Tag archieven: In English

februari 14, 2022 · 4:35 am

Astrid Essed Attack on Budimex, contractor of the Poland-Belarus Wall in the war on migrants

ASTRID ESSED ATTACK ON BUDIMEX, CONTRACTOR OFTHE POLAND-BELARUS WALL IN THE WAR ON MIGRANTS

The Massini family from Syria, father Muhammad (second left), mother Alaa (centre) and their two sons, with activists

The Massini family from Syria, father Muhammad (second left), mother Alaa (centre) and their two sons, with activists. Photograph: Wojtek Radwański/AFP/Getty Images
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/07/on-the-frozen-frontiers-of-europe-with-the-migrants-caught-in-a-lethal-game

Fallen tree in the Białowieża Forest

Bialowieza National Park in Poland0029.JPG
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bia%C5%82owie%C5%BCa_Forest

FOR BUDIMEX, ONLY THEIR BLOOD MONEY AND THE BIALOWIEZA FOREST COUNTS, NOTTHE REFUGEES WHO DIE IN IT…….

https://www.budimex.pl/en/about-budimex/news/commencement-of-works-on-the-border-wall.html
Astrid Essed Attack on Budimex, contractor of the Poland-Belarus Wall in the war on migrants

TOBUDIMEXTHE GREAT CONSTRUCTION GROUP, OPERATINGIN POLAND

BOARD OF DIRECTORSMANAGEMENT
Subject:About your construction of a Wall between Poland and Belarus
Demand:Stop earning blood moneyStop your cooperation with forced deportations, pushbacks andmistreatment of refugeesStop your cooperation with the violation of one of the most elementaryhuman rights!

Dear Board of DirectorsDear Management
Sometimes reality seems worse than the most creepy horror movie.Not because horror movies can’t be frightening, but because they are just for amusement and not real, although made very realistic.
But when you read and see actings in the real world, especiallyfrom politicians and their partners in crime, you realize that here arereal people involved, who really suffer and with them their families andother loved ones.That is the moment, that it is really freezing around me and others, who seekfor elementary justice.
And you, board of directors and management, have violated the most elementary human rights by constructing a Wall between Poland and Belarus.The proof is in your own declaration, under P/S, before my notes.
SHAME TO YOU!
Because you know completely well the aim of this Wall:To prevent warstricken and hunted refugees to seek for a safe homeby building a Wall on the outskirts, the outer borders of the EU borders!Because that’s the aim of the Polish government [1] and you know thatfull well!
ELEMENTARY RIGHTS
Every human being has the right to ask for asylum, as written inthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 18 ofthe EU Charter of Fundamental Rights  [2], but all the Polish government did was putting an armyon her border, not only preventing refugees, trapped between Belarusand Poland to enter the EU and ask for asylum, but also treatingthem very badly [3] and using evil and forbidden practices likepushbacks [4], such as was described in an Human Rights Watch Report ””DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BORDER ABUSES [5]
YOUR COOPERATION WITH HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
So I refer to illegal pushbacks of the Polish government, that doesn’t and didn”t care about the fact, that refugees nearly were freezing to death [6],that refugees actually DID die in that no mans land between Polandand Belarus [7], a government that also mistreated refugees [8] and whatis your role?
Not only you are supporting the government in theie evil ways  by constructingthis Wall of Death and Despair, and earning Blood Money, you even have the nerve only to care about the environmental value of the Bialowieza Forest!I quote you [SEE UNDER P/S]”We understand the emotions that surround the issue of the construction of the wall on the border between Poland and Belarus, in particular, in the Białowieża Forest section; therefore, our representatives consulted the local governments on 26 January 2022. The meeting was attended by military representatives, heads of five gminas located within the development project area, forest district representatives and the Staroste of the Hajnowski Poviat.”

And don’t get me wrong:I also care for and value the great value of the Bialowieza Forest as avery important primeval forest [9], but I value human lives more andwhen people are dying in that forest I think everyone should valuetheir lives in the first place.
But you don’t care, because in your declaration [see under P/S]NOT A WORD ABOUT THE REFUGEES, WHO SUFFERED IN THEBIALOWIEZA FOREST, BECAUSE OF THE POLISH GOVERNMENT,WHICH DENIED THEM THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS!
DEMAND
I have referred to the great Injustice and the atrocities, done by the Polishgovernment to desperate refugees, mentioned in the Human Rights report andin a Statement of Amnesty International [10]
Also I mentioned your supportive role and the Blood Money, you earn with yourconstruction of this Wall.
I don’t know how many letters you have received to protest against yourpractices.I presume, not many and perhaps I am unimportant in your eyes, representingno government or great organisation.
But that doesn’t matter, because each Voice counts.
And trillion drops of water form an Ocean.
Get back on your Path of Evil, because more protests will come.
This is only the Beginning.
You have chosen your Side.
Change your construction of this Wall of Death, or else youwill be condemned by men or women of justice and in each case,by History.

Kind greetings
Astrid EssedAmsterdamThe NetherlandsEurope
P/S

STATEMENT OF BUDIMEX[NOTES BELOW]

Commencement of works on the border wall

https://www.budimex.pl/en/about-budimex/news/commencement-of-works-on-the-border-wall.html

News date: January 28, 2022Commencement of works on the border wall

On 25 January 2022, the Border Guards handed over to the contractors the construction site for the construction of the 186-kilometre wall on the border between Poland and Belarus. The contractor of the wall in the Białowieża Forest section is Budimex. The company makes every effort to ensure that works are carried out professionally and with respect for residents and the environment. Budimex will carry out works on the 100-kilometre section, and the border zone along the Białowieża Forest accounts for less than 40% of its length.

We understand the emotions that surround the issue of the construction of the wall on the border between Poland and Belarus, in particular, in the Białowieża Forest section; therefore, our representatives consulted the local governments on 26 January 2022. The meeting was attended by military representatives, heads of five gminas located within the development project area, forest district representatives and the Staroste of the Hajnowski Poviat.

During the meeting with the representatives of local governments, we confirmed that we have extensive experience in implementing projects in diverse environments. We carry out construction work, for example, in protected areas, including Natura 2000 areas in many places in Poland. The warehouses used to store our construction materials are and will be neutral for the environment. Our compliance with strict environmental standards is confirmed by numerous certificates – our construction sites have been issued with more than 100 BREEAM or LEED sustainable building certificates.

Although the contract does not require us to do so as a contractor, there will be external environmental supervision of the entire project. We understand that the Białowieża Forest is extremely valuable, and we want to work with respect for its ecosystem. The team assigned to the project has the highest level of competence to perform this task.

The works on the wall, transport and storage of raw materials will be carried out in accordance with the best construction and environmental standards. Our plan includes:

  • securing the soil with double and triple isolation to prevent leakage,
  • the use of spill kits,
  • covering and securing construction equipment repair points,
  • securing fuel tanks,
  • sorting and securing waste points,
  • preparation of separate points for hazardous waste,
  • fencing and monitoring of the area.

Our works will be carried out during the day, and the planned truck traffic at the construction location is several vehicles per hour. Upon completion, all roads will be restored to their original condition or will be improved.

Works on the entire project will take just six months. We are also on the list of strategic companies from a defence perspective. Therefore, we have a duty to act for the benefit of the country in the event of special situations from a security point of view. We responded in the same way to the calls for the construction of temporary hospitals or the completion of road and rail works after other general contractors had abandoned their contracts.

Our aim is to perform the contract through transparent subcontractor selection rules while respecting the interests of local communities and the environment. We make every effort to minimise the inconveniences for the residents and take into account the needs of the natural forest environment.”

BUDIMEX.PL

COMMENCEMENT OF WORKS ON THE BORDER WALL

https://www.budimex.pl/en/about-budimex/news/commencement-of-works-on-the-border-wall.html

[NOTES BELOW]

SEE FOR THE NOTES

Notes 1 t/m 10/Letter to Budimex

WRITTEN NOTES[1]

THE GUARDIANPOLAND STARTS BUILDING WALL THROUGH PROTECTEDFOREST AT BELARUS BORDER27 JANUARY 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/27/poland-starts-building-wall-through-protected-forest-at-belarus-border

Poland has started building a wall along its frontier with Belarus aimed at preventing asylum seekers from entering the country, which cuts through a protected forest and Unesco world heritage site.

The Polish border guard said the barrier would measure 186km (115 miles), almost half the length of the border shared by the two countries, reach up to 5.5 metres (18ft) and cost €353m (£293m). It will be equipped with motion detectors and thermal cameras.

Poland has accused Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, of deliberately provoking a new refugee crisis in Europe by organising the movement of people from the Middle East to Minsk and promising them a safe passage to the EU in revenge for the sanctions Brussels has imposed on his authoritarian regime.

Thousands of asylum seekers, mainly from Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan and Afghanistan, were caught attempting to cross the frontier and were violently pushed back to Belarus by Poland’s border guards, and hundreds of families were trapped in the forest between the two countries in the midst of a frigid winter.

At least 19 people have died since the beginning of the border standoff between Poland and Belarus. Most of them died of exposure to freezing temperatures.

The humanitarian emergency reached its peak in November when Belarusian authorities escorted thousands of asylum seekers to the Polish border. Dozens of refugees told the Guardian how Belarusian troops gathered groups of up to 50 people and cut the barbed wire with shears to allow them to cross.

“The construction of the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border has started,” said a statement from the Polish border guard on Twitter. “It is the largest construction investment in the history of the border guard.”

The cost is approximately 10 times the whole budget of Poland’s migration department this year.

The news has raised human rights concerns among aid workers and charities worried that refugees fleeing conflicts and starvation will not be able to apply for asylum, and there are also environmental concerns. “This money could be used to build and launch [an] effective and humane migration, reception and asylum policy,” said a spokesperson for Ocalenie Foundation, which supports refugees living in Poland. “No wall in the history of the world stopped migration. Also, it would be a disaster for the nature in Białowieża area.”

The Białowieża forest world heritage site, on the border between Poland and Belarus, is an immense range of primary forest including conifers and broadleaved trees. It is home to the largest population of European bison.

Anna Alboth, of Minority Rights Group and a member of Grupa Granica, a Polish network of NGOs monitoring the situation on the border, said: “Walls are dividing, not protecting. The decision about building such a wall on the Polish-Belarusian border is not only lawless but also brings a risk of irreversible harm to the environment, in one of the most rich natural places of Poland and the whole of Europe.

“Instead of spending money on walls and private companies, it should be spending on developing a migration policy that prioritises human rights and safety of the people on the move, local people, animals and nature.”

A border guard spokesperson, Anna Michalska, told Poland’s PAP news agency that the “intention is for the damage to be as small as possible”. She said: “Tree felling will be limited to the minimum required. The wall itself will be built along the border road.” Contractors would only make use of existing roads, she said.

Last year Warsaw’s rightwing government quadrupled the presence of border guards and military personnel in the area, creating a two-mile deep militarised zone, and built a razor-wire fence, in a show of force unknown in the country since the end of the cold war. Dozens of checkpoints were placed along the perimeter of the so-called red zone, which is inaccessible to aid workers and journalists.

Last week Poland’s supreme court condemned the government for preventing reporters from accessing the area. Judges in Warsaw said the ban was incompatible with Polish law and that “there is no justification for admitting that this particular professional group represents a threat to steps taken”.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[2]

Article 14

1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/b1udhr.htm

”Article 18

Right to asylum

The right to asylum shall be guaranteed with due respect for the rules of the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and the Protocol of 31 January 1967 relating to the status of refugees and in accordance with the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Treaties’).

CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:12012P/TXT

OR

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

[3]

THE GUARDIANON THE FROZEN FRONTIERS OF EUROPE WITHTHE MIGRANTS CAUGHT IN A LETHAL GAME

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/07/on-the-frozen-frontiers-of-europe-with-the-migrants-caught-in-a-lethal-game

On the outskirts of the Białowieża forest – which bestrides the border between south-east Poland and Belarus – a group of seven Iraqi Kurds make their weary way towards the Polish hamlet of Grodzisk.

The latest miles of their journey have been from Belarus – crossing back and forth twice, deported after their first and second attempts. Now a third time: through sub-zero temperatures, across the primeval forest’s marshy terrain. Among them are two children: an eight-month-old girl and a two-year-old boy. When we came upon them, they were afraid to get up off the ground and begged us not to call the police, whispering: “They’ll kill us.”

The infant was still, though not asleep. They looked like waxen figures, their faces blank, though one woman’s face was covered in bruises.

This is one group among the thousands of migrants trapped in a perilous purgatorial terrain between Belarus and Poland, as gateway to the European Union, where they seek refuge and asylum. That gate has slammed shut, claiming eight known migrant lives so far. Poland’s rightwing government has secured parliamentary authority to build a Donald Trump-style wall the length of its frontier with Belarus, and meanwhile patrols the territory with a force of some 17,000 border police reinforced by military personnel.

The Polish government argues that it is a deliberate policy by Belarus to undermine the EU’s south eastern border by encouraging refugees to pour in. The government has also established a two-mile militarised zone adjacent to the frontier, from which medical services, volunteer aid workers and reporters are banned. Crystal van Leeuwen, a medical emergency manager with Médecins Sans Frontières, told the Guardian last week that NGOs must urgently gain access to the secure zone for migrants’ claims and international protection to be respected.

The migrants are part not only of the exodus in flight from war and other tribulation where they began their journeys – across the Middle East and Africa – but also pawns in a game between Belarus and Poland. Many are lured by Belarusian travel bureaux, controlled by the authoritarian government of Alexander Lukashenko, which, as middlemen, organise trips from the Middle East to Minsk, promising passage to the EU.

The Iraqi Kurdish group is from Duhok, near the Turkish border. It is the scene of intense recent intra-Kurdish fighting, and Turkish strikes against the Kurdish PKK organisation. The mother of the children, 28-year-old Amila Abedelkader, said that the group was lured to Belarus by a travel agency that would arrange travel by plane from Istanbul to Minsk, and access to the Polish border.

Migrants are charged €15,000-€20,000 when they reach Belarus. Airport photos show their arrival wearing shorts and T-shirts, clearly unaware of the temperatures awaiting them. They are then installed in state hotels managed by the regime, from which officially assigned buses and even taxis transfer them to the Polish or Lithuanian border.

Belarusian border guards then shove them past the fence. “Some migrants we saw had their faces sliced with barbed wire,” says volunteer aid worker Katarzyna Wappa. “We have amateur films showing how the Belarusians drive the migrants forward. The border guards stand there with snarling attack dogs in full battle gear.”

Abdelkader says her group had made their first crossing into Poland in early October, but were forced back by guards. Trapped between borders, they were given nothing to drink or eat. “The Polish guards caught us and pushed us back. They said: ‘Go back to Belarus.’ And the Belarusian soldier said: ‘No, no go back to Poland.’ When the water was all finished, my brother asked Polish soldiers for some water to drink. Every day we asked about water. They say: ‘No, no.’” The guards refused to supply milk for the baby. The migrants drank rainwater or from puddles.

This was their third attempt. Whether they have since been successful is unclear.

But every morning we receive news on WhatsApp from people held in the border guards’ cells. Bulletins such as: “Yesterday a family and their sick son staying with us were taken by the police back to the border.” And: “We are so frightened of going to the border because my baby is too small. Please help us.”

