Category: International

Jan 22

Quo Vaditis, Piratae? – Part 1

  • 22.01.2025

Translation of the original Greek-language post from July 2024.

Several pirate ships laboring in a stormy sea near a cliff face.

In the minutes of the meeting of the Board of the Pirate Parties International (PPI) that was held on 24-5-2023 we see an attempted “coup” against its then chairwoman, Florie Marie, by a group of Board members[1]. The “stars” of this “coup” were regular member Alexander Isavnin (Pirate Party Russia – PPRU) and, from the Pirate Party Germany (Piratenpartei – PPDE), Mia Utz (alternate member at the time) and Sebastian “Bastian” Krone. Krone was upgraded to PPI treasurer, while Utz became a regular member of the Board[2]. 

We note and stress here that, in the context of the declared dedication of the Pirate Movement to transparency, the minutes of the meetings of the PPI’s collective instruments are public[3], as was the internet broadcast of the meeting. So, nobody can accuse us of “leaking internal information of the movement and making it look bad” or anything like that. Especially in the wake of the crushing defeat suffered by the European Pirate Party (PPEU) in the European Elections of 2024, we have a moral obligation to the friends and members of our party, and to all actual Pirates worldwide, to be honest about the reasons that led to these results and to not stay silent. What is written in the minutes is but a deplorable machination of the two PPDE delegates, together with their Russian counterpart, to publicly humiliate the elected chairwoman of the PPI. 

It goes without saying that the actions of Isavnin, Krone, and Utz would never be tolerated by any political project that respects itself, its members, and its supporters. All three would have been sent to the disciplinary instruments of the PPI and their national parties, with their dismissal being recommended. They violated all manner of ethics rule. They proved that they do not respect any of the values and principles of the Pirate Movement, that they do not respect the Pirates that watched the meeting live on the internet, that they do not care about how they humiliated the Movement, with its Board meeting becoming an arena of antidemocratic, abusive, harassing, intimidating behaviors. Let us not mince our words: all three of them acted like common thugs.

We must remind that Ms. Marie had been unjustifiably and arbitrarily by the neofascist “self-made” nepobaby Elon Musk’s platform Χ (formerly Twitter)[4], without ever having been given the slightest solidarity by her party, the Pirate Party France (Parti Pirate – PPFR). Eventually, she resigned and left the PPI, the PPFR, and the whole Pirate Movement on 9-12-2023, labeling the movement an “empty shell” and slamming her “comrades”‘ stance[5][6]. From the minutes, we conclude that each and every one of her words is absolutely true. Indeed, she was targeted and treated in an absolutely vulgar and obscene manner. We would have liked to believe that this dirty war against Ms. Marie was carried out without the PPDE’s leadership knowing, but we know full well this is out of the question. If Utz and Krone had acted all by themselves and against the wishes of their party’s leadership, they would have been ousted from both the PPDE and the PPI. Instead, they were upgraded. They were rewarded for their actions, which is highly suspect.

We, the Pirate Party of Greece, condemn unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms these vile machinations. If Ms. Marie was so widely disliked, then the disgruntled PPI Board members ought to have moved as per the Statutes. They did not. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. On the contrary, the Pirte Movement has seen far too many backstabbings and intrigues all these years. To keep things manageable, we will talk in upcoming statements about persons, behaviors, and practices that devalued our movement, brought infamy to it, and led it to last year’s humiliating European Election results. It is our duty and responsibility to not hide anything under the rug.

Sources:

[1] Pirate Parties International. (2023). PPI Minutes 2023-05-24 – PPI. [online] Available at: https://wiki.pp-international.net/wiki/index.php?title=PPI_Minutes_2023-05-24#5.1_-_Proposals [Accessed 28 Jun. 2024].

[2] Pirate Parties International. (2024). BOARD – Pirate Parties International. [online] Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20240601084318/https://pp-international.net/about-ppi/board-of-ppi/ [Accessed 28 Jun. 2024].

[3] Pirate Parties International. TRANSPARENCY – Pirate Parties International. [online] Available at: https://pp-international.net/about-ppi/transparency/ [Accessed 28 Jun. 2024].

