english
nederlands
Indymedia NL
Independent Media Centre of the Netherlands
Indymedia NL is an independent free communication organisation. Indymedia offers an alternative approach to the news by using an open publishing method for text, images, video and audio.
> contact > search > archive > help > join > publish news > open newswire > disclaimer > chat
Search

 
All Words
Any Word
Contains Media:
Only images
Only video
Only audio

Dossiers
Agenda
CHAT!
LINKS

European NewsReal

MDI's complaint against Indymedia.nl
Courtcase Deutsche Bahn vs. Indymedia.nl
Topics
anti-fascisme / racisme
europa
feminisme
gentechnologie
globalisering
kunst, cultuur en muziek
media
militarisme
natuur, dier en mens
oranje
vrijheid, repressie & mensenrechten
wereldcrisis
wonen/kraken
zonder rubriek
Events
G8
Oaxaca
Schinveld
Schoonmakers-Campagne
Help
Tips for newbies
A short intro into Indymedia NL
The policy of Indymedia NL
How to join?
Donate
Support Indymedia NL with donations!
Lawsuits cost a lot of money, we appreciate every (euro)cent you can spare!

You can also direct your donation to Dutch bank account 94.32.153 on behalf of Stichting Vrienden van Indymedia, Amsterdam (IBAN: NL41 PSTB 0009 4321 53)
Indymedia Network

www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa
ambazonia
canarias
estrecho / madiaq
kenya
nigeria
south africa

Canada
hamilton
london, ontario
maritimes
montreal
ontario
ottawa
quebec
thunder bay
vancouver
victoria
windsor
winnipeg

East Asia
burma
jakarta
japan
manila
qc

Europe
alacant
andorra
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
bristol
bulgaria
croatia
cyprus
estrecho / madiaq
euskal herria
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
lille
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
netherlands
nice
norway
oost-vlaanderen
paris/île-de-france
poland
portugal
romania
russia
scotland
sverige
switzerland
thessaloniki
toulouse
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia
west vlaanderen

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
brasil
chiapas
chile
chile sur
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso

Oceania
adelaide
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
oceania
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india
mumbai

United States
arizona
arkansas
atlanta
austin
baltimore
big muddy
binghamton
boston
buffalo
charlottesville
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
danbury, ct
dc
hampton roads, va
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
idaho
ithaca
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
omaha
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
seattle
tallahassee-red hills
tampa bay
tennessee
united states
urbana-champaign
utah
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
armenia
beirut
israel
palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
discussion
fbi/legal updates
indymedia faq
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech
volunteer
Credits
This site is produced by volunteers using free software where possible.

The system we use is available from:mir.indymedia.de
an alternative is available from: active.org.au/doc

Thanks to indymedia.de and mir-coders for creating and sharing mir!

Contact:
info @ indymedia.nl
UM blokkeert actie-website bezoek Bush
UMPM - 24.04.2005 13:19

Afgelopen week heeft de Universiteit Maastricht (UM) haar server, waar de website www.bushinlimburg.tk op werd gehost, afgesloten. Deze site was onderdeel van de website van het Universitair Milieuplatform Maastricht (UMPM), welke op haar beurt op de server van de UM staat. UMPM zette de actie-site op omdat ze meehelpt bij de coördinatie van de demonstratie bij het bezoek van President Bush aan Zuid-Limburg in het weekeind van 7 mei.




Het Universitair Milieuplatform is hogelijk verbaasd en verbolgen over de stap van de Universiteit Maastricht. De beargumentering die de UM gebruikte voor afsluiten van de gehele UMPM website is op zijn minst gezegd zwak, en komt op de leden van UMPM over als censuur.

UMPM doet mee aan de voorbereidingen van de demonstratie in Maastricht op 7 mei omdat ze het oneens is met het milieubeleid wat door president Bush wordt gevoerd. De VS stoten 36% van de broeikasgassen van het Noorden uit en ze weigeren het Kyoto-protocol te ratificeren. Dit geeft een studenten milieugroep als het UMPM alle reden om het bezoek van Bush aan Zuid-Limburg aan te grijpen voor een demonstratie.