Back home in the nearest town of Hajnówka, Wappa says: “We are creating a network, trying to do what we can, but it’s too much to bear. People are dying in the forest and the Polish state offers no help apart from bringing in more troops, rounding them up, and deporting them back to no man’s land. And if we reach those people, what can we give them? A flask of tea, some warm clothes, then leave them in the darkness and cold?”

In the forest last week, volunteers found Mustafa, a 46-year-old man from Morocco, taken in by a volunteer named Mila. Speaking Spanish, Mustafa told us: “As I made my way through the forest, I saw a man lying on the ground. I don’t know if he was alive or dead. I walked two nights until I could go no further. I was walking at night, trying to sleep during the day. I was in a vacuum.

“Belarusian soldiers beat people,” he continued. “They beat me in Belarus. There are gangs that stand behind the army and attack us. They beat you, take your money, and split it 50-50, part for the gangs, part for soldiers. This border is like a river of death. What are you to do? Where to go, I do not know.” Mustafa’s fate remains in the balance.

Once on the Polish side, migrants are tracked down by border guards, police, army, and territorial defence forces; in the Hajnówka region, practically every second car on the road belongs to law enforcement officers. Others have darkened windows – either protecting or smuggling the migrants.

“We’re in a parcelled-off, isolated world,” adds Kamil Syller, initiator of the Green Light project, which aims to put green lights in windows to signify homes where refugees can find help, discreetly, and not be handed over to the police.

At the Mantiuk Hospital in Hajnówka, a boy from Somalia tells how he watched his two brothers freeze to death. “It’s impossible to say where it happened,” he says.

“Apparently he’s losing contact with reality,” say the doctors. “He often asks: ‘But where am I?’” The refugees who reach the hospital receive professional medical care, yet the hospital is patrolled by border guards, and as soon as someone’s health is restored, guards take them back to the border and leave them in the forest.

Medics on the Border, a group of doctors with an ambulance, operates in the “open” areas, but are not allowed in the off-limits zone. Asked how they can be of help, they say: “We need passes to the zone,” says Jakub Sieczko, a paramedic. “But this is impossible.”Advertisement

“We have no access to the off-limits zone,” says a Polish Red Cross workerfrom the border area. “We can’t hand over aid packages ourselves.”

Syller says that the refugees are freezing, succumbing to hypothermia and shaking from fear and cold. “The children are having reactions similar to epileptic attacks. The suffering and terror here can only remind you of wartime,” he explains.

Wappa feels that she is “witnessing scenes like out of a war, but at least in a war things are clear. “This is worse, because here half the society denies what’s going on. They think it’s all a big sham, that there are politics behind it. People say of the refugees: ‘Why did they even leave home and why take their children?’”

This land is steeped in dark history of flight and deportation. And there are few reminders so cogent as in the village of Narewka, where a row of houses from before the second world war is adorned with enlarged photographs of the Jewish residents who lived here until the Holocaust.

The pictures show people posing in their finest clothes: an elderly couple, an Orthodox family, a girl in a polka-dot dress with bows in her hair, a sophisticated lady wearing a cap.

Now, past those houses in memoriam for Jews deported from here, military and police vehicles pass, carrying migrants for deportation.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[4]

PUSHBACKS ARE FORBIDDEN ACCORDING TO ARTICLE  19.EU CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
 Article 18 

Article 19 
Protection in the event of removal, expulsion or extradition 1. Collective expulsions are prohibited. 2. No one may be removed, expelled or extradited to a State where there is a serious risk that he or she would be subjected to the death penalty, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.  

EU CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

”Polish pushback practices are also in violation of article 19 of the Charter and Protocol 4 of the ECHR, which both state unequivocally that collective or mass expulsions of aliens are prohibited”
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHPOLISH LEGISLATION AND VIOLATIONOF EU LAW
A CHAPTER FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BORDER ABUSES
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

[5]

THE HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BORDER ABUSES
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

[6]

”On the outskirts of the Białowieża forest – which bestrides the border between south-east Poland and Belarus – a group of seven Iraqi Kurds make their weary way towards the Polish hamlet of Grodzisk.

The latest miles of their journey have been from Belarus – crossing back and forth twice, deported after their first and second attempts. Now a third time: through sub-zero temperatures, across the primeval forest’s marshy terrain. Among them are two children: an eight-month-old girl and a two-year-old boy.”THE GUARDIANON THE FROZEN FRONTIERS OF EUROPE WITHTHE MIGRANTS CAUGHT IN A LETHAL GAME

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/07/on-the-frozen-frontiers-of-europe-with-the-migrants-caught-in-a-lethal-game

SEE FOR THE WHOLE TEXT, NOTE 3

[7]

”This is one group among the thousands of migrants trapped in a perilous purgatorial terrain between Belarus and Poland, as gateway to the European Union, where they seek refuge and asylum. That gate has slammed shut, claiming eight known migrant lives so far.”

THE GUARDIANON THE FROZEN FRONTIERS OF EUROPE WITHTHE MIGRANTS CAUGHT IN A LETHAL GAME

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/07/on-the-frozen-frontiers-of-europe-with-the-migrants-caught-in-a-lethal-game

SEE FOR THE WHOLE TEXT, NOTE 3

”“At least 10 people, including a one-year-old child, have died at the EU’s Eastern borders in recent weeks. Today the European Commission is bringing in measures which undermine rights and normalize the dehumanization and suffering of people at the EU’s borders.”
AMNESTY INTERNATIONALEU ”EXCEPTIONAL MEASURES” NORMALIZE DEHUMANISATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS’1 DECEMBER 2021

EU: ‘Exceptional measures’ normalize dehumanization of asylum seekers

In response to today’s proposals from the European Commission which would allow Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to derogate from EU rules, including by holding asylum-seekers and migrants at the border for 16 weeks with minimal safeguards, Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Office said:

“The arrival of people at the EU’s borders with Belarus is entirely manageable with the rules as they stand. Today’s proposals will further punish people for political gain, weaken asylum protections, and undermine the EU’s standing at home and abroad. If the EU can allow a minority of member states to throw out the rule book due to the presence of a few thousand people at its border, it throws out any authority it has on human rights and the rule of law.

“The current situation at the EU’s borders with Belarus is being used by some countries as an excuse to weaken protections of asylum-seekers and push their anti-migrant agenda. Holding asylum seekers in detention for four months, without the protection standards required by international law, is normalising de facto unlawful detention at the EU’s external borders.

“Asylum rules should be upheld, not allowed to be side-stepped by countries via so-called exceptional measures. Amnesty International is alarmed that the proposal will violate people’s rights, and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis at borders while continuing to expose the EU to further internal and external manipulation and blackmailing.

“While Lukashenka’s mistreatment and instrumentalization of migrants and asylum seekers is deplorable, he is exploiting the EU’s own tendency to treat people at their borders as a threat.

“At least 10 people, including a one-year-old child, have died at the EU’s Eastern borders in recent weeks. Today the European Commission is bringing in measures which undermine rights and normalize the dehumanization and suffering of people at the EU’s borders.”

END OF STATEMENT

POLAND-BELARUS REFUGEE CRISIS/LETTER TO THE EU/EU’S HUMAN OBLIGATIONS AGAINST THE REFUGEES

ASTRID ESSED

4 DECEMBER 2021

Poland-Belarus border crisis/Letter to the EU/”EU’s human obligations against the refugees”

REFUGEES IN BORDERLAND/DECEMBER 2021

ASTRID ESSED

25 DECEMBER 2021

Refugees in Borderland/December 2021

[8]THE HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BORDER ABUSES
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

[9]
WIKIPEDIABIALOWIEZA FOREST

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bia%C5%82owie%C5%BCa_Forest

[10]
THE HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BORDER ABUSES
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

AMNESTY INTERNATIONALEU ”EXCEPTIONAL MEASURES” NORMALIZE DEHUMANISATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS’1 DECEMBER 2021

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/12/eu-exceptional-measures-normalize-dehumanization-of-asylum-seekers/
SEE FOR THE WHOLE TEXT OF THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONALSTATEMENT, NOTE 7

END OF THE NOTES

Reacties uitgeschakeld voor Astrid Essed Attack on Budimex, contractor of the Poland-Belarus Wall in the war on migrants

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januari 31, 2022 · 5:03 pm

The Voice of Holland Scandal/Innocent until proven guilty/Astrid Essed’s remarks

Lege rechtszaal, met het oude houten met panelen bekleden

” Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”

http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/b1udhr.htm

The Voice of Holland Scandal/Innocent until proven guilty/Astrid Essed’s remarks

THE VOICE OF HOLLAND SCANDAL/INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY/ASTRID ESSED’S REMARKSREGARDING THE ”THE VOICE OF HOLLAND FOUR”[Ali B, Marco Borsato, Jeroen Rietbergen and the unknown Director]
” Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”

Article 11, UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/b1udhr.htm

{See under the Astrid Essed’s comments, which were sent as a Letter to the Editor to a number of Dutch newspapers,  under the notes, some added articles]
Dear Readers
More then 7 million people, myself included, have recently watched onYoutube the documentary from the online program ”BOOS” THIS IS THE VOICE” [made by journalistand television presenter Tim Hofman [1]This BOOS edition delt with the Topic ”Sexual misconduct”Women and girls spoke out their accusations of sexual harassment [2] in allforms, ranging from sexual apps and remarks [and also the sending of Dicpics] [3] to sexual assault and rape, against topfigures of the RTL  the Voice of Holland programma, namely rapper and comedianAli B [who was a coach of Voice of Holland], singer and former Warchildambassador Marco Borsato [also coach in the Voice], bandleader Jeroen Rietbergen and an unknown director of the Voice, [4]Apart from the stories in online program Boos, charges have been pressedagainst the The Voice of Holland Four: Ali B, Marco Borsato, Jeroen Rietbergen and the anonymous Director.Against Marco Borsato already other charges of sexual misconduct had been pressed in december 2021 [5]
In a response on the program ”BOOS: This is the Voice”, Jeroen Rietbergen has admitted that he went too far sexually [6], MarcoBorsato has denied, Ali B has denied, as the anonymous Director.
Currently the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the sexual assault allegations.
BOOS DOCUMENTARY: ”THIS IS THE VOICE”
The Boos Documentary ”This is the Voice”, is very touching, confronting.And it was with right that people were angry and showed indignation.

YET! I WANT TO ISSUE AN URGENT WARNING IN THIS ”THE VOICE OFHOLLAND” SCANDAL:
Because the danger is [and I saw it in the reaction of many known and famousDutch TV personalities], that the public opinion is going too far and acts, writesand talks, as if the allegations of sexual misconduct are no allegations anymore,but proven facts!Without waiting for the outcoming of the investigation of the Prpsecutor’s Office, let alone a possible trial against the The Voice of Holland Four [or possibly more people]
ALLEGATIONS/ALLEGATIONS!
Because what we know until now?There are a number of allegations, uttered by REAL ORALLEGED VICTIMS [The silly newsmedia already speak of ”real victims”],there are no hard evidence yet [which has to be decided by the judge!]
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY!
That’s why I tell to the public not to forget that we are living in a Society with judges, with Courts and above all the principle:”Innocent until proven guilty” [7], which is established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [8], International Treaties [9], EuropeanTreaties, the Dutch and International Law!
And let’s face this Uneasy Truth:False statements exist, especially when it concernsthe High and Mighty.
Therefore its is of the greatest importance, that the allegation-casesare in the hands of the Prosecutor’s Office now, where a just, judicialdecision can be made.Prosecute or not.
The real or alleged victims have a right to it, as the accusedand maybe suspects.In case of a witch hunt, there are no winners.

ASTRID ESSED
NOTES

NOTES

[1]

WIKIPEDIATIM HOFMAN
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hofman

YOUTUBE.COMBOOS: THIS IS THE VOICE[IN DUTCH]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1idPrF17UP0

[2]
WIKIPEDIASEXUAL HARASSMENT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_harassment

[3]

URBAN DICTIONARY DICPIC
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dicpic

dicpic

a picture of a dick that a guy sends you (usually its his dick)
dick + pic = dicpicheyylook at this dicpic i just got on facebook!by sluttyhoe January 01, 2009

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dicpic

[4]

ONLINE BOOS PROGRAM
YOUTUBE.COM[IN DUTCH]BOOS: THIS IS THE VOICE

WIKIPEDIAALI B

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_B

WIKIPEDIAMARCO BORSATO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Borsato

WIKIPEDIAJEROEN RIETBERGEN[In Dutch]
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeroen_Rietbergen

[5]

”On 13 December 2021, a 22-year-old Dutch woman filed charges against Borsato with the police, accusing Borsato of grooming and sexually assaulting her for years beginning when she was 15 by touching her genitals, buttocks and breasts against her will.[30] The victim considered Borsato, who was a family friend, to be a father figure after her own father died. In the following days, two more women accused Borsato of sexual abuse”

WIKIPEDIAMARCO BORSATO/SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Borsato#Sexual_assault_allegations

ORIGINAL SOURCE
WIKIPEDIAMARCO BORSATO
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Borsato

[6]

”Soon after RTL’s announcement, band leader of The Voice of Holland, Jeroen Rietbergen (brother in law of media tycoon and creator John de Mol), issued a statement admitting to years of sexual misbehaviour. ”
WIKIPEDIA/THE VOICE OF HOLLAND/SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CLAIMS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Holland#Sexual_misconduct_claims

ORIGINAL SOURCE
WIKIPEDIATHE VOICE OF HOLLAND

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Holland

[7]

” Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”
ARTICLE 11, UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS 

http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/b1udhr.htm

WIKIPEDIAPRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presumption_of_innocence

[8]

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/b1udhr.htm

[9]
2. Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall have the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.

ARTICLE 14, 2, INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL ANDPOLITICAL RIGHTS
http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/b3ccpr.htm

ADDED ARTICLES

NL TIMES
THE VOICE OF HOLLAND SUSPENDED AS SEXUAL AND POWERABUSE ALLEGATIONS SURFACE15 JANUARY 2022
https://nltimes.nl/2022/01/15/voice-holland-suspended-sexual-power-abuse-allegations-surface

RTL temporarily canceled the television show the Voice of Holland due to allegations of sexually transgressive behavior and abuse of power by personnel connected to the show. Shortly after the announcement Saturday morning, it was revealed that composer and keyboardist Jeroen Rietbergen would leave the program with immediate effect. The Public Prosecution Service also confirmed that a criminal complaint connected to a person on the show was filed this week.

The editorial team of the BNNVARA program BOOS informed RTL on Wednesday of the incidents RTL said that The Voice of Holland will not air while the allegations are being investigated. “The allegations are very serious and shocking and were not known to RTL,” the broadcaster stated in a press release.-ADVERTENTIE-

“This Saturday, the editors received a confession and apology from the band leader of The Voice, Jeroen Rietbergen. He announced that he will stop his work at The Voice immediately,” BNNVARA wrote in its own press release. “The Voice of Holland has stated that it was not aware of these abuses and has decided to conduct an independent investigation.”

Dutch singer Marco Borsato was also the subject of allegations about sexually transgressive behavior late last year. Borsato was also a coach on The Voice of Holland from 2011-2015. Rietbergen worked with Borsato for several years over the past two decades. Rietbergen was also previously in a relationship with Linda de Mol, the sister of The Voice creator John de Mol

The television show which uncovered the claims, BOOS, said that the episode detailing their investigation will air next week. “We put a huge amount of time and effort into the program. Our show about The Voice of Holland will be broadcast coming Thursday,” said BOOS program director Tim Hofman on Twitter.

