In the chain of events surrounding the mayhem caused by Extinction Rebellion and their protest of the free press, the European Council has deemed it necessary to issue a warning to the British Government instead for stifling free speech.
A formal warning was issued by the European Council challenging the decision of the Ministry of Defence to blacklist a media outlet – Declassified UK. According to the outlet’s journalists involved, they were denied information and asked for their position on the government’s efforts in Yemen, as reported by Journalism.co.uk. The organisation was then further blacklisted and refused comment from the Ministry, following this exchange.
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The outlet has been known to be extremely critical of the British military and all peacekeeping exercises across the globe. In particular, they have criticised the strategic alliance between Britain and Saudi Arabia several times in the past. Often linking the British Army to secret war crimes and the British Government to Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy in the region, they consistently accuse the nation’s Conservative Party of committing human rights violations across the world.
Certain directors of Declassified UK like Salma Yaqoob, Andrew Feinstein and Benjamin Zephaniah have strong links to the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn. They vocally advocated for an abolition of the monarchy, while also having formerly worked for The Guardian newspaper and other left-wing media outlets. Headlines promoting veganism and climate change often feature on the website, linking the United Kingdom’s armed forces to these social issues. They are also known to be vocally against Israel’s foreign policy and the United States’ current war of words with Iran.
Source: 200305-D-FW736-1017, U.S. Secretary of Defense
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According to The Independent, the UK is the third country this week to receive a warning. Russia was first, where a blogger critical of the Government was hospitalised by two unknown assailants, followed by Turkey, where a former TV presenter was arrested and charged with treason and being part of a terrorist organisation. A Level 2 warning has been issued by the Council, while the Ministry of Defence is yet to reply. The International Press Institute is also believed to have written a critical letter to Number 10 Downing Street demanding an explanation for selectively divulging military-linked sensitive information publicly.
