WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE UNITED KINGDOM - STATEWATCH - issue 25/09 - 06 June

issue 25/09 06 June welcome Dear Statewatcher, Memory is a strange and unreliable thing – particularly when it is collective, and mediated through politics, the education system, and the media. Over a century ago, suffragettes were demonised for fighting for women’s right to vote. Anti-apartheid activists were branded terrorists by Western politicians. Today, only the most hardened misogynists and racists would support those positions. Hindsight is a remarkable thing. And so it is with Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians and Palestine. As the author Omar El Akkad put it:  ­ “One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” Recently, Western newspapers and politicians have slowly begun to shift. Once-staunch supporters of Israel now voice concern over the killing and forced starvation of tens of thousands of innocent people. But none have yet taken action to match their words. As a statement we published this week highlights, sustained pressure remains essential. Signed by hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals, the statement calls on governments to protect the Freedom Flotilla, currently sailing across the Mediterranean to deliver aid to Gaza. It emphasises: ­ “The fate of millions of people in Gaza and the humanitarians trying to support them depends on our collective ability to respond with strength and determination.” Chris Jones Director, Statewatch make a donation in EUR >> make a donation in GBP >> news (Event) Artificial intelligence, artificial security: Digital technologies and authoritarian politics Join Statewatch and the Collaborative Research Center for Resilience to discuss the nexus between state power, digital technologies and security politics in Europe and the USA. read more >> EU states failing to uphold immigration data safeguards amidst renewed push for deportations EU member states are violating laws designed to protect individuals from data abuse by police and immigration authorities, according to an official report. This a major cause for concern, given plans to deport more people and ban them from returning to the EU.  read more >> Border externalisation: more EU support for violence in North Africa, joint EU-UK plans, and more Racist violence in North Africa: EU governments know exactly what is happening, and plan to continue support /// EU and UK consider joint external migration control projects /// Africa Frontex Intelligence Community: documents released /// EU officials talk "asylum policy and homeland security" at European Police Congress read more >> How the EU coordinates the outsourcing of migration control It is no secret that the EU is seeking greater cooperation from non-EU states in its migration control agenda. Less is known, however, about precisely how that cooperation is organised and encouraged. read more >> Algeria: Migrants face raids, mass expulsions, and hate speech In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in hate speech and persistent incitement against migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Algeria. Racist rhetoric is widely circulated in some media outlets and on social media, underpinning a general climate of marginalisation and discrimination. A joint letter signed by 20 organisations from Europe and Africa calls on the Algerian authorities to halt arbitrary mass expulsions of migrants, and to end policies that criminalise civil society organisations standing in solidarity with them. read more >> "Deep concern" over EU's plan "to weaken or circumvent encryption" The European Commission should reinforce and support that enable private communication, says a joint letter signed by almost 90 organisations, companies and technical experts. The Commission's recent Internal Security Strategy says there is a need to "enable law enforcement authorities to access encrypted data in a lawful manner," alongside a host of other proposals on policing and security. Statewatch is a signatory of the letter. read more >> events This is a space for upcoming events, both online and in-person, throughout Europe and the UK.  Have an event you would like included? Send us an email at comms@statewatch.org. Online, 11 Jun 2025 Seas as Humanitarian Spaces: Strengthening Search and Rescue Operations for Sustainable Ocean Stewardship The event aims to foster dialogue on the unconditional duty to save lives at sea and to ensure a humanitarian space where coordinated, principled action enables rights-based rescue operations. Read more. London, 16 Jun 2025 UK: State persecution of pro-Palestine protest: how to resist? Join us for a vital public meeting at the Houses of Parliament (Committee Room 12) on Monday 16 June, from 6–8pm to explore how the Palestine solidarity movement can effectively resist increasing state repression. Read more. The Hague, 21-22 Jun 2025 No NATO war summit! Counter-Summit Coalition calls for peace and justice In the days leading up to the NATO summit, the coalition aims to amplify a critical, alternative voice. Through panel discussions, workshops, and lectures, the counter-summit will explore the risks of NATO’s militarised approach and promote pathways toward sustainable and just peace. Read more. London, 30 Jun 2025 State Impunity and Injustice: Northern Ireland, Britain and the Fight for Accountability This public panel will explore state impunity in deaths, torture and abuse in Northern Ireland and Britain. Read more. what we're watching This is our bi-weekly round up of all the important news, events, and resources we've come across over the last two weeks. Find this resource useful? If