In the Western world today, fighting for freedom feels Quixotic, but I shall nevertheless wake early tomorrow to be at the Court of Session in Edinburgh by 9am to fight the proscription in Scotland of Palestine Action.
I remain extremely concerned for the lives of the Palestine Action hunger strikers. As I predicted, Starmer’s government sees their potential deaths as an opportunity to burnish their populist, right-wing and Zionist credentials.
Tomorrow morning’s hearing is limited by the judge to two points of UK government objection: that I have no standing to bring the case as I am not a member of Palestine Action, and that the Scottish courts should not hear an issue that is already being decided in the courts of England and Wales.
On standing, I give evidence by affidavit that there is no “Membership”. Palestine Action never had a membership structure. But I collaborated with and assisted the co-founders, Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard, almost from the start of the organisation. I spoke together with them on public platforms to urge support for Palestine Action (while it was legal), participated in a Palestine Action protest at an Elbit factory and provided advice and support.
Huda Ammori has submitted an affidavit which concludes thus:
12. Not only was Craig Murray actively supporting Palestine Action online, sharing
actions, and raising awareness of Palestine Action’s aims and strategy, he also
had joined the mass action himself against Elbit Systems’ UAV Tactical Systems
factory.
13. I also consider him a close friend and a confidant, who I would regularly speak
to about the challenges myself and others personally faced due to state
repression of Palestine Action. For the above reasons, I believe it is clear that
Craig Murray was both involved and an active supporter of Palestine Action and
is therefore extremely well placed to legally challenge the proscription of
Palestine Action.
I believe it would be an extremely illiberal interpretation of standing to throw out the case on the grounds I have no standing.
There is a Kafkaesque twist to this court case that shows the outrageous effects of the proscription. I wished to demonstrate the chilling effect on journalism, and limiting effect on freedom of speech, by illustrating the things I should like to write now on Palestine Action that the proscription makes it illegal to write.
My lawyers strongly advised me not to do this as it would lead to arrest and terrorism charges. Evidence in court is not privileged speech.
So I cannot tell the court what it is that the attack on my freedom of speech prevents me from saying. I thus cannot illustrate the absurd disproportionality of the restriction.
That is an example of the extraordinary black hole, sucking in freedoms, down which this proscription of a non-violent group has led us.
To move on to the second part of the argument, this is what my affidavit says on the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts:
21. But if particular status is needed I have it. I have participated in Palestine Action protests and have demonstrably supported them. I am a colleague and collaborator of Palestine Action’s founders. I am a journalist whose freedom of expression is being curtailed disproportionately. I have a demonstrable long-term particular interest in Palestine and in Article X and XI freedoms.
22. I am a Scot. I live in Scotland. Scotland is where I wish to publish my views in support of Palestine Action. Scotland is where my established Article X and XI human rights are being infringed.
23. I wish to seek the protection of the courts in my own jurisdiction against executive infringement of my rights within this jurisdiction.
24. As I understand it, the Scottish courts are not subservient or junior to the courts of England and Wales. Their opinion is equally valid and – crucially – the courts of Scotland have the absolute right to take a different view, even in a very similar or identical matter, to the court of England and Wales.
25. The disproportionate effect of the proscription of Palestine Action on individuals in Scotland has been appalling. Scores of peaceful people of entirely good character have been arrested on absurd pretence of “terrorism”.
26. Terrorism related charges are life changing. They do not only bring potential imprisonment. They bring loss of employment, debanking and loss of access to money, and severe international travel restriction….
40. In the Scottish legal tradition sovereignty rests with the people, not with the Crown in parliament.
41. In the English legal and constitutional tradition, parliament may do anything, be it ever so authoritarian. Parliament could legislate to repeal the Human Rights Act or cancel elections, and English courts would likely uphold that if properly passed through parliament and approved by the Crown.
42. I believe that the Scottish tradition of legal thought and practice should and does provide greater protection for the people from arbitrary and oppressive government, as expressed in the still in force Claim of Right. That is why I believe it is important for a Scottish court to hear this judicial review in Scotland for the protection of the people of Scotland from what I see as an arbitrary, oppressive, politically motivated and intellectually absurd executive action
We have been allocated Court No 1 in the Court of Session. This has a large public gallery, and I hope those able to do so will turn up for the hearing. It starts at 9.30am on Monday morning and we are asking people to rally outside from 9am. I realise that 9am on a Monday morning in a stormy Edinburgh January is not an attractive prospect, but I do believe it is important to show the judge that people really do care about these issues.
If we win, then there will be a full judicial review looking at the wider questions of genocide prevention and the right to take direct action, and the disproportionate effect of the proscription on freedom of speech and assembly.
For those who cannot be here in person the hearing will be livestreamed from 9.30am on Monday morning.
I am sorry to say this but we do need to still ask for donations to continue this forward. It is a very expensive thing to do. One thing the government relies on is that it has unlimited resources and we do not. If we can spread the burden across enough small contributions, we can do it.
I am extremely grateful to approximately 670 people who have already contributed. Every penny helps, but please do not cause yourself hardship.
You can donate through the link via Crowd Justice, which goes straight to the lawyers, or through this blog.
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/scottish-challenge-to-proscription/
Alternatively by bank transfer:
Account name
MURRAY CJ
Account number 3 2 1 5 0 9 6 2
Sort code 6 0 – 4 0 – 0 5
IBAN GB98NWBK60400532150962
BIC NWBKGB2L
Bank address NatWest, PO Box 414, 38 Strand, London, WC2H 5JB
Or crypto:
Bitcoin: bc1q3sdm60rshynxtvfnkhhqjn83vk3e3nyw78cjx9
Ethereum/ERC-20: 0x764a6054783e86C321Cb8208442477d24834861a
Small coin in the tin. Good luck with tomorrow.
