#groupnews — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #groupnews, aggregated by home.social.
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Britain’s role in the destruction of Gaza
Talk by author and journalist Peter Oborne on 21st
January 2026
We have posted a number of items on this site about the horrific events in Gaza and the West Bank. 109 vigils have now taken place in Salisbury attended by many concerned at the scale of death and destruction which has taken place. The current phase started with the horrific attack by Hamas on 7th October 2023 in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 hostages seized. The conflict has deeper roots however going back to the formation of Israel in 1948 and the ensuing killing and displacement of many hundreds of thousands of Arabs and Palestinians: the number is put at between 750,000 and 1 million. Many of those displaced ended up in Gaza. We can go back even further to the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
Gaza is now a wasteland. Over 71,000 have died and around 171,000 injured many with serious wounds. Israel has just revoked the licenses of 37 aid organisations including MSF. There is a peace arrangement of sorts but there does not seem to be any realistic prospect of a permanent end to the hostilities. Israel is the local super power with a considerable armoury of the latest weapons including the F-35 jet. About 15% of the parts for the fighter are made in the UK. Statements from leading Israeli politicians do not show signs of a compromise. The prospects for a Palestinian state look remote.
Complicit
Peter Oborne’s new book ‘Complicit’ looks at Britain’s role in the conflict and the destruction of Gaza. There are two main threads in his book: the role of the government and secondly, the treatment and reporting by the British press and media including the BBC. Part of the way it is reported concerns the language used. We have noted on this site that Hamas seized 251 ‘hostages’ which is correct, but seizures by IDF soldiers of Palestinians are referred to as ‘prisoners’ implying some kind of legal process has taken place. It hasn’t, and over a thousand have been imprisoned and tortured in a variety of prisons with no charges made and no judicial process taking place.
Oborne (pictured: image New Statesman) refers to what he term ‘two tier reporting’. For example the BBC used the word ‘massacre’ eighteen times more for Israeli victims than Palestinian despite the massive difference in numbers. Israel is always described as responding to violence never to initiating it. ‘BBC’s coverage of Gaza has been a reporting disaster and a moral calamity’ he says. They are not the only ones and the roll call of biased reporting includes much of Fleet St and the media more widely.
Chapters include ‘The Pro-Israel Lobby in Britain’, ‘British Complicity Before October 7th’, ‘Moral Panic at Westminster’.
The Event
The talk will take place on Wednesday 21st January starting at 7pm. It will be held at the Salisbury Methodist Church in St Edmund’s Church Street and is free with a parting collection. There is disabled access and the car park is nearby.
Previous posts:
- Britain’s role in the destruction of Gaza
- Israel revokes licences for aid organisations
- Surge in executions in Saudi
- Death penalty in Florida
- Last vigil of 2025
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Group minutes, June
June 2025
We have pleasure in enclosing the minutes of our last meeting held on 12th June with thanks to group member Fiona for preparing them.
June minutes (Word)Download -
May minutes and news
Group minutes, reports and news
May 2025
We are pleased to attach the minutes and news of the group’s activities thanks to group member Lesley for the work in preparing them. There is a list of future events at towards the end and if you are thinking of making contact, one of those would be a good opportunity. We shall be at People in the Park in Elizabeth Gardens, Salisbury on Saturday 17th from around 10:00 all day.
May minutes (Word)Download -
April minutes
April minutes and group news
April 2025
We are pleased to attach our minutes of the group’s meeting in April thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them and for various group members submitting reports for inclusion. They are a kind of ‘hybrid’ style of minutes as they contain narrative material which we hope readers will find of interest. At the end you will find a short list of upcoming events the group will be running or participating in.
April minutes (Word)DownloadThis is the link to our Bluesky page:
https://bsky.app/profile/salisburyai.bsky.social
Latest posts:
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Exeter Conference
March 2025
Members from groups in the South West gathered in Exeter last Saturday for an interesting day on human rights issues. All credit to the Exeter group who have organised this for several years now enabling us to meet other groups in the region. We held our usual photo opportunity in front of the fine Exeter Cathedral (almost as fine as Salisbury’s!), and this picture was to highlight the problems of being a woman in Afghanistan.
You can read a post on the issue of the UK’s support for cricket in Afghanistan particularly as women are not allowed to play it. There is a post on one of the speakers who discussed the current situation in Somalia.
#AmnestyInternational_ #conference #Exeter #GroupNews #Somalia
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The Amnesty tree
Salisbury group assembles to mark planting of its tree
March 2025
Last year (2024) marked the fifty years since the group was founded and here we are, still going strong if sadly the only group left in Wiltshire. We had the opportunity for a tree to be planted in honour of this anniversary and today (4 March) some of the local group assembled for a photograph in Victoria Park. We were delighted to welcome two surviving members who formed the group half a century ago.
