Indy Media Watch

Evidently not content with merely perpetrating 9/11, controlling world government and causing dental decay, it would seem the Zionists have even more dastardly tricks in store.

At least according to Indymedia.

The House of Wheels has stumbled across this article which carries this ominous warning:

The following article originates with zionist media. As always, if accessing the zionist url, please take all necessary security precautions in advance.

Including leaving your brain outside... Preferably up high, so you know... "Zionists" won't eat it. I hear they do that now as well.

LA Indymedia (and numerous other IMC sites) are linking to a site called "No War for Israel".

On Bay Area Indymedia, such a link is followed by this praise:

Thinks (sic) for providing an alternative to the right wing corporate pro-israel mainstream media.

Thanks for keeping pro-israel fanatics out of here. We get their message everywhere else. Tired of the lies and propaganda.

Propaganda? Let's have a closer look:

Domain Name: NOWARFORISRAEL.COM
Registrar: INTERCOSMOS MEDIA GROUP, INC. D/B/A DIRECTNIC.COM
Whois Server: whois.directnic.com
Referral URL: http://www.directnic.com
Name Server: NS1.DAVIDDUKE.COM
Name Server: NS2.DAVIDDUKE.COM
Registrant: The Duke Report
Status: ACTIVE

Indymedia is spreading Nazi propaganda by David Duke, a Neo-Nazi former Ku Klux Klan leader. I'll bet it still hates being called "Nazimedia".

Cue the usual accusations of covert Zionist black-bag operations:

That the version reposted here came from Duke's site indicates that in all likelihood it was reposted by Zionists, in a crude and all too common attempt to discredit both Ivins and LA-IMC. They do stuff like this a lot. They are fundamentally dishonest people because they have to be. There is no honest defense for ethnic cleansing.

Right. I mean there's no real antisemitism on Indymedia is there? For Pete's sake, if a group of "Zionists" wanted to discredit Indymedia, no matter how hard they tried, they simply couldn't do a better job than Indymedia does itself.

Of course I'm sure those responsible are not really Jew hating antisemites... They just dislike Israel right?

Sure...

BC Indymedia is down.

We are experiencing difficulties and have disabled the website temporarily. Please try again soon.

Best wishes for no recovery...

Via NYC Indymedia, in the lead up to tomorrow's anti-war protest, comes an essay arguing:Playing It Safe Is the Most Dangerous Strategy.

The antiwar movement hasn’t been more successful because more radical elements are missing, particularly those at the heart of the anti-globalization movement. The success of the anti-globalization movement was based on tying single-issue groups together under a simple, compelling idea--opposition to corporate globalization and the rule of the market--with identifiable targets, the WTO and IMF, and using tactics that made the institutions pay a price for continuing with their course of action--by attempting to shut them down.

Translation: We aren't smashing enough windows.

Read it all, decide for yourself where the author's interpretation of "Antiwar" (now one word) crosses the line from protest to sedition and see how Israel gets dropped in, to complicate matters. The World Can't Wait have jumped on the bandwagon as well.

The Anarchist/Anti-Authoritarian Bloc is also gathering:

An anarchist/anti-authoritarian bloc will be assembling at the intersection of 20th and Park, SW corner, at 11 am (look for the red and black flags!). This will consist (currently) of various Students For a Democratic Society chapters (from new york city and outside of state), the Industrial Workers of the World, the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists, the War Resisters League, and various other anarchist groups and individuals from New York City and elsewhere.

They deliver a stern warning (in upper case no less) to any black blockers:

THIS IS NOT A BLACK BLOC, HOWEVER there will be time (march doesn't step off until 12) for anyone who wishes to form a black bloc and/or participate in direct action to group up at the assembly point.

Translation: We aren't planning on smashing too much stuff, but hey, if you want to, more power to you.

Disturbing.

Update: Evil Pundit records the success of the anti-globalization movement in the comments.

Further to my previous reference to the film, United 93 I have come across the Discussion Forum on the Studio Website.

Critical reviews of the movie? Production notes?

Nope. Think Indymedia with a light-blue background.

Some topics:

100% Proof "9/11 Pilot" Ziad Jarrah Was Framed

9/11 was an inside job... and a massive media hoax

Honor the victims by ignoring this right-wing jingo-porn!

A message appears at the top of the forum:

We apologize for the removal of the message boards - due to technical difficulties all previous threads have been inadvertantly deleted. We invite you to renew your dialog and discuss your thoughts on the film.

They should be responsible, acknowledge that many others aren't and shut the forum down.

According to an article on BC Indymedia, the new film United 93, about the one plane hijacked on 9/11 which didn't reach its target due to intervention by passengers, is a problem.

According to conspiracy theorists, this story is one more bit of evidence which has tricked the world into believing the myth of Islamist hijackers, rather than what they know to be the truth - that the US Government was responsible for the collapse of the World Trade Center.

According to the article:

Ultimately, "United 93" is a regurgitation of suspicious media-fueled speculation about events on an airplane that we know very little about. This is a movie that does more to discourage raising questions about what really happened to flight 93 than it does to encourage debate over the bastion of lies that have been fed to the American people.

Typical fodder.

And who is behind the film's evil manipulation of the American people? Who else. The article's title is:

ZIONIST film "United 93" is pure propaganda

In other Zionist shenanigans, elsewhere on BC Indymedia, Zioinist agents attack peacekeeping force (I believe Zioinists (sic) are a close relation) and Zionists (Mossad actually) were also responsible for $450 000 recently going missing from a Palestinian Foreign Minister's briefcase, without asking the simple question: Why was the money in the briefcase?

I guess that was a Zionist plot as well.

It's all a Zionist plot!

Melbourne Indymedia lists yet another amazing 'proof' of the grand 9/11 conspiracy - Thermite Identified As Likely Culprit Of WTC Collapse.

A new branch of 9/11 research claims to have identified the cause of the collapse of the twin towers. The photographic and video evidence makes a very strong case for thermite being responsible for the unprecedented implosions of steel framed reinforced buildings on September 11.
...
Brigham Young University physicist Professor Steven Jones told peers at a Utah meeting that, "while almost no fire, even one ignited by jet fuel, can cause structural steel to fail, the combination of thermite and sulfur "slices through steel like a hot knife through butter."

Jones points to a video which shows a bright yellow molten substance dripping from the south tower minutes before its collapse. Government investigators claimed that this was aluminum from Flight 175 but Jones is adamant that aluminum is silvery in appearance and doesn't turn yellow.

Jones also told the Deseret News that sulfur traces found at ground zero indicates the thermite was combined with sulphur to make it burn even hotter than the normal 2500 degrees Celsius.

Jones stated that thermite was a "clever" choice because its ingredients, aluminum and iron oxide do not require identifying tags by law, meaning they couldn't be traced back to their manufacturers.