De student-leden van het UMPM zijn ernstig teleurgesteld in de “Beste Universiteit van Nederland”. Aan de ene kant wil de UM haar studenten opleiden tot geëngageerde academici, maar aan de andere kant worden initiatieven van studenten die niet in het straatje van de UM passen, resoluut de nek om gedraaid.

Vrijdagmiddag 22 april is de site www.bushinlimburg.tk overgenomen door de maatschappelijk geëngageerde provider Antenna. De site bushinlimburg.tk draait nu volledig op groene stroom.

Website: http://www.bushinlimburg.tk
 

Read more about: natuur, dier en mens vrijheid, repressie & mensenrechten

supplements
some supplements were deleted from this article, see policy
See also in English 
dearkitty - 24.04.2005 19:29

 http://dearkitty.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=570645
Reason? Napalm used in Iraq?  
Streamtime - 25.04.2005 11:37

Report, Iraq Analysis Group, 15 April 2005
published on:
 http://electroniciraq.net/news/1928.shtml

This briefing examines the continuing use of incendiary weapons ('napalm') by the US military in Iraq. While the UK government has attempted to downplay or deny the use of incendiaries in Iraq, US officials have been forced to admit using the MK-77 incendiary, a modern form of napalm. The UK is party to an international convention banning such weapons where they may cause harm to civilians. In Iraq, UK forces are part of a coalition which does not adhere to internationally agreed standards of warfare.

Iraq Analysis Group, March 2005

1. Napalm past

A fire bomb is a thin-skinned container of fuel gel. It ignites on impact, spreading the burning gel over a wide area. The composition of the fuel gel has evolved over the years:

World War II: gasoline plus naphthenic and palmitic acids
Vietnam & Korea: gasoline, benzene and polystyrene
Iraq (MK-77 Mod 5): kerosene-based jet fuel and polystyrene

In the past, incendiaries were used most notoriously in the 1945 fire-bombing of Dresden, and by the US in Vietnam. The 1972 photograph of the child Kim Phuc running from her napalmed village with her naked body burning was a defining moment in worldwide opposition to the Vietnam War.

Napalm has also been used in Iraq in the past. The Ba'ath regime of Saddam Hussein used it during the 1991 uprising. In 1992 Human Rights Watch reported:

Refugees alleged that Iraqi helicopters dropped a variety of ordnance on civilians, including napalm and phosphorus bombs, chemical agents and sulfuric acid. Representatives of human rights and humanitarian organizations who saw refugees with burn injuries or photographs of such injuries were unable to confirm the source of the burns, although doctors who examined injured Iraqis said that some of the wounds were consistent with the use of napalm. [1]

2. Napalm present

The US military has in its current arsenal a modern form of napalm. Known as the MK-77 Mod 5, the bombs are dropped from aircraft and ignite on impact. They contain a lethal mixture of aircraft fuel and polystyrene, which forms a sticky, flammable gel. As it burns, the gel sticks to structures and to the bodies of its victims. The light aluminium containers lack stabilising fins, making them far from precision weapons.

The MK-77 is the only incendiary now in use by the US military. It is an evolution of the napalm bombs M-47 and M-74 that were used in Vietnam and Korea. In the new weapon, the flammable gel is made up of kerosene-based jet fuel and polystyrene. The MK-77 bomb reportedly also contains an oxidizing agent. This makes it even more difficult to put out once ignited.

While the composition of the weapons has evolved, the targets remain the same. Incendiaries are typically used against dug-in troops, supply installations, wooden structures, and land convoys.

Use of incendiaries is restricted by the 1980 UN Convention on 'Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious Or To Have Indiscriminate Effects'. [2] The United Kingdom has fully ratified this convention and must abide by it and its additional protocols. More than 80 other countries have done the same.

"Most of the world understands that napalm and incendiaries are a horrible, horrible weapon," said Robert Musil, director of the organisation Physicians for Social Responsibility. "It takes up an awful lot of medical resources. It creates horrible wounds." [3]

However, although the United States has ratified the convention, it has not signed up to the protocol on incendiary weapons.

