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Ukraine & the grip of gas – caught in the machine of Crude Britannia
The newsfeeds hiss and rumble with stories of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are all of us left waiting. Is this truly going to happen, a military conflict between Russia and NATO? Or is this a fevered concoction that aids the Kremlin, the US Administration, and the UK’s flailing Prime Minister? Will the…
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26 Nov 2021 jamesFrom Oil Road to Fire Road – of oil pipelines, gas pipelines and climate chaos
Authored by James Marriott of Platform drawing on the collective experience of so many others in Platform and the multiple organisations we’ve collaborated with. Prompted by an invitation from the Climate Cultures Festival in Berlin to speak about Crude Britannia and The Oil Road, co-authored with Mika Minio-Paluello, I returned to the Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline…
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Iraq, BP and the British Museum – look upon these works and hang our heads in shame
I had read in advance the briefing that Culture Unstained had put out to accompany the planned action. The protest at the British Museum was to be against BP’s sponsorship of the exhibition ‘I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria’, a display of treasures from the land of Iraq. I read lines…
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The Invisible Machine – a gas pipeline in the Caucasus and a handshake in No10
On the evening of Thursday 26th April 2018, it was warm and sunny in London. President Ilham Aliyev strode down Downing Street and was met by Prime Minister Theresa May with smile and a handshake. They posed for the cameras on the red carpet outside No 10 and then retired inside. A short formal chat…
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Aliyev re-elected as President for another 7 years – the chain of oil autocracy that binds Azerbaijan
On 18th April Ilham Aliyev will be inaugurated for the fourth time as President of Azerbaijan. His re-election comes as no surprise. It is so predictable that it barely counted as ‘news’ and consequently got next to no coverage in the international media. Originally the election was scheduled for 17th October, but at nine weeks…
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Darkness Falling – 100 days in Azerbaijan
Today the appeal trial of Leyla and Arif Yunus continues in Azerbaijan. As it does James Marriott reflects on 100 days in Azerbaijan. For over 100 days I have been away from the hum of collective life in Platform, away from the buzz of e-mails and twitter, away from the news feed darting this way…
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All That Glitters: Sport, BP and Repression in Azerbaijan
All that Glitters was published to mark the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 European Games in Baku. The inaugural European Games Baku 2015 are about much more than medals. Held in Azerbaijan at the height of a systematic crackdown on human rights and democracy, the Games are the first of a series of international sporting…
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UK human rights campaigner held overnight and deported from Baku in run-up to European Games
Contact in London: Mika Minio-Paluello, 07733466038 / 02074033738 [email protected] Emma Hughes of Platform has been deported from Azerbaijan, where she was detained and held overnight in Baku airport. Emma had arrived in Baku at 3pm, but was taken off her plane by guards and questioned, then detained. During her detention she was told she…
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UK human rights campaigner detained & red-listed in Baku Airport in run-up to European Games
Emma has been deported. Up to date press release: https://platformlondon.org/p-pressreleases/emma-hughes-deported-azerbaijan-bp/ Emma Hughes of Platform, a member of the Sport for Rights coalition, has been detained in Baku airport on her way into Azerbaijan, by the BP-Aliyev regime. She has been told she is on a “red list”, had her passport taken from her and will…
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The Management of Democracy – a report from the BP AGM 2015
The low hanger of the ExCeL building – the London Exhibition Centre – squats grey and devoid of windows on the northern quayside of the former Royal Victoria Dock which was closed and privatised in 1981. Despite having visited this hall for most of the BP Annual General Meetings of the past decade, the place…