[4] Gayte, A. (2023). Le compte Twitter de la présidente du Parti Pirate International a été suspendu et personne ne sait pourquoi. [online] Numerama. Available at: https://www.numerama.com/politique/1315370-le-compte-twitter-de-la-presidente-du-parti-pirate-a-ete-suspendu-et-personne-ne-sait-pourquoi.html [Accessed 28 Jun. 2024].

[5] Marie, F. (2023). Discours : Ma démission de la présidence du Parti Pirate International / My resignation from the presidency of the International Pirate Parties – Bienvenue par minou. [online] Available at: https://floriemarie.fr/index.php/2023/12/09/discours-ma-demission-de-la-presidence-du-parti-pirate-international-my-resign-of-the-presidency-of-the-international-pirate-parties/ [Accessed 28 Jun. 2024].

[6] Pirate Parties International. (2023). PPI Minutes 2023-12-09 – PPI. [online] Available at: https://wiki.pp-international.net/wiki/index.php?title=PPI_Minutes_2023-12-09 [Accessed 28 Jun. 2024].

#PiratePartiesInternational #PPI #Piratenpartei #PPDE #FlorieMarie #Solidarity #PirateMovement #SebastianKrone #MiaUtz #AlexanderIsavnin #EuropeanElections2024

Permanent link to this article: https://www.pirateparty.gr/2025/01/quo-vaditis-piratae-part-1/

Nov 25

The Pirate Party of Greece on The International Criminal Court’s Arrest Warrants Against Netanyahu and Gallant

  • 25.11.2024

The International Criminal Court. Image credit: ICC

The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against war criminals Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant may have been tragically overdue, but is still a welcome first step towards accountability and consistency in the application of International Law. For far too long, International Law has been viewed as not applicable to allies of the Global North. The issuance of these warrants finally sends the world a clear message that no state, no politician, regardless of flag, religion or race, is above and beyond the Law.

The Pirate Party of Greece has stood from the very beginning with the oppressed Palestinian people and with the families of the hostages that were illegally abducted by Hamas. We stand with Gaza; we stand with the Palestinians of the West Bank; we stand with the people of Lebanon and Syria; finally, we stand with the democratic Israelis and Jews suppressed and silenced by the criminal Netanyahu regime and its accomplices.

We welcome these arrest warrants, but still have to lament that they came too late. Too many civilians have been killed, maimed, displaced by the Israeli regime, as the corrupt, racist Netanyahu leveraged this campaign to stay out of jail for his corruption and his drive to erode the rule of law in Israel. Too many journalists, artists, academics have been silenced and targeted by the apparatchiks of the Israeli government. Too many aid workers and journalists have been murdered. With the blessings of the Global North.

All governments that want to be taken seriously when they claim to adhere to the principles of democracy, the rules-based order, equal treatment of everyone, regardless of nationality, race or creed, must uphold and honour these arrest warrants. Furthermore, all governments must stop enabling Israel to continue this genocide: no more exports of weapons of any kind; no more exports of dual-use items and technologies; no more funds; no more fuel; no more diplomatic or political cover.

Above all, we must denounce the outgoing government of the United States for its constant sabotaging of every attempt at a ceasefire and its enabling of this massacre. The excuses posed by its diplomats and representatives are insulting to every decent person’s intelligence. They have been gaslighting the international community for far too long. Their rejection of these arrest warrants shows clearly that they have decided to become a rogue state like Putin’s Russia in order to aid a corrupt apartheid regime. We unequivocally denounce every politician, every diplomat, every government that attempts to undermine the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Regarding the re-elected Donald Trump and his party, we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the threats made by his party’s politicians against ICC member states, and especially the threats of military violence against the Netherlands. We stand in solidarity with the people of the Netherlands and demand that the EU Commission and all EU member states not only condemn these threats of military violence against an EU member state, but also take active measures to prevent the United States from carrying out these threats. The EU must make it plainly clear to the USA that it shall not tolerate threats of any kind against any of its member states.