A response:

That's funny. I was rather under the impression that a small heap of charcoal like you might use in your barbeque grill and an apprentice pumping away on a bellows made a fire hot enough to make steel workable,

If not, I would like to hear this good professor's explanation how medieval blacksmiths managed to get steel workable enough to beat into swords or drawn out into wire for making chain mail.

Touche.

For the record, a more scientific response argues:

Jet fuel burns at 800° to 1500°F, not hot enough to melt steel (2750°F). However, experts agree that for the towers to collapse, their steel frames didn't need to melt, they just had to lose some of their structural strength--and that required exposure to much less heat. "I have never seen melted steel in a building fire," says retired New York deputy fire chief Vincent Dunn, author of The Collapse Of Burning Buildings: A Guide To Fireground Safety. "But I've seen a lot of twisted, warped, bent and sagging steel. What happens is that the steel tries to expand at both ends, but when it can no longer expand, it sags and the surrounding concrete cracks."

Via my referrer log, I have discovered an interesting item on San Francisco Bay Area Indymedia.

Regular readers will know I tend to steer clear of hidden articles, out of respect to the few Indymedia moderators who do act in good faith. I may however have to rethink this.

In an article about Israel (what else) it is astonishing what has been hidden, and what has not.

For example:

They do what they want, when they want....then when a Palestinian summons the courage to fight back w/ all he/she has, they get their panties in a wad. What's good for the goose is never good for the gander when it comes to powerful oppressive terror states like Israel or the US.

is showing.

By chosing to engage in 5 wars against Israel, losing each time and by chosing to engage in violence rather than diplomacy, the Palestinians have caused their own misery by endless war mongering. Yes, choices have consequences even for Palestinians.

is hidden.

The page is over-run with other examples and there is no good reason (profanity, editorial policy, libel) to justify what can only be considered censorship of dissenting views. Cut and paste articles are fine as well, provided they represent only one side (anti-Israel) of the argument.

This is summed up:

You know, I figured that Indybay would do the gutless thing, leaving up CM's post and taking mine down, and you didn't fail to live down to my expectations.

Once again...you're perfectly happy to promote what you know are misleading halftruths, as long as that pesky thing called objective reality -- complete with documentation -- isn't allowed to harsh your mellow.

Astonishingly, even this is hidden:

Racists have no right to use Indymedia to promote their agenda. Even a single racist post discedits, not just this site, but *all* Indymedia. Zero tolerance is the only moral option

One comment is entirely predictable:

Why do zionists always cry "antisemitism" in an attempt to stifle criticism?

A subsequent response, indicates they do not and proves the point quite nicely. However, this comment was hidden.

What was that about stifling criticism?

Compare and contrast the comments on two websites discussing the tragic death of an Australian soldier in Iraq.

Aussie Right Wing Death Beast Tim Blair versus Sydney Indymedia.

There is some question over whether the soldier, who shot himself in the head, was the victim of an accident, or a suicide.

The Indymedia article is convinced it was suicide and the Australian Army is involved in a huge cover up. This is unsurprising.

Comments on Tim Blair's blog however, ask very similar questions. Compare the calibre and quality of comments between the two.

Israpundit is reporting that SF Bay Area Indymedia condones persecution of Christian Arabs.

It has already been proven, through Indybay.org’s own actions, that this supposedly-progressive organization condones the brutalization and murder of gay people, misogyny, and femicide (”honor killing”) when perpetrated by militant Islamic societies. Note that Indybay.org’s decision to censor this article violates its own editorial policies.

Disturbing stuff, though largely unsurprising for Indymedia.

An important question: Why is it that I am I unsurprised?

(Hat-Tip: House of Wheels)

BC Indymedia brings us the latest stupid 9/11 conspiracy.

Millions in the U.S. and worldwide now know there's evidence that 9/11 was an "inside job"; "false-flag," state-sponsored terrorism to provide a pretext for a premeditated war.

Sure sure...

But the 9/11 Truth effort is also shedding light on a disturbing story-within-the-story:

Dum dum duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum... (Sorry)

the World Trade Center (WTC) was obsolete and asbestos-laced, and its destruction on 9/11 may, for certain interests, have been both desirable and profitable--independent of any interest in war.

So there you have it. 9/11 was the world's quickest asbestos removal project, with the added benefit of justifying a war.

Other benefits, according to comments:

Yes, by atomizing much of the three World Trade towers using high explosives, many useful purposes were achieved by the controlling fascist elite. The fact that millions of New Yorkers inhaled the toxic dust created and were either sickened or killed is an added bonus, since the controlling elite despise humans and delight in causing them misery.

Before any New Yorkers take offence though, I should point them to the disclaimer which appears at the top of the article:

This article is written with empathy for all who were injured or lost loved ones on September 11, 2001 or in the wars that followed. It is written with respect for the memory of all who have died and with concern for 9/11 rescue workers now suffering from debilitating--and even deadly--illnesses. It is also written out of the conviction that important facts about the 9/11 events have been "officially" covered up and that the truth must be brought to light.

Ugh.

DC Indymedia reports: Activists Disrupt World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz’s Press Conference:

A short while into his speech two Washington DC based activists, one with the Mobilization for Global Justice and the other with a local non-profit, leapt onto their seats and unfurled a banner that read “World Bank Finances Corporate Corruption!” while chanting “corporate corruption! Who can we thank? The IMF and the World Bank!” The protestors never turned their backs on Wolfowitz while they were removed by IMF security.

The feedback in comments was overwhelming:

great action! perfect target, good chant, and your banner's even legible! way to go!

It doesn't take much to impress some people.

UK Indymedia reports:

Bare Witness is asking you on behalf of PETA to join this demonstration against the use of real bear fur in the Palace Guards' hats.
...
The British Ministry of Defence commissions an average of 140 bearskin caps a year to be made for the Queen's five Guard Regiments. Sadly, each cap can take the skin of one entire bear.

For each bear killed for a Palace Guard's hat, we need one person - that's a 140 compassionate people we need to recruit for this eye-catching demonstration.

Wearing nothing but a bear mask, each person will be strategically placed to create a stunning visual display.

Grizzly?

The group sponsoring it - Bare Witness has been responsible for a number of nude protests. Whilst I approve highly of any protest action which doesn't require unnecessary violence and vandalism, this nude obsession I just don't get.

Protesting naked may have been novel in the 60s, but now it really strikes me as an unproductive exercise in self-promotion, little else. It's a given that such protests only take place in countries whose protesters frequently take their freedoms for granted in opposing efforts to spread them.

This porn site (fair warning) asks:

Does this mean nude message-spelling is becoming the new "what do we want? ... when do we want it? ..."?

and has lots of links to naked protest (and non-protest) action.

A few of the comments in the disgusting "weekly zio report" (sponsored by Sydney Indymedia) are amusing.

Note that the person named "zionazi report" is Faruque Ahmed, yet trying desperately to convince people of it being someone else. Sadly for him, certain clues keep exposing him. The stench mainly.

