“Ironically and cynically, both the US and the European Union impose these sanctions under the guise of protecting human rights when in fact the sanctions always impact negatively on the human rights of the civilian populations. Ireland is complicit in these breaches of international law by virtue of its membership of the European Union and its slavish support for US foreign policy”.—Venezuela Ireland Network and Nicaragua Solidarity Ireland
“Our country does not drop bombs on other peoples . . . our country does not possess nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, or biological weapons. Our country’s tens of thousands of scientists and doctors have been educated in the idea of saving lives”.—Speech by Fidel Castro, Buenos Aires, 2003
“Unfortunately, the unilateralism of the United States undermines the promotion and protection of human rights of everyone on the planet.”—Cuban minister of foreign affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla
“After the torture and massacre of civilians, after the targeted attacks upon rescuers, doctors and schools, after the barrel bombs and chemical weapons, it should be hard to believe that there could be a new wave of misery for Syria unleashed by Bashir al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers. Yet here it is. The assault on Idlib, the last rebel-held enclave . . .”—The Guardian’s view on Idlib, or how to pack a propaganda punch into one paragraph.
“A propaganda system designed to support the party and state cannot be relied on for accurate information.”—The same Guardian, but referring to China.
“US Sanctions Venezuela Again to Prove Socialism Doesn’t Work.”—Headline on Venezuelanalysis.com
“I confess, that countries are pieces on a chessboard upon which is being played out a great game for the domination of the world.”—George Curzon, viceroy of India, 1898
“We condemn the genocidal, cruel, murderous blockade. The blockade violates our human rights.”—Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, president of Cuba
“If Julian Assange were to succumb to the cruelties heaped upon him, week after week, month after month, year upon year, as doctors warn, newspapers like the Guardian will share the responsibility.”—John Pilger
“Tepid opposition is probably the best that can ultimately be expected.”—Jonathan Cook in Counterpunch, on the probable response of the European Union to Trump’s so-called peace plan for Palestine
The rallies are “designed to be the next phase in Sinn Féin’s campaign of intimidation and bullying.”—Leo Varadkar’s disturbing reaction to the concept of public meetings
“We have denounced, as we once again do, the practices of systemic aggression that are replicated against a large part of the peoples and nations of the world, ignoring and transgressing the United Nations Charter and the basic principles for respectful coexistence between states, and that become evident in our communities with the illegal sanctions, which are aggressions, that the Government of the United States of America continues to apply with impunity against Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. These measures, aggressions, as we all know, threaten the human rights of our peoples”.—Valdrack Jaentschke, Nicaraguan foreign relations adviser to the UN Human Rights Council
“Good job, ambassador. You met the ‘medical’ staff of Al-Qaeda.”—Tweet referring to Kelly Craft, US ambassador to the United Nations, meeting White Helmets in Turkey