One can’t legislate against bad faith. Good luck tomorrow.
Best of luck Craig. Fantastic work you’re doing. Amazing effort.
“Evidence in court is not privileged speech.” ????
Is this something where Scots law is different from English?
Or some recent legislative change in the UK?
Or what? My understanding is that the general principle is quite clear.
(Happy to look up the authorities and provide them if anyone needs that)
You’re probably thinking of privilege against use in a defamation suit, not privilege against use against the person in other proceediings such as a trial for “supporting terrorism”.
I think you have it wrong. A statement made while giving testimony in court can certainly incriminate the person giving the testimony. That is why a witness may refuse to answer a question, on the grounds that to answer would incriminate the witness. That’s “privilege against self-incrimination”, long established in common law.
Good luck in the morning from us here in Norfolk, boar. Lets hope there is some sense left in the Scottish judicial system.
Shall send you an encouragement support, City won today.
Who willl the Zionists have in the courtroom?
I believe not enough weight is being given to the following arguments.
1. If there is strong evidence that Israel is committing genocide then nothing should be done to encourage that.
2. The Crimes Act states its a crime to encourage violence overseas or words to that effect. Therefore its against the Crimes legislation to brand any organisation as terrorist if it encourages Israel to kill more civilians.
Put simply Israel must not be encouraged in any form or shape to commit genocide.
Peter, this is a hearing for the permission for judicial review which the judge has limited to questions only of my standing and of jurisdiction. That in itself may be ominous. The wider argument will come at the next stage should we get permission.
Good luck today Craig. As a member of SPSC, Scottish Greens and ardent supporter of Palestine and Scottish Independence, I salute your bravery dear comrade. Here’s hoping justice prevails for you, the hunger strikers, Palestine and all good people across the world. Free Palestine!
Disagree. Nothing also of a secondary nature should be done that encourages Israel to kill more civilians. That means any hindering of efforts to raise awareness of the genocide which includes the cancelling of your efforts. Preventing genocide is far more important than some procedural legal technicalities.
Peter; I wonder if you’re misreading Craig’s comment, or maybe the wider situation. Few people commenting here will dispute that Israel’s behaviour is genocidal; but this court case is not deciding anything on that question. It is merely looking at whether permission will be granted for a judicial review in Scotland on the issue of proscription. Unfortunately this does seem to hinge on procedural legal technicalities; it is what it is.
Once again disagree. Genocide is recognized as the greatest of all crimes. Its a no brainer that Craig has standing.
Lord Diplock’s Role
Lord Diplock, a British judge, was a key figure in the evolution of locus standi in English administrative law. His perspective, particularly in the case of R v Inland Revenue Commissioners, ex parte National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses (1982) AC 617, advocated for a more liberal approach to standing in public law.
He famously stated that it would be a “grave lacuna” in the public law system if a public-spirited individual or pressure group were prevented by outdated technical rules from bringing an unlawful government action to the court’s attention to vindicate the rule of law. This approach moved away from requiring a direct personal or proprietary loss and towards a “sufficient interest” test, evaluated based on the context of the case and the strength of the applicant’s interest.
Labelling anyone as terrorist when it is against the Crimes Act in that it enourages genocide surely is unlawful no matter the technicalities.
Excellent point Peter!
Break a leg tmrw, Craig – wish I cld witness proceedings from the gallery (am at Woolwich). Can the live stream be captured for subsequent viewing ?
So I cannot tell the court … the absurd disproportionality of the restriction on freedom of speech: Let the court hear that – QED!
Any video a person watches on their computer can be captured. One method is to point a camera at their screen. (Note: no advice here is offered about lawfulness or otherwise.)
A propos: livestream is currently available for out-of-hours viewing at the scotcourts.gov.uk/livestream site
as linked above, or https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/livestream/court-of-session/case-p1017-25/#6dcfe87a-d9b7-49ba-9f01-ad69b8ad9c45
Zionists are doing a Maidan Square on Iran. The result won’t be the same, but this time they’ve got their Pentagon pets on standby.
They try this every couple of years.
On the risks of political / judicial intimidation in these matters, have those using this blog, read Jonathan Cook’s piece(link below)? Sanctions against eight judges at the ICC, and the UN’s Francesca Albanese is being treated like a terrorist. It’s an absolutely horrifying abuse of power, that fully warrants Cook’s description of Trump as a vindictive gangster-in-chief. How is this even possible in 2026? Not only is the EU, under von der Leyen and Kallas, not using its powers to shield these individuals, being unjustly punished for simply doing their jobs with integrity, but they’re actually compiling their own lists.
“ICC judge Nicholas Gillou notes that Europe could show solidarity with the victims of these sanctions by invoking what is known as “a blocking statute”: – a mechanism that protects EU citizens and companies from the effects of sanctions imposed by third countries.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-venezuela-us-has-been-unmasked-serial-villain-2
Yvette Cooper tells Iran that “exercising the right to free speech and assembly should never come with the threat of.. reprisals”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/iran-yvette-cooper-foreign-secretary-keir-starmer-tehran-b1265922.html
Yvette Cooper defends arrest of more than 500 Palestine Action protesters, including many elderly, disabled, blind people.
https://news.sky.com/story/yvette-cooper-defends-arrest-of-more-than-500-people-after-palestine-action-protests-13410093
Response of British journalists and political class.. Hear! Hear! You tell em Foreign Secretary! British Morality! Decency! Values! etc, etc and so on.
😁
That’ll be, Yvette I’m a zionist, Israel firster and I’ve received a huge bung of Israeli cash Cooper.
Ask any political journalist why they’ve never mentioned that fact (and never will) and they would insist it’s not true/ is irrelevant.
zoot
January 12, 2026 at 12:00
I’m not English and am no admirer of the English state.
