Novichoks and the Salisbury poisonings

[rmstock]

UK Column News - 14th March 2018
by UK Column , Published on Mar 14, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6b1DP9KG4
  "Brian Gerrish and Mike Robinson are joined by David Ellis and Vanessa
   Beeley for today's news update from the UK Column.

   START – Syria: chemical weapons found in East Ghouta
   05:48 – The violent reality of 'Western propaganda construct' white helmets
   07:38 – David Gauke MP: more children must be taken into care by the state...
   13:49 – Brexit: devolution to break up the (United) Kingdom
   'UK is too small to defend itself after Brexit'
   19:07 – RUSI: a pro-EU 'think tank' not working for the UK...
   23:48 – Military Veterans: @techvets and who is Susie Dunn exactly...?
   33:16 – NHS conference: Dying for Good Health – May 12, Nottingham
   Alternative View 9 conference: May 4-7, near Milton Keynes
   33:47 – 21st Century Wire article: US HIC throws in the towel on Russia gate...
   35:07 – UK's Russia gate poisoning: NATO lends support...
   38:22 – Treason May expels 23 Russian diplomats and cuts bilateral relations
   40:12 – Syriapropagandamedia (dot) org: doubts about 'Novichoks'...
   42:49 – Preparation for war...EU military union to destroy NATO...?
   46:46 – UK MainStream Media coverage: immensely dangerous propaganda...
   48:54 – Book: Britain's Secret Wars by T.J. Coles "

Vanessa Beeley reports about possible evidence that in Eastern Ghouta gas chambers
have been found, where abducted people were gassed ...
Next the Novichoks and the Salisbury poisonings of the former KGB officer who was caught
as a double spy and his daughter lead upto requests by Prime Minister May at NATO to
invoke Article 5 ...

   Doubts about "Novichoks"
   http://syriapropagandamedia.org/doubts-about-novichoks
   
   Doubts about "Novichoks"
   The following briefing note is developed from ongoing research and
   investigation into the use of chemical and biological weapons during
   the 2011-present war in Syria conducted by members of the Working Group
   on Syria, Media and Propaganda. The note reflects work in progress.
   However, the substantive questions raised need answering, especially
   given the seriousness of the political crisis that is now developing.
   We welcome comments and corrections.
   
   Authors: Professor Paul McKeigue and Professor Piers Robinson
   (piers.robinson@sheffield.ac.uk/+447764763350)
   
   Working Group on Syria, Media and Propaganda (syriapropagandamedia.org).
   
   Novichoks and the Salisbury poisonings

   In the House of Commons on 12 March the Prime Minister stated that:
   
   It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a
   military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia. It is part of
   a group of nerve agents known as Novichok. Based on the positive
   identification of this chemical agent by world-leading experts at the
   Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, our knowledge
   that Russia has previously produced this agent and would still be
   capable of doing so, Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored
   assassinations and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as
   legitimate targets for assassinations, the Government have concluded
   that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act
   against Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
   
   The Prime Minister said if there is no "credible response" by the end
   of Tuesday 12 March, the UK would conclude there has been an "unlawful
   use of force" by Moscow.
   
   Summary of key issues that need to be addressed

   1) There are reasons to doubt that these compounds are military grade
   nerve agents or that a Russian "Novichok" programme ever existed. If
   they were potentially usable as chemical weapons, people on the OPCW
   Scientific Advisory Board who were in a position to know the properties
   of these compounds would have recommended that they be added to the
   list of Scheduled Chemicals. They have never been added.
   
    2) Synthesis at bench scale of organic chemicals such as the purported
   "Novichoks" is within the capability of a modern chemistry laboratory.
   Porton Down itself must have been able to synthesize these compounds in
   order to develop tests for them.  The detection of such a compound does
   not establish Russian origin.
   
   Details
  (1) Doubts about the history of the "Novichok" Programme
   The history of the alleged "Novichok" programme remains unclear. The
   original source for the story that a new class of organophosphate
   compounds was developed as chemical weapons under the name Novichok in
   the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s is from Vil Mirzayanov, a
   defector in the 1990s. Mirzayanov described the chemical structures of
   these compounds and stated that the toxicity of an agent named
   Novichuk-5 "under optimal conditions exceeds the effectiveness of VX by
   five to eight times". Mirzayanov alleged that Russian testing and
   production had continued after signing the Chemical Weapons Convention
   in 1993.
   
