Working Class Solidarity

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A VICTORY FOR PALESTINE: GEORGE GALLOWAY WINS ROCHDALE BY-ELECTION

A new victory for Palestine as George Galloway, a working class leader in Britain, wins the Rochdale parliamentary by-elections, returning a powerful Pro-Palestine voice into the British Parliament.

Galloway won the Rochdale by-election in a landslide of a victory, garnering more than 12'000 votes, nearly 6'000 more than his leading opponents.

Galloway previously served in the British Parliament between 1987-2010 and from 2012-2015, known for his leftwing opposition to war, imperialism and the Security State.

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ADVOCATES FOR JULIAN ASSANGE CALL ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO END EXTRADITION TO US

Advocates for Press Freedoms issued a warnings Tuesday in a last ditch effort to call on the Biden administration to drop all charges against Australian journalist and publisher Julian Assange as he faces his last hearings in the High Court of the United Kingdom to appeal the decision to extradite him to the United States to stand trial on espionage charges.

Julian Assange (52) faces hearings Tuesday and Wednesday determining whether the journalist, who's health is rapidly deteriorating, can appeal a previous decision approving his extradition to the United States where he faces 175 years in an American penitentiary for his role in releasing classified information detailing criminality by the intelligence agencies and militaries of the United States and allied Western powers.

Among classified information published by WikiLeaks, which was founded by Julian Assange in 2006, were criminality by US intelligence agencies and war crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Assange himself was unable to attend the first day of hearings due to his failing health. The journalist has been held in Belmarsh Prison in the UK for over 5 years after the Ecuadorian embassy, where he had been holed up since 2012, revoked his amnesty in 2019, after which he was arrested and imprisoned without bail in Belmarsh Prison in the UK.

The United States under the Trump administration charged Assange, who is an Australian citizen, with 17-counts of violating the Espionage Act, a more than 100 year-old draconian law used by US authorities to counter leaks of military operations and classified information. However, Assange's case represents the first time the Espionage Act is being used against a publisher rather than the leaker of classified information.

Advocates say this represents a clear and present danger to press freedoms and accuse US authorities of suppressing freedom of speech and association.

Speaking at a rally during the hearing, Reporters Without Borders Director of Campaigns, Rebecca Vincent is quoted as saying "we're not letting the U.S. government off the hook today no matter what happens here in London," adding that "the responsibility still lies with the U.S. Department of Justice," said Vincent. "At any point, they could drop the charges, they could close this case, they could let Julian Assange free."

With concerns over Assange's state of health adding to an already contentious hearing, Assange's wife Stella Assange attended the rally which was held outside the courthouse in London, telling the crowds that "We don't know what to expect, but you're here because the world is watching. They just cannot get away with this. Julian needs his freedom and we all need the truth."

In a later speech at the rally, Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation emphasized that "as Assange inches closer to extradition, the danger to press freedom grows."

"An Espionage Act trial and conviction of Assange in an American court would be a disaster for journalists and for journalism," said Stern. "If the Biden administration cares as much about press freedom as it claims, it wouldn't wait for the U.K. to send this dangerous case to American courts. The Department of Justice should drop the Assange case now."

Also speaking after Assange's hearing, his attorney, Edward Fitzgerald is quoted as saying that Assange was being "prosecuted for engaging in ordinary journalistic practice of obtaining and publishing classified information, information that is both true and of obvious and important public interest."

Fitzgerald further argued Tuesday that Julian Assange's extradition to the United States would be direct violation of the US-UK Extradition Treaty, which states that a person cannot be extradited on "political charges," which Assange's lawyer says is directly applicable to Julian's case.

Assange's attorneys are expected to appeal his case to the European Court of Human Rights should the judge in this week's hearing rule against the publisher, arguing that Assange's life is in danger should he be extradited to the United States.

Advocacy groups say they are deeply alarmed by the case against Julian Assange. Speaking to their concerns, Stella Assange said at Tuesday's rally that this "is the case that has been brought against Julian."

"Journalism has been re-classed as espionage. An unprecedented prosecution has been taken against a publisher for the very first time in the more than 100-year history of this Act and it is going to set a precedent. It already is setting a precedent that can then be used against the rest of the press anywhere in the world."

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YEMENI ARMED FORCES TARGETS U.S. SHIP IN RED SEA STRIKE LAUNCHED IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE

The Ansarallah controlled Yemeni Armed Forces announced precision strikes against a vessel flying the American flag heading towards the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red Sea.

According to Ansarallah-aligned media sources, the Armed Forces of Yemen targeted the American ship, Star Iris, as it transited the Bab el-Mandeb straight at the mouth of the Red Sea using precision-guided missiles.