But to equate the brutal theocratic Iranian State – which guns down its people protesting in the street and hangs opponents – with the nasty control freak English State – which arrests people protesting in the street and locks them up – is just absurd.
The BBC and Israel will be proud of you, way to go Johnny!
Stevie Boy
January 12, 2026 at 22:49
That’s just abuse Young Stephen.
Here’s a question, where would you prefer to live; Engerland (sic) or the charming Islamic Republic of Iran?
That’s irrelevant because the issue is that the BBC/Israel/UK/USA/etc. are funding and supporting regime change in Iran. The fact that Iran is weeding out and executing the fifth columnists should be applauded, we need similar repercussions for the fifth columnists in the UK. Chinn, Starmer, Cooper, etc. should take note, because that’s where their traitorous actions ultimately lead.
Iran is a beautiful country a repository of the world’s history. I would love to visit the place but I’m more than happy living in England, gods country !
However, you continue believing what the BBC tells you if it comforts you.
The fact that Iran is weeding out and executing the fifth columnists should be applauded,
So anyone with a differing opinion to you is a 5th Columnist and deserves to die?
Stevie, you have absolutely no idea about Iran. I however do, because I have been married to an Iranian woman for thirty five years. Just after the revolution in 1979, two of her cousins were executed by the regime and the shell casings from the bullets used to execute them, were sent to their families. I have been there four times and the people are lovely, but they are not free. Every time my wife went there on her own, I was nervous, frightened that she wouldn’t return. The regime is absolutely evil and they are now acting behind a cover of internet blackout, slaughtering thousands of their own people. I don’t want to see the US/Trump in charge of Iran, or the son of the late Shah. I want to see an Iran where they have a proper government and democracy, where women can walk around without having to be bound by the Islamic hijab rules. From what you have said in your posts, you seem to be making excuses for the regime and if that is true, then shame on you.
Andy, with respect, you have no idea what I do or don’t know about Iran. I don’t know you, you don’t know me, so let’s not assume.
The recent history of Iran is a litany of western interference, you can safely attribute every death over the last 70 odd years either directly or indirectly to the west, primarily the UK, USA and Israel. What happens in Iran is purely a matter for Iran, nothing whatsoever to do with the west. What we are seeing at this moment is a concerted effort by the west and their corrupt organisations to implement a regime change. If they succeed, what you will see is another Libya, Syria, Iraq type utter destruction of the country, the stealing of all its assets by the west and the balkanisation of the country into ungovernable tribal feifdoms. This is the perverse democracy or western sickness you are wishing on Iran. You need to wake up to what’s going on and where it could lead. Shame on you.
The English state kills far more people than the Iranian state does – but they’re in other countries, so I suppose that’s ok then.
Clark
January 12, 2026 at 23:08
I think that you’ll find that the Islamic Republic has killed quite a few people, at home and abroad.
A filthy theocracy.
“I think that you’ll find that the Islamic Republic has killed quite a few people, at home and abroad.”
Yes, but not more than than the filthy oligarchy that is the UK, which was Clark’s point.
“A filthy theocracy”
Really, Mr Kinsella,
The above description could equally as well have applied to your home country until very recently. I suspect you have first hand experience of the almost total political control the Catholic Church had over the Irish Republic until well into the second half of the 20th century.
The only difference was that the theocrats in your country didn’t resort to judicial murder, they abused and molested young children and adolescents instead. Not a lot better really.
Re: ‘The English state kills far more people than the Iranian state does’
Last year, the British police killed two people, Clark, and its armed forces killed three people in Syria (all ISIS members). Your statement is only correct if you count the roughly 300,000 foetuses aborted that year as people.
I’d suggest your numbers are widely off and maybe cherry picked. If you’re going to count foetuses then you’d better include covid vax deaths, end of life NHS deaths, traffic deaths, prison deaths, special forces deaths and joint operations deaths, etc. BTW abortion in the UK is legal and mostly a personal choice made by women, like it or not. IMO.
Thanks for your reply Stevie. I would suggest that if you’re going to claim that my figures are widely out, you provide some evidence to support that statement. The government offers free Covid vaccines to over 65’s and the vulnerable. It’s their choice whether or not to take up the offer and have the shit injected into them. As for end-of-life care pathways, in many cases, people such as my old man, have literally signed Do not Resuscitate forms. Are you suggesting that most people end their days on a life-support machine, at huge cost to the NHS?*
I’m aware that abortion is legal in the UK up to 24 weeks (up to birth if the baby has a birth defect such as cleft palate), and that women will now not be prosecuted for illegal abortions after 24 weeks. In each case, the UK government has given them the right to kill their unborn child – who, of course, has no choice in the matter. Many people would hold the government jointly responsible for every death – now around 10 million since 1967.
* This happens to around a third of Americans, since it allows hospitals to bleed people’s estates dry.
“Last year, the British police killed two people, ”
Do try to finish reading the comment before putting finger to keyboard. If you’d done that, you would have seen that it goes on to say “– but they’re in other countries, so I suppose that’s ok then.”
JK redux
After the events during Euromaidan, in Ukraine, the BBC ran a report on Newsnight, about how there were hidden military snipers – they weren’t there on the orders of the govt – these shot at and killed protesters inflaming the volatile crowd against Yanukovych. This while Victoria Nuland handed out food below. Pompeo boasted on X that Mossad agents were among those protesting on the streets in Iran, no doubt among those in balaclavas throwing molotovs? The US and Israel are desperate to see the Islamic regime fall. I won’t attribute blame but will ask: who gains from protesters being shot? Certainly not the fragile regime.
