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onrust

@onrust@infosec.exchange

a.k.a. chris onrust ~ researcher + author ~ podcast @vulnerablebydesign + protest sounds ~ libre tech ~ info systems ~ party hard ~ etc ~ EN/NL

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onrust , to Amsterdam
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Staff members of the University of Amsterdam express their horror at the the police violence unleashed on staff and students by Dutch police in response to Palestine solidarity encampments.

via :birdsite: Martijn Dekker

On University of Amsterdam letterhead: A letter in which University of Amsterdam (UvA) staff express their horror at actions taken by the UvA board, and call all UvA workers to congregate on Monday 13 May at 11am at the Roeterseiland campus to protest and determine next steps. [Not enough characters here to give the full alt text here, so I'll post the full letter in thread]
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    • onrust OP ,
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    Here’s the full letter, in slightly more legible form:

    "We, staff members of the University of Amsterdam, are horrified by the actions of its Executive Board. For three consecutive days, they have authorised extreme police violence towards their own staff and students, who were engaged in non-violent protest on campus against UvA’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Today [= 8 May], once again, we witnessed our University Board, together with the Mayor, ordering unprecedented levels of violence on its students, staff, and the boarder public in the centre of Amsterdam. Riot police bulldozed protest areas, brought in police dogs, and beat, pepper-sprayed, and arrested people. Those engaging in the peaceful support march or standing by the sidelines were also aggressively beaten, pepper-sprayed, and shoved to the ground."

    1/5

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    "The Board has displayed utter bad faith in entering into negotiations with students and staff. They had already made the decision to violently evict while negotiations were still ongoing. Despite publicly calling for dialogue, they refused to negotiate with students and staff negotiators, dismissing their plea to hold off on eviction and continue negotiations in the morning. We are shocked by the absolute disregard, disrespect and general unwillingness of the Board towards its students and staff."

    2/5

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    "The Board will defend its actions by claiming it was protecting university buildings and facilities. It will claim that they were trying to protect the safety of university life. But whose safety is the Board protecting? The actions taken by the Dutch police in response to the Gaza Solidarity camps have made a mockery of concerns about safety on campus."

    3/5

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    "The actions by the Board are reprehensible, absolutely unacceptable and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms. In response, we call on all employees to congregate outside the Roetereilandcampus on Monday, 13th May at 11.00 am. The walk-out will be followed by a staff meeting to discuss popular demands about reinstating the right to demonstrate and cutting ties with Israeli and international institutions that violate human rights."

    4/5

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    "We underscore that the University of Amsterdam does not consist of its Board. It is students and staff who are the heart and soul of this university. Denying this fact has resulted in a severe breach and breaking of trust between the Board, and staff and students who work for the university and give it its right to exist."

    5/5

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Here's your call to action if you work at the University of Amsterdam:

    Come together on Monday 13 May at 11am at the Roeterseilandcampus to protest and to determine next steps

    onrust , to Amsterdam
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Amsterdam students start a Palestine solidarity encampment ⛺ ✊ 🇵🇸

    Come join! Bring tents, flags, water, snacks, and liberated learning materials to add to the Refaat Alareer library

    A small display on a lawn with around 25 books, with a sign stating: 'Refaat Alareer Library for liberated learning for a liberated Palestine'.

    onrust , to Random stuff
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    By contrast, what’s supposed to pass for journalism in many European countries doesn’t merit that name.

    Bearing witness? Truth-telling? Facts?

    The modus operandi among so-called journalists in the Netherlands, for example, is ‘reporting-by-press-release’

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Disgracefully, the Index on Censorship appears high on hasbara supply too

    Sure, it acknowledges that media and press freedoms for Palestinians are abysmal.

    But in its reporting on Palestine, it goes on and on about ‘israeli’ occupier pains: https://www.indexoncensorship.org/?s=Palestine&id=114715

    This is the world view that states that an ‘israeli’ journalist has been “killed”, while “Palestinian journalists have also been confirmed dead”.

    Really? Magically confirmed dead? Without any perpetrator?

    Purposefully murdered in order to silence them, more like it

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Why are European and US journalists not telling the truth on the genocide and atrocities in Gaza?

    Here’s Owen Jones' answer:

    “I think a lot of Western [journalists] just haven’t spoken out, partly because of racism. I don’t think they see Palestinians as equal human beings. (…)

    [R]ampant, systemic anti-Palestinian racism throughout the Western media, which is so lacking in subtlety, (…)

    And I think, subservience to Western foreign policy and also the fact that they are in some cases scared because they think they’ll get smeared for being critical of Israel. So they’re cowards. (…)

    So I think it’s a mixture of bigotry, racism, and cowardice.“

    video/mp4

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    One symbolic shimmer: UNESCO has awarded all Palestinian journalists covering the genocide in Gaza the world press freedom prize:

    "we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances (...) As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression,” said Mauricio Weibel, chair of the international jury of media professionals

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/palestinian-journalists-covering-gaza-war-win-unesco-press-freedom-prize

    onrust , to Amsterdam
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    May Day is coming up!