An article on Madison Indymedia is highly critical of some US Government emergency planning:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently sent our newspaper a reference guide to "Terrorism and other public health emergencies," along with a handy-dandy "wallet guide for media."

In case terrorists detonate a nuclear bomb nearby, and we must deal with the fallout, this newspaper is now well prepared to respond.

I will simply whip out my wallet guide as my fellow citizens flee to safety and take all the proper measures.

"During a terrorist attack, you may not immediately know what specific agent was used," my wallet guide states. "But you will still need to protect yourself and inform the public. The following chart lists the basic actions you can take."
The chart says what to do in the event of a biological incident, chemical incident or radiological incident. It also lists the various agents, from smallpox to nerve gas, and recommends appropriate treatments for each.

Part of me wants to laugh at the absurdity of this guide, full well knowing that the likelihood of a terrorist attack in this region is slim at best. The beauty of terrorism is in its ability to create fear, and to that end, it has succeeded as a weapon against the United States.

Remember all those complaints on Indymedia after Hurricane Katrina, and 9/11 about how unprepared the Government was? It's nice to know any disaster preparation they do undertake will receive such approval.

Does Iran's President want Israel wiped off the map?

UK Indymedia thinks not.

What's Farsi for "denial"?

A comment:

The mean weakness in your orgy of apologism for the brutal and satanic regime presently occupying Iran is that there is no such thing as the "Zionist" "occupier" "stain" "regime": merely the democratically elected government of the entirely legitimate state of Israel. And if I observe that the mad mullahs are like a rotten tree which will soon be swept away by a single storm, that couldn't possibly be construed as a threat, could it?

Well it was enough to get that comment hidden by UK Indymedia...

For a rare glimpse of sanity however, do read this post by Evil Pundit and follow the links.

A sixteen year old Palestinian suicide bomber blows himself up in Israel.

As Meryl Yourish notes:

Shrapnel is what killed Phillip Balhasan, who stayed alive long enough to realize his children had survived, and to hug them tightly before he collapsed.

But even this is not enough for the terrorists. They also soak the shrapnel in rat poison, because it causes hemorrhaging — victims may bleed to death before they can get to the hospital.

Remember all of this, when you hear the world tell Israel to “use restraint” in responding to this attack. Remember all of this, when you read about the innocent metal shop owners who insist their shops were only making nails and screws for construction purposes.

Remember all of this, when Israel is the nation that is demonized by the blind, hateful people who wear checked kaffiyehs at anti-war protests, and call Israel an “apartheid state” for building a separation barrier — to keep out the monsters who would use bombs like I have just described.

Remember this, when you look at the pictures of the results of the bombing, and notice the thousands of dents in the metal surrounding the bombing area — the mark of the ball-bearings and other metal shrapnel.

These are the people with whom the world sympathizes: Those who create and set off the bombs. Not the victims. The bombers.

And that’s the worst evil of all.

Sure is.

Remember this also, when reading UK Indymedia's contribution to the discussion - on its front page: Israeli Repression in Palestine Intensifies as the Borders are Re-drawn

Ah balance...

The following comment was hidden:

So stop firing fucking kassams from Gaza at random civilian targets in Israel. No mention of that in your "article". Funny that. Even if your missiles are crap, a response by the IDF is necessary of course.

And why focus on 2 inadvertant child victims of the Israeli retalliation without even mentioning that 12 rocket-firing terrorists were also killed or that on one case one of the terrorists had taken his (now dead) child to the firing site with him?

Tim Blair reports on local radio:

The ABC’s ongoing difficulties with the word “terrorist” sometimes force presenters into spectacular avoidance formulations. Yesterday an ABC News Radio host came up with this:

The involvement of Hamas in activities which are not compatible with western standards ...

(Comment not verbatim; I may have missed the announcer’s prayer for forgiveness.) Also on local radio, last week Triple M night host Spoonman invited listeners to identify the world’s most dangerous nation. Naturally, the US received more nominations than all other nations combined; some callers even mentioned the Illuminati and various conspiracy theories involving the evil Bush clan’s involvement in 9/11. It was like an audio version of Indymedia.

Indymedia needs to acknowledge criticism such as this, and ask "why do we have this reputation"? Sadly, I expect they regard it as the highest praise.

Sydney Indymedia is hosting the latest thrilling instalment of its regular feature - the Weekly Zio Report. A lengthy rant consisting of nothing but antisemitic bile.

It appears, with the support of the Sydney Indymedia moderators who consider publishing it an appropriate compromise to being blackmailed with more of the same as spam on their newswire.

Cowards.

In other news, it looks like another Indymedia is to be started down-under in Arafura, Darwin (Northern Australia). I have previously questioned the point of multiple local Indymedia sites which all seem to post similar or identical material about a tiny group of foreign (i.e. non-local) nations.

Comments on the Arafura proposal:

The fact is, many many Indymedias, besides Sydney, are FUBAR. I wonder then why the world needs yet another one, until those already stinking up the Internet are fixed.

Absolutely. My suggestion? Seppuku.

The question is also asked:

Will the Arafura Indymedia have its own Zio-Report or will its editors actually give a shit and stand up to Nazi terrorist blackmailers?

A good question indeed. I am cynical. Can't imagine why!

The Washington Post has a new article on Left leaning bloggers:
The Left, Online and Outraged

In the angry life of Maryscott O’Connor, the rage begins as soon as she opens her eyes and realizes that her president is still George W. Bush. The sun has yet to rise and her family is asleep, but no matter; as soon as the realization kicks in, O’Connor, 37, is out of bed and heading toward her computer.

Interesting reading.

Sydney Indymedia is hosting a cartoon by brazilian scribbler Latuff (previous mention), entitled United States: The Cancer of the World


To anyone who knows anything about cancer treatment, the message is quite obvious. Despite the pithy 'dedication' which precedes it, this is pure anti-American incitement. Note also the translation into Arabic.

To anyone who knows anything about Indymedia this isn't surprising.

Utah Indymedia is begging readers to ask Oprah to do a show on 9/11.

You know... What really happened.

That Bush administration was complicit in 911 is not suprising, that they were allowed to get away with this crime is astonishing, and very disturbing.

It's no longer a question of whether there is enough evidence that the events that occured on September the 11th 2001 are not what we have been told they were. The question now is how to move the public out of it's state of denial. Welcome to Oprah911.
...
Please be thoughtful in your show requests, use your own words and try to make it personal. Send only one, as we are not trying to make her angry. It's doubtful she needs any more links to 911 websites or videos, Oprah has a research team that will take care of that for her. She simply needs to know that you care enough about this issue for her to have a show on it.

The Oprah911 website so far has these stunning suggestions:

Robert Sellers
Please have a show on 9-11
Bush and his whole crew where (sic) behind this. To (sic) many things don't add up. Like the twin towers falling. Airplane fuel isn't hot enough to melt steal. (sic) There where (sic) planted explosives.