In Syria, we were told by the BBC et al , that the uprising against Assad there was totally spontaneous and organic. Yet we later found out that the CIA, under an Operation codenamed Timber Sycamore, funded, trained and armed the jihadists.With factual examples like these, what to believe, is far from clear. The regime today rallied a very large number of people for a demo, denouncing the violent rioters. Trump is clearly looking for any pretext to attack.
Goose
January 12, 2026 at 23:10
Come on Goose. I suppose that you believe that the people hanged for “offences against God” in Iran are actually victims of Mossad agents?
I wonder why the regime has blocked internet access if they have nothing to hide?
JK redux
I’ve no idea who they are/were and whether the claims are false. My instinct is, they were probably random captured rioters.
Were I Iranian, I likely wouldn’t support the regime because I’m agnostic; thus,I don’t believe there is any basis for theocratic rule full stop. And from all reports the clerics aren’t an admirable bunch. But nor would I want the sort of bloody, violent revolution some seem to be craving for that country in the West. The US and Israel want to see Iran neutered – it’s potentially rich with oil, it’s well-educated, in fact 70% of all university STEM graduates in Iran are women believe it or not. Something that can’t be said for Afghanistan, the country Trump abandoned ; a country where women now aren’t even allowed an education! The whole ‘free the women of Iran!’ messaging from western celebs, is utterly absurd, given women live under a far more repressive, stricter regime in Saudi Arabia.
Iran : whether to support calls for change or not? Has become a rather inflamed debate on the left, with anti-imperialists like Prof. David Miller, insisting you can’t give the ‘regime changers’ an inch in terms of supporting any calls for change. Because the whole process risks being hijacked ; taken from the Iranian people by the likes of the US and Israel, who’ll shape an Iran serving their interests : a client state buying US weapons – another KSA. I understand his position.
The Internet was blocked to cut off the access to the starlink terminals that the CIA had provided to the fifth columnists agitators to coordinate the chaos. The same tactic that Russia has employed in Ukraine and for the same reasons. It has proved effective.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/01/regime-change-riots-in-iran-fail-faster-than-expected.html#comments
Imagine thinking in terms of freedom to use the internet when there’s important stuff happening on the streets.
Could be that the agitation in Iran is not aimed at creating any kind of stable system of government in that country but rather as a lead-up to an attack on its territory by the USA and the Zionists, and in the case of the Zionists also in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and elsewhere in Palestine.
For those keeping watch on the USA side of this, there’s TACO, for sure, but there’s also Greenland – and Venezuela for that matter.
At the risk of sounding too much like Henry Kissinger, there’s also South Africa, which is an important member of BRICS (see military exercises), where the government has called out the Zionist genocide in Palestine, and which itself has been targeted by Trump and Musk as committing “genocide of whites”. (Wait – Musk uses the word “fascist” as an insult?)
Brian Red
That could well be the case. For example, on US ABC News clips I’ve seen online, there is footage of what looks like a sports hall, with people walking around what are assumed to be bodies(not visible) in bags, some are just strewn on metal tables.. This footage isn’t verified of course, it could be staged or anything. But ABC News is playing it on a loop – to distress its viewers and condition them to support any military actions. What’s odd, is how there are no authorities around; no police, no guards, no soldiers, just people mulling around what are assumed to be bodies. And I’d wager the US networks don’t care if it is false, much like BBC didn’t care if footage from Syria was staged. Because that’s secondary to selling a narrative ; namely, that US intervention is necessary.
US news media, like the UK’s BBC’s is truly a tool of war propaganda.
“I suppose that you believe that the people hanged for “offences against God” in Iran are actually victims of Mossad agents?”
Why wouldn’t they be, or are you maintaining that Mossad had absolutely nothing to do with the rioting?
JK Redux
Starlink was blocked I hear because opponents were being organised via the internet to cause trouble.
I also read that 100 plus police officers were killed – two young men were burnt to death in a Mosque and young woman was shot as well by protesters armed with pistols and maybe rifles.
No-one ( including myself ) actually knows any numbers of deaths so the above is not fact.
But neither are the American based Human Rights organisations that are used as ‘proof ‘ from the BBC
for the public proven neither.
We do know the name of the young woman who was shot on the protests but we don’t know the name of the young nurse who was shot by protesters.
Who armed these people – I suspect that is known but not asked about.
It depends who’s side you are on I imagine.
Liberals and lefties are – as usual tying themselves in moral knots because they hate Trump but, don’t mind him trying to force regime Change in Iran.
Suggesting that The Ayatollah is worse than Trump.
The set up for these regime Changes is always the same :
We democrats are good – our enemies are bad in fact evil.
Surely you Liberals and lefties must back us on who is the most evil?
We’re bad sometimes but , not as bad as the really evil ones.
It’s the political/military Bedtime Story with Monsters and it’s as old as the hills.
Simple enough for myself as I am an anti Imperialist and if the Iranians want to create a different Iran – it is up to them to do that and not some fake Western Democrats who pretend to give a toss and like The Ukranian people they don’t actually give a crap as to what happens to them either way as long as they win and not the people.
I would ask anyone to name me a country that has improved after the West has ‘ intervened ‘ in history.
I can’t think of one and still this facade of democracy good – any other bad nonsense is gone along with.
Meanwhile Trump’s big threat ( so far ) is 25% tarrifs on Iranian Oil customers.
Must be a bit wary of attacking at the moment.
I wonder why?
Mark M Cutts
Some are saying the anti-Zionist left are being naïve in believing the enemy(Iran), of my enemy (Netanyahu’s expansionist Israel) is my friend.
But that is precisely how the United States operates :
The United States removed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a Uighur separatist group, from its list of “terrorist organizations” in November 2020.
The U.S. removed the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) from its Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list in September 2012.