    If you're in the Amsterdam region, consider joining the workers in support of Palestine 🍉🍉🍉 block at the Workers' Day March, starting at 2pm at Museumplein

    Flyer in red, green, white and black, with the text: 'Unite in solidarity with Palestinian workers on May 1st, 2 P.M. at Museumplein in Amsterdam. On the FNV's International Workers Day March. For solidarity with workers who are murdered, oppressed and starved! Union members in solidarity with Palestine' with an abstract watermelon slice.
    ALT
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    • + xdydx
    onrust , to Random stuff
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    Berlin police declares the Occupy against Occupation 🍉 protest camp near the Reichstag illegal, starts removing people

    camp telegram channel: https://t.me/s/besetzungggnbesatzung
    article in German zionist news media: https://archive.is/6OkDk

    onrust OP ,
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    I only learnt about the Berlin protest camp yesterday, but apparently it'd been going strong since 8 April.

    The camp hosted an active programme of lectures, workshops, training, knowledge sharing -- as well as a live screening of the hearing against Germany for aiding genocide

    A view from the Berlin protest camp on the Reichstag. On the field of the protest camp itself is a banner with the text (in German): 'End the delivery of arms', with next to it a Palestinian flag.

    onrust , to Random stuff
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Via Zain Nazar:

    Complete internet outage across Southern and Central Gaza

    The Palestinian Telecommunications Company (PalTel) announced that internet in the central and southern Gaza Strip has been cut off due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, with their crews working to restore connection.

    When Gaza is cut off from the world, It’s proven to be the most dangerous time where Israeli bombings & killings surge to unprecedented levels in the dark.

    Gaza’s Health Ministry has already reported 5 massacres committed by the Israeli occupation with 43 people killed & 64 injured in the last 24 hours.

    All eyes on Gaza. Break your silence.

    onrust , to Random stuff
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    "workplace isn’t for politics", says person who uses workplace to help a zionist occupation régime carry out genocide

    https://archive.is/JMLE8

    onrust , to Random stuff
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    Fired Google Workers Speak Out: Press Conference and Q&A has started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLiWHO71fOU

    onrust OP ,
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    A Palestinian-American ex-Googler, who has family in Gaza, gives testimony about how they were fired from Google for holding up a sign in support of Palestine outside the building.

    They weren't even part of the sit-ins.

    Terminated by an automated email.

    onrust OP ,
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    Another testimony from a fired ex-Googler: At Google we talk a lot about feedback. But feedback to Google itself isn't tolerated. Instead, Google is lying about what really happened, and retaliates against workers who speak out.

    onrust OP ,
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    An ex-Googler who joined the sit-in on 16 April at the NYC office: They were doxxed by a co-worker, and experienced harassment during the sit-in. Google security didn't intervene. The next day, they were fired.

    They haven't been told which policies, if any, they are supposed to have violated.

    They encourage others to keep speaking up -- especially in large numbers.

    onrust OP ,
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    Goose, an ex-Googler, didn't participate in the sit-in, but got fired anyway. They witnessed harassment of workers who spoke out against Project Nimbus.

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Evan took part in the sit-in, and was fired without warning or investigation. Quotes a saying:

    "When the wrong person uses the right means, the right means work in the wrong way."

    Project Nimbus is textbook evil.

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Google has been lying about the Project Nimbus contract over and over again. Nimbus falls directly under the 'israeli' military.

    Google and Amazon are directly aiding and abetting the genocidal campaign in Gaza through this contract.

    Instead of taking responsibility and terminating all collaboration with the occupation forces, Google punches down against workers who raise concerns.

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Q: How do deals such as Project Nimbus square with Google's AI principles?

    A: They don't. When you [= Google] know what your customer [= the zionist occupation] is doing with your services, you know you're being complicit.

    There is no grey area here.

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Q: Who is doing the doxxing, the harassment, the discrimination? Are they other Google employees?

    A: It's systemic. Google has created an atmosphere in which harassment of workers in facilitated.

    Mohammad, a Google worker, was called into an HR meeting because of their organizing for Palestine. They were accused of terrorism (!) for their organizing work.

    onrust , to Random stuff
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    Statement from Google workers with the No Tech for Apartheid campaign on Google’s mass, retaliatory firings of workers

    This evening [17 April], Google indiscriminately fired over two dozen workers, including those among us who did not directly participate in yesterday’s historic, bicoastal 10-hour sit-in protests. This flagrant act of retaliation is a clear indication that Google values its $1.2 billion contract with the genocidal Israeli government and military more than its own workers. In the three years that we have been organizing against Project Nimbus, we have yet to hear from a single executive about our concerns. Google workers have the right to peacefully protest about terms and conditions of our labor. These firings were clearly retaliatory.

