Latest news with #PaulShortt
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The gun-toting Palestine Action activist who says ‘resistance is not terrorism'
An Al-Yassin 105 is an anti-armour missile developed by Hamas. Named after the terrorist group's spiritual leader, Ahmed Yassin, it was first used in October 2023 against the Israeli army following the October 7 attacks. A powerful weapon, it was reportedly based on a Russian rocket and modified by Hamas to go from an armoured vehicle destroyer to be able to destroy the Israeli Merkava tank. Strange, then, to find its name co-opted on social media by a man called Paul from Dumfries. It's less incongruous, however, when you delve a little deeper and find an interest in both weaponry and pro-Palestine activism that appears to extend beyond an Instagram handle. Paul Shortt is a Scottish activist and member of Palestine Action, the group which now stands to be proscribed as a terrorist group. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said on Monday she would lay an order to make support for the group illegal before Parliament next week. It was reported this week that he has previously posed with a gun. The Times published a picture which had been posted on Shortt's Instagram. It appeared to show his finger on the trigger. Seeming to invoke the Hamas missile by using the handle @yassin105_73, Shortt wrote: 'Resistance is not terrorism! Resistance is justified. When people are occupied. Resist! By any means necessary.' Shortt, who bears a tattoo of a red triangle on his middle finger – a symbol often used by groups such as Hamas – posted photographs wearing a shirt in the colours of the Palestinian flag and holding a pistol across his chest, the paper reported. In another photo, posted in March, he appears to hold a gun over a keffiyeh. Over the post a song called Intifada plays, the lyrics of which include a reference to 'a fascist settler entity on a killing spree'. The track is by the rapper Lowkey, who has been criticised by Sir William Shawcross, whose independent review of the Prevent counterterrorism scheme alleged his lyrics promoted 'what I regard to be an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the 'Zionist lobby''. Shortt's Instagram account is listed as no longer available and it is not clear whether the gun in either photograph is real or an imitation. But whether or not he was indeed holding a weapon, the posts seem to send a clear message: when it comes to this brand of activism, violence is part of the process. Direct action Shortt certainly seems to have proved himself to be a useful foot soldier for Palestine Action. The group prides itself on direct action – last week, two of its members broke into RAF Brize Norton under the cover of darkness, damaging two military aircraft in a major breach of national security – and its supporters have been imprisoned for their activism, which has included targeting banks, universities and insurance firms. For his part, Shortt received a suspended 23-month sentence last year for property damage and burglary. Then 50 and living on the outskirts of Dumfries, it was a conviction he earned alongside several other campaigners from the group. On May 15 2022, he was one of seven activists who broke into the Bristol HQ of Elbit Systems UK, an international defence technology company. Palestine Action claims Elbit supplies equipment to the Israeli army; in court, the company denied this. Shortt and his fellow protesters used sledgehammers to smash windows and barricaded themselves in. They caused thousands of pounds worth of damage and spray-painted walls and windows. Lord Walney, who was the last government's independent adviser on political violence and disruption and was commissioned to conduct a review on the subject, recommended banning Palestine Action in 2024. He says there has been 'an edge of militant violent menace with Palestine Action's activities for a number of years'. Having the group proscribed is 'overdue', he tells The Telegraph. As for the photograph, which appears to show Shortt holding a gun: 'It's a shocking image that clearly depicts a violent threat and it demonstrates that Palestine Action are trying to deceive people when they say that they are a harmless non-violent organisation.' It's an image which might shock ordinary people, and it is behaviour like this which has led to politicians from both sides of the house to call for the group to be proscribed. But banning it has historically been difficult because 'the bar for full terrorist proscription is set very high', adds Lord Walney. 'You can have an organisation like this progressing for years, committing acts that fall under the definition of terrorism, they're dealt with through counter-terror police, but the system has judged thus far that you need an extremely high level of evidence for that full terror proscription.' Twin causes Shortt, 52, has tattooed the cause he is fighting for on his body. A big black tattoo extends from his wrist to his elbow – a filled-in map of the area in the region which some say should be Palestine and which includes the state of Israel. The Times reported he had also posted pictures of pro-Israel campaigners with red triangles over them – the symbol which has come to denote Hamas's targets. On X, an account which appears to belong to Shortt, bearing the same handle – @Yassin105_73 – has the Palestinian flag, the flag of Lebanon and the Saltire in the bio, along with two red arrows. 'Join the resistance,' he writes, with a link to join Palestine Action Scotland. There are also links to direct action training days, a Zoom link to join a 'crash course' on direct action, and to support funds for Palestine Action members who are on trial or who have been imprisoned. The profile picture is a man in a black and white balaclava with a keffiyeh print. The geolocation has him not in Dumfries but in 'Occupied Scotland'. Scottish independence appears to be a twin cause for Shortt. Last year, he appeared to comment under a post by Reform UK MP Lee Anderson using the hashtag '#SNLA', the acronym often used by the so-called Scottish National Liberation Army, a paramilitary group nicknamed the Tartan Terrorists. The group fell by the wayside in the early 2000s after being condemned by the UK government and the SNP. While many have come to pro-Palestine activism by way of Extinction Rebellion, Shortt's campaigning seems to dovetail with his alliance with his home country. 