The need to keep human rights issues on the agenda is needed now more than ever. It was perhaps the belief all those years ago that the need for a human rights group would slowly melt away in the wake of the post war ideal of the new world order following WWII. This has not been the case. Rights are being slowly chipped away at home as governments have not liked protest groups drawing attention to their climate and environment failings and continued arming of Israel for example. The previous government introduced several pieces of legislation reducing rights, increasing police powers and limiting access to justice. The new government shows little inclination to repeal them. Some MPs – including both our local ones – generally vote against human rights matters according to the They Work for You website.
Overseas – well, where to start. China continues to persecute the Uyghurs and western firms continue to buy cotton produced by effectively slave labour. War and destruction continues in Sudan and other parts of sub Sahara Africa. The situation in Burma continues with the military attacking people and villages of minority groups. We continue to sell them jet fuel to enable them to carry on. The terrible death toll continues in Gaza.
So the need to keep the spotlight on human rights is needed today as it was 50 years ago. Power, in whatever form, does not like giving it up and will go to great lengths to keep it for themselves and their supporters.
If you would like to join us you would be welcome. See a list of current and future events where you can come and make yourself known. We welcome people who want to pursue a particular human rights theme – more rights for women for example.
Photo: Salisbury Amnesty
Latest posts:
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January minutes
January 2025
Minutes of the group’s meeting this month are attached thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. There are brief reports on the death penalty (full report in another post on this site) and refugees (ditto). Some our future activities are listed. If you are thinking of joining us the best way is to come along to one of our events and make yourself known. We are at the Saturday Vigils for example in the Market Square at 5pm. You would be very welcome.
Happy New Year to our readers and followers.
January minutes (Word)Download -
January minutes
January 2025
Minutes of the group’s meeting this month are attached thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. There are brief reports on the death penalty (full report in another post on this site) and refugees (ditto). Some our future activities are listed. If you are thinking of joining us the best way is to come along to one of our events and make yourself known. We are at the Saturday Vigils for example in the Market Square at 5pm. You would be very welcome.
Happy New Year to our readers and followers.
January minutes (Word)Download -
January minutes
January 2025
Minutes of the group’s meeting this month are attached thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. There are brief reports on the death penalty (full report in another post on this site) and refugees (ditto). Some our future activities are listed. If you are thinking of joining us the best way is to come along to one of our events and make yourself known. We are at the Saturday Vigils for example in the Market Square at 5pm. You would be very welcome.
Happy New Year to our readers and followers.
January minutes (Word)Download -
Group minutes
Minutes of the December meeting
December 2024
We have pleasure in attaching the minutes of our December meeting thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. They contain details of the group’s recent activities including a schools talk, carol singing and Write for Rights. Future activities are also listed and if you are thinking of joining us, coming along to one of those would be a good place to start. Seasons greetings to our readers!
December minutes (Word)DownloadRecent posts:
- Death penalty rage in US
- Illegal police surveillance of journalists
- 54th Vigil
- Group minutes
- Shameful media coverage
Correction: school visits date should be 21st January not 23rd as shown.
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Group minutes
Minutes of the December meeting
December 2024
We have pleasure in attaching the minutes of our December meeting thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. They contain details of the group’s recent activities including a schools talk, carol singing and Write for Rights. Future activities are also listed and if you are thinking of joining us, coming along to one of those would be a good place to start. Seasons greetings to our readers!
December minutes (Word)DownloadRecent posts:
- Death penalty rage in US
- Illegal police surveillance of journalists
- 54th Vigil
- Group minutes
- Shameful media coverage
Correction: school visits date should be 21st January not 23rd as shown.
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Group minutes
Minutes of the December meeting
December 2024
We have pleasure in attaching the minutes of our December meeting thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. They contain details of the group’s recent activities including a schools talk, carol singing and Write for Rights. Future activities are also listed and if you are thinking of joining us, coming along to one of those would be a good place to start. Seasons greetings to our readers!
December minutes (Word)DownloadRecent posts:
- Death penalty rage in US
- Illegal police surveillance of journalists
- 54th Vigil
- Group minutes
- Shameful media coverage
Correction: school visits date should be 21st January not 23rd as shown.
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Group minutes
Minutes of the December meeting
December 2024
We have pleasure in attaching the minutes of our December meeting thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. They contain details of the group’s recent activities including a schools talk, carol singing and Write for Rights. Future activities are also listed and if you are thinking of joining us, coming along to one of those would be a good place to start. Seasons greetings to our readers!
