Monthly Archive for February, 2019

Sixteen activists, including Members of European Parliament, arrested at air base in Belgium where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored

Posted on February 23, 2019

Agir pour la Paix photo

Three Green Party politicians from Luxembourg, England and France were arrested with four Agir pour la Paix activists on February 20 in Belgium after climbing a fence to enter a military base where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored. After entering the Kleine Brogel base, they blocked the runway of F-16 fighter jets. The Members of European Parliament – Molly Scott Cato, Tilly Metz and Michele Rivasi – held a banner which read, “Europe Free of Nuclear Weapons”. The group was soon detained and taken into custody.

Nine supporters standing outside the base were also arrested, and authorities erased photos and videos from their cameras and phones.

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BOP moves elder Muslim philanthropist from prison medical center to freezing Brooklyn detention center

Posted on February 3, 2019
[Update: Power and heat was restored to MDC Brooklyn the evening of February 3. By the end of February, Rafil Dhafir was moved to FCI Allenwood Low in White Deer, Pennsylvania.]
Within days of his last contact with supporters on January 29, the federal Bureau of Prisons moved Dr. Rafil Dhafir, 70, from the medical center for federal prisoners in Massachusetts, into the Metropolitan Detention Center [MDC] in Brooklyn, New York.

The move comes just after a fire at MDC Brooklyn cut off electricity and heat to the facility as temperatures plunged below freezing to record lows, leaving prisoners and staff freezing in dark cells and corridors only dimly lit by emergency lights. Demonstrators braved the cold overnight on Saturday, February 2 in front of the 14-story prison, where officials have refused outside support. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that “New York City is sending trucks with hundreds of blankets and hand warmers to the Metropolitan Detention Center NOW and generators are being readied for transport. We’ve told the Federal Bureau of Prisons the supplies are coming – whether they like it or not.”

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