so, please consider making a donation to support us. borders and frontiers Greece wants to reach an agreement with Libya due to the scale of arrivals in Crete The Greek Government wants to negotiate an agreement with Tripoli to limit the increase in the number of migrants from Tobruk in eastern Libya to Crete. Athens wants to enter into a partnership similar to that signed between Italy and Libya in 2017, in order to stop the boats of migrants en route to Greece. Read more. European Return Orders and the European Human Rights Convention: The Commission’s Proposal for a Return Regulation The Commission’s proposal for an ERO to facilitate the expulsion of third country nationals from the EU by requiring a Member State other than that which has taken the decision to expel the person raises substantial issues as regards human rights. Read more. Tunisia: authorities accelerate the dismantling of migrant camps near Sfax In Tunisia, operations to dismantle migrant encampments in the olive groves of Sfax in the east-central part of the country have been accelerating since April. Between 20,000 and 30,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa live in these makeshift camps, according to National Guard figures. But is this strategy really effective and at what human cost is it made? Read more. USA: Seeking to Ramp Up Deportations, the Trump Administration Quietly Expands a Vast Web of Data To help accomplish its aim of mass deportations, the Trump administration is tapping into numerous federal, state, and local databases at an unprecedented scale, and making more of them interoperable. Read more. US will ban foreign officials to punish countries for social media rules The State Department will restrict visas for foreign officials that support content moderation ‘censorship,’ an apparent response to the EU Digital Services Act and other laws. Read more. Finland completes first 35km of border fence with Russia Finland has completed the first 35 km (22 miles) of a 4.5-metre (15-ft) high fence it is building on its closed eastern border with Russia to stop migrants from crossing via the wilderness, the Finnish Border Guard said on Wednesday. Read more. 9 EU countries ask European court to ease expulsion of foreign criminals Nine European leaders are calling for the European Convention on Human Rights to be reinterpreted to allow migrants who commit crimes to be expelled more easily. Read more. Finland pilots reception centre where "voluntary return is encouraged" The Finnish Immigration Service will pilot a new type of reception centre with focus on promoting and supporting voluntary and forced returns (a return centre). The pilot scheme will be launched in June 2025.  Read more. coercion and control Workers’ rights collapse across the world Workers’ rights are in free fall across every continent, according to the 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index, with Europe and the Americas recording their worst scores since the Index began in 2014. Just seven countries now have the top rating of 1 for their respect for workers’ rights, compared with 39 rated 5. Read more. The Democratic Exclusion Dilemma The rise of extremist parties is leading states to weigh political bans, but they run the risk of further eroding public trust Read more. World Police Summit 2025 draws 54,000 participants Held from 13th to 15th May at Dubai World Trade Centre, the summit featured 140 sessions across 12 key themes, including anti-money laundering, AI in policing, digital fraud, aviation security, and community policing. A total of 302 speakers and 922 high-level experts contributed to discussions that reinforced Dubai’s role as a hub for global security cooperation. Read more. Emerging criminal threats targeted by INTERPOL’s European Regional Conference The three-day (2 – 4 June) conference brings more than 150 senior police representatives from Europe, and around the world, to address major challenges for European policing and the impact of international crime on the region. Read more. Ireland: Civil liberties group expresses dismay at non-jury court plan The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said it is “deeply concerned” at government plans to establish a permanent non-jury court. Read more. Assessing Hungary’s foreign funding bill On May 13, the Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented a draft of a new foreign funding bill which represents the most serious attack on Hungarian media in years and is the latest step in a more than decade-long campaign by the government to stigmatise independent journalism, undermine its business model and systematically erode media pluralism. Read more. UK: Police to crush vehicles used antisocially in 48 hours Communities blighted by off-road biking in public parks and intimidating street racing are set to benefit from new police powers to crack down on antisocial behaviour and deliver safer streets through the Plan for Change. Read more. crime and collusion Gaza: “German Officials Might Be Criminally Liable” “What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.” These are the recent words of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The tone in Germany is also shifting. Read more. Tories’ AI spokesperson takes second job with AI firm A Conservative member of the House of Lords is working as a paid adviser to an artificial intelligence firm while serving as the official opposition party’s spokesperson on the emerging tech. Read more. USA: Trump Deletes Database Containing Over 5,000 Police Misconduct Incidents In one of his first acts after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department to delete a nationwide database tracking misconduct by