3. Firebombs in Iraq

Incendiary weapons have been issued to US forces in Iraq, apparently mainly Marine Corps aviation wings. Incendiaries were used against Iraqi troops during the 2003 invasion, and there is growing evidence that use continues, including in Fallujah.

For example, two embedded reporters (from the Sydney Morning Herald and CNN) witnessed a firebomb attack on an Iraqi observation post at Safwan Hill, overlooking the Kuwaiti border, on 21 March 2003:

Marine Cobra helicopter gunships firing Hellfire missiles swept in low from the south. Then the marine howitzers, with a range of 30 kilometres, opened a sustained barrage over the next eight hours. They were supported by US Navy aircraft which dropped 40,000 pounds of explosives and napalm, a US officer told the Herald.

Safwan Hill went up in a huge fireball and the Iraqi observation post was obliterated. "I pity anybody who's in there," a marine sergeant said. "We told them to surrender." [4]

During and immediately after the invasion, US officials denied claims that napalm weapons were being deployed. [5] However, as military personnel and journalists in Iraq quickly presented evidence of their use, by August 2003 Pentagon spokesmen were forced to admit that MK-77 firebombs had been dropped. Past denials were justified on the grounds that questioners had used the term 'napalm' instead of 'firebombs' or 'MK-77s'. The US claims to have destroyed all its stocks of 'napalm' and argues that the MK-77 cannot be included in this term. However, the Pentagon admits that the MK-77 is an incendiary with a function 'remarkably similar' to that of napalm. [6]

In fact, the US military itself refers to the new-generation MK-77 as 'napalm'. The term is even used in official documents such as Defend America, the monthly US Department of Defense publication describing the progress of the 'war on terror'. In February 2003 the publication proudly described preparations for the coming war, detailing the build-up of weapons in Kuwait:

Everything from hand grenades to 2,000-pound bombs and napalm are shipped, ready for use whenever 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing needs them. [7]

Military personnel routinely refer to MK-77 incendiaries as 'napalm':

'We napalmed both those [bridge] approaches', said Colonel Alles, commander of Marine Air Group 11. 'Unfortunately, there were people there because you could see them in the [cockpit] video. They were Iraqi soldiers there. It is no great way to die'. He added, 'The generals love napalm. It has a big psychological effect.'[8]

4. Recent use of incendiaries: Firebombing Fallujah

In November 2004 US forces launched a massive attack on the city of Fallujah. Much of the city was destroyed and tens of thousands of residents fled as refugees.

Reports have emerged of burnt and melted bodies in the city, consistent with the use of napalm or the equally controversial weapon white phosphorus (also known as 'Willy Pete')

Residents who survived the attack reported seeing incendiary bombs used in the city. Abu Sabah, who lived in the Julan district of Fallujah which witnessed some of the heaviest attacks, said:

"They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud... then small pieces fall from the air with long tails of smoke behind them."

He said that pieces of these strange bombs explode into large fires that burn the skin even when water is thrown on the burns. [9]

"Usually we keep the gloves on," said Army Capt. Erik Krivda, of Gaithersburg, Md., the senior officer in charge of the 1st Infantry Division's Task Force 2-2 tactical operations command center. "For this operation, we took the gloves off."

Some artillery guns fired white phosphorous rounds that create a screen of fire that cannot be extinguished with water. Insurgents reported being attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorous burns.

Kamal Hadeethi, a physician at a regional hospital, said, "The corpses of the mujahedeen which we received were burned, and some corpses were melted." [10]

On 3 November activists got inside RAF Welford in Berkshire, one of the largest bomb-stores in Europe, hanging banners saying "No War" and "Stop Bombing Kids" and chalking the words "Hands off Fallujah on the munitions." Munitions Shown Are Most Likely Not Napalm (photo: Voices UK)

5. International Law and UK Denials

Protocol III of the 1980 UN convention on 'Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious Or To Have Indiscriminate Effects' states that:

It is prohibited in all circumstances to make any military objective located within a concentration of civilians the object of attack by air-delivered incendiary weapons.