Hofman began his investigation into power and sexual abuse claims in talent scouting shows in August. During his research, Hofman received information from people who said they experienced sexually transgressive behavior while on The Voice of Holland.

Television producer ITV reacted to the allegations stating, “Our highest priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who participates and works on our shows. ITV Studios has a zero-tolerance policy towards the kind of behavior that is said to have taken place. We have immediately ordered an outside investigation.”

END OF THE ARTICLE

CNN

DUTCH VERSION OF ”THE VOICE” PULLED OFF AIR AMID

SEXUAL

MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

18 JANUARY 2022

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/entertainment/the-voice-holland-sexual-misconduct-intl-scli/index.html

The Dutch version of “The Voice” has been suspended pending an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations surrounding the popular talent series.Dutch broadcasting company RTL said it will stop airing the show while it carries out an investigation with producers ITV into allegations of “sexually inappropriate behavior” and “abuse of power,” according to a statement released by RTL over the weekend.Among those facing accusations is “The Voice” bandleader Jeroen Rietbergen, who has resigned from his post and issued an apology.

RTL, an affiliate of CNN, said it was notified of the allegations at “The Voice of Holland” on January 12 by the Dutch TV news program BOOS. RTL said it was previously unaware of misconduct allegations.

“We take this extremely seriously. Participants, colleagues, everyone must be able to work in complete safety. There is no room for interpretation in that. The priority is now to get the facts on the table,” Saturday’s statement added.BOOS said in a statement that it received stories in spring 2021 about sexually inappropriate behavior at “The Voice of Holland.”BOOS show host Tim Hofman subsequently issued an open call, where he asked if there were other people who had experienced “something inappropriate at talent shows.””Numerous reactions followed from people who said they were victim or witness to abuse of power or sexually inappropriate behavior at ‘The Voice,'” the BOOS statement said.Those accused of misconduct were approached by BOOS, the show said. One of these was Rietbergen.In a statement reported by RTL, Rietbergen said: “During my years-long involvement with ‘The Voice of Holland’ I had contact of a sexual nature with some women involved in the program and exchanged sexually colored WhatsApp messages.”My involvement with ‘The Voice of Holland’ was as a pianist and bandleader. In my opinion there was no position of power at the time, in my position I am not in a position to favor anyone on the program, I am solely concerned with the music. I saw the contacts as reciprocal and equal.”Rietbergen added: “In the intervening time I have become very aware that my own perception is not relevant at all, but much more the perception of the women concerned. And that these women may have experienced this very differently. This insight has made me realize that my behavior was completely wrong. The things that I have done I should never have done.”Rietbergen, who said he has had professional help, said he has “drastically and permanently” changed his behavior. He said that he will immediately stop working for the series.”I am more sorry for everything than I can express in this statement,” Rietbergen added.BOOS added that the allegations concern Rietbergen, as well as “multiple people within the program.”ITV Studios said in a statement to CNN Tuesday: “Our utmost priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who takes part in or works on our shows and there is zero tolerance at ITV Studios for the type of behaviour alleged to have taken place.”On Monday, Dutch Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius urged anyone who has been a victim of sexual intimidation or violence to file a report so the police and Public Prosecution Service can start an investigation. The Public Prosecution Service is responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses.The Dutch reality singing contest sparked the original format of the show in 2010, where judges sit with their chairs facing away from the stage, so that they initially cannot see prospective candidates.If the judges like the sound of a candidate’s voice, they must press their button, which spins their chair towards the stage to reveal the contestant behind the blind audition.

The series has since been iterated in countries including the UK, the US and Australia, where previous coaches include global artists such as will.i.am, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande and John Legend.A program about sexual misconduct at “The Voice of Holland” is scheduled to air on Thursday, BOOS added.

END OF THE ARTICLE

THE GUARDIAN

DUTCH CREATOR OF THE VOICE ACCUSED OF VICTIM-BLAMING

OVER ABUSE CLAIMS ON SHOW

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/21/dutch-creator-of-the-voice-john-de-mol-accused-of-victim-blaming-over-sex-abuse-allegations-on-show

The creator of reality TV shows including The Voice and Big Brother has been accused of victim-blaming by his company’s female employees after accusations of widespread sexual abuse of contestants on the original Dutch version of The Voice.

In a full-page advert in the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, a group of employees at the production company Talpa Media castigated its founder, John De Mol, for suggesting that women as well as men had lessons to learn from a scandal that has gripped the country this week and prompted the broadcaster RTL to take Friday’s episode of The Voice of Holland off air.

Following a deluge of allegations of abuse made against men on the show, De Mol, 66, said in an interview: “Do not wait. Do not be afraid. You have to open your mouth. Only then can we help you … Women apparently have a kind of shame, I don’t know what it is, but I would like to delve into it.”

In response, an advert was published in Friday’s newspaper that said: “Dear John, it’s not the women. Greetings, the women of your company.”

In an accompanying statement the group of employees wrote of their “amazement and shame” at De Mol’s comments. It “says a lot about a culture change that is needed within the company, but also in the media world and society,” the statement continued. “And certainly at more large companies where these kinds of thinking errors are still made by men in power.

“Women’s behaviour is not the problem. And not the solution either. This statement is of course also for all other victims of sexually transgressive behaviour in the workplace (not just at Talpa), to encourage them.”

On Friday night, De Mol said he had been “moved” by the advert and had spoken to the women behind it to “understand this anger and disappointment”. He added: “I now understand that, contrary to my good intentions, I have failed to take into account the fact that I, completely unintentionally, gave the impression that I was putting the blame on women. It has become clear to me now that women will not come forward if the culture in a company is not perceived as being sufficiently safe. I blame myself for the fact that this is apparently the case in my company, and I am 100% committed to changing this.”

Talpa Media is run by De Mol but has been owned by ITV since 2015.

The Voice of Holland was suspended before Thursday’s broadcast of a documentary on the YouTube channel Boos, which translates as “angry”, and is run by the public broadcasting company BNNVARA. In the documentary, dozens of anonymous women alleged that high-profile men on The Voice had sexually harassed, abused and assaulted them.

A spokesperson for ITV Studios said the company was “shocked and dismayed” by the allegations but declined to comment on De Mol’s interview. She said: “Our utmost priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who takes part in or works on our shows and there is zero tolerance at ITV Studios for the type of behaviour highlighted in the show.

“After ITV Studios received notice from Boos of this behaviour last week we moved quickly to launch an external investigation to fully understand what happened.”

Netherlands authorities, including the justice minister, subsequently urged anyone who had been a victim of sexual abuses on the programme to file a complaint with the police so that they and the Public Prosecution Service could investigate

The rapper Ali Bouali, 40, a coach on the show who goes by the name Ali B, was accused by one former contestant of raping her when she appeared on the programme as an 18-year-old hopeful.

In a statement, he responded: “There are now two anonymous reports that are presented with a lot of fury as news. That is unjustified. I cannot publicly defend myself against this. Nevertheless, it is clear to me that the Public Prosecution Service will in both cases have to decide to dismiss [the allegations]. I am not guilty of what I am accused of in the claims.”

Before the broadcast of the allegations, Jeroen Rietbergen, 50, the show’s bandleader, stood down after admitting to having had “sexual contact” with women on the show and sending sexually oriented messages on an app. Rietbergen, until recently the partner of De Mol’s sister, the TV presenter Linda de Mol, said he was not aware of wrongdoing at the time of the alleged incidents.

Six other women have made complaints about the singer Marco Borsato, three of them contestants on The Voice and three on The Voice Kids. Borasto denies any wrongdoing.

De Mol, who initially made his fortune through development of the reality television series Big Brother, spoke of his disappointment that the HR procedures in his company had not protected the contestants.

ITV bought Talpa Media seven years ago for £355m, with further payments dependent on future performance, up to a total potential cost of £920,000.

The company has created 75 shows in more than 180 countries. The Voice format, in which singers are selected via public auditions and then coached by professionals before a competition for a recording contract, has been aired in 50 countries.

Anouk Teeuwe, a female singer who represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision song contest in 2013, said she had quit as a coach on the programme.

“The news is so saddening and a major disappointment,” she said. “I know enough. I’ve decided I don’t want to return to The Voice. It’s a corrupt mess. I don’t want to work at a place where men have, for years, abused their positions and where others have chosen to keep the misconduct silent and look the other way.

“You just can’t do that. You’ve got structural issues when you do that. I do not wish to be part of such behaviour, that’s just not me. So therefore, I will not return to The Voice of Holland.”

END OF THE ARTICLE

BBC

THE VOICE: DUTCH TV SUSPENDS SHOW OVER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CLAIMS

17 JANUARY 2022

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60022641

The Voice of Holland, which originated 150 global versions of the hit talent TV show, has been pulled off air amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The singing show is suspended while the allegations are being investigated, said the news website for Dutch broadcaster RTL, which produces it.

Jeroen Rietbergen, the series’ band leader, resigned on Saturday, admitting to “relationships of a sexual nature” with women involved in the programme.

ITV Studios owns the show’s rights.

In 2015 it bought the rights to the Dutch version of The Voice, created in 2010 by John de Mol and Roel van Velzen.

Its global versions include the US show broadcast on NBC, which has been awarded seven Emmys and 69 nominations.

The UK version was previously broadcast on the BBC for five series, before it moved to ITV.

The show sees the singing coaches do initial “blind auditions” with singing hopefuls, who have to perform while the judges’ backs are turned, so they are assessed only on their vocal merits.

ITV Studios told the BBC they are “shocked” by the allegations about the Dutch show, which started its 12th series in early January.

“Our utmost priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who takes part in or works on our shows and there is zero tolerance at ITV Studios for the type of behaviour alleged to have taken place,” they said.

“We have immediately commissioned an external investigation into the allegations.”

RTL told the BBC the “very serious and shocking” allegations “were not known to RTL”.

They said they were told about the “allegations of sexually transgressive behaviour and abuse of power in relation to The Voice of Holland” on 12 January by by news programme Boos, broadcast on Dutch public broadcaster BNN/VARA, which had been conducting an investigation.

Alleged misconduct

RTL added that a “mutual agreement” was reached with ITV about it conducting a “diligent, independent investigation” into the allegations.

“We take this very seriously. Everyone, including both participants and employees, must be able to work in complete safety. There is no room for interpretation here. The priority now is to get the facts straight,” they said.

The BBC has asked RTL for comment from Rietbergen.

The Hollywood Reporter said it was “not clear whether the alleged misconduct at The Voice of Holland took place before or after the ITV takeover”.

RTL suggested there is “talk of abuse of power and sexually transgressive behaviour of three employees”, including “a complaint against jury member Ali B” but that his management said: “Ali has never abused his position and has never acted” in a sexually transgressive way.”

Dutch rapper Ali B posted on Instagram he is “100% convinced” of his own innocence and his management said they currently had nothing to add to his words on social media.

Pre-recorded shows held back

Rietbergen said in a statement he had some years ago had “contact of a sexual nature” with women involved in the programme, and that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages” with them.

He added he did not feel he was abusing his position of powerbut has “now become very aware that my own perception is not relevant at all, but much more the perception of the women concerned. And that these women may have experienced this very differently”.

The identity of the third employee has not been made public.

The Hollywood Reporter said Rietbergen has been in a romantic relationship for more than a decade with Dutch TV star Linda de Mol, who is the sister of one of the show’s creators. but that she declined to comment.

Reitbergen said he has been very aware for “a number of years” that he made a mistake, and that he has received professional help for his behaviour, according to RTL.

ITV Studios told Hollywood Reporter they were contacted “this week” by Boos with the allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” associated with the show.

RTL said the show runs for 15 episodes and that 12 have been recorded, with two broadcast. The last three would have been broadcast live.

END OF THE ARTICLE

DUTCHNEWS.NL

THE VOICE SCANDAL DEEPENS AS DOZENS OF WOMEN DETAIL 

ABUSE, HARASSMENT

20 JANUARY 2022

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/01/the-voice-scandal-deepens-as-dozens-of-women-detail-abuse-harassment/

A YouTube documentary about sexual intimidation and abuse surrounding The Voice of Holland talent show has detailed a long list of claims about sexual abuse, inappropriate comments and behaviour and even one instance of rape. The long-awaited programme, broadcast on Thursday afternoon, involved statements from dozens of anonymous women who were contestants on the show. One former contestant accused rapper and show coach Ali B of raping her eight years ago, when she appeared on the show as an 18-year-old. The woman told her story in a disguised voice, saying she ‘froze’ during the attack and that it had taken her years to realise she was not to blame. Two women have so far made police complaints about B, who denies all the allegations. The programme included other anonymous women who spoke about B promising them fame and then trying to kiss and touch them at his home or in the dressing room –  a pattern repeated by other men involved in the show. Off air RTL took the talent hunt off air last weekend when band leader Jeroen Rietbergen went public with a confession, before the allegations were broadcast. Rietbergen is alleged to have made continuous sexualised comments during rehearsals, sent women photos of his sexual organ and in one case, had physical contact. The complaints about Rietbergen cover a period of over ten years, from 2010 and involve at least 19 women. De Mol The show also made it clear that John de Mol, who devised the programme and owned broadcasting company Talpa until it was taken over by ITV in 2019, was aware of at least one case of unacceptable sexual behaviour by Rietbergen in April 2019. De Mol told the programme he had summoned Rietbergen and given him a serious talking too, but also gave him a second chance. De Mol said he was not aware that Rietbergen had also sexually intimidated other women. Rietbergen was at the time in a relationship with De Mol’s sister, television presenter Linda. The couple separated after the scandal broke and Linda de Mol said before the broadcast that her heart ‘wept for all the women who have suffered’. Six women made complaints about singer Marco Borsato, three from contestants on The Voice and three on The Voice Kids. A spokesman for Borsato, who was faced with allegations about his behaviour at the end of the last year, said he would not be commenting on the claims. Director A further 15 women made complaints about one of the show’s directors who was not named by the programme makers. He was accused of making inappropriate comments and touching the contestants and told the programme via his lawyer that he denied all the accusations. Since the storm broke, judge and coach Anouk has also quit the line-up, and the main sponsors have dumped the programme. RTL has also pulled The Voice Kids and The Voice Senior. The Voice format has been bought by broadcasters in over 50 countries world wide, since its inception in 2010.

END OF THE ARTICLE

NL TIMESMORE CALLS TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE HOTLINE AFTER THEVOICE SCANDAL25 JANUARY 2022
https://nltimes.nl/2022/01/25/calls-sexual-violence-hotline-voice-scandal

A week and a half after the first revelations of sexually transgressive behavior at the talent show The Voice of Holland, the Center for Sexual Violence (CSG) is still receiving more calls and chats than usual. Most people report experiencing sexual violence a long time ago. 

Wher the CSG usually conducts about 12 to 13 chat conversations a day, on the day that BNN/VARA program BOOS put the episode about The Voice online on Thursday, there were 341 chat conversations. On Friday, the center had 286 chat conversations. “The chats just keep coming,” said CSG head Iva Bicanic. “Where we normally have two emergency workers on the cats at night, we were still short of hands during the peak with 12 emergency workers.”-ADVERTENTIE-

The number of chats decreased over the weekend but remained above average. On Monday, CSG workers held a total of 131 conversations. 

There are also more calls coming in than usual. On the day of the BOOS broadcast, the center received 92 calls – over four times as many as the same day a year ago. On Friday, there were 232 calls. Over the weekend, the number of calls dropped to about 70 a day. On Monday, the phone rang 101 times. 