federal law enforcement. Read more. Greek coastguards charged over 2023 migrant shipwreck A naval court in Greece has charged 17 coastguards over the deadliest migrant boat disaster in the Mediterranean Sea for a decade. Up to 650 people were feared to have drowned when the overcrowded Adriana fishing vessel sank near Pylos, off the Greek coast, in the early hours of 14 June 2023. Read more. discrimination and racism Dutch government collapses after far-right leader quits coalition The Dutch government has collapsed after Geert Wilders withdrew his far-right party from the governing coalition following a row over migration. Read more. More than €1bn in EU funds used in discriminatory projects, report says Hundreds of millions in European Union funds have been used in projects that violate the rights of marginalised communities, a report alleges, citing initiatives such as segregated housing for Roma, residential institutions for children with disabilities and holding centres for asylum seekers. Read more. Netanyahu Praises Smotrich After Minister Vows “Conquering, Cleansing” of Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised a top Israeli minister after he vowed that Israel will carry out the “conquering” and “cleansing” of the Gaza Strip, as the military escalates its genocide in order to implement its permanent occupation plan. Read more. resistance and solidarity UK: State persecution of pro-Palestine protest: how to resist? Hosted by Kim Johnson MP and Lord John Hendy KC, and sponsored by the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, Jewish Network for Palestine (JNP), and Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC), this free event brings together leading voices to examine the legal and political tools being used to suppress protest—and how we can push back. Read more. How Refugees in Libya showed the power of migrant self-organizing As Europe offshores border control to Libya – where horrific human rights abuses have been well documented – migrants too have been joining forces between North Africa and Italy, in a unified movement for safety and recognition under international law. Read more. A candle in the dark: the CJEU rules against criminalising parents for smuggling their children It’s the latest move in an unstated game of cat-and-mouse between the EU legislature and judiciary. But above and beyond these games, the Court’s judgment also has broader implications for the highly controversial relationship between criminal law and immigration and asylum law. Read more. The Questionable Concept of Protective Weapons How Strasbourg pushes back against protest restrictions in Germany Read more. secrecy and transparency Northern Ireland: PSNI told to withhold information on tech used to hack journalist’s phone The PSNI has said it could ‘neither confirm nor deny’ holding any information on technology it used to hack a journalist’s phone, even though the information was already in the news and on their website. Read more. Microsoft's ICC email block reignites European data sovereignty concerns According to media reports, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan had his Microsoft email and other services suspended after the US applied sanctions in February to all ICC staff in response to their investigations into key Israeli politicians. Read more. Text Messages, Transparency, and the Rule of Law: Pfizergate and the Fight for Institutional Accountability Despite offering a rare opportunity to provide a modern interpretation of the 25-year-old Regulation 1041/2001 to reflect contemporary communication practices (including ephemeral digital exchanges) and the post-Lisbon constitutional framework (requiring greater legislative transparency), the Court avoided addressing the New York Times’ arguments through this regulatory lens. Read more. Europol's deepening aversion to transparency Buried deep in Europol’s most recent programming document lies a somewhat abstruse yet extraordinary admission of the agency’s aversion to external scrutiny. Read more. surveillance and snooping New Report: Greek Ministry of Migration Fails to Comply with Data Protection Order in Samos CCAC The Hellenic Ministry of Migration (MoMA) continues to violate data protection rights of asylum seekers in the Samos Closed Control Access Centre (CCAC), I Have Rights and Homo Digitalis said in a report released today. Read more. UK: Data Use and Access Bill degrades the Purpose Limitation Principle below the data protection standards set 45 years ago You have to congratulate the Government. The last Conservative administration, with its Data Protection and Digital Information Bills, managed to turn the data protection clock back to 1984 by using a sub-standard definition of “personal data”. This Government has bested that record by three years; its legislation cannot meet a DP standard set in 1981. Read more. war and peace Largest ever UK defence AI trial conducted across land, sea and air Sailors and air crews are set to benefit from new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities following the UK's largest ever multi-domain AI trial, bringing together land, sea and air equipment. Read more. UK: Strategic Defence Review 2025: America First, Last and Everything The UK’s new Strategic Defence Review is a squib. Not because its ambitions are under-funded, but because its ambitions equate to keeping the MAGA state engaged in European defence at any cost. Richard Reeve argues for an urgent and open national conversation that confronts the unsustainable and unstable myths at the heart of UK security policy. Read more. ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Statewatch 88 Fleet St, EC4Y 1DH, London