Scholar1
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Ex-soldier prevented from fighting ISIS & arrested on terrorism charges speaks to RT (EXCLUSIVE)
RT
[video=youtube_share;U-BtkgTOV58[/SIZE]]https://youtu.be/U-BtkgTOV58[/video]
Robert Clark, the British ex-serviceman who was prevented from traveling to Iraq to fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), has spoken out for the first time since being sentenced under the Terrorism Act last week.
Speaking exclusively to RT, Clark says IS sympathizers have sent him threats and hatred via Facebook since his story went public last year.
I think Id be safer in Iraq at the moment, with everyone posting articles and saying I shouldnt be fighting ISIS, Clark told RTs Rob Edwards.
I lost access to all my Facebook accounts. I dont know who it was. But I managed to get back into an old Facebook with my actual name. And in the message requests theres a bit of a, well, a bit of hatred in my inbox, put it that way. Just like loads of threats basically.
The 23-year-old from Carmarthenshire, Wales, who served four years in the British Army, says it was wrong to arrest him because he doesnt pose a security threat. The real danger, he says, is home-grown Islamist extremism.
If you just look in the media and you see people going out to fight with ISIS. If theyre not stopping them but theyre stopping me then theres something a bit wrong.
They knew exactly what I was doing but theres people going out there which they dont know about going to ISIS camps, and theyre wasting time arresting me, doing all this court case, just wasting police time, when they could be following up on people who they need to be following up on.
They knew I had no associations with terrorists, and theres people flying out there freely who have links to terrorism.
Clark contrasts his case with the time it took to convict hate preacher Anjem Choudary who was sentenced in August 2016 for incitement to violence.
Its like that hate preacher how it took them five years to put him in jail. One of the police officers dealing with my case was actually on his case and was saying that it took them five years to put him in jail while it takes six weeks to put me in jail.
Last week Clark was handed a year-long community order for failing to give officers the password pin to his cell phone during a routine counter-terrorism check at Heathrow Airport back in September, while attempting to board a flight to Jordon. Once in the country he planned to take a connecting flight to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, where he was to be met by members of the Peshmerga.
He is required to perform 50 hours unpaid work and pay a fine of 85 (US$103). He is also banned from leaving the British Isles for a year.
The reason they stopped me was the Schedule 7 counter-terror law. They dont have to have a reason to stop anyone they can just literally pick some random person and say, Well stop him.
Clark insists he had cooperated fully with officers before his scheduled trip.
They knew exactly what flight I was getting on, they knew what kit I had in my bags, they knew everything.
The police had given me an official document stating I was going to go and fight against terrorism and theyre basically advising me not to travel and if anything did happen to me, if I got kidnapped, the British government wouldnt assist me in any way.
They told me they had no power to stop me from going. They can just advise me not to travel. And [yet] as soon as I get to the airport, they arrest me for being a terrorist.
Clark also hit out at media coverage of his arrest and subsequent trial. He was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Jordon and was not, as was widely reported, traveling to Syria to fight with the YPG (Peoples Protection Units), he said.
I was going to Iraq to help in the Mosul offensive. I dont know where they got that information from My flights were booked to Iraq. I wasnt planning on crossing the border any time. I just wanted to help the Iraqi people, the victims of war.
Sources:
https://www.rt.com/uk/373597-robert-clark-terrorism-video/
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/75...ish-soldier-arrested-attempting-to-fight-ISIS
'Id be safer in Iraq' Ex-soldier fears for life after failed attempt to fight ISIS
A BRITISH former soldier who was prevented from joining the war against ISIS in Iraq has hit out at the government over the handling of his case.
By JOE BARNES
Robert Clarke was stopped by police as he boarded a flight from Heathrow to Jordan in September last year. He was allegedly planning to meet up with Kurdish fighters who would take him to the front line with ISIS.
Last week, Mr Clarke was sentenced to 50 hours unpaid work under the Terrorism Act.
After his story went public, the 23-year-old says he was subjected to death threats from the terror groups sympathisers and could be safer in Iraq.
Mr Clarke, who served in the Army for four years, was arrested after he refused to give detectives his smartphone passcode so they could examine the device.
WALESONLINERT
A Brit charged with terror was arrested travelling to combat ISIS
He said: There are groups that support ISIS in the Uk, that the police and government know about, but they dont do anything.
Mr Clarke pleaded guilty to obstructing or frustrating a Schedule Seven search under the Terrorism Act of 2000.