Both used terrorism, and the MEK were a particularly brutal outfit at one point.
I can see that recent events in Iran are causing problems to those who Craig once dismissed as ‘fuckwits’; those who believe that the West is all evil so by inference any nation that opposes the West must be beyond reproach; good through and through. Evidence that not everybody in Iran is marching in lockstep behind the Ayatollahs against Israel and the Great Satan has rather upset the apple cart. Especially as the influencers that could provide guidance seem to be largely silent.
So of course it has to all have been staged by Mossad/CIA/MI6, the idea that people might have finally become fed up with decades of oppression, stagnant wages, rocketing inflation, shortages and a worthless currency doesn’t come into it. Five hundred plus shot dead on the streets? Well either faked or they deserved it like the 1,922 or more executed by the regime last year.
“Well either faked or they deserved it like the 1,922 or more executed by the regime last year.”
And how many were executed by the Pahlavi regime which the US seems keen on bringing back? or any of the many other dictators that the US has installed in various countries over the years?
The protests might have been sparked by the poor handling of the economy by the government, although, of course, you don’t mention the effect of years of sanctions, but that doesn’t mean that they would have turned violent without a little help from outside, or do you think that the Iranians are incapable of protesting peacefully, unlike us civilised white people? I suppose you can always take the view that it is all the fault of the ayatollahs, because they annoyed the mighty US and brought on sanctions, and the Iranian people would be much better off under a dictator who the US likes and lets the US and the UK buy all their oil for cents and sell it for dollars, as then there would be no sanctions.
strange that you can get a number as precise as 1992 out of a supposedly despotic theocracy that has imposed supposedly a digital blackout. Which impartial observer(!) is counting the corpses and working out who fired the bullets then? Meanwhile there are massive pro-regime demonstrations going on.
The people of Iran have lived under dictatorship for decades, ever since the successful trades Union led revolution of 1979 failed to achieve the democracy and national control of its resources, that throwing out the shah had been intended to achieve. Iranians have lived in fear of being outed as supporters of that revolution. They didn’t have a Chávez or Castro to consolidate a mandate to manage the nation’s wealth to benefit its citizens. Many of those who had such high hopes then still hope for better government than the ayatollah led system. Their hope is being encouraged by the anarchist element that works to destabilise but not deliver this outcome.
Of course Israel has worked to encourage the diverse elements to serve its agenda, but the new American administration is not like any they have known before.
We are ashamed of our leaders for their absence of moral integrity, but the world is a much more dangerous place for truth to raise its head in the face of power.
https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2026/january/13/why-trump-really-kidnapped-maduro
Our host shines a light of moral integrity into the darkness of fake news and mainstream media collusion. He shows us that principles must continue to matter in frameworks of law and accountability. But the goalposts have moved and this clip shows exactly how far things have shifted at this point, now.
Pears Morgaine
You’re twisting what people post and making straw man arguments as many apologists for imperialism do. Nobody here is arguing the regime in Iran is ideal nor even good. But it is at least clearly organic and truly sovereign Iranian, insomuch as, it won’t follow the US’s instruction. So many countries, even in the West, have hollowed-out politics; where political debate has been emasculated, replaced with forms of managerialism, guided by subservience to the US and increasingly, Israel.
No one disputes there are protests in Iran, organic, spontaneous protests, over genuine hardship. What people are saying is,outside powers are exploiting or hijacking those protests to push their ‘regime change’ agenda. If you were wanting regime change – and this would probably work in any country – shooting protesters and blaming the authorities – generating even bigger protests, would be a likely way to do it.
Even in the US, the outrage over the Kent State massacre on May 4, 1970, during a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by the United States. Had big repercussions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings
The US is on edge already, a deeply polarised country after the shooting by ICE agents of Renee Good in Minnesota. If some outside power wanted to create chaos by hijacking protests in the US, it’d probably be very easy indeed. That’s why it is wrong.
“So of course it has to all have been staged by Mossad/CIA/MI6
Looks like the Jerusalem Post agrees with you there: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-881733 or are they “fuckwits”, too?
I dare say Mossad are trying to exploit the situation but that’s very different from them having instigated it from the start.
Meanwhile an Iranian official has admitted that the death toll could be 2,000 or more and the first protester to be arrested, Erfan Soltani, is set to be hung tomorrow; so he got a fair trial…
https://parliamentnews.co.uk/iran-executes-nearly-1922-people-in-2025-amid-spy-crackdown
Some sources put the figure at 2,200 but Iran are still the good guys, aren’t they?
what “source”? A media outlet is not a source of bodycount stats.
PMorgaine
On [X] Max Blumenthal posted this :
“Western media is relying heavily on two NGOs for death counts and data from Iran
Both are based in Washington and funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, the US intelligence cutout that has spent millions on fueling regime change in Iran.”
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/01/12/western-media-riots-iran-govt-regime-change/
Well Blumenthal has his own reasons for playing down the death toll and trying to shift blame from the regime but how does he know any better than the NGOs he’s so keen to slag off?
The 2,000 figure is as close to official as we’re likely to get. It includes 135 security service personnel, and it’s expected that the real toll will prove to be somewhat higher.
https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-protests-tehran-acknowledges-2000-deaths-as-us-pressure-escalates-1.500407132
Pears Morgaine
But isn’t it the case, that when the US wants regime change, it wouldn’t matter if only a couple of hundred were protesting. US media could hype the desire for violent revolution in the country using limited evidence.
Look at Venezuela, reporting vs reality. The CIA and MI6 have a long history of creating their own realities, using propaganda and falsehoods, to manipulate and get the desired consent in fellow citizens, for say military interventions.
Have you heard of, or seen the movie Wag the Dog (1997)?