The reporting on the alleged abuse on The Voice of Holland has had an enormously triggering effect,” said Bicanic. “It triggered something for many victims of sexual violence. There was no escaping it; the whole of the Netherlands was talking about sexual violence, wherever you looked or listened. For many victims, this caused hidden memories to surface, and thus the suffering pressure increased.”

The reports came, for example, from people who were struggling with re-experiences, sleeping-, and concentration problems. Others called because they felt empowered to seek help after hearing stories in the media. People also called who realized that they themselves had been a victim after all the attention to the subject.

Last week, the CSG called in a “Letter to the Netherlands” to prevent victim-blaming. According to the center, 75 percent of victims of sexual violence face accusatory comments and inappropriate questions. 

The organization Victim Support also reported that chat conversations tripled last week.

BOOS maker Tim Hofman also notices the first results of his episode on The Voice of Holland. “Something seems to be moving,” the presenter wrote on Instagram. “We see companies, universities, associations, and other institutes adjusting their policies to create a safer environment. A Cabinet (including Prime Minister) speaks out. Men talk to each other, women share with each other,” said Hofman. This is a “valuable” development, but “we are not there yet,” he added. “It feels like the first big breath of a new wind.”

The presenter also thanked all the people who told their stories about the abuses behind the scenes at The Voice in the broadcast. Dozens of women spoke out about sexually transgressive behavior on the RTL program. This included accusations against band leader Jeroen Rietbergen and coaches Marco Borsato and Ali B.

Reporting by ANP.

END OF THE ARTICLE

ABC NEWS”THE VOICE OF HOLLAND” TALENT SHOW HIT BY # ME TOO SCANDAL19 JANUARY 2022
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/voice-holland-talent-show-hit-metoo-scandal-82344442

Dutch talent show “The Voice of Holland” has been taken off air in the Netherlands amid a sexual misconduct scandal

AMSTERDAM — The Dutch talent show “The Voice of Holland” has been taken off the air in the Netherlands amid a sexual misconduct scandal that has cast a shadow over the future of the TV ratings juggernaut in the country where it was first conceived by a media mogul.

The furor is one of the most serious #MeToo reckonings yet to hit the Dutch entertainment world and focuses on a show created in the Netherlands but broadcast in local versions around the globe.

It also draws in a family considered television royalty in the Netherlands — the original creator John de Mol and his sister Linda, a television star in her own right in the Netherlands and Germany who last weekend split from “The Voice of Holland’s” pianist and band leader after he admitted having sexual contacts with some contestants.

The Dutch scandal erupted after a local broadcaster’s YouTube show called “BOOS” — the Dutch word for angry — contacted “The Voice of Holland” to say it has spoken to victims of “sexually transgressive behavior” on the show and is planning to broadcast a program about their allegations on Thursday.

Prosecutors have received two complaints in recent days against one of the show’s panelists, Dutch rapper Ali Bouali. His lawyer, Bart Swier, said Wednesday that the artist known as Ali B denies any wrongdoing. Swier declined to comment further.

The complaints, which Swier said were filed Jan. 11 and on Tuesday, will trigger investigations to establish whether Ali B should face any criminal charges.

Even Prime Minister Mark Rutte has weighed in on the scandal swirling around one of the Netherlands’ most popular TV shows.

“I think everybody is very shocked and it’s good that it is investigated,” he told the Dutch daily De Telegraaf.

Dutch broadcaster RTL, which airs “The Voice of Holland,” reacted swiftly to the reports, saying over the weekend that it was suspending the show. It called the allegations “very serious and shocking” and said they weren’t known to RTL.

Dutch media reported Wednesday that RTL had suspended its ties with Ali B as a result of the complaints. The network did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The show’s pianist and band leader, Jeroen Rietbergen, quit over the weekend and issued a statement acknowledging his actions.

“During my years of involvement with “The Voice of Holland,” I had contact of a sexual nature with some women involved in the program and exchanged sexually tinted WhatsApp messages,” he said in a statement to the RTL Boulevard entertainment news show.

Rietbergen went on to say that after initially considering the sexual encounters “as reciprocal and equal,” he later came to understand that the women “may have experienced this very differently. This insight has made me realize that my behavior has been completely wrong.”

His statement also suggested the show’s producers had known about his actions and cautioned him in the past. Rietbergen’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment.

Rietbergen’s partner, Linda de Mol, said in a statement on her website that she split from Rietbergen after the scandal broke and was taking a break from her own television career.

RTL said it contacted the show’s producer ITV Studios, which agreed to “immediately initiate a diligent, independent investigation.” The Dutch broadcaster said that “Participants, employees, everyone must be able to work in complete safety. There is no room for interpretation in this. The priority now is to get the facts on the table.”

ITV Studios said: “Our highest priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who participates in — or works on — our shows and ITV Studios has a zero-tolerance policy towards the type of behavior it is said to have taken place.”

The company said its investigation aims to “build a complete picture of what happened” and encouraged victims or witnesses to speak to the investigation.

Dutch singer Anouk said she was quitting as one of the show’s panelists, who first get to know contestants by listening to them “blind” from a swiveling chair facing away from the stage before going on to mentor them.

“I don’t want to work in a place where for years a number of men have abused their position and deliberately chose to keep it quiet and look the other way,” she said in an Instagram video.

The Dutch public broadcast organization NPO also took action as a result of the scandal, sending a letter to public networks urging them to make sure they have sufficient checks for misconduct.

“We treat everyone equally and respectfully,” the organization said Tuesday in a letter to the broadcasters. “Attention is paid to unequal power relationships and dependency relationships, where there may be an increased risk of undesirable transgressive behavior.”

END OF THE ARTICLE

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januari 1, 2022 · 1:42 am

Happy New Year!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR !

I wish to all my readers a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2022!

COVID-19 FREE!

https://www.astridessed.nl/tag/in-english/

Astrid Essed

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december 25, 2021 · 6:27 am

Refugees in Borderland/December 2021

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Refugees in Borderland/December 2021

REFUGEES IN BORDERLAND/DECEMBER 2021
NIGHT OF HORROR, NIGHT OF HOPE

In this Night they leave, in search for a Safe Place,not knowing where the journey ends.For they are threathened by death by a merciless dictator,while they only wanted to spread Love and Peace.Which dictators don’t like.

The journey is heavy, through cold and heat, with only a donkey toaccompany them and to ride onWith a precious Newborn Child and  another on the way.
They are lucky to find a Safe Place.And when the Danger is over, they return to their country, in safety……It was heavy, but they are Safe.
And in the Horror, they discovered, how strong they were
They were lucky, it all went well

But not everybody is so lucky……
We saw it, this year.Caught between the sick Games of politicians, a group ofpeople ended up in the borderland between Belarus [White Russia]and Poland, and neither Belarus, nor Poland-EU did care a damnedthing about those people, using them for Power Games. 
Some of them got sick, many died.Yet the Belarus dictator Loeasjenko showed more humanitythen Poland/EU. offering them some warm shelter for whoeverwanted to make use of it.
The only thing Poland and EU offered was more military, pushbacks,fences and laws that made it easy for Poland to refuse asylum….
BUT THERE WAS A LIGHT!NOT from politicians, but common people
People like you and me…..
They kept it out of the news, but there were common Polish people,who wanted to help!
So there was an old Polish woman, who made soup for the refugees!And unknown Polish people, who put a candle for their window to showthe refugees a Light in the Darkness.
Those people are not mentioned by the media, but they exist!They are not mentioned by history, but I know them.THE REFUGEES know them!
I don’t know how the refugees fare now, in this Christmas Night, but thisNight I think of them!

While centuries ago, Jozef and Maria, were helped byhospitable Egyptians, when a cruel king dictator wanted to kill the Child, those refugees get a Sign of Hope and Light fromcommon Polish people, people like you and me, who have no Powerin this World, but do something which is worth more than allthe screaming and criminal politicians, who treat the refugees like Dirt

They give Hope to people in need!

HOW FARE THOSE TRAPPED REFUGEES NOW, IN THE BITTER COLD?I don’t know.
I can’t do anything for them, but I can think of them and write about them.It will not reach them, but I believe that everything that is written, and every thought comes somewhere.Meets someone.
If there is only ONE PERSON, who, by reading this, thinks of those people,then I have reached my goal.
Let’s realize that Christmas is not the Feast of Eating and presents[however jolly that is, I enjoy it too], but to give Light in the Darkness
By thinking of those refugees and all the refugees in this world,you give them Hope.
Thank you
I wish you a Very Happy and Blessed Christmas and Health and Happiness in 2022!

ASTRID ESSED


ASTRID ESSED

Reacties uitgeschakeld voor Refugees in Borderland/December 2021

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december 11, 2021 · 3:29 pm

From 2010/Julian Assange arrested/Attack on freedom of press

From 2010/Julian Assange arrested/Attack on freedom of press
https://www.dewereldmorgen.be/community/julian-assange-how-it-began-2010-julian-assange-arrested-attack-on-freedom-of-press/

JULIAN ASSANGE ARRESTED/ATTACK ON FREEDOM OF PRESS

http://archives-2001-2012.cmaq.net/en/node/43095.html

JULIAN ASSANGE ARRESTED/ATTACK ON THE FREEDOM OF PRESS
WIKILEAKS HOPE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE POWER POLICY OF SUPERPOWER USA AND THEIR ALLIES

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PRESS/
FIRST AMENDMENT UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. – Wikipedia

In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win”

Rupert Murdoch

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
~George Orwell

This world is full of injustice.
Julian Assange is in jail, while top American and allies war-criminals are free to go

Wise woman

What was feared by many adherents of whistleblower site Wikileaks has come to reality.

Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, has been arrested by the British police, after he voluntarily surrendered [1]

O fficially this arrest was on behalf of the Swedish Justice, which had issued an European Arrest Warrant agianst him with charges of alleged rape and molestation of two Swedish women[2]

On request of the Swedish police Interpol also issued an International Arrest Warrant against him [3]

However it is clear, that this arrest is motivated by the political interests of the USA and their allies, considering the spectacular revealings of Wikileaks and the American political hysteria, from extreme right wing death treaths and hunting Assange down ”like a terrorist”, [4] till governmental plans to prosecute him [5]

Also State Secretary of Defense mr Gates called the arrest of Assange ”good news” [6]

Releasement on bail :

Initially it seemed, that Swedish Justice appealed against the decision of the UK Court [dd 14th december] to grant bail to Assange. [7]

Mr Stephens, solicitor of Assange, spoke of the ”continuing vendetta by the Swedes” [8]

Later however rumour spread, that the British prosecution had appealed
However, Assange is released on bail now [9]

IN DEFENSE OF THE POWERLESS :

Wikileaks, which has been founded by Assange, is an international new media with a whistlerblower function, revealing otherwise unavailable documents and thus exposing injustice, committed by States, especially Superpower the USA and their allies [10]

As a new medium, Wikileaks has won several prices, as in 2009, Amnesty International’s UK Media Award [in the category ”New Media”] for the 2008 publication of “Kenya: The Cry of Blood – Extra Judicial Killings and Disappearances” [11]

RELEASED DOCUMENTS

What has infuriated the US and allies are the released documents about US and alles warcrimes and scandals about secret diplomacy
This happened in close cooperation with The New York Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel, which publicized them

And although Assange has been arrested, the releasements go on

An overview:

Video in US killings in Iraq:

”Exposing warcrimes is not a crime!”
Bradley Manning Support Network

In April 2010, Wikileaks posted video from an American airstrike on Badghdad [2007] [12] in which Iraqi civilians and journalists were killed by US forces, including a Reuters journalist and his driver, on a website called Collateral Murder [13]

A courageous American soldier with a conscience, Sgt Bradley Manning, is supposed to have leaked it

He now possibly faces a trial and a yearlong prison sentence [14]

Afghan war-logs

In July the same year, Wikileaks released Afghan War Diary , a compilation of more than 76,900 documents about the War
in Afghanistan [15], not previously available for public review.

Iraq war-logs

In October, Wikileaks released a package of almost 400,000 documents called the Iraq War [16] in coordination with major
commercial media organisations [17]

As well as the Afghan as Iraq war-logs documents showed shocking details about American and allied warcrimes as torture practices

The moat horrifying however is the total American indifference for Afghan and Iraqi civilian lives

US Embassy Cables

In November, Wikileaks began releasing US State Department diplomatic cables [18]

Those are the most important revelations, internationally known

However, already in 2007 Wikileaks disclosed the ”Standard Operation Procedure for Camp Delta”, a guideline for the American military, how to handle prisoners in Guantanamo Bay [19]

Shocking details were the detention [by arrival] of prisoners in an isolation cell [in the Manual called ” the’Brhaviour Managment Plan”] ’to make them more ”cooperative” for interrigations

Placing in isolation was litterary meant to ”ENHANCE AND EXPLOIT THE DISORIENTATION AND DISORGANISATION BY A NEWLY ARRIVED DETAINEE” [20]
In other words: Cruel and inhumane treatment

Lack of access to the Red Cross:

The manual also revealed, that some of the prisoners were denied access to the Red Cross

Also on arrival, the prisoners were denied basics and access to a Qu’ran [21]

CREDIBILITY:
REACTIONS OF STATES AND HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Although it is impossible for the common civilian to control the hundred and thousands of document on their credibility, a clear confirmation is been showed in the website ”Collateral Murder, where the video proof of the US attack in Iraq, where 13 civiilians were killed, is clear [22]
Besides, this Iraq document and thousands of others have been controlled by a team of journalists, who work with Wikileaks

Also the close cooperation with quality papers like the New York Times, Der Spiegel and The Guardian, which have their own investigative journalists, confirms the credibility

The Guardian has since then published all Wikileaks documents in her paper [23]

Credibility is also shown by the aggressive and hostile reactiions of several States, especially the USA, which seek to prosecute Assange on the ground of an old ”Espionage Act” , which is ridiculous, since a native Australian and not in American government service, he can’t be a ”spy”

This American use of the Espionage Act to silence critics is not new:
Many critical intellectuals, journalists, film producers and pacifist religious figures were prosecuted. [24]

Human Rights Watch has emphasized her concern about the planned US prosecution in a letter to president Obama, that prosecitung Assange is a violation of the freedom of press and expression [25]
But despite the furious reactions of governing States, no charge on the ground of defamatiion or slander [the socalled libel suit] has followed

THE ”RAPE” CASE

”There’s something rotten in the State of Denmark”
Hamlet, Shakespeare

Let’s make this clear: Nobody is above the Law

When there is really substantial and hard evidence, that Assange should have raped this women, he should be prosecuted and, by enough proof, condemned after a fair trial

However, there are clear indications, that this whole case is politically motivated

That would not be the first or the last time:

Using rape and sexual contact as a political or personal means is as old as Mankind

In the Old Testimony the wife of Potiphar accused Joseph, son of Patriarch Jacob, than slave in Egypt, of rape, when he refused to be intimate with her [26]

Whistleblower Vanunu, who exposed Israel’s nuclear power, was trapped by a gallgirl and so was abducted by Israel, which led to a yearlong imprisonment [27]

From the very start, this real or alleged ”rape case” had some strange and clumsy aspects, which make the whole case look fishy

After two Swedish women, in press called ”Miss A” and ”Miss W” went to the police with accusations about rape and molestation, at 21 august Swedish police opened an investigation against Assange [28]
Within hours, Stockholm’s chief prosecutor Eva Finne, reviewed the case and dropped the rape investigation, saying there was insufficient evidence to suggest rape [the charge on molestation, a far lesser crime, had been maintained] [29]

However, despite the dropping of the case, at 1 september, Swedish Justice reopened the rape case again [30]
At least that sounds very strange

But there were more fishy elements on this case

Accompanied with the European Arrest Warrant, Interpol issued an International Arrest Warrant against Assange [30 november], which is highly out of proportion, seen the charges against him
Then, on request of the British Serious and Organised Crime Agency, Sweden issued a new Arrest Warrant because of incorrectness of the earlier one [31]

Allegations of the women:

Without going into details, at least some of the allegations of the women were dubious

For example:”Miss A”

Despite her accusations ”Miss A” organised a party for the same man whe accused of rape and molestation

And moreover:
Even after her alleged ”rape” or ”molestation” she let him stay in her appartment [32]

Timing

Not long after the revelations of Wikileaks Afghan war logs, the rape accusations of Miss A and W followed

What is a better moment for slander against Wikileaks and his founder, seen American hysterical reactions?