Uh huh. Perhaps Charlie Sheen could be the guest star. He'd be at least as disturbing entertaining as Tom Cruise.

I also wonder if Oprah's vast research team ever visit Indymedia... That would be a special I'd love to to see.

An article on BC Indymedia explains Why Hate for USA grows.

The world has reached a point where whenever something goes wrong,– when something bad happens: a car bomb, a disease outbreak or a tsunami, people , especially the victims, blame the USA. This is a remarkably simplistic and yet sophisticated reaction - the universal scapegoat.

This universal scapegoat is of course prevalent on Indymedia. The solution?

If the people of the US do not stop their government'’s policies and make peace (surrender?) then the world'’s hate will grow, and grow.

Great... This of course is based on the (naive) assumption that Americans' evil actions are entirely responsible for others hating them. They are not.

To believe this is to disregard fundamental and irreconcilable differences and is as silly as blaming Jews for aggravating the Nazis, or a rape victim for enchanting her rapist.

If I knew someone wanted to kill me, and I'd never done anything to them, I probably wouldn't care much for their feelings or opinion. Does that make me insensitive? To some, yes.

One of the replies is some of the more sensible material I have seen on BC Indymedia.

The world doesn't hate the USA because of war -- there are more third-world conflicts today than one could even count and they have nothing to do with the USA. African civil wars, Dafur genocide, East Timor insurrection have nothing to do with the US (unless you're one of those people who sees the hand of the CIA or the Jews in every sparrow that falls) [no shortage of that on Indymedia -ed]

No, the world hates the USA for precisely the same reasons that teenagers hate parents. It's a combination of jealousy, insecurity and immaturity.

They hate the USA precisely because the USA spends so much money around the world trying to stabilize situations that are inherently unstable. It's the "Dad! I hate you! Buy me an iPOD!" syndrome.

The UN is a prime example of this "Throwing the toys out of the playpen" mentality. The US pays the lion's share of all UN programmes, but if the US actually tries to have a say at the UN, the children throw tantrums and claimed to be bullied.

The America haters of the world are incensed when America plays Global Policeman -- but, they fully expect America to be the Global Ambulance Driver and will whine mightily if millions of US$ aren't Johnny on the Spot 12 seconds after any global catastrophe.

No, it's plain to see that the world will stop hating the US as soon as the rest of the world grows up and starts paying for its own toys.

Another article on NYC Indymedia says its Time to Shake Up the Peace Movement.

The silence about Iran is staggering.

No kidding!

Oh, not the bit about how they have threatened to wipe a democracy (Israel) off the map, or their habit of executing dissidents.

No no.

The real problem, is Bush and Israel.

The peace movement seems paralyzed by the charge that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Never mind that Scott Ritter, who was dead right about Iraq's WMD, has said repeatedly in interviews and speeches that Iran has no nuclear weapons program. [See my Jan. 24 video interview .] or that the IAEA officials have no evidence of such a program. Never mind that the US has thousands of nuclear weapons that could holocaust Iran in minutes. Never mind that Israel has hundreds of nuclear weapons pointed at Tehran.

Pop Quiz:
Which country's President, recently threatened to destroy another country. Is it:
a) Iran
b) Israel
c) United States of America

Don't worry... Iran doesn't really want nuclear capability.


Seriously.

Scarcely a week goes by without a religious ruler or leader in Iran stating their desire to destroy other countries, praising suicide missions or expressing joy about the possibility of getting 'the bomb'. It is quite safe to assume Iran will not be a responsible nuclear power.

I don't know who originally said it, however agree with the quote that:

Comparing a nuclear armed democracy like the USA or Israel to a fundamentalist theocracy like Iran, is as naive as comparing a housewife in a kitchen with a big knife, to a deranged lunatic in a dark alley with the same knife.

I don't care what you think of George W. Bush or Israel. The fact is, Iran's ambitions and rulership are dangerous. Not merely to Israel (as if that isn't bad enough), but to the whole world.

It is of deep concern, that there are some whose hatred of Bush (and Israel) et al is so deep, they can't see this. They flock to Indymedia.

A post on NYC Indymedia leads to a series of photos by an 'experienced' activist of police at protests.

It's a very interesting look at life on the other side of the water cannon, although the commentary is a little...

Is this supposed to be journalism or political propaganda? Without your rather biased commentary the photos would stand on there own as objective documentary. But combined with your rambling editorial captions they are reduced to what the Stalinists called Agitprop, short for agitation propaganda. By being part of what you are recording, you diminish any power that these photos have; they take on the aura of staged theater. Are you there to record the events, or are you there to help make the events?

That being said; it is usually a truism that most protest photos suck. Most, not all. Some of these however are rather well done.

They are.

Boston IMC is carrying photos of campus cultural activities.

"At least 20 BU students and supporters from the activist community joined in a march to raise awareness of Palestinian culture"

Observe the authentic culture:




Feel the 'culture'!

A later comment is hilarious:

Did you notice the dude carrying the backpack?
Now that's Palestinian culture!

He too demonstrated the technique:

Tragedy follows!

Another commenter explains what was actually going on:

i saw yall walking around march plaza today while i was lying dead on the sidewalk, doing a biolab die-in...keep up regular actions! being out there on a regular basis is really one of the most important things you can do.

No really!

Miami Indymedia is hosting an Open Letter to Bush & Cheney: We Know What You Did That Summer! 9/11/01:

We know what you did, and the game is over - even though you don’t yet know it.. The work of the independent 9/11 researchers is paying off. The evidence is steamrolling through the information super highway and is now creeping into the clogged arteries of the mainstream media. We may not know every detail and we may not agree on your individual motives, but two facts are now irrefutable: the official story of what happened on September 11th is not true and you were involved.

Whilst I'm sure they are convinced Bush and Cheney are running scared, I suspect they would actually be shaking their head.

If they read it.

For some reason though, I don't think Indymedia would be my media of choice for an 'open letter' to a large group of sane people or heads of government. Just a thought...

If you don’t believe this, here’s something that will open your eyes...This documentary, despite its few minor flaws and disputable assertions, lays out a sampling of the unquestionably damning evidence that has been gathered.

Hang on. Is it just me, or is "disputable assertions" and"unquestionably damning" a contradiction in terms? I have previously commented on the low burden of proof required by conspiracy theorists, however I never thought they would actually own up to it.

Sydney Indymedia is reporting on new millimeter wave technology:

The Active Denial system operates at about 100GHz, and what scientists discovered a few decades ago was that millimeter wave energy at about 100GHz is absorbed about a third of a millimeter into the human skin, and so it doesn't penetrate the body, but what happens is that this energy is perceived by the body as heat. The nerve endings perceive a near instantaneous increase in heat and in fact the effect is kind of like opening up a supercharged oven and feeling this heat all over your body.