'I'm Scottish, I know about colonialism, I know about land grabs, about ethnic cleansing,' he told The Electronic Intifada ahead of his sentencing last year. 'We used to do supposedly 'democratic' protests, it just didn't work. Direct action was the only way.' To an observer scrolling back through the X account, he seems to display a consistent hatred for 'Zionists'. 'You're a Zionist, not a Jew,' he appeared to say in a post addressed to television presenter Rachel Riley in November 2023. Last year, he seemingly published what he called the 'Zionist modus operandi' – namely 'murder, torture, rape, steal'. On the day of the October 7 attacks, the account posted a cartoon with a red fist breaking out of chains emblazoned with the Israeli flag. 'Long live the resistance. From Scotland to Gaza.' A day later, the account posted a picture of Shortt raising his tattooed arm and making a fist against the backdrop of a Palestinian flag. Hours later, it also posted an image of the Israeli flag with the word 'Terrorism' across it in red lettering. More recently, the account which appears to belong to Shortt has focused on retweeting inflammatory posts. A video of students at the University of Manchester shows people protesting 'UoM's complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians'. Another shows a woman crying after losing her house in Tel Aviv. The post retweeted by Shortt reads: 'Zero empathy. If you don't wanna lose your house, don't live on stolen lands where you pay tax to a genocidal regime.' History of activism Shortt's activism doesn't appear to have always been quite so aggressive. In 2018, he wrote a letter which was published in Scottish newspaper The National. 'Are we to leave the Palestinians to stand alone, as they fight for their freedom and basic human rights in their own land?' he wrote. 'We, as a country, as people of conscience, have a duty to build and implement effective and immediate solidarity with Palestine. As Desmond Tutu said: 'If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.'' He signed it: Paul Shortt, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Dumfries). In 2021, he appears to have signed a letter sent to Arlene Foster, then first minister of Northern Ireland, about a doctor and Scottish Palestinian activist who was imprisoned in Northern Ireland during the pandemic and was suffering with health problems. Since then, there is little trace of Shortt under his real name online, save for a photograph posted on Facebook last year by a clothing brand that makes Palestine football shirts. 'Paul K Shortt repping the new Toro Sportivo Saoirse Edition shirt', the post says. 'Paul who is part of Palestine Action Scotland commented 'beats any football shirt I've ever worn!'' Meanwhile, a picture of Shortt shows him looking sternly into the camera, his bicep flexed, his tattoo on full show.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The disturbing social media posts of leading Palestine Action activist: Campaigner poses with GUN and shows off 'terrorist-linked' tattoos amid claims Iran is funding group's activities
A prominent Palestine Action activist has posed with a handgun and showed off a tattoo adopted by terrorist organisations in a series of disturbing social media posts, it has been revealed. Paul Shortt, 52, is one of the group's leading protesters who was convicted of breaking into an international defence technology firm which it claims supplies weapons to the Israeli military. Shortt, from Dumfries, Scotland, and six others used sledgehammers to break into Elbit Systems UK in Bristol on May 15 2022 and caused thousands of pounds of damage to equipment while also spray-painting 'Free Palestine' across the building. The group, dubbed the 'Bristol 7' by Palestine Action, were convicted of burglary and criminal damage last year but received suspended 23-month jail sentences. Shortt, who was ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work for the attack, was pictured launching a fire extinguisher through one of Elbit's windows and being hauled away in handcuffs wearing a 'Free Palestine' all-red outfit. He said after his conviction: 'I'm Scottish, I know about colonialism, I know about land grabs, about ethnic cleansing. We used to do supposedly 'democratic' protests, it just didn't work. Direct action was the only way.' He is one of the prominent members of Palestine Action who the Government is moving to proscribe as a terror group after a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage' culminated in its 'disgraceful attack' at RAF Brize Norton on Friday. Shortt has shared photos online wearing a Palestine football shirt, posing with what appeared to be a handgun and showing off his anti-Israel tattoos. His middle finger has a red triangle tattoo used by pro-Palestine groups including Hamas, the terrorist organisation which carried out the October 7 massacre in Israel. It has been widely used in pro-Palestine protests after it started appearing in Hamas videos to indicate targets such as Israeli tanks. In the disturbing gun post, first reported by The Times, he wrote: 'Resistance is not terrorism! Resistance is justified. When people are occupied. Resist! By any means necessary.' The activist also has a large black tattoo on his lower arm which depicts a map some claim should be Palestine, including the whole of the state of Israel. Shortt, who has moved to erase his social media footprint, has previously shared photos of pro-Israel campaigners in Glasgow with the red triangle symbol imposed over them. Those who display the inverted red triangle on banners, bags, T-shirts and tattoos, argue it is a symbol of resistance and support for the Palestinian cause. However, antisemitism experts believe the symbol is now being widely displayed has very different origins. Some point to the use of the red triangle in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War, when political opponents were forced to wear the symbol on their jackets. More recently, it has been associated with Hamas and used in pro-Palestinian activists. Last July, Berlin - which has the largest