Assange himself commented on Twitter
”The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing.” [33]

Of course there is no proof for a political set-up, but overviewing the strang behaviour of Swedish Justice, the out of propiortion Interpol Arrest Warrant, the initially ”wrong” Swedish Arrest Warrant, the contradictional story of the women involved and the ”timing” of the charges, raise a serious doubt and show political intrigue.

OPERATION PAYBACK
CYBERATTACKS ON LARGE CORPORATIONS, CUTTING OFF WIKILEAKS OF FINANCIAL MEANS

PAMPHLET OF ANONYMOUS

WE ARE ANONYMOUS. WE ARE LEGION

Several corporations now have been involved in the censoring of Wikileaks

The censoring of free speech and free information

The censoring of a free world

Amongst these corporatiions are MasterCard, VISA, PayPal, Amazon- some of the largest corporations in the world

We, the people, will make a stand, no matter how large these corporations are

We, the people, won’t budge for government pressure
We, the people, won’t fall for bribery and corruption
We, the people, won’t submit to this attempt by our so-called leaders to protect their own interests and power

We, the people, will fight back. We will not forgive. We will not forget
Expect us

Source: INDYMEDIA.NL [www.indymedia.nl]
http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2010/12/72120.shtml

Apparently due to American political pressure, large corporations like Mastercard, Visa, Paypal, Amazon and the Swiss Bank cutt of the financial means of Wikileaks [34]

Later the Bank of America joined [35]

Due to this cutting off of financial means, Assange was obliged to sell the rights of his autobiography for his legal fight in Sweden and to keep the website afloat [36]

As a reaction, a group of hackers [socalled ”hacktivists”] of the Group ”Anonymous” systematically attacked and attacks large corporations like Mastercard, Visa, Paypal and Swiss Bank,to protect the right to free information [37]

Also the office of Mr Borgstrom, the laywer of the two women who accused Assange of socalled ”rape” has been under attack [38]

Dutch authorities arrested and later released a Dutch 16 year old, in connection with the Cyberattacks
Also a Dutch man [19 year old] had been arrested [and later released] in connection with an attack on the Dutch public prosecution office, in connection with the arrest of the 16 year old [39]

Cyberattacks:

Attacks on the laywer of the two Swedish women are unacceptable, since any person has a right to a laywer, however controversial his or her case

However, although somewhat extreme, the Cyberattacks on the financial corporations which cut off Wikileaks, are legitimate resistance, since Mastercard and co are supporting American government policy against Wikileaks, violating freedom of press

In this respect and given the American hatred policy against Wikileaks, also attacks on American governmental organisations is legitimate.

Anonymous is an important weapon in the struggle for Wikileaks freedom of press

Also the Also UN Commissioner of Human Rights, mrs Pilay, has criticized websites, that have refused to host Wikileaks, as an attack on the freedom of expression of Wikileaks [40]

EPILOGUE

The arrest of Assange is directly connected with the American political interest to stop the revelations of Wikileaks at all costs

Therefore it is an attack on the freedom of press and the freedom of expression

Journalism feels that, by working together with Wikileaks and saving material, as The Guardian and other papers do

But there’s more at stake:

Whole Internetjournalism may be treathed

When Assange is to be extradited to Sweden and in the horrorscenario, that Sweden extradites him to the USA [41], after British consent [42], there is more to it than a probably unfair US trial

From that moment all critical Internetjournalists, who write unpleasant truths about the US and human rights violating allies, can be prosecuted, persecuted and intimidated

The freedom of press and speech, consolidated in the first Amendment of the American Constitution, will be a dead letter.

However, most bizarre point:
Real or alleged American warcriminals are free to go, while the messengers are shooted at [42]

BUT US AND ALLIES, MAKE NO MISTAKE

Their dirty secrets will always be unmasked and Wikileaks, or a successor, will go on

To defend the victims of US power policy

Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands

NOTES

[1]

ARTICLE JULIAN ASSANGE
THE AUSTRALIAN
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER FOR REVEALING UNCONFORTABLE TRUTHS
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/dont-shoot-messenger-…

”At 9.15am last Tuesday a thin, white-haired figure left the Frontline Club, the west London establishment dedicated to preserving freedom of speech, and voluntarily surrendered to police.”

Source:

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS BACKLASH: THE FIRST GLOBAL CYBER WAR HAS BEGUN
11 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/11/wikileaks-backlash-cyber-war

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/julian-assange

[2]

BBC NEWS
Q & A
ARREST OF WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://ww w.bbc.co.uk/ news/uk-11949 771

”Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, had earlier handed himself in to British police after Sweden had issued a European Arrest Warrant for him. Assange, who denies the allegations, will remain behind bars until a fresh hearing on December 14.”

Source:

REUTERS
WIKILEAKS FOUNDER ASSANGE REFUSED BAIL BY UK COURT
7 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B61PX20101207

[3]

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS: INTERPOL ISSUES WANTED NOTICE FOR JULIAN ASSANGE
30 NOVEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/30/interpol-wanted-notice-julia…

[4]

AMERICAN POLITICAL HATRED HYSTERIA AGAINST WIKILEAKS AND ASSANGE

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS BACKLASH
THE FIRST GLOBAL CYBERWAR HAS BEGUN
CLAIM HACKERS
11 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/11/wikileaks-backlash-cyber-war

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE LIKE A HI-TECH TERRORIST, SAYS JOE BIDEN
19 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/19/assange-high-tech-terrorist-…

MAIL ONLINE:
HUNT WIKILEAKS CHIEF DOWN LIKE OSAMA BIN LADEN:
SARAH PALIN DEMANDS ASSANGE IS TREATED LIKE AL QAEDA TERRORIST
1TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334341/WikiLeaks-Sarah-Palin-de…

POL ITICO NEWS
REP. PETER KING:
PROSE CUTE WIKILEAKS/JULIAN ASSANGE
29 NOVEMBER 2010

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45667.html

PITCH BLOGS
RIGHTBLOGGERS ON WIKILEAKS: KILL JULIAN ASSANGE, BUT NOT TILL WE USE HIS STUFF AGAINST OBAMA
29TH NOVEMBER 2010

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2010/11/rightbloggers_on_wikileaks.php

THE HUFFINGTON POST
O’ REILLY: WIKILEAKS LEAKERS ARE TRAITORS, SHOULD BE EXECUTED OR SPEND LIFE IN JAIL
30TH NOVEMBER 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/30/oreilly-wikileaks-leakers-execu…

VOICES
AGAINST THE AMARICAN HATRED CAMPAIGN
OPEN LETTER TO JULIA GILLARD
UNDERSIGNED BY NOAM CHOMSKY AND OTHERS
ABC NET
7 DECEMBER 2010

http://w ww.abc.net.au /unleashed/41914.html

[5]

AMERICAN PLANS TO PROSECUTE ASSANGE

ARTICLE JULIAN ASSANGE
THE AUSTRALIAN
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER FOR REVEALING UNCONFORTABLE TRUTHS
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/dont-shoot-messenger-…

THE GUARDIAN
US LOOKS TO PROSECUTE ASSANGE
6 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/06/wikileaks-cables-founder-jul…

THE NATIONAL
US EXPLORES OPTIONS TO PROSECUTE ASSANGE
3 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/us-explores-options-to-prosecut…

”
US At torney General Er ic Holder said officials were pursuing a “very serious criminal investigation” into the matter.
Yet while Mr Assange has widely acknowledged his role in disseminating classified documents, legal experts say US criminal statutes and case law do not cleanly apply to his case.
US espionage law has been used to prosecute US officials who provided secrets to foreign governments or foreign spies who pursued US secrets.
But Mr Assange, an Australian citizen, former computer hacker and self-described journalist, did not work for the US government, has no known links to foreign governments, and operates on the internet, by all accounts far from US soil”

SOURCE:

BBC NEWS
BARRIERS TO POSSIBLE US ASSANGE PROSECUTION
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11952817

THE INDEPENDENT
US MAY PASS NEW LAW TO PROSECUTE ASSANGE
12 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-may-pass-new-law-to-…

”
US Attorn ey General Eric Holder said officials were pursuing a “very serious criminal investigation” into the matter.
Yet while Mr Assange has widely acknowledged his role in disseminating classified documents, legal experts say US criminal statutes and case law do not cleanly apply to his case.
US espionage law has been used to prosecute US officials who provided secrets to foreign governments or foreign spies who pursued US secrets.
But Mr Assange, an Australian citizen, former computer hacker and self-described journalist, did not work for the US government, has no known links to foreign governments, and operates on the internet, by all accounts far from US soil”

SOURCE:

BBC NEWS
BARRIERS TO POSSIBLE US ASSANGE PROSECUTION
8 DECEMBER 2010

http:/ /www.bbc.co. uk/news/worl d-us-canada-1 1952817< /A>

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS CABLES: US ESPIONAGE LAW
1TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-us-espionag…

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE ARREST: HOW THE EXTRADITION PROCESS WORKS
7TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/07/julian-assange-arrest-extrad…

”
There is a Sweden-US extradition treaty, signed in 1961, which provides a legal foundation for extraditions between the countries. But there is still discretion for Sweden to refuse extraditions for “political offences” or where the suspect has reason to fear persecution on account of their membership of a social group or political beliefs.
The treaty also specifies the offences which qualify for extradition, and espionage is not one of them. If the treaty doesn’t apply, there would still be scope for the country to agree to his extradition to the US – Swedish law permits extradition more generally to countries outside Europe, but this could only take place after the current rape proceedings were concluded.”

SOURCE:

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE’S EXTRADITION
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/afua-hirsch-law-blog/2010/de c/08/julian-a ssange-extrad ition-what-ne xt

THE GUARDIAN
A SAD DAY FOR THE US IF THE ESPIONAGE ACT IS USED AGAINST WIKILEAKS
15 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/dec/15/wikil…

[6]

GOOD NEWS REACTION OF THE US DEFENCE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES:

”The Pentagon welcomed the arrest, with US D efence Secretary Robert Gates saying on a visit to Afghanistan that it was “good news”.

SOURCE:

BBC NEWS
WIKILEAKS FOUNDER ASSANGE REFUSED BAIL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11937110

[7]

”
4.1 8pm: Speaking outside the court, Ken Loach said it was “good news” that Assange had been granted bail.

Clearly, if the Swedish government opposes bail it will show there is some vindictiveness beyond this case. It will show there is some political element that goes beyond the case.”

Source:

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE GRANTED BAIL/LIVE UPDATES
14TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/dec/14/wikileaks-julian-assange…

[8]

”Mr Assange’s solicitor, Mark Stephens, said after the court appearance the bail appeal was part of a “continuing vendetta by the Swedes”.

Source:

BBC NEWS
WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE FREED ON BAIL
16TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12005930

[9]

BBC NEWS
WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE FREED ON BAIL
16TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12005930

[10]

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/wikileaks

WIKIPEDIA
WIKILEAKS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks

[11]

WIKIPEDIA
WIKILEAKS

”WikiLeaks has won a number of awards, including the 2008 Economist magazine New Media Award.[10] In June 2009, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange won Amnesty International’s UK Media Award (in the category “New Media”) for the 2008 publication of “Kenya: The Cry of Blood – Extra Judicial Killings and Disappearances”,[11] a report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights about police killings in Kenya.[12] ”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks

EDITOR’S WEBLOG
WIKILEAKS RECEIVES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S NEW MEDIA AWARD
9TH JUNE 2009

http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2009/06/wikileaks_…

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AWARDS 2009

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_20539.pdf

[12]

WIKIPEDIA
JULY 12, 2007, BAGHDAD AIRSTRIKE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_July_2007_Baghdad_airstrike

”David Schlesinger, Reuters editor in chief, said Tuesday that the video was disturbing to watch “but also important to watch.” He said he hoped to meet with the Pentagon “to press the need to learn lessons from this tragedy.”

Source:

THE NEW YORK TIMES
AIRSTRIKE VIDEO BRINGS NOTICE TO A WEBSITE
6TH APRIL 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/07wikileaks.html

[13]

WIKILEAKS
COLLATERAL MURDER

http://www.collateralmurder.com/

WIKIPEDIA
JULY 12, 2007 BAGHDAD AIRSTRIKE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collateral_murder#Leaked_video_footage

[14]

WIKILEAKS
BRADLEY MANNINGS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Manning

BRADLEY MANNING SUPPORT NETWORK

http://www.bradleymanning.org/

[15]

WIKIPEDIA
AFGHAN WAR DOCUMENTS LEAK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_War_Diary

THE GUARDIAN
AFGHANISTAN: THE WAR LOGS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/the-war-logs

[16]

THE GUARDIAN
IRAQ: THE WAR LOGS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iraq-war-logs

[17]

WIKIPEDIA
WIKILEAKS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks

[18]

THE GUARDIAN
US EMBASSY CABLES

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/us-embassy-cables-the-documents

THE GUARDIAN

THE US EMBASSY CABLES

THE DOCUMENTS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/us-embassy-cables-the-documents

[19]

THE GUARDIAN
MANUAL EXPOSES DIVIDE-AND-RULE TACTICS IN CAMP DELTA
15TH NOVEMBER 2007

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/15/guantanamo.usa?INTCMP=SRCH

[20]

THE GUARDIAN
MANUAL EXPOSES DIVIDE-AND-RULE TACTICS IN CAMP DELTA
15TH NOVEMBER 2007

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/15/guantanamo.usa?INTCMP=SRCH

[21]

THE GUARDIAN
MANUAL EXPOSES DIVIDE-AND-RULE TACTICS IN CAMP DELTA
15TH NOVEMBER 2007

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/15/guantanamo.usa?INTCMP=SRCH

[22]

WIKILEAKS
COLLATERAL MURDER

http://www.collateralmurder.com/

WIKIPEDIA
JULY 12, 2007, BAGHDAD AIRSTRIKE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_July_2007_Baghdad_airstrike

”David Schlesinger, Reuters editor in chief, said Tuesday that the video was disturbing to watch “but also important to watch.” He said he hoped to meet with the Pentagon “to press the need to learn lessons from this tragedy.”