'A concentration of civilians' is defined as including 'inhabited parts of cities', such as Fallujah. The United Kingdom has signed up to this Protocol.

On 6 December 2004 Alice Mahon MP received an answer to a Parliamentary Question to Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram on Coalition use of napalm-type weapons. Ingram denied that napalm had been used in Iraq at any time:

Alice Mahon MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether napalm or a similar substance has been used by the Coalition in Iraq (a) during and (b) since the war.
Adam Ingram MP: No napalm has been used by Coalition forces in Iraq either during the war-fighting phase or since. [11]

Ingram's partial answer relies on a distinction between previous incendiary weapons known as napalm, and the new MK-77. This is a distinction which the US military, which uses the weapons, does not make.

Conclusion

UK troops are working in coalition with a military that is using napalm weapons in all but name. During the assault on Fallujah, UK soldiers were placed under the command of US forces, despite the UK being party to a UN Convention restricting the use of incendiaries and other inhumane weapons.

While the UK has done much to further other parts of the convention, including pushing for a total ban on anti-personnel mines, in this instance the UK government is condoning the actions of its coalition partner, even though they step well outside internationally agreed standards.

This briefing for the Iraq Analysis Group was prepared by Alison Klevnas, Per Klevnas, Rachel Laurence, Mike Lewis and Jonathan Stevenson. The Iraq Analysis Group was set up in 2004 by former members of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. Based in the UK, its website is at www.iraqanalysis.org.

Notes and References

[1] Endless Torment: The 1991 Uprising in Iraq And Its Aftermath, Human Rights Watch, June 1992.

[2] UN Convention On Prohibitions Or Restrictions On The Use Of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious Or To Have Indiscriminate Effects And Protocols (1980). The full text is at www.icrc.org. State signatories are at www.icrc.org.

[3] 'US admits it used napalm bombs in Iraq', The Independent, 10 August 2003.

[4] 'Dead bodies are everywhere', Sydney Morning Herald, 22 March 2003.

[5] 'Dead bodies are everywhere', Sydney Morning Herald, 22 March 2003.

[6] 'Officials confirm dropping firebombs on Iraqi troops', San Diego Union Tribune, 5 August 2003.

[7] 'Sailors Offload Ammo For U.S. Marines', Defend America, US Dept of Defense, 2 February 2003. See also www.usmc.mil.

[8] 'Officials confirm dropping firebombs on Iraqi troops', San Diego Union Tribune, 5 August 2003.

[9] 'U.S. uses napalm gas in Fallujah – Witnesses', Al-Jazeera.com, 28 November 2004, and 'Fallujah Napalmed', Sunday Mirror, 28 November 2004.

[10] 'U.S. drives into heart of Fallujah', San Francisco Chronicle, 10 November 2004.

[11] Hansard, 6 December 2004. See also www.theyworkforyou.com.



Website: http://streamtime.org//index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=456&blogId=1
 
Stomme actie van UM 
WW - 25.04.2005 16:52

Dit is een hele domme actie van die universiteit. Ze hebben voor veel ophef gezorgd terwijl er zonder al die dingen niets aan de hand was. Een universiteit hoort politiek neutraal te zijn, en dat is hieruit niet gebleken...

Precies hetzelfde als wat er in die kleine dictator landjes ook wordt gedaan, dingen afsluiten wanneer het niet het gewenste geluid geeft...
link 
link - 27.04.2005 09:21

Webwereld: Universiteit censureert anti-Bush-site  http://www.webwereld.nl/nieuws/21351.phtml
supplements
> indymedia.nl > search > archive > help > join > publish news > open newswire > disclaimer > chat
DISCLAIMER: Indymedia NL uses the 'open posting' principle to promote freedom of speech. The news (text, images, audio and video) posted in the open newswire of Indymedia NL remains the property of the author who posted it. The views in these postings do not necesseraly reflect the views of the editorial team of Indymedia NL. Furthermore, it is not always possible to guarantee the accuracy of the postings.