    1/6

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    On the contrary, our bosses called the police on its own workers, the Nimbus Nine, who were arrested and taken into custody last night. Today, they punished all of the workers they could associate with this action in wholesale firings, through a dragnet of in-office surveillance. Google cited “bullying” and “harassment” as the reasons for workers’ firing. If there has been any bullying or harassment at the company, our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim colleagues have been the recipients.

    2/6

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Google claims that protesters “defaced property” and “physically impeded the work of other Googlers.” This excuse to avoid confronting us and our concerns directly, and attempt to justify its illegal, retaliatory firings, is a lie. Even the workers who were participating in a peaceful sit-in and refusing to leave did not damage property or threaten other workers. Instead they received an overwhelmingly positive response and shows of support.

    3/6

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Google continues to lie to its workers, the media, and the public. Google continues to claim, as of today, that Project Nimbus is “not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.” Yet, reporting from TIME Magazine proves otherwise: Google has built custom tools for Israel’s Ministry of “Defense,” and has doubled down on contracting with the Israeli Occupation Forces, since the start of its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. By continuing its lies, Google is blatantly disrespecting and disregarding consumers, the media, as well as, most importantly, its workers.

    4/6

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Google claims that the protest involved people who “largely” do not work at the company. This is not just untrue, it’s insulting. Thousands of our colleagues have joined our call for the company to drop Project Nimbus, supporting the dozens of brave workers who have spoken out publicly about how the contract is impacting their health and safety on the job. Most of all, it is insulting to those of us you just threw out of the company for voicing our concerns about Project Nimbus, as well as for the well-being of our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim colleagues facing Google-enabled racism, discrimination, harassment, and censorship.

    5/6

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Sundar Pichai and Thomas Kurian are genocide profiteers. We cannot comprehend how these men are able to sleep at night while their tech has enabled 100,000 Palestinians killed, reported missing, or wounded in the last six months of Israel’s genocide — and counting.

    The truth is clear: Google is terrified of us. They are terrified of workers coming together and calling for accountability and transparency from our bosses. They are choosing to reveal the falsity of Google’s “open culture” in order to get rid of a threat. The corporation is trying to downplay and discredit our power.

    These mass, illegal firings will not stop us. On the contrary, they only serve as further fuel for the growth of this movement.

    Make no mistake, we will continue organizing until the company drops Project Nimbus and stops powering this genocide.

    source: https://medium.com/@notechforapartheid/statement-from-google-workers-with-the-no-tech-for-apartheid-campaign-on-googles-indiscriminate-28ba4c9b7ce8

    6/6

    onrust , to Random stuff
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    People in academia: Do the right thing and cut all ties and collaborations with 'israeli' institutions.

    No joint projects.
    No invitations.
    No collaboration.

    They admit they're "totally dependent" on international connections:

    "Israeli academia is liable to find itself in a new situation regarding participation in conferences, fundraising for research or publication of articles. We are totally dependent on international connections. Collaboration with us will become increasingly difficult," says Gilad Hirschberger https://archive.md/2024.04.12-002216/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-12/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/amid-gaza-war-israeli-academia-faces-an-unprecedented-boycott/0000018e-cee6-d5ed-adcf-fff6f1d00000

    (warning: article link to Ha4retz, so wade through the propaganda with caution)

    onrust , to Random stuff
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    Paint it red, shut it down.

    Youth Demand activists paint the UK Labour HQ in blood red in support of Gaza and denounce Labour's complicity with 'Israel' in the murder of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza

    source: https://t.me/QudsNen/101087

    Multiple activists use pain sprayers to douse a building in blood red paint. Activists walk along the pavement outside the building, and continue spraying

    onrust , to Random stuff
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    Nicaragua filed an application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) instituting proceedings against Germany.

    Why? Nicaragua alleges that Germany is violating:

    • its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
    • the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols
    • “intransgressible principles of international humanitarian law”, and
    • other norms of general international law

    ... in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly the Gaza Strip.

    Oral hearing will start today.