Now what the body does when it experiences this is undergo something called the "flee effect"--the body just wants to get away from it; it wants to flee. When the person moves away from the millimeter waves that are causing this effect, the effect goes away, so what the military is doing now, it is investigating using this Active Denial effect as a way to what they call "assess intent."

The idea is that, as a crowd starts to descend upon an embassy, let's say, that at first you have loudspeakers broadcasting "stay away," and then when the crowd gets closer and closer, that you can expose the crowd very selectively to this Active Denial effect. If the people turn and run away, then you know that they perhaps didn't have the intent to storm the embassy, but if they turn around and start to come back again and then you again expose them to millimeter waves, then the intent is surely one that they want to take over the embassy.

Storming an embassy, is not what I would consider "protest". That didn't stop the Indymedia post having the ominous headline of "Future of Crowd Control: Burning protesters".

Burning protesters are in fact nothing new:

Elsewhere on Sydney Indymedia comes a report of a student protest in Sydney's City Centre:

A contingent of protesters from Sydney University marched down George Street at about about 1.30pm, meeting a similar contingent of students from the University of Technology, Sydney. There was also a significant union presence, esepcially from the CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Enginering Union). The march was spirited, with students chanting “workers and students united will never be defeated” and singing “solidarity forever – the union makes us strong.”

There were no incidents, but police did provide officers to surround about 20 chanting students who were counter-demonstrating, holding pro-Liberal and pro-VSU placards. On marching through Sydney’s CBD and returning to Central, about 50-100 students sat down – the plan that was originally put in place by student organisers.

There was a heavy police response, leading to about 5 arrests, against a background of barking police dogs. An AAP report says that one student fell to the ground as a result of the police intervention, her head colliding with the ground. I saw several students crying after walking away form where police had intervened.

Boo hoo. Cue accusations of police brutality.

Other repoting tells a different story:

Sydney Daily Telegraph Twenty-four students protesting against the Federal Government's higher education policy have been arrested during a sit-in at one of Sydney's busiest intersections.

The protesters sat down in the middle of the intersection at Railway Square, near Central Station and refused to move.

The Police claim:

“I would like to congratulate the vast majority of the protestors on their conduct after they complied with police however it is disappointing when a small group of people defied a number of official police directions to move from their sitting which was unreasonably obstructing George Street, Sydney.

“At this time Operation Support Group Police formed up to move the protestors off the roadway however 24 people refused to move and were arrested. It was at this time that I gave the order for protestors to be arrested and the Public Order and Riot Squad made 24 arrests. All but one of these people have been issued with infringement notices for the offences of disobey reasonable direction and obstruct traffic.

“A 20-year-old woman was charged with disobey reasonable direction, obstruct traffic, hinder police and resist arrest after a violent confrontation with officers.

Presumably this was the student who "fell to the ground".

It seems fairly straightforward. Students, determined to execute a Corrie-esque act of protest, block a major traffic intersection. The police asked them to move and they refused. The Police physically removed them... The bastards!

Maybe the protesters should have taken their chances playing chicken with oncoming traffic instead.

Update: Aussie Megablogger Tim Blair has more noting that Australian National Union of Students makes for a classy acronym. Comments suggested the protesters be made one with the roadway. Romeo Mike's shares some thoughts as well, including the failure of the ABC - mainstream media. It's a shame that despite its claim, and an obvious need, Indymedia doesn't come close to competing with the MSM.

Arkansas Indymedia is hosting an Open Letter to Muslim Terrorists.

Dear Muslim Terrorist,

I know you're mad at the Christian terrorists from the US Empire, the ones that murder your children, occupy your country, and torture your fellows. Were I in your shoes, I'd probably feel the same way. I know there's nothing I can say that will bring back your loved ones, or change your quest for justice and revenge. I have but one small request. If you nuke a US city, please nuke Washington DC, not Fayetteville, Arkansas. Washington is the head of the beast. That's where the rulers abide, where all plots of Christian terrorism are hatched, where the terrorist plotting to kill your people and steal your land originates. That's where you need to bomb; those are the folks you need to kill.

Fayetteville is harmless. Yes, we have some braindead people who blindly follow rulers, and believe the lies of the fuhrers. You know the type. Just as deluded fools followed Saddam Hussein, the Shah of Iran and other political gods, we have zombies for Clinton and Bush and American political idols. But these weak-kneed followers are just walking dead - incapable of harm without imperialist voodoo priests chanting their patiotiotic spells. The high priests of Christian terrorism are in Washington, in the White House and the Pentagon. Please take them out, and leave the simple folks alone.

Frankly, most Americans would be greatly in your debt if you nuked Washington.
...
The rulers of the US Evil Empire have debased our money, seduced our children into becoming murderers, and sell our future for their short-term personal plundered booty. Frankly, many of us would cheer if Washington DC were nuked into oblivion.
...
We denounce the Christian terrorism of the rulers in Washington DC. We welcome you to "have at them." I'll buy you a beer at Roger's Rec if you take out the White House.

This is usually where someone else gets upset about the Secret Service doing their job and finding this person who would be glad if other Americans died at the hands of terrorists.

Seattle Indymedia is reporting a local anti-Nazi protest.

We are residents of Thurston County who oppose the message of hate that the Nazis are bringing to our community on Sunday, April 2. We strongly object to their appropriation and exploitation of Rachel Corrie's memory, and of her support for the Palestinians and the Israeli peace movement. We are not rallying simply to confront the Nazis, but to oppose racism and all other forms of oppression. Like Hitler did, they try to exploit economic frustrations to turn whites against people of color, immigrants, Jews, the disabled, the LGBT community, and others. If we are silent, they will once again target our neighbors with harassment and violence.

The response? Predictable:

no one takes these skin head (sic) dickeheads (sic) seriously when there is (sic) real Nazis in the whitehouse. (sic) Focus on something other than stupid distractions.
and (sic) this is one of the dumbest.

Ugh.

Another "Zio Report" - a regular antisemitic post by Faruque Ahmed, has appeared on Sydney Indymedia.

It is my understanding, (and from some private emails from Sydney readers) this is permitted by the Sydney mods, as deleting it would result in him flooding the newswire and effectively rendering the whole site unusable.

In other words, they will turn a blind eye to this raving bigot in the name of peace and quiet. Except for Jews that is.

Disgusting.

I would rather shut the site down before giving in to someone like that.

Update: Ahmed's bile has not been posted to Melbourne Indymedia (including hidden articles). It's interesting how Melbourne has dealt with this compared to Sydney and says something about dealing with blackmailers and antisemites.

An Irish blogger has a post discussing the proliferation of "watch blogs" which 'watch' other blogs.

A comment box discussion...got me thinking today about the phenomenon of “watch” blogs, set up expressly to have a go at other blogs

By way of example, the author linked here.