True to our Pirate Ideology, we demand the equal application of International Law. We demand justice for all. We demand full accountability for every politician, every soldier, every diplomat, every corporation, every government. We demand an end to the selective application of the laws. We demand an end to the immunity and impunity of criminals who happen to be considered “allies” by a political elite known for its contempt towards justice and people of the “wrong” colour, faith, or origin.

#Israel #InternationalCriminalCourt #ICC #Netanyahu #Gallant #NetanyahuWarCriminal #GallantWarCriminal

Permanent link to this article: https://www.pirateparty.gr/2024/11/the-pirate-party-of-greece-on-the-international-criminal-courts-arrest-warrants-against-netanyahu-and-gallant/

Aug 20

The Pirate Party of Greece denounces Richard Medhurst’s detention under “terrorism” pretenses

  • 20.08.2024

Today, we were informed that independent (i.e. non-corporate) British journalist Richard Medhurst was detained as a “terrorist” at Heathrow airport for 24 hours. The claim against him was that he violated Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which is “expressing an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation.“

Of course, the notion that he supported such an organization (in this case, Hamas and/or Hezbollah) is utterly ridiculous. He was released, but the Starmer government’s message was clear: thou shalt not advocate for Palestinians, thou shalt not tell the public that Palestinians are human beings. Remember, Keir Starmer has a long history of scheming with Israeli far-right factions and organizations against his own party, purging it of actual progressives on fraudulent “antisemitism” claims; he even said, live on TV, that Israel has the “right” to commit the crime against humanity of denying Gazans the necessities of life (food, electricity, water, communications) – these were words that one would expect to hear from an alt-right grifter, not a human rights lawyer turned (allegedly) progressive politician.

This is not, however, the only or the first instance of harassment, smearing, and proscription of pro-Palestinian journalists, academics, civil society members by the Israeli Apartheid, its operatives, and governments friendly to it. Many academics, artists, and journalists have lost their job because they asked hard questions, because they dared expose Israeli politicians for the racist, genocidal colonialists they really are, because they even merely suggested that Palestinians are human beings.

We, the Pirate Party of Greece, denounce the criminal Israeli Apartheid in the strongest possible terms. We denounce the Israel lobby’s war on opinion, facts, free speech, journalism, even International Law itself. We denounce everyone who chooses to be complicit with any apartheid regime, with any genocidal campaign, with any force of racism and bigotry. Finally, we demand that all states in the world accept unconditionally the competence and jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court and comply with International Law to the last iota, without exemptions, without excuses.

Sources:

Topple, S. (2024). The supposed free-press UK just held Richard Medhurst under counter-terror laws. [online] Canary. Available at: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/08/20/richard-medhurst/ [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024].

#RichardMedhurst #FreedomOfSpeech #Israel #Apartheid #Censorship #HarassmentOfJournalists #KeirStarmer

Permanent link to this article: https://www.pirateparty.gr/2024/08/the-pirate-party-of-greece-denounces-richard-medhursts-detention-under-terrorism-pretenses/

Jul 17

Απόπειρα Κατά Τραμπ: Εξ Οικείων Τα Βέλη;

  • 17.07.2024

Μετά την απόπειρα δολοφονίας κατά του ακροδεξιού Ντόναλντ Τραμπ, το Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα έχει ήδη αρχίσει να προπαγανδίζει ότι το χτύπημα οργανώθηκε ή/και υποκινήθηκε από την «άκρα Αριστερά». Το γελοίο του πράγματος είναι ότι ως «άκρα Αριστερά» οι Ρεπουμπλικανοί χαρακτηρίζουν τους Δημοκρατικούς, που είναι ξεκάθαρα κεντροδεξιοί. Το προσβλητικό και χυδαίο του πράγματος είναι ότι οι Ρεπουμπλικανοί αποσιωπούν όλες τις βίαιες ρατσιστικές, σεξιστικές κ.λπ. επιθέσεις που έχουν διαπραχθεί από τους οπαδούς του κόμματός τους σε βάρος γυναικών, μεταναστών, μαύρων, τρανς κ.α. 

Ως Κόμμα Πειρατών Ελλάδας, προφανώς καταδικάζουμε την απόπειρα. Πολιτικός διάλογος και προεκλογικές εκστρατείες σε τέτοιο κλίμα δε γίνονται.