The President mired in a sexual scandal involving an underage girl, has someone construct a fictional war in Albania, hoping that the media will concentrate on this instead .The war, complete with a theme song and fake film footage of a fleeing orphan to arouse sympathy.
The internet being off, may actually suit the US, as claims from these US NGO’s aren’t being contested.
The Iranian authorities outplayed again.
Pears Morgaine
Have you ever asked yourself the question as to why the US ( ostensibly The West) put sanctions on countries.
It is not to lower the price of food etc in fact it is totally the opposite.
That’s where a big Imperialist nation starts its moves.
The sanctions -then tariffs on that countries customers and deliberately causes misery for the people.
Then inflation etc stirs up the masses ( unsurprisingly) then a version of a Colour Revolution ( a genuine one at the beginning as in Ukraine) then you find that the elected leader has to leg it – that’s called a Coup.
Then the Regime Changing country interferes in elections to make sure it preferred people run the show.
This narrative has been played out on TV and the News for years and still the allegedly educated media and politicians fall for it time after time.
And do you know why they do?
It is the same reason that they do the same with Israel and Gaza – they dare not oppose the US and any country that does will be sanctioned themselves.
This is why Europe is powerless for the simple reason that they have little power and are fearful of US consequences.
They all hate Trump but they quiver in fear at his wrath.
The Iranians it appears are not quivering in fear.
I don’t know how all this will pan out but, if I was an adviser to Trump I would not recommend attacking Iran again.
If Trump is stupid enough to do that then Tel -Aviv at a minimum will be attacked and many ports and biggish Israel cities too.
They are first.
The Straits of Hormuz will be blocked – the price of oil and gas will rocket and inflation across the Western World will rise.
And worst of all for Trump and Kuschner – the Gaza project will be off.
Or maybe nothing will happen – who knows?
History tells us that nothing never happens though.
“I dare say Mossad are trying to exploit the situation but that’s very different from them having instigated it from the start.”
Presumably you didn’t bother actually reading the article, or you would have seen this:
Following the war, Mossad Director David Barnea released a rare statement foreshadowing the spy agency’s activities in Tehran, telling the general public that Israel “will [continue to] be there, like we have been there.”
Jk Redux
Yvette Cooper is a senior member of a government that has been participating in the Gaza Genocide. She led the political charge in Britain to arrest people who protested that genocide as terrorists.
You might argue that she only supports genocide not foreign regimes that are even more repressive than Starmer’s.
But there’s also the unfortunate reality that Britain helps to prop up the majority of the world’s most repressive regimes.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-03-11-britain-backs-most-of-the-worlds-repressive-regimes-new-analysis-shows/
That permanent reality is kept hidden by a British media now up on its hind legs about Iran.
Those journalists have also issued no condemnatory words for the aiding of an actual genocide by the British and other western governments for two years.
They are not the only ones.
So forgive me if I view your opinions on Iran in the same light as those of Yvette and the British media.
Forgive me.
“But to equate the brutal theocratic Iranian State – which guns down its people protesting in the street and hangs opponents – with the nasty control freak English State – which arrests people protesting in the street and locks them up – is just absurd.”
The absurdity is all yours, since no-one else has made that equation.
Bayard
The US is now telling all US citizens to leave Iran immediately. And Pears Morgaine thinks the US has nothing to do with this. 🙂
Trump has imposed an immediate extra 25% tariff on Iran’s trading partners. The Chinese should rip up the deal on rare earths and freeze access. If Trump bombs Iran’s oil infrastructure, Iran could target KSA’s fields and Qatar, and all the others as they previously threatened to. Sending the oil price soaring.
Trump is unpredictable, a cowardly bully, but dangerous too. If he ever picks a fight and starts taking losses, he’d likely try to blame someone else. He’d fire Hegseth and senior military personnel, and probably lose all appetite for further military adventurism. But… there is also a risk he does something insane, overruling advice. It’s an appalling situation, how such a man has so much executive power.
Bayard
Plausible conspiracy theory : Trump illegally seized Venezuela’s oil as an insurance policy against Iran taking ME oil offline : either by blocking the Strait of Hormuz or taking out KSA oil infrastructure and Qatari Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production and storage. US oil executives are worried though, because hey have no legal right to operate there unless Venezuela give in.
These ‘regime change’ operations tend to be planned well in advance, in conjunction with the CIA, DoW and State Dept.
The US is now telling all US citizens to leave Iran immediately. And Pears Morgaine thinks the US has nothing to do with this.
The US is about to do something unpleasant to Iran although they haven’t decided what but regardless of anything that sounds like good advice. Like their British counterparts the US has been advising its citizens not to travel to Iran for some time.
P Morgaine
And when Trump starts bombing, all the very precise numbers we’ve been presented with by the media regarding protest deaths, won’t be matched by figures telling us how many Iranians the US is killing.
The protest deaths are terrible, but no worse than the average day in Gaza. But those politicians expressing concern for Iranians, for the most part don’t give a shit about Gaza, revealing their duplicitous pro-Israel agenda.
There seems to be an awful lot of loud talking from the United States these days to the point where I wonder whether they really have “a big stick” anymore.
All those accounts on ‘X’ feigning concern for Iranian protesters. They’ll switch seamlessly to explaining why Trump’s killing is justified.
I don’t think the US can force regime change using air power alone though. So assume the IRGC may be compromised from within? Attacking IRGC bases shouldn’t yield big results, as they are such an obvious target – surely the Iranians have dispersed forces and emptied those bases. And attacking civilian police stations will just infuriate all Iranians.
American public opinion is understandably rapidly turning against Trump, down to 36% approval now, with 60% disapproval. He and his party appear to be heading for disaster in November. The whole unique selling point of Trump’s campaign was non-interventionism, even anti-imperialist journalist, Glenn Greenwald, was moderately supportive.