The unemployed Welshman added: If you just look in the media and you see people going out to fight with ISIS. If theyre not stopping them but theyre stopping me then theres something a bit wrong.
RT
He has been barred from leaving the UK for a yearThey knew exactly what I was doing but theres people going out there which they dont know about going to ISIS camps, and theyre wasting their time arresting me, doing all this court case and just wasting police time when they could be following up on people who they need to be following up on.
They knew I had no associations with terrorists and theres people flying out there freely who have links to terrorism.
Mr Clarke contrasts his rapidly processed case with the time it took to convict hate preacher Anjem Choudary who was sentenced in August 2016 for incitement to violence.
Its like that hate preacher how it took them five years to put him in jail. One of the police officers dealing with my case was actually on his case and was saying that it took them five years to put him in jail while it takes six weeks to put me in jail.
The reason they stopped me was the Schedule seven counter-terror law. They don't have to have a reason to stop anyone they can just literally pick some random people and say, Well stop him.
The former soldier maintains he had fully cooperated with officers before his scheduled trip.
Mr Clarke added: They knew exactly what flight I was getting on, they knew what kit I had in my bags, they knew everything.
The police had given me an official document stating I was going to go and fight against terrorism and theyre basically not to travel and if anything did happen to me, if I got kidnapped, the British government wouldnt assist me in any way.
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He was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates Court to 50 hours unpaid work and a fine of 85. He is also barred from leaving Britain for a year.
Mr Clarke hit out at the media coverage of his arrest and subsequent trial. He was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Jordan and was not, as widely reported, travelling to Syria to fight with Syrian armed forces, the YPG (Peoples Protection Units), he said.
I was going to Iraq to help in the Mosul offensive, he added, I dont know where they got that information from.
My flights were booked to Iraq. I wasnt planning on crossing the border. I just wanted to help the Iraqi people, the victims of war.
================================================== ========================
'Enormous danger' 10,000 leave Europe to RAPE and MURDER for ISIS, security chief warns
AROUND 10,000 people from European countries have "set out to rape and murder in Syria and Iraq" under the Islamic State, the new chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has said.
OSCE
Sebastian Kurz, the new chairman of the OSCE
Sebastian Kurz made the remarks during his first speech in his new role, warning that those who return from the Middle East countries pose an "enormous danger" to Europe.
Mr Kurz, who is also Austrias foreign minister said that stronger action against terrorism by radicalised and extremist Islamists was needed across all the 57 member states that comprise the group.
He told the Permanent Council: We know that around 10,000 people from the OSCE area have set out to rape and murder in Syria and Iraq.
They are also an enormous danger when they return.
We want to contribute to strengthening co-operative security and defusing existing conflicts.
The 30-year-old politician wanted to particularly focus on young people who were being radicalized.
Getty
The Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz addressing the OSCE last year
He said: Youth is the population group most widely affected by radicalisation in its various forms.
As a politician or decision maker it is therefore crucial to listen to youth.
As the Chairman of the OSCE I want to go even one step further we must give a voice to youth and let them become a partner in our efforts to counter violent extremism.
Getty
Sebastian Kurz at a CDU party meeting last year
We must work together to identify and address root causes and triggers for the seduction and radicalisation of young people.
And we must empower our youth to address this phenomenon in our societies.
Tolerance and respect will enhance their resilience against these con men.
Getty
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (L) attends the EU general affairs council meeting
He added: Armed conflicts continue to take thousands of lives, and have caused displacement and devastation in recent years.
Mr Kurtz proposed that member states exchange their knowledge about de-radicalisation programmes and learn from one another.
Peter Neumann, from Kings College, London, who is a terrorism expert has been appointed to co-ordinate the various approaches as an OSCE Special Representative on Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism.
He said: Austria will be true to its role as a bridge builder, a place of dialogue, and will act with openness and as an honest broker.
Only together we can ensure the security and stability in the OSCE region.
We need a strong organisation that has the ability to act, that can effectively, efficiently and quickly fulfil all the tasks delegated to it by the 57 participating States.
The OSCE incorporates a number of countries across the globe and not just in Europe.
Along with the likes of the UK, France and Germany the likes of the United States, Russia and Mongolia are also members.
It is the worlds largest regional security organisation with the aim of securing stability, peace and democracy.
Mr Kurz became one of the worlds youngest ever Foreign Ministers of any country when he was appointed on December 16, 2013 at the age of 27.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/753908/Security-chief-ISIS-enormous-danger-OSCE-Sebastian-Kurz
[video=youtube_share;U-BtkgTOV58[/SIZE]]https://youtu.be/U-BtkgTOV58[/video]
Robert Clark, the British ex-serviceman who was prevented from traveling to Iraq to fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), has spoken out for the first time since being sentenced under the Terrorism Act last week.
