in Sheffield

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Sheffield Iraq Newswire Archive

WikiLeaks reveals private security contractors killed Iraqis with impunity

WikiLeaks: the largest classified military leak in history

The nightmare: The Iraq invasion's atrocities, unearthing the unthinkable

Flying the flag, faking the news

Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Fallujah's Cancer Catastrophe

"The Militarization of Hollywood": Unlocking "The Hurt Locker"

Obama’s Iraq speech: An exercise in cowardice and deceit

Photos of the 7th Sharrow Lantern Carnival

Assassination of Reuters staff in Iraq. A US war crime.

Iraq Enquiry: Sir Michael Wood Damns Blair, Straw and Croney Goldsmith

A Politician Should Not Rule on the Legality of War

Craig Murray: Jack Straw's Biggest Lie

Normalising the Crime of the Century

22 Days of Waging Peace: Targeting Brimar, Targeting Bloodshed, Remembering Gaza

Opposition to Obama, Browne and NATO War and Troop Increase Grow

The BBC’S Jeremy Paxman on Iraq - “We were hoodwinked”

Military machine imploding

25ft gun being marched to Heckler and Koch

Hands Off the People of Iran Meeting in Leeds

map of arms dealers in Sheffield - take action in the run up to DSEi

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