Source:

THE NEW YORK TIMES
AIRSTRIKE VIDEO BRINGS NOTICE TO A WEBSITE
6TH APRIL 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/07wikileaks.html

[23]

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/wikileaks

[24]

”
US Attorn ey General Eric Holder said officials were pursuing a “very serious criminal investigation” into the matter.
Yet while Mr Assange has widely acknowledged his role in disseminating classified documents, legal experts say US criminal statutes and case law do not cleanly apply to his case.
US espionage law has been used to prosecute US officials who provided secrets to foreign governments or foreign spies who pursued US secrets.
But Mr Assange, an Australian citizen, former computer hacker and self-described journalist, did not work for the US government, has no known links to foreign governments, and operates on the internet, by all accounts far from US soil”

SOURCE:

BBC NEWS
BARRIERS TO POSSIBLE US ASSANGE PROSECUTION
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11952817

[25]

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
US: WIKILEAKS PUBLISHER SHOULD NOT FACE PROSECUTION
LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
15 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/12/14/us-wikileaks-publishers-should-not…

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
US: DON’T PROSECUTE WIKILEAKS FOUNDER
15TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/12/15/us-don-t-prosecute-wikileaks-found…

[26]

WIKIPEDIA
POTIPHAR

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potiphar

[27]

WIKIPEDIA
MORDECHAI VANUNU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordechai_Vanunu

[28]

THE GUARDIAN
PROSECUTION MAY DECIDE TODAY ON CHARGES AGAINST WIKILEAKS FOUNDER
24 AUGUST 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/24/assange-wikileaks-swedish-pr…

[29]

WIKIPEDIA
JULIAN ASSANGE/SWEDISH SEX CRIME ALLEGATIONS AND ARREST WARRANT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange#Swedish_sex_crime_investigat…

THE GUARDIAN
RAPE WARRANT AGAINST WIKILEAKS FOUNDER ASSANGE CANCELLED
21 AUGUST 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/21/julian-assange-wikileaks-arr…

””The fact that one prosecutor dismissed the charges against Assange and another picked them up afterwards, makes the case look fishy. The prosecuting authorities should have acted more expeditiously and speedily.”

Source:

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE FURORE DEEPENS AS NEW DETAILS EMERGE OF SEX CRIME ALLEGATIONS
18 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/18/julian-assange-allegations-w…

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE DEFENDS DECISION NOT TO FACE QUESTIONING IN SWEDEN
21 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/21/julian-assange-defends-decis…

[30]

See the notes under [29]

[31]

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE: SWEDEN ISSUES FRESH ARREST WARRANT FOR WIKILEAKS FOUNDER
2 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/02/julian-assange-faces-arrest-…

[32]

”Assange’s supporters point out that, despite her complaints against him, Miss A held a party for him on that evening and continued to allow him to stay in her flat.

Source:

THE GUARDIAN
10 DAYS IN SWEDEN: THE FULL ALLEGATIONS AGAINST JULIAN ASSANGE
17 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/17/julian-assange-sweden

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE FURORE DEEPENS AS NEW DETAILS EMERGE OF SEX CRIME ALLEGATIONS
18 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/18/julian-assange-allegations-w…

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS: THE MAN AND THE IDEA
17 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/17/wikileaks-man-idea-e…

MAIL ONLINE
SUPPORTERS DISMISSED RAPE ACCUSATION AGAINST WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE…BUT THE TWO WOMEN INVOLVED TELL A DIFFERENT STORY
29 AUGUST 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1307137/Supporters-dis…

WIKIPEDIA
CLAES BORGSTROM, LAWYER OF MISS A AND MISS W

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Borgstr%C3%B6m

THE GUARDIAN
Q & A: JULIAN ASSANGE ALLEGATIONS
17 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/17/julian-assange-q-and-a?intcm…

[33]

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE TO BE QUESTIONED BY BRITISH POLICE
7 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/06/wikileaks-julian-assange-pol…

[34]

THE GUARDIAN
PAYPAL JOINS INTERNET BACKLASH AGAINST WIKILEAKS
4 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/04/paypal-internet-backlash-wik…

BBC NEWS
PAYPAL SAYS IT STOPPED WIKILEAKS PAYMENTS ON US LETTER
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11945875

CBS NEWS
MASTERCARD PULLS PLUG ON WIKILEAKS PAYMENTS
6 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20024801-503543.html

FOX NEWS
SWISS POSTAL SYSTEM CUTS OFF WIKILEAKS BANK ACCOUNT
6 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/12/06/swiss-postal-cuts-wikileaks-bank…

INDEPENDENT
WIKILEAKS PAYMENTS CUT OFF BY VISA
7 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/wikileaks-payments-cu…

[35]

THE AUSTRALIAN
BANK OF AMERICA CUTS OFF WIKI;EAKS
19 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/bank-of-america-cuts-…

[36]

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE TO USE £1 M BOOK DEALS FOR LEGAL FIGHT
26 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/26/julian-assange-book-deals

[37]

WEBSITE ANONYMOUS
ANONNEWS

http://www.anonnews.org/

OPERATION PAYBACK: PROTESTS VIA MOUSE CLICK
9TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Operation-Payback-protests-vi…

THE GUARDIAN
ANONYMOUS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/anonymous

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS CABL ES: ANONYMOUS DECLARES ONLINE WAR AGAINST COMPANIES
10TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/dec/10/wikileaks-cables-anonym…

THE GUARDIAN
WIKILEAKS BACKLASH
THE FIRST GLOBAL CYBERWAR HAS BEGUN
CLAIM HACKERS
11TH DECEMBER 2010

http://w ww.guardian. co.uk/media/2 010/dec/11/wi kileaks-back lash-cyber-wa r

BELFAST TELEGRAPH
WIKILEAKS: PALIN, SWEDEN AND AMAZON FACE ANONYMOUS HACKERS ONSLAUGHT
10 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/wikileaks-palin-sweden…

ALTERNET
6 COMPANIES THAT HAVEN’T WUSSED OUT OF WORKING WITH WIKILEAKS
10TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.alternet.org/story/149142/

[38]

ATTACKS ON SWEDISH JUSTICE MINISTRY AND THE LAWYER OF THE TWO WOMEN, WHO ACCUSED MR ASSANGE OF ”RAPE”

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
TEEN ARRESTED IN CYBER-ATTACKS: OTHER PURSUED
9 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/9/teen-arrested-in-cyber-at…

[39]

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
TEEN ARRESTED IN CYBER-ATTACKS: OTHERS PURSUED
9 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/9/teen-arrested-in-cyber-at…

REUTERS
DUTCH RELEASE MAN ACCUSED OF CYBERATTACKS
12TH DECEMBER 2010

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BA25Y20101212

[40]

BELPHAST TELEGRAPH
WIKILEAKS: PALIN, SWEDEN AND AMAZON FACE ANONYMOUS HACKERS ONSLAUGHT
10 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/wikileaks-palin-sweden…

[41]

THE GUARDIAN
JULIAN ASSANGE’S EXTRADITION: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/afua-hirsch-law-blog/2010/dec/08/julian-as…

THE NEW YORK TIMES
SWEDISH PROSECUTOR RAISES POSSIBLE EXTRADITION OF WIKILEAKS FOUNDER TO US
14 DECEMBER 2010

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/swedish-prosecutor-raises-po…

STATEMENT FROM DIRECTOR OF PROSECUTION, MS MARIANNE NY
SWEDISH JUSTICE OFFICE

http://www.aklagare.se/In-English/

THE HUFFINGTON POST
OUR CONCERNS REALIZED: SWEDISH PROSECUTOR DISCUSSES ASSANGE’S EXTRADITION TO US
15 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vincent-warren/our-concerns-realized-swe_b…

[42]

BBC NEWS
Q & A: ARREST OF WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE
16 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11949771

THE NEW YORK TIMES
SWEDISH PROSECUTOR RAISES POSSIBLE EXTRADITION OF WIKILEAKS FOUNDER TO US
14 DECEMBER 2010

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/swedish-prosecutor-raises-po…

[43]

THE AUSTRALIAN
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER FOR REVEALING UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS
JULIAN ASSANGE
8 DECEMBER 2010

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/dont-shoot-messenger-..

Reacties uitgeschakeld voor From 2010/Julian Assange arrested/Attack on freedom of press

Opgeslagen onder Divers

Getagd als , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

december 4, 2021 · 10:35 pm

Poetry and Philosophy of Astrid Essed

POETRY AND PHILOSOPHY OF ASTRID ESSED

aerial photography of cloudsCumulus Clouds

Poetry and Philosophy of Astrid Essed

PRAYER

Prayer

LIGHTNING TIME

Lightning Time

TRUE GREATNESS

True Greatness

Reacties uitgeschakeld voor Poetry and Philosophy of Astrid Essed

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· 12:17 pm

Poland-Belarus border crisis/Letter to the EU/”EU’s human obligations against the refugees”

Een Koerdische familie uit Irak wacht met zestien leden uit drie generaties op de grenswachten. Al acht keer werden ze teruggestuurd naar Wit-Rusland, waarbij ze klappen kregen en door honden gebeten werden. Foto Wojtek Radwanski / AFP

Voertuigen die zich nabij de grens begeven worden streng gecontroleerd. Foto Marko Djurica / Reuters

Achtergebleven spullen van migranten in de bossen. Velen van hen krijgen met geweld en intimidatie te maken. Foto Marko Djurica / Reuters

Ondertussen proberen hulporganisaties de migranten waar mogelijk te helpen. Hier sorteert een Poolse vrijwilligster gedoneerde kleding in een brandweerkazerne. Foto Kacper Pempel / Reuters

Activisten van de Poolse ngo Grupa Granica houden foto’s omhoog van gestrande migranten, met de oproep hen hulp te bieden. Foto Marko Djurica / Reuters

Oekraïense nationalisten houden borden en flares omhoog in protest tegen de komst van migranten voor de Poolse ambassade in Kiev. Foto Sergei Supinsky / AFP

Medici verzorgen een gewonde migrant, terwijl anderen verderop door de Poolse politie worden ingerekend. De Poolse premier Mateusz sprak onlangs van „een brute schending van onze oostelijke grens (…) de ergste in dertig jaar”. Foto Woitek Radwanski / AFP

Migranten drommen samen om noodpakketten te ontvangen van de Wit-Russische krijgsmacht. Foto Stringer / EPA

Een migrant draagt zijn ontvangen noodrantsoen weg van het uitdeelpunt van het Wit-Russische leger. Veel migranten verblijven in het grensgebied onder erbarmelijke omstandigheden. Foto Stringer / EPA

Poolse militairen en politieagenten staan rechts paraat langs de grens met Wit-Rusland, terwijl links migranten te zien zijn in hun geïmproviseerde kampementen.

Poland-Belarus border crisis/Letter to the EU/”EU’s human obligations against the refugees”

POLAND-BELARUS BORDER CRISIS/LETTER TO THE EU/”EU’S HUMAN OBLIGATIONS AGAINST THE REFUGEES, WHO ARE TRAPPED BETWEENTHE POLAND-BELARUS BORDER”

TO MRS Y JOHANSSONEU COMMISSIONER  FOR HOME AFFAIRSRelating her responsibility for Migration and Asylum
Subject:The Poland Belarus crisis on migrants:Eu’s obligations regarding universal human rights

Dear Mrs Johansson,[When you are pressed with time, just read the last piece”EU’s obligations”]

I am greatly concerned about EU’s recent attitude against refugees, who are trapped in the border between Poland and BelarusFirstly the EU waited months after months and allowing Poland to close andmilitarize its borders against those refugees, thus violating their right on asylum,violating their universal human rights by letting them try to survive in the freezingcold and, to add insult to injury, pushing them back from the border, fully knowing that push-backs are against International Law. [1]As a consequence, at least thirteen refugees died. [2]Instead of immediately demanding of Poland, to refrain from violatinghuman rights and giving those refugees entrance to Poland, all the EUdid was express solidarity with Poland and also denying the refugees their right to asylum:I quote from the statement from EU president, mrs von der Leyen, from 8th november 2021:”Finally, the Commission will explore with the UN and its specialised agencies how to prevent a humanitarian crisis from unfolding and to ensure that migrants can be safely returned to their country of origin, with the support of their national authorities.” [3] That’s inhuman.
In her report ”Die Here or Go to Poland”, Human Rights Watch wrote among else:”Polish authorities should immediately halt all summary returns and collective expulsions to Belarus and stop all abuse by Polish officials of migrants. The government of Poland should also immediately allow humanitarian and other civil society organizations access to the area currently restricted under the state of emergency order for the purposes of saving lives. Journalists and other monitors should also be permitted access.” [4]Poland is a EU member and should apply toEU rules, among else consolidated in the Charter’for Fundamental Rights of the EU Union [5],in which the right to asylum is granted [article 18] [6] and pushbacks are forbidden [article 18, article 19,EU Charter of Fundamental Rights] [7]
As long as Poland is an EU member, Poland has to conduct according toEU rules!And it is the EU task to remember Poland of its obligations.
PROPOSAL OF THE EU COMMISSION FROM1 DECEMBER 2021
Not only that has not happened, now the EU Commission did proposals in the favour of Poland.Latva and Lithuania taking ”exceptional measures”I refer to the recent Statement from 1 december 2021, calling for measures of an ”of an extraordinary and exceptional nature” [8]
According to my information from Amnesty International,EU Commission proposals ”normalize dehumanisationof asylum seekers” [9]
Amnesty International writes among else:
”“The arrival of people at the EU’s borders with Belarus is entirely manageable with the rules as they stand. Today’s proposals will further punish people for political gain, weaken asylum protections, and undermine the EU’s standing at home and abroad. If the EU can allow a minority of member states to throw out the rule book due to the presence of a few thousand people at its border, it throws out any authority it has on human rights and the rule of law.

“The current situation at the EU’s borders with Belarus is being used by some countries as an excuse to weaken protections of asylum-seekers and push their anti-migrant agenda. Holding asylum seekers in detention for four months, without the protection standards required by international law, is normalising de facto unlawful detention at the EU’s external borders.” [10]

That’s clear language and I have nothing to add to this

EU’S OBLIGATION

Summarizing:

During the Poland-Belarus crisis on migrants,

all the EU really did was to express solidarity

with Poland, thus encouraging Poland in it’s 

unlawful policy of denying the right to asylum and

practising illegal pushbacks and, to add insult

to injury, letting vulnerable refugee freezing in the cold,

without adequate provisions.

With this the EU has violated her own rules of

humanity, right to asylum and the prohibition

of pushbacks.

So it’s time, the EU acts again in accordance with it’s own Charter and Laws and not proposing ”extraordinary

measures” [11] which violate it’s own rules.

So I call the EU to require from Poland to admit the

refugees and give them a proper asylum procedure,

according to human rights and stop pushing them back.

Of course Belarus bears responsibility too for the

existing situation [12], but that doesn’t excuse

the EU from practising their own rules of

humanitarian protection of refugees, which is formally established in the EU Law.

Return to your own Laws and Charters, EU and stop

dehumanizing refugees.

That’s all I ask.

Kind regards

Astrid Essed

Amsterdam 

The Netherlands

NOTES[1]

HUMAN RIGHTSHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FORBORDER ABUSES

https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

[2]

”At least 13 people have died in the area in recent weeks, most due to exposure.”

THE GUARDIAN

ONE YEAR OLD SYRIAN CHILD DIES

IN FOREST ON POLAND-BELARUS BORDER

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/18/one-year-old-syrian-child-dies-in-forest-on-poland-belarus-border

[3]

EU SOLIDARITY WITH POLAND:

”I have spoken to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš to express the EU’s solidarity and discuss with them the measures the EU can take to support them in their efforts to deal with this crisis.”