He then notes:

It’s important to remember that no-one (really folks, get over yourselves, no-one) gives a shit what bloggers say anyway, except for other bloggers. So really, these little spats are no different from a decent pub argument.

Perhaps, though I believe Indymedia is much more than a 'blog' and harder to simply ignore. Many thousands of blogs on zero budget and with a single writer however, manage to do a far better job of 'journalism' than the so-called Independent Media whose advocates constantly complain how hard their job is, keeping out the filth even though everyone else manages - or concedes failure.

Tuppenceworth then raises the phenomenon of "watch watch" and its offshoots:

We await the next logical step, the development of the “watch watch”, the “watch watch watch” and, after the manner of Gillette Razors, the “watch watch watch watch”.

I first mentioned this nearly a year ago. I guess he wasn't watching.

LA Indymedia is carrying this disturbing story of an eighth grader who committed suicide.

According to the article:

An eighth grade student, Anthony Soltero, of De Anza Middle School has committed suicide after being told by school administrators that he would be going to prison for his involvement in the student walkouts last week. According to friends and family the suicide is a direct result of his meeting with the assistant vice principle of the school and occurred shortly there after.

The article links to a long telephone interview (audio) with the family's lawyer that makes some additional points not mentioned in the article on LA Indymedia or a sister article on Bay Area Indymedia (which notes he "shot himself through the head").

Specifically, that "last week during Tues and Wednesday there were a number of walkouts from the High and Middle school in the Ontario area". The boy had "participated as an organizer".

He was summoned by the Principal on Thursday and allegedly advised that "because he was involved in the walkout he was not going to be able to attend the class dance or his graduation".

There was also allegedly mention that "he was going to prison for three years because of a prior juvenile offence that he had." This was not mentioned in other text.

Prior criminal history is not mentioned in the main article. It is however stated that:

The suicide is a direct result of his meeting with the assistant vice principle (sic) of the school.

Personally, I would ask why an eighth grader had such ready access to a firearm. This doesn't appear to be on the agenda of activists who entitled the Bay area piece "First Casualty of Student Walk Outs!" and stated in their "press release" :

:1st Walkout Death!
...
Anthonys death is likely the first fatality arising from the protests against the immigration legislation

The connection seems tenuous at best.

Whilst it doesn't excuse the suicide, the mention of his criminal history in the text, would have been considered full reporting yet I imagine was omitted as it would have taken away from the suggestion this was a perfectly normal child driven to suicide by the fascist principal.

This is not the first time activists have been martyred by far left wing groups where the death itself was merely a means to an end.

There was much mention by the interviewer as well as the text of free speech laws and whether the Principal broke these. As far as I can tell however, the problem was not what the student said, but his repeatedly leaving the school.

Truancy and free speech simply aren't the same thing. The school has a duty of care to its students, and had this one remained in school, he may be alive. It's harsh, and I'm sorry for that, but it's true.

The involvement of young easily influenced children by political groups needs far greater scrutiny. Especially considering how many politically immature children would walk out of school for a day under nearly any pretense. I have noted this previously here and here.

I can't find any reporting of this sad story in other news sources at this stage.

Update: Roland has more on the politics of ditching school and on Indymedia in general.

I can see from my referrer log that someone posted a link to this site on BC Indymedia.

The article on the BC Indymedia page has since been deleted.

Not hidden, deleted.

This article has been deleted with code: Other
Notes: by stopthehateonbcindy

It must have been pretty special and at least one of my readers knows what it said. Do tell!

Update: Via comments:

Posts have been dropping like flies over there, and they're all being deleted, not hidden, even though the IMC site software they're using makes it so that you have to choose one or the other. So either somebody doesn't know how to hide posts or he just doesn't care.

UK Indymedia are promoting Medic Trainings in London and Leeds. The group, UK Action Medics (previous report here) offer a variety of advice for dealing with critical incidents:

Would you know how to help someone if:
* They collapsed at a demo?
* They were hit by a police baton?
* They were suffering from the cold on a protest site?

Probably useful skills for the 'activist' crowd, especially the 'non-violent' ones. This bit I can't work out though:

The skills you learn on this training will be focused on situations at protests and direct actions, but you’ll find them useful in the rest of your life too!

You know... Like when you are sitting at the pub minding your own business and a policeman's baton accidentally hits you in the head.

Two notable quotes from Hugh Le Caine:

Another day, another stupid Indymedia 'article'

and this one on Charlie Sheen:

If Charlie Sheen is the far-left’s new theologian, then the work required to critique Indymedia just got a lot easier. It was never that hard to begin with, but I can now get more sleep by having my pet chimp Bing-Bobo do the postings.

Further to my previous post asking whether SF and Bay Area Indymedia want to be taken seriously, comes this piece which argues the recent massive (and fatal) demonstations in the Arab world, were in fact staged as a secret US Government 'covert psy-op' (no doubt under the watchful eyes of their Zionist handlers).

New Evidence Suggests Muslim Riots Are Staged Psyop

As news breaks of four more demonstrators being shot dead in Kabul, fresh evidence has surfaced lending credibility to the assertion that the Muslim riots are a staged psyop or at the very least based on false pretenses.

The source for this "new information"? Don't ask...

South Park's latest episode was entitled Smug. Like most episodes of this show, it pulled no punches and this time leveled itself particularly against residents of San Francisco. Wikipedia episode synopsis here.

After buying a hybrid car, Kyle's dad becomes tremendously smug, preaches to others and smugly talks with his eyes closed. Eventually, he decides to move the family to San Francisco where they can be with other hybrid car drivers who 'get it' like he does.

Kyle's father is glad to meet other like minded San Franciscans who, loving the smell of their own farts (remember this is South Park) frequently mid-conversation, will loudly fart, bend over and inhale with pleasure, then resume discussing their personal philosophies and loudly congratulating themselves for being far more progressive than the rest of the country.

Kyle meets other Bay Area kids, who explain that they spend their time taking drugs and drinking, which their parents don't mind and this helps them to deal with their "smugginess."

I can't find any mention of this episode or its point on SF or Bay Area Indymedia. Perhaps they are too smug to watch South Park - I don't know.

I do know they are in a frenzy over this post comparing some pro-Israel demonstrators with anti-war demonstrators. The incorrect assumption is presented that "pro-Israel" must mean pro-war, simply because the bulk of the anti-war movement has been sided with anti-Israel groups. This was demonstrated by this response:

Thanks, Skippy. Only on Indybay would someone holding a "Pro Israel Pro Peace" sign be labeled racist.

Notice the old lady holding the anti-war sign? She was one of many who came over to the true side for peace. At this rally, we had many cross-overs, whom all resented how the anti-war movement had been hijacked into a catchall for every leftist with an agenda. Thats why the true side of peace grows with every event, while the ANSWER side decreases.

Also:

The ANSWER Rally was nothing like a "Peace Rally". There was one element that was highly pro-War, vocal and threatening.... but against Israel. What does their war mongering have to do with "peace."