Οφείλουμε όμως εδώ να μιλήσουμε λίγο για τον Τόμας Μάθιου Κρουκς (Thomas Matthew Crooks), το δράστη της απόπειρας και να βάλουμε τα πράγματα στη θέση τους. Δεν ήταν μαύρος, Άραβας, Παλαιστίνιος, Μεξικάνος. Ήταν λευκός. Δεν ήταν φτωχός. Ζούσε σε προάστιο για ευκατάστατες οικογένειες. Δεν ήταν προοδευτικός. Ήταν εγγεγραμμένος Ρεπουμπλικανός κι υποστηρικτής του Τραμπ τουλάχιστον από το 2021 και μετά. Στις συζητήσεις του στον κοινωνικό του περίγυρο εξέφραζε «προκλητικά» συντηρητικές απόψεις. Είχε έφεση στα στρατιωτικά ρούχα, η οποία ίσως και να συνδέεται με μια ροπή προς το μιλιταρισμό. Δεν ήταν μουσουλμάνος ή άθεος. Ήταν ο κλασικός λευκός αγγλοσάξονας προτεστάντης.

Φωτό: Associated Press

Γιατί λοιπόν ένας συντηρητικός τραμπιστής αποπειράθηκε να δολοφονήσει τον «Ηγέτη»; Θα είναι δύσκολο να μάθουμε. Μπορούμε όμως να υποθέσουμε ότι ο ακραία βίαιος λόγος του Τραμπ και των συν αυτώ κάνανε μια μερίδα οπαδών του να θεωρεί «προδοσία» κάθε «υποχώρηση» ή ελιγμό του Τραμπ από τις ακραίες του θέσεις. Πάνω σ’αυτή τη βάση, μπορούμε να θεωρήσουμε πιθανό ο Κρουκς να πίστεψε ότι ο Τραμπ «πρόδωσε» το κοινό του όταν την περασμένη εβδομάδα προσπάθησε να αποστασιοποιηθεί από το ακραία νεοφασιστικό πολιτικό πρόγραμμα Project 2025, το οποίο συνέταξε η ακροδεξιά οργάνωση Heritage Foundation, και γι’αυτό ν’αποφάσισε να τον «τιμωρήσει». Αν επιβεβαιωθεί η υποψία μας, τότε όντως ο Τραμπ έσπειρε ανέμους και θέρισε θύελλες: αυτά που προπαγανδίζει για τους «άλλους» στράφηκαν εναντίον του. 

Ως Κόμμα Πειρατών Ελλάδας, ανησυχούμε πάρα πολύ για τις εξελίξεις που θα πυροδοτήσει αυτή η ενέργεια. Ακόμα περισσότερο όμως ανησυχούμε για τα ανόητα αντανακλαστικά των ηγετών της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης και για τον (αυτο)καταστροφικό χειρισμό της υπόθεσης από τους Δημοκρατικούς. Δυστυχώς, εδώ και πολλά χρόνια αποδεικνύονται συνεπέστατα ανίκανοι να καταλάβουν τι γίνεται γύρω τους. Με τις ενέργειες και τις αποφάσεις τους διαρκώς αλείφουν βούτυρο στο ψωμί των Ρεπουμπλικανών, οι οποίοι ηγούνται εδώ και χρόνια της παγκόσμιας εκστρατείας για επαναφορά του φασιστικού φαντάσματος στην εξουσία. Καλούμε όλο τον προοδευτικό και δημοκρατικό κόσμο, αντί να εκφραστεί ενοχικά και φοβικά, να βγει και να μιλήσει ενωμένος ανοιχτά, δυναμικά, θαρραλέα για τις εγκληματικές ευθύνες της Δεξιάς και της Ακροδεξιάς, που μαζί κανονικοποίησαν, νομιμοποίησαν κι υποκίνησαν τέτοια φαινόμενα, και κατέστησαν τον πολιτικό διάλογο δεξαμενή τοξικών αποβλήτων.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.pirateparty.gr/2024/07/apopeira-kata-trump/