Jack
“We were just chanting Javid Shah [Long live the king] and plain clothes killers infiltrated the people a few lines ahead and shot point blank, from behind, with guns directly at their head. We ran away and we don’t even know if they picked up the dead bodies”
Shot from behind by people in plain clothes? That sounds like something the IDF would do, given they have no qualms shooting kids in Gaza, I just don’t see any upside from this behaviour for Iranian authorities.
Why do some find it so hard to believe Iran may have been infiltrated by Mossad et al? When it’s happened before already. It may be ultra dangerous to protest and not for the reasons people there think.
“”As protesters burn Iranian cities, Western media ignores the shocking wave of violence, relying on U.S.-funded NGOs for data. The one-sided portrayal has helped push Trump to the brink of renewed U.S. attacks.”
https://consortiumnews.com/2026/01/14/western-media-whitewashes-deadly-riots-in-iran/?unapproved=517984&moderation-hash=310906abe78819c7c03e8cdd4b11866b#comment-517984
Shades of Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, Gaza, etc. All so transparent but the masses remain blind.
Strange how everything seems to go Israel’s way: Got rid of Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad, (pro-palestinian Maduro) and now they might be able to plunge Iran into real chaos.
Having said that the government of Iran have walked right into this trap by US/Israel, having failed with their intelligence to stop the obvious violent groups, some of them directed by Israel/US but also failed by taking such hardline position.
I fear Trump will now begin to bomb within days.
Absurdly, the american military tried to get Trump to let go of the Greenland question and urged him instead to let off some steam by… attacking Iran:
“According to the Daily Mail, Trump asked the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare invasion plans, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff are pushing back, arguing that the move would be illegal and lack congressional support. One source told the paper that senior generals “have tried to distract Trump by talking about less controversial measures,” such as a “strike on Iran.””
https://swentr.site/news/630802-trump-plan-invade-greenland/
Notice how the main BBC News never mentions the illegality of any of Trump’s actions. Typically, reports on Ukraine, lead with Russia’s ‘unprovoked, illegal’ invasion.
Trump wants to merely “acquire” Greenland according to the BBC. They were issuing guidance to their staff, not to use the term ‘kidnapped’ when referencing Maduro. There is clearly far too much security service (MI6) involvement in editorial decisions at the BBC – likely stemming from the World service involvement, the latter they don’t deny.
And don’t get me started on Robbie Gibb.
The death toll has, according to western media, suddenly jumped from 500 – BBC, to now to an absurd 12,000- 20,000 according to two US NED NGO’s based in Washington. The protests we were told, were dying down, so where have 20,000 extra dead come from? Of course, the atrocious EU leadership is parroting these figures and not the BBC’s earlier vastly more modest estimate.
These casualty figures could be the big lie; Iraq’s was WMD. And as Israel and Trump have shown in Gaza, they care not a jot about Muslim lives. If anyone is shooting innocent protesters in furtherance of a regime change agenda in Iran, it’ll be them.
Let’s not forget what happened last time Israel supported by the USA attacked Iran. Within a very short time Israel was begging for a ceasefire. Iran’s capabilities shouldn’t be discounted and they are better prepared this time. The fifth columnist traitors within Iran won’t have any special protections if Trump starts bombing, they’ll die just like everyone else,
‘Israel raises airforce alert amid reports of possible strike on Iran. Tehran accuses US of seeking pretexts for intervention’
Goose
Yes still, is it not strange that the western media that is always so critical of Trump but when Trump threat or wages war, they suddenly become the biggest supporters of Trump?
Pears Morgaine @all
BBC : US discussing options to acquire Greenland including using military, White House says
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyg1jg8xkmo
Now imagine:
Russia discussing options to acquire Latvia including using military, Kremlin says
China discussing options to acquire Taiwan including using military, Beijing says
It’d be unthinkable.
This is what I mean about the BBC whitewashing or normalising illegal acts.
Looks like the UK press are trying to tarnish the Scottish Independence movement by linking it with the Iranian regime. The claim : is that pro-inde accounts stopped posting during Iran’s internet blackout? I’ve no idea as to the veracity of these claims and whether such an attribution is justified. The UK govt is said to be investigating though, which shows how paranoid and skittish(not Scottish) they are about foreign interference. Though, I find it hard to believe the Iranians would bother, especially since the SNP have no interest in independence.
In the unlikely event it is true. I would never condone such behaviour, but the UK does interfere massively in Iran, in the form of its sanctions policy. And while on the subject, I don’t remember a similar furore over the fact that in September 2014, on the eve of the referendum, around 2,000 members of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland traveled to Edinburgh to march with Scottish members in support of the Union. An assistant grand master stated they needed to stand by their “Scottish brethren” when the Union was under threat”.
How is that not interference?
The piece claims these ‘bogus Scots’ used European VPNs but the Iranian(Farsi) version of the X app.
This isn’t the sort of amateurish OPSEC mistake a state would make, surely? If they’re fluent in English acquiring an English version would be simple.
The professional way to do it, i.e. as a nation state would likely choose, would be to set up their own virtual private server in Europe, maybe multiple ones using hardware they control, via embassy staff or undercover agents. And use European language versions of [X] or no app. I doubt a nation state would use commercial VPNs, the piece has limited detail, only stating : routing traffic through European VPN infrastructure., as they wouldn’t trust the ‘no logs’ policies of even well-respected VPN providers like Mullvad.
All the UK press seem to be running this story as if some ‘slam dunk’ closed case. And it is far from proven, it’s not impossible some pro-inde Scots speak Farsi, as their primary language, live in Europe and use VPNs..