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT VON DER LEYEN ON

THE SITUATION AT THE BORDER BETWEEN

POLAND AND BELARUS

8 NOVEMBER 2021

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_21_5867

EU, NOT RESPECTING THE RIGHT ON ASYLUM:

”’Finally, the Commission will explore with the UN and its specialised agencies how to prevent a humanitarian crisis from unfolding and to ensure that migrants can be safely returned to their country of origin, with the support of their national authorities.”

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT VON DER LEYEN ON

THE SITUATION AT THE BORDER BETWEEN

POLAND AND BELARUS

8 NOVEMBER 2021

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_21_5867

FULL TEXT:

Belarus must stop putting people’s lives at risk.

The instrumentalisation of migrants for political purposes by Belarus is unacceptable.

The Belarusian authorities must understand that pressuring the European Union in this way through a cynical instrumentalisation of migrants will not help them succeed in their purposes.

I have spoken to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš to express the EU’s solidarity and discuss with them the measures the EU can take to support them in their efforts to deal with this crisis.

I am calling on Member States to finally approve the extended sanctions regime on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack.

Vice-President Schinas, in coordination with High Representative/Vice-President Borrell, will travel in the coming days to the main countries of origin and of transit to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.

The EU will in particular explore how to sanction, including through blacklisting, third country airlines that are active in human trafficking.

Finally, the Commission will explore with the UN and its specialised agencies how to prevent a humanitarian crisis from unfolding and to ensure that migrants can be safely returned to their country of origin, with the support of their national authorities.

[4]HUMAN RIGHTSHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORTSUMMARY”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FORBORDER ABUSES

https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

[5]

CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

[6]

Article 18 Right to asylum 
The right to asylum shall be guaranteed with due respect for the rules of the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and the Protocol of 31 January 1967 relating to the status of refugees and in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community.
CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

[7]
Article 18 Right to asylum 
The right to asylum shall be guaranteed with due respect for the rules of the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and the Protocol of 31 January 1967 relating to the status of refugees and in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community.
CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

Article 19 Protection in the event of removal, expulsion or extradition 
1. Collective expulsions are prohibited. 2. No one may be removed, expelled or extradited to a State where there is a serious risk that he or she would be subjected to the death penalty, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

”Notwithstanding any changes to Polish law, Poland’s pushbacks without due process violate EU law including the Charter of Fundamental Rights.[25] The Charter guarantees the right to asylum and standard international refugee law practice, under which any expression of intent to seek asylum should promptly be forwarded to the competent authorities for assessment based on the person’s individual grounds for seeking asylum.[26]”

HUMAN RIGHTSHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FORBORDER ABUSES
POLISH LEGISLATION & VIOLATION OF EU LAW
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

Polish pushback practices are also in violation of article 19 of the Charter and Protocol 4 of the ECHR, which both state unequivocally that collective or mass expulsions of aliens are prohibited.[28]

HUMAN RIGHTSHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FORBORDER ABUSES
POLISH LEGISLATION & VIOLATION OF EU LAW
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses
[8]
ASYLUM AND RETURN: COMMISSION PROPOSES TEMPORARY LEGALAND PRACTICAL MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE EMERGENCY SITUATIONAT THE EU’S EXTERNAL BORDER WITH BELARUS1 DECEMBER 2021
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_6447

TEXT

The Commission is today putting forward a set of temporary asylum and return measures to assist Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in addressing the emergency situation at the EU’s external border with Belarus. The measures will allow these Member States to set up swift and orderly processes to manage the situation, in full respect of fundamental rights and international obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement. The proposal follows the invitation by the European Council for the Commission to propose any necessary changes to the EU’s legal framework and concrete measures underpinned by adequate financial support to ensure an immediate and appropriate response in line with EU law and international obligations, including the respect of fundamental rights. The measures, based on Article 78(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, will enter into force after their adoption by the Council. The European Parliament will be consulted. The measures will remain in force for a period of 6 months.

Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, said: “In the past weeks, we have managed to bring the EU’s collective weight to bear in face of the hybrid attack directed at our Union. Collectively, the EU made clear that attempts to undermine our Union will only solidify our solidarity with one another.  Today we are giving living manifestation to that solidarity: in the form of a set of temporary and exceptional measures that will equip Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with the means needed to respond to these extraordinary circumstances in a controlled and swift manner and to operate in conditions of legal certainty.”

Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said: “Although the EU’s intense efforts have brought rapid results, the situation remains delicate. Today, to protect our borders, and to protect people, we are giving flexibility and support to Member States to manage this emergency situation, without compromising on human rights. This should allow the Member States in question to fully uphold the right to asylum and align legislation with EU acquis. It’s also time limited and targeted. To make our response to hybrid threats future-proof, we activate the EU’s formidable diplomatic and legal capacity, to apply sanctions and persuade third countries to stop flights. We will soon propose a reform of the Schengen rules. Making progress now on the Pact on Migration and Asylum is essential.”

Provisional measures proposed

The measures included in this proposal are of an extraordinary and exceptional nature. They will apply for a period of 6 months, unless extended or repealed, and will apply to non-EU nationals who have irregularly entered the EU from Belarus and are at the vicinity of the border or those who present themselves at border crossing points. The main elements of the proposal are:

Emergency migration and asylum management procedure at the external borders:

  • The 3 Member States will have the possibility to extend the registration period for asylum applications to 4 weeks, instead of the current 3 to 10 days. The Member States may also apply the asylum procedure at the border to process all asylum claims, including the appeal, within a maximum of 16 weeks – except where adequate support for applicants with particular health issues cannot be provided. In doing so, well-founded claims and those of families and children should be prioritised.
  • Material reception conditions: Member States focus reception conditions on the covering of basic needs, including temporary shelter adapted to the seasonal weather conditions, food, water, clothing, adequate medical care, and assistance to vulnerable persons, in full respect of human dignity. It is important that Member States ensure close cooperation with UNHCR and relevant partner organisations to support individuals in this emergency situation.
  • Return procedure: Member States concerned will be able to apply simplified and quicker national procedures including for the return of people whose applications for international protection have been rejected in this context.

All procedures carried out in line with this proposal must respect fundamental rights and specific guarantees provided for by EU law, including the best interests of the child, emergency health care and needs of vulnerable people, the use of coercive measures and detention conditions.

Practical support and cooperation:

  • Support from EU agencies: EU agencies stand ready to help the Member States on request. The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) can help register and process applications, ensure screening of vulnerable people and support the management, design and putting in place of adequate reception. Further Frontex support is available for border control activities, including screening and return operations. Support from Europol is also available to provide intelligence to counter smuggling.
  • Continued cooperation: The Commission, the Member States and EU Agencies will continue their cooperation, including an obligation on the Member States to continue reporting relevant data and statistics via the EU Migration Preparedness and Crisis Management Network.

The Commission will regularly reassess the situation and may propose to the Council to prolong or repeal these provisional measures.

Next steps

Article 78(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU states that after consulting the European Parliament, the Council may adopt provisional measures for the benefit of the Member States concerned. This happens by qualified majority vote. Once agreed by the Council, in view of the urgency of the situation, this Decision should enter into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

Background  

Since the summer, the Lukashenko regime and its supporters have initiated a hybrid attack on the EU, especially Lithuania, Poland and Latvia, which have experienced an insidious new threat in the form of the instrumentalisation of desperate people.

In October 2021, the European Council invited the Commission to propose any necessary changes to the EU’s legal framework to respond to the state-sponsored instrumentalisation of people at the EU’s external border with Belarus. Article 78(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides for the adoption of provisional measures in emergency migratory situations at the EU’s external borders.

Today’s proposal is the latest in a series of coordinated EU actions that include: targeted measures for transport operators that facilitate or engage in smuggling; diplomatic and external action; stepping up humanitarian assistance and support for border and migration management.

This proposal is in line with the comprehensive approach set out in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. It complements the Schengen Borders Code and the upcoming Schengen reform, in which the Commission intends to propose a permanent framework for addressing possible situations of instrumentalisation that may still confront the Union in the future.

Financing of this proposal will be accommodated within the budget of the existing EU funding instruments under the period 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 in the field of migration, asylum and border management. Where exceptionally necessary, if the situation aggravates further, the flexibility mechanisms within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 could be used.

For More Information

Proposal for a Council Decision on provisional emergency measures for the benefit of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

Communication: Responding to state-sponsored instrumentalisation of migrants at the EU external border

[9]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONALEU ”EXCEPTIONAL MEASURES” NORMALIZE DEHUMANISATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS’1 DECEMBER 2021
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/12/eu-exceptional-measures-normalize-dehumanization-of-asylum-seekers/

In response to today’s proposals from the European Commission which would allow Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to derogate from EU rules, including by holding asylum-seekers and migrants at the border for 16 weeks with minimal safeguards, Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Office said:

“The arrival of people at the EU’s borders with Belarus is entirely manageable with the rules as they stand. Today’s proposals will further punish people for political gain, weaken asylum protections, and undermine the EU’s standing at home and abroad. If the EU can allow a minority of member states to throw out the rule book due to the presence of a few thousand people at its border, it throws out any authority it has on human rights and the rule of law.

“The current situation at the EU’s borders with Belarus is being used by some countries as an excuse to weaken protections of asylum-seekers and push their anti-migrant agenda. Holding asylum seekers in detention for four months, without the protection standards required by international law, is normalising de facto unlawful detention at the EU’s external borders.

“Asylum rules should be upheld, not allowed to be side-stepped by countries via so-called exceptional measures. Amnesty International is alarmed that the proposal will violate people’s rights, and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis at borders while continuing to expose the EU to further internal and external manipulation and blackmailing.

“While Lukashenka’s mistreatment and instrumentalization of migrants and asylum seekers is deplorable, he is exploiting the EU’s own tendency to treat people at their borders as a threat.

“At least 10 people, including a one-year-old child, have died at the EU’s Eastern borders in recent weeks. Today the European Commission is bringing in measures which undermine rights and normalize the dehumanization and suffering of people at the EU’s borders.”

END OF STATEMENT

[10]AMNESTY INTERNATIONALEU ”EXCEPTIONAL MEASURES” NORMALIZE DEHUMANISATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS’1 DECEMBER 2021
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/12/eu-exceptional-measures-normalize-dehumanization-of-asylum-seekers/

[11]AMNESTY INTERNATIONALEU ”EXCEPTIONAL MEASURES” NORMALIZE DEHUMANISATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS’1 DECEMBER 2021
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/12/eu-exceptional-measures-normalize-dehumanization-of-asylum-seekers/

[12]HUMAN RIGHTSHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT”DIE HERE OR GO TO POLAND”BELARUS’ AND POLAND’S SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FORBORDER ABUSES

https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/11/24/die-here-or-go-poland/belarus-and-polands-shared-responsibility-border-abuses

END OF NOTES

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· 11:44 am

True Greatness

aerial photography of clouds
Cumulus Clouds
True Greatness

TRUE GREATNESS

Who has few Followers

Seldom looked upat Social Media
Overviewed by websites, that are full of newscomments


Who is ”not popular”
Is not participating with the ”Delusion of the Day”
IS REALLY GREAT


For walking on your own, Sun and Dark, without applauding tones
Is the Only Way to Greatness

ASTRID ESSED

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november 8, 2021 · 12:31 pm

[Article from Kathryn Warner, Medieval historian]/Sir Robert Holland (d. 1328)

SIR ROBERT HOLLAND (d. 1328)

WEBSITE KATHRYN WARNER EDWARD II/BLOGSPOT]
http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/2021/11/sir-robert-holland-d-1328.html

INTRODUCTION
Dear Readers,

Kathryn Warner is a Medieval historian whom I value very much.Hereby I post  oneof her excellent articles she wrote  on her Blogspot, where are to be found hundreds of very, veryvaluable articles about events, issues and personalities about the period of the reign of kingEdward II, 1307-1327Karthyn Warner is a great expert on the reign of king Edward II and wrotealso agreat number of books about that period.
See her Blogspot
http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/

This article is about Sir Robert Holland, a close friend and ally ofking Edward II’s cousin, Earl Thomas of Lancaster.Earl Thomas of Lancaster was a very interesting historical person,who, after an initial good relationship with his cousin king Edward II,fell out with him and eventually came into open rebellion againsthim, which ended with his execution in march 1321.Interesting fact:After his death he was venerated as a Saint for more then200 years!If you want to know, how a warlord became a Saint, read my articleabout Earl Thomas of Lancaster!
IN CHAPTERS
https://www.astridessed.nl/my-earl-thomas-of-lancaster-article-in-chapters/

OR AS A WHOLE:
SEE
https://www.astridessed.nl/thomas-of-lancaster-rebel-cousin-of-king-edward-iifrom-warlord-to-saint/

OR
https://www.dewereldmorgen.be/community/thomas-of-lancaster-rebel-cousin-of-king-edward-ii-from-warlord-to-saint-chapter-ten/

AND NOW…..THE  ARTICLE OF KATHRYN WARNER!ENJOY, LIKE I ENJOYED IT!
LINK
http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/2021/11/sir-robert-holland-d-1328.html

TEXT

07 November, 2021

Sir Robert Holland (d. 1328)

I’ve previously written a post about the murder of Sir Robert Holland in October 1328, and another about his daughter Isabelle, mistress of John de Warenne, earl of Surrey (d. 1347). Here’s one about Robert himself, a knight of Lancashire whose grandchildren were the older half-siblings of King Richard II.

Robert’s family came originally from the village of Upholland in Lancashire, and in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the name was spelt Holand, Holande, Holond, Holaund(e), Hoyland, Hoylaund, etc. Robert’s father was also called Sir Robert Holland, and the older Robert was the eldest of the six sons of Thurstan Holland, who was himself the son of yet another Robert Holland. [1] This Robert and his son Thurstan, our Robert’s great-grandfather and grandfather, were imprisoned in 1241 after setting fire to a house belonging to the rector of Wigan. 

Our Robert’s mother, Elizabeth, was the third and youngest daughter, and co-heir, of Sir William Samlesbury, who married Avina Notton and died in c. 1256, leaving their three daughters Margery, Cecily and Elizabeth as his heirs. Elizabeth and Sir Robert Holland Senior were certainly already married by September 1276 and probably a good few years before that. Robert Senior is assumed to have died c. 1304, while Elizabeth was still alive in 1313/14. The date of birth of Robert and Elizabeth’s eldest son and heir, our Robert, is not recorded but was probably sometime near the start of the 1270s; his father settled a tenement on him in Pemberton and Orrell in 1292, suggesting he was at least twenty-one then and may have recently turned twenty-one. In the late 1310s and early 1320s, a ‘Simon de Holand’ (d. 1325) was associated with Robert, who gave him a plot of land in Lancashire, and there was also a ‘Richard de Holand, knight’ who joined the Contrariant rebellion of 1321/22 with Robert. There’s an entry in the Final Concords for Lancashire in October 1321 regarding ‘Richard son of Robert de Holand, plaintiff’. [2] As the sons of our Robert Holland were still children in 1321, this would appear to mean that Richard was a son of Robert Holland Sr (d. c. 1304) and therefore our Robert’s brother. Robert certainly had a younger brother named William, who died in the late 1310s or early 1320s and whose son and heir was named Robert, and there are also references in the chancery rolls in the 1330s and 1340s to another son of William’s called Thurstan. 