More on this phenomena in an excellent article in Slate here.

This comment saw the Israel supporters labeled "Nazis". Truly an intellectual argument. They were called on it:

Could anybody here just check a dictionary for the definition of the word "racism", you are using so often? You will be surprised.

This is then followed by 4-5 page essays, cut and pasted from elsewhere to try and win the argument. These may be duly ignored. However, this one is interesting:

Indybay is only open to ONE point of view. We get this re-cycled, re-posted anti-zionist spam (if you read it closely, all it says is "The Arabs should have won, wah, wah, wah.") We get articles from Arab media only, like Electronic intifada, Islam on Line. Indybay deletes any pro-Israel comments and articles all while crowing that this is an "alternative to the mainstream media."

This is responded to:

We get your point of view in the commercial media.

This is countered by:

Nonsense, this is the same whiny stuff we see in the supposed "main stream media." Same Palestinian photographers, "sob sister" stories, teddy bears tossed onto debris to make a "better" photo op. The only difference is that sometimes the [San Francisco] Chron will allow a dissenting voice in the letters to the editors. Indybay permits no dissent.

This generates a heated response - feel the love here:

Where is that? Show me a single **US corporate mainstream** (note every word of emphasis, zio-slime) news item that **explicitly develops** (note every word of emphasis, zio-slime) the position that Israel and zionism have come to represent "racist ideology" or "Jewish Nazism." I will chew up, swallow, and shit my fucking hat into a bowl and then do it again while it's still nice and steamy. Such interpretations are staunchly suppressed by mainstream US propaganda machines.

Hang on - just because the mainstream media doesn't share his paranoia of "Jewish Nazis" or no doubt that Jews were behind 9/11, does not prove there is a problem in the mainstream media. That the alternative media is held up as the solution to this 'problem' however begs the question, what is 'alternative media'?

If it is to be alternative to the mainstream press, where do journalistic principles come into play? The fact is, one can find mainstream media at all ends of the political spectrum. Surely then, the Alternative Media would emulate this, perhaps concentrating on 'alternative news'. Not so on Indymedia it seems, which is why the following comments, astonishing in their political naiveté can be made with a straight face:

The US government is clearly biased towards the Israelis...The US allows Israel to have nukes but would act to prevent Palestinians from getting nukes. The US would condemn any Palestinians attempts to send soliders into Israel but frequently backs Israeli soliders in Palestinian areas.

Quick quiz: Question one: Israel has nukes. Have they ever been used? Question two: If the Palestinians had a single nuclear weapon, how quickly would it be used?

Irrespective of your political viewpoint, the answers should remain the same if you are honest.

As for "Palestinian soldiers" - try a Google Image search for "Hamas" and ask whether you would let them into your own country. Before anyone claims Hamas and "Palestinian soldier" aren't one and the same, bear in mind who won the recent Palestinian elections.

Is disseminating this form of propaganda (much of which wasn't quoted above) really what the "alternative media" wants to be? For this is what it currently is.

Further to my previous post on BC Indymedia comes this rather strict admonition.

Sick of this Shit.

comments / articles that repel the majority of users with constant and unnecessary usage of the words zionthis, zionthat and the other... comments that threaten editors at IMC... comments that degrade the poor... are sexist... are boring... comments that I just plane fucking don't like WILL BE DELETED... so DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME... "robo" - don't fuck with this site anymore. "mj"... you will not edit because you spam us constantly. all trolls... you will all be deleted just because I don't have time to get to know all y'all.... and you all seem to be the problem posters wasting time and bandwidth and repelling users with comments about comments about comments...

The bitch is back... HAVE A NICE DAY!

tired of babysitting... will just delete anything that repels our wonderful and progressive readership base.

Meanwhile, a poll on BC Indymedia asks users to decide whether:

BC Indy has bugs with open publishing, but overall, is a good source of non-corporate news.

BC Indy is a cesspool for trolls bent on destoying non-corporate media by spam posting in a derogatory manner towards specific religions.

BC Indy and open publishing is highly flawed... take it off line.

BC Indy, all things considered, is doing fine.

At the time of posting, 57.9 percent of voters believe Indymedia is a cesspool.

Naturally results of the poll are unscientific and (snigger) should not be relied upon as an accurate (snigger) representation.

A post on BC Indymedia warns:

Having monitored this bulletin board for some time, I have noted and been pretty offended by excessive and gratuitous antisemitism that is not just posted here, but, more critically, is allowed to remain "standing," along with lots of openly hateful antisemitic commentary, that is also apparently tolerated by the management and allowed to remain "standing."

This is Canada. We have laws here against that kind of garbage.
I am Jewish, have a background in both publishing and Canadian Human Rights Law as applied to media, and sick and tired of the legally actionable bilge that you so-called "progressives" tolerate here.

Therefore, this is my notice to you,that I have commenced researching and cataloguing materials towards a legal action affecting BC Indymedia, its editors, and organizing "collective."

This is not the first time threats of legal action have been made towards Indymedia and it will be interesting to see how this fans out and if it will have its day in court. It's tricky, as IMCs tend to be barely constituted as any form of legal entity and would certainly not have many assets for any civil lawsuit.

The response however, both from apparent Indymedia moderators as well as those for whom "troll" is an understatement, is astonishing.

First, defiance:

If you're going to be taken seriously you will have to supply your name and contact information.

You should also know that we've received numerous 'cease & desist', 'remove this article', etc. letters from various law firms over the years - all of which we've simply crumpled up and tossed into the recycling (and look, we're still running!).

Nyah nyah! Such respect for legal process. Then, denial:

Perhaps some examples of these "antisemitic" postings would help. Provided, of course, that they weren't posted anonymously, by the same Spam Lobby that's desperate to discredit the work that goes on here ...

Oh please. BC Indymedia, and previously Vancouver, has historically been one of the worst sites for antisemitism. Can't find any? Search this site. This is followed by a textbook antisemitic remark:

More zio-nazi threats against free speech. When will they ever learn that they cannot control the world.

Still have any questions? "Gehrig", who pulled me into line over something unrelated last week tries to play peacemaker:

Whether or not postings like that put BC Indymedia behind the eight ball legally, they certainly don't work any wonders for BC Indymedia's reputation for anti-racism.

Too right. An Indymedia moderator invokes the "Standard Indymedia Defence" as for previous legal threats:

we agree!!! lets stop the hate. we detest hateful spam postings as much as you do!!!

we are very short "staffed" here, and don't see people, such as yourself, offering to put in the time and work it takes to edit this site accordingly.

open publishing. and i personally don't have the time, energy or desire to read every article on this newswire. i catch some and remove them. if you knew what we removed and edited, maybe you would see that we are trying.

please feel free to make an article in which you post links to the materials you are referring to, and we will do our best to ensure that articles that are hate filled or innacurate will be dealt with accordingly.