Palestinian population in Europe - passed a motion to ban the symbol in Germany. Palestine Action was set up in 2020 but the group have conducted 356 attacks on sites across the UK in the last five years - with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper revealing the damage caused is 'running into the millions of pounds'. Last night, The Times reported how the Home Office is investigating whether Iran is funding Palestine Action. Officials are understood to be probing the group's source of donations amid concerns it is not bound by financial transparency rules. There are fears Iran could be providing money, via proxies, given their objectives of 'dismantling the apartheid regime in Israel' are aligned. Palestine Action invites donations directly through its website but does not publish financial information. The Home Office has voiced concerns around where the group is raising the significant sums it requires for its legal costs as it has instructed lawyers to pursue 'all avenues for legal challenge'. Palestine Action states on its website it is a grassroots movement and accepts funding is 'sometimes inconsistent'. Donations are said to go towards supporting members who are arrested and imprisoned. NGO Monitor a research institute that aims to promote transparency, has said the group's lack of public financial information 'reflects a lack of transparency and accountability'. But one of its known public donors is James 'Fergie' Chambers - an American communist and philanthropist who is heir to a multi-billion conglomerate. Mr Chambers stated in 2023 he had paid the legal fees of Palestine Action members. Beyond concerns around transparency, the Home Office is yet to state direct evidence that links Palestine Action with Iran. Yesterday, Palestine Action protesters violently clashed with police during a protest in Trafalgar Square as tensions ran high amid plans to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws. 13 people, including counter-protesters, were arrested. As the protest was going on, Ms Cooper announced she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group and will lay an order before Parliament next week to make membership and support for the them illegal. The proscription of Palestine Action puts the group on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda or ISIS under British law, banning anyone from promoting the group, arranging meetings or carrying its logo in public. Those breaching the rules could face up to 14 years in jail. Palestine Action described the move as 'unhinged', adding: 'We are teachers, nurses, students and parents who take part in actions disrupting the private companies who are arming Israel's genocide, by spray-painting or entering their factory premises. 'It is plainly preposterous to rank us with terrorist groups like Isis, National Action and Boko Haram.' The protest group was founded by Huda Ammori, the middle class daughter of a top NHS surgeon, alongside former Extinction Rebellion member Richard Barnard. Ms Ammori, a former campaigner at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was born in Bolton to a Palestinian father, a surgeon, and an Iraqi mother. She later went on to graduate from the University of Manchester with an international business and finance degree. Ms Ammori quickly became captivated by student activism during her time at the prestigious institution - even getting a brand of hummus banned from the campus shop. The then-student, who had spotted 'Sabra' hummus, jointly owned by a company who invest in Israeli's military forces, was on sale, launched a tireless campaign that eventually saw the chickpea dip successfully blacklisted. Now, she leads the militant movement for Palestine Action, who broke away from XR and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in 2020. On Friday morning, the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. They managed to infiltrate the base and escape without being caught. The group has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising US President Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. The seriousness of these attacks includes the extent and nature of damage caused, including to targets affecting UK national security, and the impact on innocent members of the public fleeing for safety and subjected to violence. The extent of damage across these three attacks alone, spreading the length and breadth of the UK, runs into the millions of pounds.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
Teenage boy stabbed in chest in Primark store
A 17-year-old boy has been stabbed in the chest in a Primark store in Nottingham. Nottinghamshire Police said the teenager was attacked inside the shop in Long Row at about 11:30 GMT on Sunday. Officers believe there was an altercation between a group of young people outside the store before the stabbing happened. The victim was treated at the scene by paramedics and was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the force added. Police say a suspect left the scene in the direction of Old Market Square. Det Insp Paul Shortt said: "This was an appalling act of violence carried out in full view of members of the public. "A team of detectives is now working to understand exactly what happened in the moments before, during and after this incident." The force asked anyone with any information to get in touch. Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Nottinghamshire Police
BBC News
23-02-2025
- BBC News
Teenage boy stabbed in chest in Nottingham Primark store
A 17-year-old boy has been stabbed in the chest in a Primark store in Police said the teenager was attacked inside the shop in Long Row at about 11:30 GMT on believe there was an altercation between a group of young people outside the store before the stabbing victim was treated at the scene by paramedics and was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the force added. Police say a suspect left the scene in the direction of Old Market Insp Paul Shortt said: "This was an appalling act of violence carried out in full view of members of the public."A team of detectives is now working to understand exactly what happened in the moments before, during and after this incident."The force asked anyone with any information to get in touch.