December minutes (Word)DownloadRecent posts:
- Death penalty rage in US
- Illegal police surveillance of journalists
- 54th Vigil
- Group minutes
- Shameful media coverage
Correction: school visits date should be 21st January not 23rd as shown.
-
Group minutes
Minutes of the December meeting
December 2024
We have pleasure in attaching the minutes of our December meeting thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. They contain details of the group’s recent activities including a schools talk, carol singing and Write for Rights. Future activities are also listed and if you are thinking of joining us, coming along to one of those would be a good place to start. Seasons greetings to our readers!
December minutes (Word)DownloadRecent posts:
Correction: school visits date should be 21st January not 23rd as shown.
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Anniversary supper
November 2024
Some members of the Amnesty group met last evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its foundation. We are, sad to say, the last surviving group in Wiltshire. As we have noted before, the founders in 1974 may have thought that human rights were now a part of the political agenda and that it might naturally wither on the vine especially when the Human Rights Act became law in the UK. That has not been the case and the need for vigilance is ever present.
The world situation is dire for millions in countries like Burma where the minorities such as the Rohingya are persecuted; China where the Uyghurs and Tibetans suffer monstrous persecution; sub Saharan Africa where wars rage and millions flee or are driven from their homes; Syria – although quiet at present – has been a country where large numbers have been killed or driven from their homes and currently, the Middle East where a fearsome death toll and suggestions of ethnic cleansing are taking place in Gaza.
In the UK, hostility to the HRA is ever present and was a fixture of Conservative party policy for some years. Only yesterday we reported on a Daily Mail article which gave its readers only partial details of a report critical of the HRA produced by a secretive think tank. Several of the tabloids and the right wing press generally have maintained a steady stream of anti human rights stories suggesting the act is a get out of gaol card for criminals, terrorists and assorted ne’er-do-wells.
The They Work for You website reveals that both local MPs – John Glen and Danny Kruger – generally vote against human rights proposals. Kruger has written often on this subject and we have reviewed some of his activities on this site. The last Conservative government passed several pieces of legislation to limit protests and giving more powers to the police to arrest people taking part in protests. Indeed, the issue of arrests of journalists was part of the last Salisbury Democracy Café debate on Saturday 9th.
Both internationally and in the UK, the continuing need for a spotlight on human rights issues is vital and the group hopes to carry on with this work in the years to come. We always welcome new members and the best thing is to follow this site or Facebook (salisburyai) to see what we are doing and come along and make yourself known. Oh, and we had a very enjoyable meal!
Pic: Jane Miller
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October 2024
Just when you think it cannot get worse, it does. The situation in Gaza, particularly in the northern enclave is dire. Bombing continues and plans to prevent food and other aid entering is underway. The Israeli government plans to ban the UN agency UNWRA. [Update: 29th October. This has been approved by the Knesset]. The Times newspaper in the UK claims that the agency is of value to Hamas and not ordinary Palestinians, a view similar to the Israeli government.
Further, there have been many allegations that UNWRA employees were engaged in the terror attack on 7 October 2023. Seven of the agency’s employees were dismissed after an investigation by the UN. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant alleges 30 of their employees were involved. He said in a Haaretz article that out of 13,000 employees, 1,468 were involved in terror organisations.
A representative of the National Unity Party spoke on BBC World at One today (28 October). They claimed that UNWRA was ‘rotten to the core’. The representative alleged that ‘most [of their staff] were Hamas activists’. Later she said that ‘70% were affiliated to Hamas’. The BBC interviewer tried gamely to interject saying that there was no evidence for these claims. It was admitted that a small number were involved as noted above. The interviewee was sure that the Knesset will vote in the measure today saying there was wide-spread support for it.
The problem as we have noted before is that there is a lack of independent verification for these various claims some of which are extremely wild. Claims that buildings are being used by terrorists are impossible to verify. Gaza is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to operate in. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 131 have died and 69 arrested. They believe 5 have been murdered by Israeli forces. The question is, if Israel is so certain that buildings are used by Hamas and people are being used by them as human shields, why not allow independent verification?
Over the weekend, Israeli forces bombed various military sites in Iran raising the tensions still further.
Meanwhile, in Salisbury the vigils continue and over 35 were in attendance on Saturday. We will gather again on Saturday 2 November when we shall be back to candles. Around 42,000 have died in Gaza according to Le Monde.
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October 2024
We are pleased to attach the minutes of the group’s meeting held on 10 October thanks to group member Lesley for their preparation. They are longer than normal minutes as they double as our newsletter. If you live in the south Wiltshire area you would be welcome to join us and we meet on the second Thursday of each month. A good idea is to make yourself known at an event we’re running. Joining us is free but there is a fee to join Amnesty International.
October minutes (Word)DownloadThe Salisbury group is 50 this year.