Speaking exclusively to RT, Clark says IS sympathizers have sent him threats and hatred via Facebook since his story went public last year.
I think Id be safer in Iraq at the moment, with everyone posting articles and saying I shouldnt be fighting ISIS, Clark told RTs Rob Edwards.
I lost access to all my Facebook accounts. I dont know who it was. But I managed to get back into an old Facebook with my actual name. And in the message requests theres a bit of a, well, a bit of hatred in my inbox, put it that way. Just like loads of threats basically.
The 23-year-old from Carmarthenshire, Wales, who served four years in the British Army, says it was wrong to arrest him because he doesnt pose a security threat. The real danger, he says, is home-grown Islamist extremism.
If you just look in the media and you see people going out to fight with ISIS. If theyre not stopping them but theyre stopping me then theres something a bit wrong.
They knew exactly what I was doing but theres people going out there which they dont know about going to ISIS camps, and theyre wasting time arresting me, doing all this court case, just wasting police time, when they could be following up on people who they need to be following up on.
They knew I had no associations with terrorists, and theres people flying out there freely who have links to terrorism.
Clark contrasts his case with the time it took to convict hate preacher Anjem Choudary who was sentenced in August 2016 for incitement to violence.
Its like that hate preacher how it took them five years to put him in jail. One of the police officers dealing with my case was actually on his case and was saying that it took them five years to put him in jail while it takes six weeks to put me in jail.
Last week Clark was handed a year-long community order for failing to give officers the password pin to his cell phone during a routine counter-terrorism check at Heathrow Airport back in September, while attempting to board a flight to Jordon. Once in the country he planned to take a connecting flight to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, where he was to be met by members of the Peshmerga.
He is required to perform 50 hours unpaid work and pay a fine of 85 (US$103). He is also banned from leaving the British Isles for a year.
The reason they stopped me was the Schedule 7 counter-terror law. They dont have to have a reason to stop anyone they can just literally pick some random person and say, Well stop him.
Clark insists he had cooperated fully with officers before his scheduled trip.
They knew exactly what flight I was getting on, they knew what kit I had in my bags, they knew everything.
The police had given me an official document stating I was going to go and fight against terrorism and theyre basically advising me not to travel and if anything did happen to me, if I got kidnapped, the British government wouldnt assist me in any way.
They told me they had no power to stop me from going. They can just advise me not to travel. And [yet] as soon as I get to the airport, they arrest me for being a terrorist.
Clark also hit out at media coverage of his arrest and subsequent trial. He was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Jordon and was not, as was widely reported, traveling to Syria to fight with the YPG (Peoples Protection Units), he said.
I was going to Iraq to help in the Mosul offensive. I dont know where they got that information from My flights were booked to Iraq. I wasnt planning on crossing the border any time. I just wanted to help the Iraqi people, the victims of war.
Sources:
https://www.rt.com/uk/373597-robert-clark-terrorism-video/
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/75...ish-soldier-arrested-attempting-to-fight-ISIS
'Id be safer in Iraq' Ex-soldier fears for life after failed attempt to fight ISIS
A BRITISH former soldier who was prevented from joining the war against ISIS in Iraq has hit out at the government over the handling of his case.
By JOE BARNES
Robert Clarke was stopped by police as he boarded a flight from Heathrow to Jordan in September last year. He was allegedly planning to meet up with Kurdish fighters who would take him to the front line with ISIS.
Last week, Mr Clarke was sentenced to 50 hours unpaid work under the Terrorism Act.
After his story went public, the 23-year-old says he was subjected to death threats from the terror groups sympathisers and could be safer in Iraq.
Mr Clarke, who served in the Army for four years, was arrested after he refused to give detectives his smartphone passcode so they could examine the device.
A Brit charged with terror was arrested travelling to combat ISIS
There are groups that support ISIS in the Uk, that the police and government know about but they don't do anything
Robert Clarke
In an interview with RT, the ex-serviceman from Carmarthenshire, Wales, lashed out at the governments approach to dealing with home-grown Islamic terrorism.Robert Clarke
He said: There are groups that support ISIS in the Uk, that the police and government know about, but they dont do anything.
Mr Clarke pleaded guilty to obstructing or frustrating a Schedule Seven search under the Terrorism Act of 2000.
