Ryu289 - Untitled

Some good news to start your week: Last year, London anti-fascist S. was charged with "assault" for his role in preventing Immigration officers from kidnapping refugees that they intended to dump in Rwanda, despite ample witnesses and video evidence showing that the person being assaulted was S. himself by those very same Immigration officers! S. had to hire a solicitor to fight the charges. The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund, along with S.'s friends, put together the fund to hire a decent one. Last week, S. had his trial and was found not guilty on all charges! This is yet another example of how important the work of The Defence Fund is in ensuring that anti-fascists are properly defended in the courts. Please help us ensure that anti-fascists are always able to vigorously defend themselves against false charges - make a contriubtion to the Defence Fund today!

bbc.com

West Bank: Israel Defense Forces accused of possible war crime

UN expert says death of 8-year-old appears to violate law after reviewing evidence gathered by BBC.

In the early afternoon of 29 November last year, several Palestinian boys descended on to their street in the occupied West Bank, where they often played together.Minutes later, two of them lay dead from gunshots fired by Israeli soldiers - Basil, 15, and eight-year-old Adam. As part of an investigation into the conduct of Israel's security forces in the West Bank, which has been under military occupation for more than half a century, the BBC has pieced together what happened on the day the two boys were killed. Mobile phone and CCTV footage, information about the movements of Israel's military, witness testimony and detailed investigation of the scene, including taking measurements, combine to reveal evidence suggesting serious human rights violations. The evidence we found has prompted Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, to say the death of Adam appears to be a "war crime".Another legal expert, Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, described the use of lethal force as “indiscriminate”. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the circumstances of the deaths were “under review” but said “live fire is used only in order to remove immediate threats or for arrest purposes, following arrest protocols after exhausting other options”.

Video footage from 29 November shows Basil standing next to a hardware store, its shutters firmly locked down. When Israel's military arrives, shops close quickly in Jenin, a city in the West Bank - Palestinian territory which, unlike Gaza, is not run by Hamas. Witnesses said gunfire had been ringing out from a nearby operation by Israel's army in the Jenin refugee camp. Adam, a football fanatic and massive Lionel Messi fan, stood with his older brother Baha, 14. There were about nine boys on the street in total, all captured on CCTV cameras that provided a nearly 360-degree view of what happened next.

A few hundred metres away, a convoy of at least six armoured Israeli military vehicles turned a corner and began heading towards the boys, who clearly became uneasy. Several of the boys started to move away. At this precise moment, mobile phone footage shows the front door of an armoured vehicle opened. The soldier inside had a direct view of the boys. Basil had darted into the middle of the road, while Adam was 12m further from the soldiers, running away. Then at least 11 gunshots rang out.

Medical reports obtained by the BBC show that two shots hit Basil in the chest. Another bullet struck eight-year-old Adam in the back of the head as he ran away; his older brother Baha desperately tried to drag him to cover, leaving a trail of blood as he screamed for an ambulance.

Fountain of Youth

Seriously, ever trans timeline i see has the "after" photo looking like at least 3 years younger even if it is much later lol

Because bigotry and thumbing your nose at anyone who calls you out on it is one helluva drug, especially when you're an otherwise joyless sonuvabitch.