The US likes
to get the UK directly involved in its activities so at the UN and
other international agencies it will have the support of European
allies, says Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group Code
Pink, and author of a book on drone warfare.
Newly
released documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden have shed light
on US spying operations from a base in the UK. The leaks include
details of how surveillance data gathered there was used in American
targeted killings in the Middle East and North Africa.
[...]
“We
always knew the UK was working together with the US on these drone
operations. But now we have much more information that details how
Menwith Hill has been used to collect vast amounts of data that is
used not just for surveillance, but actually given over for military
operations. So, that’s directly linked the UK complicity with drone
warfare that many of us think is illegal and violates international
law. So, I think that people who have been protesting the way the UK
has been working hand in glove with the US in the drone program have
a lot more direct questions now to ask of their elected officials.”
[...]
“... the
British people have been kept in the dark about how significantly the
UK is involved in this program. And it parallels how the American
people have been kept in the dark for years about the extent of the
drone program. In fact, it was a group like ours and legal groups
that took the US government to court that forced our government to
even admit that it was using such a thing as drones. So, both
governments have tried to hide the reality from the public.”
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