Latest update now due to possible US air strikes:
‘Airspace activity has reduced over Iran as of 17:30 UTC amid escalating regional tensions. Media reports say some personnel were told to leave a US military base in Qatar, while several countries including Italy, India, the United States, and Australia have urged their citizens to evacuate. German authorities have also warned airlines against flying through Iranian airspace amid growing fears of possible US strikes on Iran.’
Goose
China will invade Taiwan at a time of its choosing, said a SOAS spokesman many years ago. The plans for a comprehensive landing force have been prepared during exercises in the seas surrounding the island. I believe there was a lease, similar to Hong Kong which has ended and Taiwan then belongs to China. The rare earths factories will need relocating. It is suggested that Greenland has untapped reserves.
Today we learn that Starmer has signed a contract with China, allowing it to build a massive embassy in the heart of London, with deep underground structures that will take it into close proximity with major power and communications cables. France and Germany have had meetings with Xi and now Starmer has an appointment too. Germany is relocating its motor industry to China because, since Nordstream was cut, fuel costs have soared exorbitantly and so manufacturing is uneconomical in Germany.
Nothing stays the same. Everything is in flux.
We should know from Hinckley C that once a contract has been signed China does not do u turns. Osborne wanted to give back the £40million advance sweetener and withdraw from that agreement, but China said No.
Good luck
I live in Highlands Ranch CO. Can you develop an easy way to donate for expat Scots like me? ………………………William Gunn
CrowdJustice appears to take Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. I assume all can be used internationally.
Donated.
“Palestine Action hunger strikers are still the state’s responsibility”
Former appeals court judge Stephen Sedley argues that it is entirely within the DPP/ AG power to grant bail, and the fate of these unconvicted hunger strikers is absolutely the state’s responsibility:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/12/palestine-action-hunger-strikers-are-still-the-states-responsibility
Anyone listened to the courts judgement? Have they shirked and postponed a judgement?
if there were people in Russia that was on hunger strike, starving protesting the russian invasion, oh we would all know their names just like that, there would be sanctions by EU, there would be concerted campaigns by the western media filled with condemnations and sympathy for the jailed ones, so how come more westerns do not see this brazen double standards and moral corruption that goes on right in the open in the West? Jailing people because they protest genocide, what have become of this Western world?
Look at the police chief being put through the ninth circle over banning Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans. Would there be any interest from parliament and party leaders had he banned any other nation’s riotous football fans? To answer my own question: obviously not.
Birmingham has a large Muslim population and these fans are notorious for chanting vile things about Gazan schools, ripping down Palestinian flags etc. if they had been allowed and it resulted in running street battles with many police injured and fans injured or killed, these selfsame MPs would be demanding to know why the fans weren’t prevented from coming.
The police chief was probably under pressure not to draw attention to the events in Paris, after the match in Amsterdam. Following the attacks on Muslim taxi drivers in Holland they put a police cordon round the match in Paris, ushering the Israeli fans in and out, and advised Muslim taxi drivers to take 3 days off. The offensive chants were intended to arouse animosity, and provoke a response. Birmingham would have had to manage a similar invasion of Zionist extremists. Really, at this point in time, it is a start to exclude British citizens who have served in the IDF..
Multiculturalism and democracy need a steady hand on the tiller in this rocky world.
Alyson
Let’s put it this way.
The BBC retrospectively covered their back sides as usual.
The Chief Constable’s job anywhere is to prevent breaches of the peace.
Even if it was an Atheist V Agnostics match.
The BBC would have been all over the Chief Constable if people from either side ( including the latching on Zionist supporting England fans) and demanded his head due to injury and death.
He was put under severe pressure to allow the Maccabi (fans?) to go to the match by the government and the MSM.
And the idea of AI being used for the wrong conclusions is laughable when thinking about Israel and their AI Bots with burnt babies hanging on washing lines and rapes etc etc.
You would be forgiven for thinking that The Dutch Police told him and his officers outright lies and if I were The Dutch Police I would put the record straight.
The Chief Constable could not take the risk of injuries or death on either side.
He was right and the government and the BBC are wrong.
It could have got really ugly and the idea that the Maccabi (fans?) were being treated differently is the usual
Anti – Semitic response.
It’s becoming worn now out due to over – use.
I truly hadn’t realised what a looking glass world we live in. I thought people actually knew how dangerous the Maccabi fans were, but the UK disinformation service seemingly did a very thorough brainwash, wrinse, and spin of the facts.
https://x.com/DoubleDownNews/status/2011448416455311440
EU looking to acquire Greenland?
‘France is sending troops, aircraft and ships to Greenland for European drills, as President Macron urges Europe to defend Danish sovereignty amid US President Trump’s takeover threats’
Trump’s ‘BOARD OF PEACE’ for Gaza announced:
– Tony Blair
– Marco Rubio
– Steve Witkoff
– Jared Kushner 👀
– Marc Rowan
– Ajay Banga
– Robert Gabriel
Craig’s Tweet and replies here:
https://xcancel.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/2016102054909923496#m
Craig Murray
@CraigMurrayOrg
20m
I GOT THE JUDICIAL REVIEW IN SCOTLAND!!!!!!!
Of the legality in Scots law of the proscription of Palestine Action in Scotland.
Full judicial review 17 to 18 March at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
The judge Lord Young’s decision just landed.
Jan 27, 2026 · 10:52 AM UTC
alan madden
@alanmad48496181
18m
Fantastic Craig Scotland salutes you sir
Gordon Scottish not British
@Gordon_______
9m
Well done.
Anita King
@Neetpetite1
6m
Fantastic
red_mocha2022
@red_mocha2022
4m
Well done.
Alexandre Takacs
@alexandretakacs
10m
That’s certainly one step in the good direction 👍
More funding needed 🙄
Excellent, Craig, what will Westmonster think, just before the local elections?