J.R. Maddicott has pointed out that Robert Holland’s origins were not quite as humble as some fourteenth-century chroniclers, notably the Brut and Henry Knighton – who wrote that the earl of Lancaster raised Robert ‘from nothing’ – claimed. [3] C. Moor’s Knights of Edward I (vol. 2, p. 233) states that our Robert was active as a knight and a keeper of the peace in Lancashire as early as 1287, but surely that’s his father of the same name. As so often happens when father and son had the same name, it’s difficult, or even impossible, to distingush between them, especially when the son reached an age where he became active as a knight and soldier. It was possibly the younger Robert, rather than his father, who was appointed to ‘choose 2,000 footmen’ in Lancashire in June 1300, and who was appointed as a commissioner also in Lancashire in May 1303. [4] 

As early as September 1300, the younger Robert Holland was already associated with Edward I’s nephew Thomas of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester, who was then in his early twenties (my belief is that Thomas was born on or around 29 December 1277). On 18 September 1300, Edward I ordered his escheator beyond Trent ‘not to intermeddle further with the lands that Robert de Holand had of the gift of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, tenant in chief, in Beltesford, which the escheator has taken into the king’s hands because Robert entered them without his licence.’ [5] This is an early indication of Robert’s close relationship with Thomas of Lancaster, which lasted for over twenty years. In March 1316, Thomas founded a chantry in Worcester to pray for the souls of his royal parents Edmund of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester (d. 1296) and Blanche of Artois, dowager queen of Navarre (d. 1302), on the anniversaries of their deaths. The monks were also to pray on the anniversaries of two people currently still alive, after their deaths: Thomas himself, and Sir Robert Holland. Thomas didn’t ask for prayers for his wife Alice de Lacy or his younger brother Henry or Henry’s children or anyone else, just Robert Holland, an indication of Robert’s importance in his life. J.R. Maddicott has called Robert Thomas of Lancaster’s ‘companion and friend, estate steward, political agent, and general factotum’, and states that their ‘close friendship…ran at a deeper level than that of a mere business partnership’. [6] There are numerous instances in the chancery rolls of Earl Thomas granting manors to Robert and his wife Maud, and their heirs.

Edward II appointed Robert Holland to the important position of justice of Chester on 28 August 1307, at the beginning of his reign. Robert held the office until late 1311, was replaced, but then re-appointed a few weeks later. [7] At the beginning of the reign, and until c. late 1308 or early 1309, Thomas of Lancaster was closely associated with his cousin the king, and the two men were on excellent terms. Things went badly wrong, however, and for reasons that are unclear, Thomas began to move into opposition to his cousin. The two royal men came to detest and fear each other, especially after Thomas’s involvement in the death of Piers Gaveston in June 1312. A jousting tournament was held in Dunstable, Bedfordshire in the spring of 1309, which a large number of the English earls and barons used as a cover to meet and express their disgruntlement with Edward II’s governance. Thomas, earl of Lancaster, and Sir Robert Holland were among those present. [8] Edward replaced Robert as justice of Chester with Payn Tibetot in late 1311, but in January 1312 spoke of Robert’s ‘good service’ to him and re-appointed him as justice of Chester, being aggrieved with Tibetot, who had ’treated with contempt the king’s mandate directed to him’. [9]

The king sent a letter to Sir Robert Holland on 20 November 1311, stating that ‘we are very joyous and pleased about the good news we have heard concerning the improvement in our dear cousin and faithful subject Thomas, earl of Lancaster, that he will soon be able to ride in comfort. And we send you word and dearly pray that, as soon as he is comfortable and able to ride without hurt to his body, you should ask him to be so good as to hasten to us at our parliament’. [10] It was as though Robert was the earl’s deputy and spokesman, and sometime between 1319 and early 1322, Robert and Earl Thomas sent virtually identical letters to Edward II regarding the manor of Farnley in Yorkshire (the only real difference I can see between the two letters is that Robert’s opening salutation to Edward was far more deferential). [11] Sometime before 13 May 1306, Robert Holland married Maud la Zouche, co-heir to her father Alan (d. 1314) with her older sister Ellen or Elena. [12] Maud brought Robert a good few manors in several counties in the Midlands and south of England, and it’s surely reasonable to assume that Thomas of Lancaster had something to do with arranging such a favourable marriage for his most trusted adherent and associate. 

During the Contrariant rebellion of 1321/22, however, Robert abandoned Thomas of Lancaster, and on 4 March 1322 was ordered to ‘come to the king with all speed with horses and arms, in order to set out with the king against his contrariants’. On the same day, Edward II granted Robert a safe-conduct for ‘coming to the king by his command and about to go against the contrariants’. Robert Holland’s switching sides was surely connected to the fact that one of his and Maud la Zouche’s daughters, unnamed, had been taken into captivity in the Tower of London on 26 February 1322, along with Aline de Braose and John Mowbray (b. 1310), wife and son of John, Lord Mowbray (b. 1286): ‘…conducting by the king’s command to the Tower of London Aline, the wife of John de Moubray, and the son of the said John, also the daughter of Robert de Holand…’. [13] According to the very pro-Lancastrian author of the Brut chronicle, when Thomas of Lancaster heard about Robert’s defection, he groaned ‘how might Robert Holonde fynde in his hert me to bitraye, sithens that y have lovede him so miche?’ Thomas supposedly went on to say that he had ‘made [Robert] hie fram lowe’, i.e. high from low. [14]

Despite his taking armed men to the king, on 12 March 1322 Edward had all of Robert’s goods and his lands in Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Shropshire and Staffordshire taken into his own hands. Robert also owned ‘houses called the houses of Viene in the city of London’ which were confiscated, and were possibly the same dwellings which in 1325 were called the ‘king’s houses in the parish of St Nicholas in the Shambles of London, sometime of Robert de Holand’. On 23 June 1322, Edward stated that Robert was ‘charged with being an adherent of Thomas, sometime earl of Lancaster’ – Thomas had been executed at his own castle of Pontefract in Yorkshire three months earlier, on 22 March – and had ‘surrendered to the king’s will’. [15] After Robert’s and Thomas of Lancaster’s downfall, one William de Leveseye petitioned the king, stating that the earl and Robert (‘Sire Rob’t de Holande’) had imprisoned him in Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire for over a year ‘because he was in the company of Sir…’, then the petition is sadly torn and the name is missing. [16] 

During the Contrariant rebellion, Robert had sacked several Leicestershire towns including Loughborough which belonged to Hugh Despenser the Elder, in the company of, among others, William Trussell, who in October and November 1326 would pronounce the death sentence on both Hugh Despensers. According to a petition, Robert and his associates chased the ‘poor people’ of Loughborough out of their homes and they did not dare to return for three months. On 1 October 1323, Edward II ordered the sheriff of Leicestershire not to outlaw Robert for his failure to appear in court to answer for the sacking of Loughborough, because he was in prison at the king’s order and was therefore unable to attend. [17] Robert was originally imprisoned in Warwick Castle in 1322, and on 23 July 1326 was moved from there to Northampton Castle. A few months later, early in Edward III’s reign, he was pardoned for escaping from prison in Northampton ‘when confined there by the late king’s order’, though his lands were then still officially in the king’s hands, and on 12 June 1327 his manors in Yorkshire were given into the custody of one Thomas Deyvill. While he was imprisoned in Warwick Castle, shortly after 4 November 1325, royal officials questioned Robert regarding the assignment of dower to his brother William’s widow Joan. [18] The date of Robert’s escape from Northampton Castle was not recorded, though the window of opportunity for him to do so was only quite small given that he was moved there after 23 July 1326 and that Queen Isabella and her invasion force, who freed the imprisoned Contrariants, arrived in England on 24 September 1326.Isabella officially pardoned Robert Holland and restored him to his lands and goods on 24 December 1327, a few days after the deposed Edward II’s funeral. The queen ignored the protestations of her uncle Henry of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester, Thomas of Lancaster’s brother and heir, supposedly because she loved Robert ‘wonder miche’. [19] Both Henry himself and a number of his adherents were furious at what they saw as Robert’s betrayal of Earl Thomas, the man who had given him so much. As I’ve pointed out in my previous post about Robert’s murder, linked in the first paragraph above, on 15 October 1328 he was waylaid in a wood in Essex by a group of loyal Lancastrian knights, and beheaded. On 20 October, the lands of ‘Robert de Holand, deceased, tenant in chief’ were taken into the king’s hands. [20]

In my post about Robert Holland and Maud la Zouche’s daughter Isabelle, also linked above, I listed their other children; they had at least four sons and five daughters. Their first son and heir was another Robert (d. 1373), who was said to be sixteen on 1 December 1328 and seventeen or ‘seventeen and more’ in early January 1329, placing his date of birth around 1311/12 (sadly, there is no extant proof of age confirming the exact date). [21] Their second son Thomas, whose name probably indicates that Thomas, earl of Lancaster, was his godfather, raised the Holland family high when he married Edward I’s granddaughter Joan of Kent, later countess of Kent and Lady Wake in her own right (though when Thomas married her, her younger brother John, earl of Kent, was still alive). Thomas Holland died in late December 1360, and a few months later his widow married Edward III’s eldest son the prince of Wales and became the mother of Richard II in January 1367. Thomas Holland’s children were, therefore, the older half-siblings of the king of England. Robert Holland’s grandson John Holland (c. 1353-1400) married Edward III’s granddaughter Elizabeth of Lancaster and was later made earl of Huntingdon and duke of Exeter by Richard II, while John’s older brother Thomas Holland (1350/51-1397), earl of Kent, married the earl of Arundel’s daughter Alice and their children included the duchesses of York and Clarence and the countesses of March and Salisbury. In just a couple of generations, the Holland family rose from comparative obscurity in the north to become one of the foremost families in the land.

Sources

1) J.R. Maddicott, ‘Thomas of Lancaster and Sir Robert Holland: A Study in Noble Patronage’, English Historical Review, 86 (1971), p. 450.

2) Complete Peerage, vol. 6, pp. 528-31; Maddicott, ‘Thomas of Lancaster and Sir Robert Holland’, pp. 450-51; CCR 1318-23, pp. 210, 571; CFR 1319-27, p. 168; Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous 1308-48, no. 735; Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem 1317-27, nos. 497, 567, 707; A History of the County of Lancaster, vol. 3, pp. 394-5; Final Concords for Lancashire, part 2, 1307-1377, no. 127.

3) Maddicott, ‘Thomas of Lancaster and Sir Robert Holland’, p. 450.

4) CCR 1296-1302, p. 401; CPR 1301-7, p. 191.

5) CCR 1296-1302, p. 365.

6) CPR 1313-17, p. 441; Maddicott, ‘Thomas of Lancaster and Sir Robert Holland’, p. 462.

7) CFR 1307-19, pp. 2, 5, 10; CPR 1307-13, pp. 38, 411, 427.

8) Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, ed. F. Madden, B. Bandinel and J.G. Nichols, vol. 4, p. 67.

9) CPR 1307-13, pp. 411-12, 427; CCR 1307-13, p. 396.

10) Cited in G.O. Sayles, The Functions of the Medieval Parliament of England, vol. 1, p. 302; The National Archives SC 1/45/221.

11) TNA SC 8/234/11687 and 11689.

12) Feet of Fines, Berkshire, CP 25/1/9/38, no. 10, dated 13 May 1306, talks of ‘Robert de Holond and Maud his wife’ when the manor of Denford was given to them with remainder to Maud’s father Alan la Zouche.

13) CCR 1318-23, p. 525; CPR 1321-24, pp. 75, 77.

14) The Brut or the Chronicles of England, ed. F.W.D. Brie, part 1, pp. 216-17.

15) CFR 1319-27, p. 109; CPR 1321-24, pp. 137, 337; CPR 1324-27, p. 158.

16) The National Archives SC 8/58/2872.

17) CPR 1321-24, pp. 167, 309, 387; CCR 1323-27, p. 24.

18) CCR 1323-27, p. 592; CPR 1327-30, p. 17; CFR 1327-27, p. 46; CIPM 1317-27, no. 707.

19) TNA SC 8/57/2806; SC 8/57/2807A and 2807B; Brut, ed. Brie, p. 257.

20) CFR 1327-37, p. 105.

21) CCR 1327-30, pp. 348, 491; CIPM 1327-36, no. 156; CIPM 1347-52, no. 199.

END OF THE ARTICLE

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oktober 31, 2021 · 3:10 pm

Wearing of the Green/Long live a United Ireland!/Down with British colonialism!

SHAMROCK, IRISH SYMBOL

”The shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground…..’
https://www.loc.gov/resource/amss.as114610.0/?st=text‘

Wearing of the Green/Long live a United Ireland!/Down with British colonialism!

WEARING OF THE GREEN/LONG LIVE A UNITED IRELAND/DOWN WITH BRITISH COLONIALISM!


Dear Readers
Here you can hear and read the beautiful Irish Resistance Song againstthe century long  brutal British oppression and colonialism, which not onlyoppressed and humiliated the Irish people, but also tried to destroy theirlanguage and culture!It makes me furious to watch, that till nowadays Northern Ireland, which is the rightful part of Ireland and an invention of British colonialism, is still oneof the last remnants of the British colonial Empire.

FINAL
And let’s not forget this.When speaking about British colonialism, always the oppressed colonies in Africa and Asia were centres of the attention and with right, but much less Ireland.Never forget that the British colonialism started just there.
SO:
DOWN WITH THE PRO COLONIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN IRELAND!NORTHERN IRELAND MUST BE PART OF IRELAND AGAIN!THE IRA [1] WAS RIGHT ABOUT THAT!And for me:I support any progressive Irish movement, which wants to fight for aUnited Ireland!
I hope to see the Day, that Northern Ireland is united with the rest ofIreland againIt’s a question of Justice!
ASTRID ESSED
[1]
WIKIPEDIAIRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republican_Army

WEARING OF THE GREEN
YOUTUBE.COM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNNv8NACJtg

LINK

https://www.loc.gov/resource/amss.as114610.0/?st=text

TEXT

Wearing of the Green.

Wearing of the Green.

The following is the celebrated song which created such intense excitement throughout Great Britain, and for the incorporation of which in his piece, Mr. Bourcicault’ play of “Arrah na Pogue,” had to be withdrawn from the London stage.

I.

Oh, Paddy, dear, an’did you hear the news thats goin round?

The shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground.

No more St. Patrick’s day well keep, his color cant be seen,

For there’s a bloody law agin the wearin of the green.

I met with Napper Tandy, and he tuk me by the hand,

And he said, how’s poor ould Ireland, and how does she stand?

“She’s the most distressful country that ever you have seen,

They’re hangin men and women there for wearin of the green.”

II.

Then since the color we must wear is England’s cruel red,

Sure Ireland’s sons will neer forget the blood that they have shed.

You may take the shamrock from your hat and cast it on the sod,

It will take root and flourish there, though under foot ’tis trod.

When the law can stop the blades of grass from growing as they grow,

And when the leaves in summer time their verdure dare not show,

Then I will change the color I wear in my corbeen,

But till that day, plaze God, I’ll stick to wearin of the green.

III.

But if at last our color should be torn from Ireland’s heart,

Her sons with shame and sorrow from the dear ould soil will part.

I’ve heard whisper of a country that lies far beyant the say,

Where rich and poor stand equal in the light of freedom’s day.

Oh, Erin, must we lave you, driven by the tyrant’s hand,

Must we ask a mother—s welcome from a strange but happier land,

Where the cruel cross of England’s thraldom never shall be seen,

And where, thank God, we’ll live and die, still wearin of the green.

END OF THE SONG

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