    You can watch the proceedings here, starting at 10.00 CEST: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1q/k1qoqif0lq

    Case details here: https://www.icj-cij.org/case/193

    Overview from an ICJ press release about the case Nicaragua vs Germany, with the text (truncated to stay within character limits): "Proceedings instituted by Nicaragua against Germany on 1 March 2024 Request for the indication of provisional measures Public hearings to be held on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 April 2024 THE HAGUE, 15 March 2024. On Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 April 2024, the International Court of Justice will hold public hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court, in the proceedings instituted by the Republic of Nicaragua against the Federal Republic of Germany on 1 March 2024. (...) The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures contained in Nicaragua’s Application. Nicaragua asks the Court to indicate provisional measures as a matter of extreme urgency, pending the Court’s determination on the merits of the case, with respect to Germany’s “participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of general international law occurring in the Gaza Strip”. Schedule for the hearings Monday 8 April 2024 10 a.m.-12 noon.: Oral argument (Nicaragua) Tuesday 9 April 2024 10 a.m.-12 noon.: Oral argument (Germany)"
    ALT
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    • onrust OP ,
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    "Nothing justified the collective punishment of the Palestinian people".

    The world can't turn away, says Nicaragua

    onrust OP ,
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    Nicaragua draw the court's attention to the fact that not only is the situation in Gaza most dire --- also in other areas of occupied Palestine violence, racism and apartheid are increasing

    And Germany is offering support for all of that

    onrust OP ,
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    Nicaragua highlights statements from Germany officials who have expressed support for 'israel'

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    How many weapons is Germany giving to 'israel' to murder innocent civilians?

    At least 326,505,156 euro worth of arms export in a single year

    (and this doesn't even include Germany's offering its own weaponry for use by 'israel')


    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Nicaragua:

    Germany didn't change its exports after the ICJ's ruling of 26 January.

    Germany didn't take notice when a Dutch court ruled F-35 parts export to 'israel' as illegal.

    As we speak, export of weapons from Germany to 'israel' continues.

    What will it take for Germany to cease to deliver weapons to a regime that's plausibly committing genocide?

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    "Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people [from] being killed. Isn't it logical?" -- Nicaragua quotes High Representative Joseph Borrell

    onrust OP ,
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    Next speaker for Nicaragua: Germany is responsible for its own violations of its obligations under international law. Germany is responsible for how its actions have facilitated crimes in Palestine

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    "[A]ll the States parties to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 are under an obligation, while respecting the United Nations Charter and international law, to ensure compliance by lsrael with international humanitarian law as embodied in that Convention."

    Nicaragua cites an ICJ advisory opinion from 2004.

    Case: https://www.icj-cij.org/case/131
    Document quoted: https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/131/131-20040709-ADV-01-00-EN.pdf (pdf)

    Quote from an ICJ advisory opinion of 9 July 2004, Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Rep. 2004, p. 200, para. 159: “159. Given the character and the importance of the rights and obligations involved, the Court is of the view that all States are under an obligation not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem. They are also under an obligation not to render aid or assistance in imaintaining the situation created by such construction. It is also for al1 States, while respecting the United Nations Charter and international law, to see to it that any impediment, resulting from the construction of the wall, to the exercise by the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination is brought to an end. In addition, al1 the States parties to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of PJar of 12 August 1949 are under an obligation, while respecting the United Nations Charter and international law, to ensure compliance by lsrael with international humanitarian law as embodied in that Convention.” The final sentence is highlighted.
    ALT
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    • onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    What measures does Nicaragua seek?

    The following:

    • Protection of Nicaragua's right to see Germany comply with its obligations under the genocide convention
    • Protection of the concomitant right of the Palestinian people, which are directly affected by Germany's conduct

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Nicaragua anticipates Germany's response:

    "Sure, the situation in Gaza is dire, but it's nothing to do with us! We're not committing genocide!"

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    The accusation isn't that Germany is committing genocide.

    Rather, the accusation is that Germany is failing to fulfil its obligations under the genocide convention: to prevent genocide, and to try and punish any party committing genocide

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Personal note (from @onrust, not Nicaragua!) for the Netherlands: Your obligation under international law is to prevent and punish crimes of genocide.

    It's not to have your king, PM and city major lavishly host war criminals

    onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Ha! Nicaragua points out that Germany might actually be itself responsible for the genocide is Gaza

    Turns out there are two conditions that would mean that state that assists in an 'internationally wrongful act', such as genocide, committed by another party, is itself responsible for that act:

    1. that State does so with knowledge of the circumstances of the internationally wrongful act; and
    2. the act would be internationally wrongful if committed by that State.

    Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, article 16 "Aid or assistances in the commission of an internationally wrongful act A State which aids or assists another State in the commission of an internationally wrongful act by the latter is internationally responsibly for doing so if: (a) that State does so with knowledge of the circumstances of the internationally wrongful act; and (b) the act would be internationally wrongful if committed by that State."
    ALT
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    • onrust OP ,
    @onrust@infosec.exchange avatar

    Closing statement by Nicaragua on the first day of its case against Germany at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

    Nicaragua alleges that Germany is failing to fulfil its obligations under the Genocide Convention, among other aspects of international law, by providing support for 'israel' committing genocide in Palestine

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