   However, a review by Dr Robin Black, who was until recently head of the
   detection laboratory at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
   (Porton Down), emphasizes that there is no independent confirmation of
   Mirzayanov's claims about the chemical properties of these compounds:
   
   In recent years, there has been much speculation that a fourth
   generation of nerve agents, 'Novichoks' (newcomer), was developed in
   Russia, beginning in the 1970s as part of the 'Foliant' programme, with
   the aim of finding agents that would compromise defensive
   countermeasures. Information on these compounds has been sparse in the
   public domain, mostly originating from a dissident Russian military
   chemist, Vil Mirzayanov. No independent confirmation of the structures
   or the properties of such compounds has been published. (Black, 2016)
   
   The OPCW's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) appeared to doubt the
   existence of "Novichoks", and did not advise that the compounds
   described by Mirzayanov, or their precursors, should be designated as
   Scheduled Chemicals that should be controlled under the Chemical
   Weapons Convention:-
   
   [The SAB] emphasised that the definition of toxic chemicals in the
   Convention would cover all potential candidate chemicals that might be
   utilised as chemical weapons. Regarding new toxic chemicals not listed
   in the Annex on Chemicals but which may nevertheless pose a risk to the
   Convention, the SAB makes reference to "Novichoks". The name "Novichok"
   is used in a publication of a former Soviet scientist who reported
   investigating a new class of nerve agents suitable for use as binary
   chemical weapons. The SAB states that it has insufficient information
   to comment on the existence or properties of "Novichoks". (OPCW, 2013)
   
   The Scientific Advisory Board included Dr Black, and several other
   heads of national chemical defence laboratories in western countries.
   These labs would have presumably made their own evaluation of
   Mirzayanov's claims and specifically would have done their own
   experiments to determine if compounds with the structures that he
   described were of military grade toxicity. Such studies can be done
   quickly and efficiently in vitro using methods developed for drug
   discovery (combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening). It
   is reasonable to assume that if these labs had found that these
   compounds were potentially usable as chemical weapons, the Scientific
   Advisory Board would have recommended adding them to the list of
   Scheduled Chemicals as the Chemical Weapons Convention requires.
   
   Until independent confirmation of Mirzayanov's claims about the
   toxicity of these compounds is available, and there is an adequate
   explanation of why the OPCW Scientific Advisory Board did not recommend
   that the compounds purported to be "Novichoks" and their precursors be
   designated as scheduled chemicals, it is reasonable to question whether
   these compounds are military grade nerve agents, or that a Russian
   "Novichok" programme ever actually existed.
   
   (2) Who Could Have Synthesized the 'Novichok' Compounds?
    The Prime Minister stated that:
   
   There are, therefore, only two plausible explanations for what happened
   in Salisbury on 4 March: either this was a direct act by the Russian
   state against our country; or the Russian Government lost control of
   their potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it
   to get into the hands of others.
   
   However, Mirzayanov originally claimed that the Novichok agents were
   easy to synthesize:-
   
   One should be mindful that the chemical components or precursors of
   A-232 or its binary version novichok-5 are ordinary organophosphates
   that can be made at commercial chemical companies that manufacture such
   products as fertilizers and pesticides. (Mirzayanov, 1995).
   
   Soviet scientists had published many papers in the open literature on
   the chemistry of such compounds for possible use as insecticides.
   Mirzayanov claimed that "this research program was premised on the
   ability to hide the production of precursor chemicals under the guise
   of legitimate commercial chemical production of agricultural chemicals".
   
   As the structures of these compounds have been described, any organic
   chemist with a modern lab would be able to synthesize bench scale
   quantities of such a compound. Indeed, Porton Down must have been able
   to synthesize these compounds in order to develop tests for them. It is
   therefore misleading to assert that only Russia could have produced
   such compounds.
   
   
   
   References
   
   Vil S. Mirzayanov, "Dismantling the Soviet/Russian Chemical Weapons
   Complex: An Insider's View," in Amy E. Smithson, Dr. Vil S. Mirzayanov,
   Gen Roland Lajoie, and Michael Krepon, Chemical Weapons Disarmament in
   Russia: Problems and Prospects, Stimson Report No. 17, October 1995, p.
   21. https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/105521/Report17.pdf
   
   OPCW: Report of the Scientific Advisory Board on developments in
   science and technology for the Third Review Conference 27 March 2013.
   https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/CSP/RC-3/en/rc3wp01_e_.pdf
   
   Robin Black. (2016) Development, Historical Use and Properties of
   Chemical Warfare Agents. Royal Society of Chemistry.
   http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/chapter/bk9781849739696-00001/978-1-84973-969-6 "

[rmstock]

This happened around the same time as the poisoning and the aftermath in parliament :

Lauren Southern, Brittany Pettibone banned from Britain
by rmstock , Published on Mar 14, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEFpxOVUXOE

She looks quite young for her age eh?