"The strikes were carried out with suitable naval missiles, and were accurate and direct, hitting their target with precision," spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sarea said in a statement.

Sarea said the strikes were launched in response to continued U.S. and U.K. aggression on Ansarallah controlled territory in Yemen, and in solidarity with Palestinians under siege in the Gaza Strip.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, fulfilling their religious, moral, and humanitarian duty, affirm their commitment to preventing Israeli navigation and any vessels heading to occupied Palestine ports in the Red and Arab Seas," Sarea said, adding that "this stance will persist until the aggression ceases and the siege on the people of Gaza is lifted."

Sarea also vowed to continue military operations in the Red Sea and emphasized that such operations serve as a direct response to aggression by U.S. and U.K. coalition forces.

Leader of Ansarallah, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi commented that confronting U.S. and U.K. forces directly is a "great honor and blessing."

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💥YEMENI ARMED FORCES SUCCESSFULLY TARGETS TWO U.S. AND U.K. VESSELS IN RED SEA💥

Spokesman for the Ansar Allah-controlled Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), Brigadier General Yahya Sarea, issued a statement on Tuesday announcing an operation that targeted two naval vessels, one the "Star Nasia" belonging to the United States, and the other the "Morning Tide" belonging to the U.K. using "suitable naval missiles" resulting in "direct and accurate" strikes.

Serea also announced continued military operations against the U.S. and U.K. in the Arabian and Red Seas, saying the Yemeni Armed Forces were asserting their right to respond to Western aggression and to defend the Yemeni people.

Sarea also reiterated Yemen's commitment to the defense of their Palestinian brothers and sisters under siege in the Gaza Strip, and said the YAF would continue to target Israeli vessels, as well as allied vessels and ships heading to or from the ports of occupied Palestine.

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🇬🇧 🚨UK ECONOMY SHRINKS BY 0.3 PCT FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER

The economy of the United Kingdom shrank by 0.3% month-on-month for the month of October, 2023.

Contractions were recorded across all three main sectors of the economy.

Services fell by 0.2%, being the main contributor to the fall in the U.K.'s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Production output fell by 0.8%, and Construction fell by 0.5%, according to the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics (ONS).

"Services were the biggest driver of the fall with drops in IT (information technology), legal firms and film production -- which fell back after a couple of strong months," Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, is quoted as saying.

"These were also compounded by widespread falls in manufacturing and construction, which fell partly due to the poor weather," Morgan added.

For the three months leading up to October, the U.K.'s economy showed no growth.

Increases in services, led by engineering, film production and education, which recovered from the impact of summer strikes, were offset by falls in both manufacturing and housebuilding, Morgan said.

Via@XinhuaNewsAgency

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🇬🇧🇷🇺 🚨 U.K. TO CREATE WHOLE SEPERATE DEPARTMENT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANTI-RUSSIA SANCTIONS

Russian State News Agency Ria Novosti is reporting that Britain plans to create a whole separate department to monitor the implementation of anti-Russian sanctions.

Called the Office for the Implementation of Trade Sanctions (OTSI), it will have the power to impose fines and refer cases to the tax authorities for criminal prosecution.

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🇬🇧 🚨 💷 BRITISH MILITARY FACES A £17 BILLION EQUIPMENT FUNDING SHORTFALL OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS

Britain's National Audit Office (NAO) is reporting that Britain's Armed Forces are facing a £17 Billion ($21.6 Billion) shortfall over the next 10-years for military equipment acquisition.

According to the report, the estimated cost for weapons and equipment acquisition for the period lasting from 2023 to 2033 is expected to be £305.5 Billion, a total of £16.9 Billion over budget.

In response, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps dismissed concerns over the military acquisition budget, telling reporters "the department is confident it can live within its equipment budget" and insisting that there were also scenarios in which the Ministry of Defense (MoD) would have a surplus over 10 years.

The UK's MoD has already boosted defense spending this year, increasing the budget from about 2% of GDP to approximately 2.25% of GDP.

Shapps also said the report does not account for the current government's goal of raising British Defense spending to 2.5% of GDP whenever economic conditions allowed.

In a statement, the head of the NAO, Gareth Davies said that "The Ministry of Defence acknowledges that its Equipment Plan for 2023–2033 is unaffordable," and that decisions over scrapping or scaling back projects deemed unaffordable should not be deferred, risking "poor value for money."

However, the NAO believes the deficit could go even higher, because their report does not include the cost of developing future capabilities nor does it include the cost of extending the life of some equipment like tanks and armored vehicles.

@WorkerSolidarityNews