Then, he joins the rank of conspiracy theorists:

there is also the possibility of trolling and evidence that there is a poster who posts these articles himself to create the effect of this site being a hate filled and anti-semetic (sic) site.

Whilst he hasn't explicitly claimed this 'provocateur' is Jewish, the implication is obvious and others have made that explicit claim. As many have responded previously to this bizarre claim, Indymedia doesn't need the help of 'covert agents' to make it look bad, it is quite capable of doing this itself.

Of course why would external entities need to blacken Indymedia, when its own moderators do this?

we have also removed an editor who used words like Zion-anything.... after it was discovered that he himself was responsible for posting questionable material on the site.there are people bent on destroying alternative media.

Come on. Indymedia is not the victim here. It is the facilitator of the most appalling racism, antisemitism and libel. But let the denial continue...

the purpose of this site is for local, non-corporate, alternative news and views. that is the purpose.

we aim for truth. respect. diversity.

Sure you do. I once aimed to be an astronaut and have a three-way with Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera. Then I faced reality.

Others point this out:

BC Indymedia, and Indymedia in general, doesn't HAVE a reputation for anti-racism. Quite the opposite.

Why do you think they're popularly referred to as "Nazimedia" everywhere else? They are widely regarded as a laughingstock filled with kooks, moonbats, cranks, and fringe lunatics.

The only reason any normal people ever look at sites like this is for the freakshow amusement value. It's pretty unlikely anyone takes this site seriously, except for the delusional loons themselves, obviuosly.

I don't entirely agree with this dismissal of Indymedia. If you were in a foreign country and bought the first newspaper you saw (especially if it were free), you wouldn't necessarily know you had just picked up the worst excuse for a 'newspaper' in town would you?

So too, there are some people who might in good faith take Indymedia at face value at first, and believe some of what they read. Certainly its clear those inside Indymedia are in denial and maintain they are about "news" and "truth" notwithstanding so much of their content represents neither. More moderator denial follows:

the only reason we are labelled that is because trolls like you call us that

You are "that" whether anyone calls you on it or not.

after you yourself fill the newswire with anti-semitic material and then cry "hate, hate, hate!"

i edit on this site... i am not racist... or a fucking moonbat, or whatever bullshit you spew out of your extreme rightwing mouth. leave the site if you don't like it. we stay out of mainstream... you stay out of here.

that is what i think.

Don't ask what I think, you probably don't want to know.

Gehrig calls him on it:

That's a pretty strong claim. Do you have any evidence for this claim -- that BC Indymedia has been hit with fake hate material posted by Jews? If so, please present it.

Needless to say, such proof isn't forthcoming, and why would it be? Surely Jews doing this is as undeniable as Jews being behind 9/11, the assassination of JFK and tooth decay. Other comments on the page insist Jews control all of Canada's media as well as Indymedia.

Indymedia is then called on its advocacy of terror groups:

This board is also apparently sympathetic to pro-terror lunatic types and serves terrorist-sourced propaganda up on a daily basis.

Their response to this charge:

we are not sympathetic to pro-terror. If we were, we would be supporting the Bush regime. It is the mainstream that supports that propaganda on a daily basis.

Good grief...

Almost a year ago, I posted a story regarding alleged cybercriminal Jeremy Hammond who had made himself unpopular by allegedly hacking Protest Warrior's website. Indymedia and Protest Warrior didn't agree. Read the original article for background.

One of the leaders of a local social hacking group posted this comment (brief excerpt):

This dim bulb has been attending the monthly meetings for the Chicago chapter of 2600 group for about 7-8 months now.
...
In short, this "hacktivist" is nothing more than a petulant, willful child. One for whom NOTHING is a barrier, so long as HE gets what HE wants.

Today, nearly nine months later, came the following comment from someone calling himself "Black Mage 2021":

Jeremy (sic) not a dim bulb (sic) his (sic) thought (sic) hundreds of people computer skills that they normal (sic) would not know so before you go bashing some ones (sic) name at least get the facts stright (sic) so go to hell you conformist

Yes. Well. I guess he isn't the dimmest bulb after all.

A Bristol local newspaper reported:

Vandals have caused up to £100,000 of damage at Bristol's City Academy in an apparent protest against the school's plans to build sports facilities on a public open space. Intruders used bolt cutters to break into the school grounds in Russell Town Avenue, Lawrence Hill, before tearing up areas of the artificial turf on the school's all-weather pitch and spreading a solvent across the surface to ruin more areas of the playing field.

They also attacked CCTV cameras monitoring the site.

A message claiming responsibility was later posted on an internet website used by local activists, claiming it was in "revenge" for the academy's plans to build a fence around facilities it wants to build on Whitehall Playing Fields, known locally as Packer's Field.

No prizes for guessing which "activist website" they were referring to. It is then reported that:

The message was later removed from the website - but not before being shown to police.

A Google cache search using the quote the paper gives from the vandals, shows the article as originally posted on Bristol Indymedia.

Bristol IMC have posted a statement saying they pulled the article after someone informed the police and threatened BIMC:

Following the posting of the article the following threat to BIMC then appeared:

"This [the article above] is being reported to the police, and Indymedia are being reported for condoning this. I hope this time you lose your computers for good, and I'll be asking the Police to arrest you [BIMC] for abetting criminal damage."

A BIMC reader has emailed me and noted that a search for the above quoted threat doesn't reveal any hits, on the Indmedia site or within Google's cache.

He asks:

Is it possible that BIMC, wise after their last run in with the police, tipped the cops off themselves in a fit of panic, then regretted their actions after the local paper reported it, so invented a threat?

Other activist talk boards are of course blaming Zaskar of Zaskarfilms for this tip off, despite his denials.

UK Indymedia would probably have blamed the Jews!

Whether BIMC are complicit or not is of course unclear. What is highly relevant however, is the question of why criminals and vandals would rely on Indymedia as their preferred medium. With friends like these...

Comments to the BIMC post:

This article was published on 30th March in the evening post, nearly a week after the original incident. Just a little bit behind on reporting on the news in our community aren't we evening post? Are those swingeing cutbacks on frontline journalism starting to bite or something?

Oh dear, the quality will be the next to suffer...

Previous reports on BIMC and the Police here and criminal activity on BIMC plus Zaskar's railroading here.

The South Carolina State reports:

Saddam Hussein was a delusional, paranoid megalomaniac who believed his army was the strongest in the Middle East.

That part we knew. However this is priceless:

It was a paranoia that at times reached levels of absurdity and was "something to behold," Woods said.

For example, in 2001 the Iraq General Security Directorate told Saddam that the Pokemon cartoon character in Hebrew meant "I am Jewish" and "represented a subterfuge by international Zionism to undermine Iraq's security," according to the report.

They were scared of this:
The horror! Damn those Zionists.

I can't believe there isn't a Baghdad Indymedia. Saddam would have been one of the moderators for sure!