The unemployed Welshman added: If you just look in the media and you see people going out to fight with ISIS. If theyre not stopping them but theyre stopping me then theres something a bit wrong.
He has been barred from leaving the UK for a yearThey knew exactly what I was doing but theres people going out there which they dont know about going to ISIS camps, and theyre wasting their time arresting me, doing all this court case and just wasting police time when they could be following up on people who they need to be following up on.
They knew I had no associations with terrorists and theres people flying out there freely who have links to terrorism.
Mr Clarke contrasts his rapidly processed case with the time it took to convict hate preacher Anjem Choudary who was sentenced in August 2016 for incitement to violence.
Its like that hate preacher how it took them five years to put him in jail. One of the police officers dealing with my case was actually on his case and was saying that it took them five years to put him in jail while it takes six weeks to put me in jail.
The reason they stopped me was the Schedule seven counter-terror law. They don't have to have a reason to stop anyone they can just literally pick some random people and say, Well stop him.
The former soldier maintains he had fully cooperated with officers before his scheduled trip.
Mr Clarke added: They knew exactly what flight I was getting on, they knew what kit I had in my bags, they knew everything.
The police had given me an official document stating I was going to go and fight against terrorism and theyre basically not to travel and if anything did happen to me, if I got kidnapped, the British government wouldnt assist me in any way.
[TABLE="width: 164"]
[TR]
[TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
He was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates Court to 50 hours unpaid work and a fine of 85. He is also barred from leaving Britain for a year.
Mr Clarke hit out at the media coverage of his arrest and subsequent trial. He was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Jordan and was not, as widely reported, travelling to Syria to fight with Syrian armed forces, the YPG (Peoples Protection Units), he said.
I was going to Iraq to help in the Mosul offensive, he added, I dont know where they got that information from.
My flights were booked to Iraq. I wasnt planning on crossing the border. I just wanted to help the Iraqi people, the victims of war.
================================================== ========================
'Enormous danger' 10,000 leave Europe to RAPE and MURDER for ISIS, security chief warns
AROUND 10,000 people from European countries have "set out to rape and murder in Syria and Iraq" under the Islamic State, the new chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has said.
Sebastian Kurz, the new chairman of the OSCE
Sebastian Kurz made the remarks during his first speech in his new role, warning that those who return from the Middle East countries pose an "enormous danger" to Europe.
Mr Kurz, who is also Austrias foreign minister said that stronger action against terrorism by radicalised and extremist Islamists was needed across all the 57 member states that comprise the group.
He told the Permanent Council: We know that around 10,000 people from the OSCE area have set out to rape and murder in Syria and Iraq.
They are also an enormous danger when they return.
We want to contribute to strengthening co-operative security and defusing existing conflicts.
The 30-year-old politician wanted to particularly focus on young people who were being radicalized.
The Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz addressing the OSCE last year
He said: Youth is the population group most widely affected by radicalisation in its various forms.
As a politician or decision maker it is therefore crucial to listen to youth.
As the Chairman of the OSCE I want to go even one step further we must give a voice to youth and let them become a partner in our efforts to counter violent extremism.
Getty
Sebastian Kurz at a CDU party meeting last year
We must work together to identify and address root causes and triggers for the seduction and radicalisation of young people.
And we must empower our youth to address this phenomenon in our societies.
Tolerance and respect will enhance their resilience against these con men.
Getty
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (L) attends the EU general affairs council meeting
He added: Armed conflicts continue to take thousands of lives, and have caused displacement and devastation in recent years.
Mr Kurtz proposed that member states exchange their knowledge about de-radicalisation programmes and learn from one another.
Peter Neumann, from Kings College, London, who is a terrorism expert has been appointed to co-ordinate the various approaches as an OSCE Special Representative on Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism.
He said: Austria will be true to its role as a bridge builder, a place of dialogue, and will act with openness and as an honest broker.
Only together we can ensure the security and stability in the OSCE region.
We need a strong organisation that has the ability to act, that can effectively, efficiently and quickly fulfil all the tasks delegated to it by the 57 participating States.
The OSCE incorporates a number of countries across the globe and not just in Europe.
Along with the likes of the UK, France and Germany the likes of the United States, Russia and Mongolia are also members.
It is the worlds largest regional security organisation with the aim of securing stability, peace and democracy.
Mr Kurz became one of the worlds youngest ever Foreign Ministers of any country when he was appointed on December 16, 2013 at the age of 27.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/753908/Security-chief-ISIS-enormous-danger-OSCE-Sebastian-Kurz
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