[rmstock]

Two weeks ago on Sunday this happened :

Italian 2018 Elections save Europe
« on: March 06, 2018, 01:45:47 AM »
http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=23853.0

The next day Britain First is rounded up by PM May :

Britain First leaders jailed over anti-Muslim hate crimes
Kevin Rawlinson Wed 7 Mar 2018 18.42 GMT First published on Wed 7 Mar 2018 16.29 GMT
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/07/britain-first-leaders-convicted-of-anti-muslim-hate-crimes

a week later :

Facebook bans Britain First and its leaders
Alex Hern and Kevin Rawlinson  Wed 14 Mar 2018 12.29 GMT
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/facebook-bans-britain-first-and-its-leaders

Theresa May has since Brexit proven herself to be more than just being
that best loyalist of Brussels, Juncker and its EU Commission. A week 
after the Italian elections Juncker appointed a new henchman: Martin
Selmayr ..

Angry MEPs take Brussels to task over 'skulduggery' in Martin Selmayr appointment
by ProductiehuisEU , Published on Mar 12, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOLqJf3Oxh8

[yankeedoodle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=7snm1Yvwuu4

'Absurd' that Russia would leave its 'signature' on Skripal crime – George Galloway (VIDEO)
https://www.rt.com/uk/421398-george-galloway-skripal-russia/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

George Galloway has dismissed claims that Russia is "culpable" for the Skripal poisoning, saying it wouldn't put a "signature" on such a crime. Moscow is preparing to expel British diplomats in retaliation for UK sanctions.

Speaking to RT's Bill Dod, the former Labour MP hit back at Prime Minister Theresa May's allegations that Russia was behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. His comments follow demands by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that the PM present evidence and use channels provided by international law before assigning blame to Moscow.

"Here is the killer question that was not asked by anybody in parliament either on Monday or Wednesday," Galloway said. "If this Novichok is exclusively Russian, why would Russia choose that weapon to mount a terrorist attack on the streets of Salisbury? They may as well be leaving a pair of boots covered with snow and painting 'Vladimir Putin was here' on the nearest wall.

"It's absolutely absurd that Russia would actually put its signature on a crime like this if they had carried it out," he added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia will expel British diplomats shortly. The measure is a response to May's sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Skripal. A total of 23 Russian diplomats will be expelled from the UK, among other punitive measures.

Galloway compared May's assertions to misleading intelligence reports that were created in the lead-up to the Iraq war. Faulty intelligence garnered by the US and UK claimed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The claim was used to justify the invasion.

"I have an absolute conviction that this is exactly the same kind of canard that led us to the disaster of the Iraq war," Galloway said, before adding that "in any list of suspects, Russia must be near the bottom because, self-evidently, it has not and cannot benefit from this crime in any way."

On Russia's refusal to respond to the deadline set by May for it to give its account of the Skripal poisoning, Galloway said: "The reality is Russia has every right to be offended here. It is my view that the language of ultimatums and 'you have 36 hours to say you're guilty or kind of guilty'... was deliberately designed to fail. Russia was set up to fail this test that Theresa May set it.

"Just like Iraq and the WMD, this verdict has already been reached before this investigation ever began," he said.

When Dod asked Galloway about Ofcom's intention to revoke RT's license, he said it would make a "mockery of British protestations of freedom of speech and it will probably be illegal under British, EU and international law, so I hope they will not be so foolish to do that. There will never be another British journalist working in Russia, that's for sure. People should think about that very carefully," he warned.

[yankeedoodle]

According to former British diplomat Craig Murray, for instance, it is more reasonable to cast the net of suspicion onto Israel for many of the same reasons cited by the British government:

Israel has the nerve agents. Israel has Mossad which is extremely skilled at foreign assassinations. Theresa May claimed Russian propensity to assassinate abroad as a specific reason to believe Russia did it. Well Mossad has an even greater propensity to assassinate abroad. And while I am struggling to see a Russian motive for damaging its own international reputation so grieviously, Israel has a clear motivation for damaging the Russian reputation so grieviously. Russian action in Syria has undermined the Israeli position in Syria and Lebanon in a fundamental way, and Israel has every motive for damaging Russia's international position by an attack aiming to leave the blame on Russia."

Murray further points out that it is unlikely the Russians "waited eight years to do this, they could have waited until after their World Cup." Similarly, it makes little sense to suddenly assassinate a "swapped spy" who had already served his time and been living out in the open for years in the UK.

Murray is no blind Russiaphile, and so his critical analysis cannot be dismissed on grounds of partisanship. He describes himself as "someone who believes that agents of the Russian state did assassinate Litvinenko, and that the Russian security services carried out at least some of the apartment bombings that provided the pretext for the brutal assault on Chechnya. I believe the Russian occupation of Crimea and parts of Georgia is illegal."

But he cautions that, given the severe lack of credible evidence on this case, he is "alarmed by the security, spying and armaments industries' frenetic efforts to stoke Russophobia and heat up the new cold war."

Britain Is Manufacturing A Nerve Agent Case for 'Action' Against Russia
https://www.mintpressnews.com/britain-is-manufacturing-a-nerve-agent-case-for-action-against-russia/238955/

also here:
Russian to Judgment
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/48941.htm