Going Underground Episode Archive

We speak to Ken Fero, director of the film ‘Ultraviolence’ which explores police brutality and killings in the UK. He discusses the shocking statistic that since 1969, there have been over 2000 police deaths in the U.K., why warfare abroad cannot be divorced from policing at home, the issue of race in police brutality in the UK, the UK’s justice system compared to the US’ system regarding prosecuting police who have killed people and much more! IOPC spokesperson: “Every death in police custody or death following police contact can have a tragic and lifelong impact on the family and friends of those who have died. It can also have a lasting impact on those involved in their detention. All such deaths require a mandatory referral to the IOPC so an independent review of the circumstances can be undertaken. It is critical that we thoroughly examine the circumstances of each case to ensure that those involved are held accountable, and importantly to identify if there are lessons to be learnt to help prevent future deaths. The IOPC is independent of the police, government and interest groups and we make our decisions impartially, based on evidence. By law, our Director General can never have worked for the police. Also none of our executive team, regional directors or our Director for Wales have worked for the police.”

We speak to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of the Unilateral Coercive Measure on Human Rights Alena Douhan. She discusses the passing of her predecessor Idriss Jazairy who had previously appeared multiple times on Going Underground, the impact of US sanctions on countries such as Venezuela, Iran and Syria, how sanctions are preventing the purchase of vital medical equipment during Coronavirus in Iran, how unilateral sanctions are attacking fundamental human rights such as the right to health and the right to education, why the fear of sanctions violates human rights as sanctions themselves and much more! “We contacted the European Commission about the allegations in this segment and the Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy sent us this statement: On the US sanctions and their impact on humanitarian assistance: The EU was very clear in its reaction to the recently announced unilateral US sanctions against Iran: the potential impact of these US measures on humanitarian trade is a matter of concern for the EU. The US sanctions – like any other sanctions – must not stand in the way nor impede the global fight against COVID-19 or the delivery of humanitarian aid. The EU considers the extraterritorial application of unilateral restrictive measures unlawful and contrary to international law. On EU actions in humanitarian area: The EU is looking for ways how to advance trade an provide humanitarian assistance even under the circumstances created by imposition of sanctions. As part of the EU’s ongoing efforts, the European Commission for example just launched two online platforms to support European economic operators, in particular Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), to engage in legitimate trade with Iran. The EU was also one of the first to announce humanitarian assistance to Iran in relation to the dramatic spread of coronavirus earlier this year. High Representative for EU Foreign Policy Josep Borrell spoke about it recently in the European Parliament, where he said: “As European Union, we were quick to provide humanitarian support, with a [humanitarian] air bridge, and we keep strongly advocating – together with the UN Secretary General [António Guterres] - that sanctions must not impede humanitarian trade. Together with EU Member States we also keep looking at ways to encourage more legitimate trade between the EU and Iran, including through INSTEX.” (feel free to use the audio and video from his remarks - see the entire speech here). On EU position regarding trade as a result of the JCPOA: The EU has taken a series of concrete actions to continue enabling legitimate trade with Iran. The EU updated its Blocking Statute in August 2018 to provide legal protection to European companies that are interested in doing legitimate business with Iran. The EU has also supported the setting up of INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) and helped making it operational. The EU is determined to continue pursuing efforts to enable legitimate trade with Iran, including through supporting the work of the E3 on INSTEX. This ongoing work is to make sure that the effects of the sanctions are minimised for the companies that want to continue to do legitimate business with and in Iran and that they can still have access to the necessary finance. On Venezuela – we usually do not comment on reports by various NGOs or think tanks. But it is highly inappropriate to attribute deaths of people in Venezuela to EU sanctions. In fact it is very wrong, since the EU sanctions are targeted against the members of Maduro regime and on arms and equipment used for repression against the civilian population. This means, the EU sanctions are actually targeted against those who are responsible for the dramatic situation of the civilian population in Venezuela. The EU sanctions against Maduro regime were introduced in November 2017. A total of 36 individuals are under sanctions. This includes an embargo on arms and on equipment for internal repression as well as a travel ban and an asset freeze on listed individuals. You can find more on the sanctions regime here: www.sanctionsmap.eu and for specific sanctions against Maduro regime in Venezuela here - https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main/details/44/?search=%7B%22value%22:%22%22,%22searchType%22:%7B%7D%7D These restrictive measures are intended to foster a peaceful, political and democratic solution, through credible, transparent and internationally monitored presidential elections, leading to the restoration of democracy, rule of law and human rights in Venezuela. The EU sanctions against the Maduro regime are flexible and reversible and designed not to target nor to harm the Venezuelan population.”

We speak to David Roediger, author of ‘The Sinking Middle Class: A Political History’. He discusses how the term middle class has become vague enough to include anywhere between 40% to over 90% of the US population, how many Americans identify themselves incorrectly as middle class, how the issue of race has shaped the identification with middle class and political rhetoric, the Cold War origins of the popularity of the term ‘middle class’, how the term has harmed working class movements and organisations such as trade unions and why the term ‘middle class’ should die!

We speak to Maria Karapetyan, member of the National Assembly of Armenia and Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights & Public Affairs. She discusses the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in-depth, including Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev's interviews justifying the conflict, the claims Turkey is sending Islamist Syrian rebels to fight on Azerbaijan's side in the contested region, why Turkey's re-entry into the South Caucusus is a threat to Armenia's existence, allegations Armenia has struck Azeri energy infrastructure, the prospect of the South Cacusus becoming a hotbed of international terrorism, the international community's recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan's territory and more! #NagornoKarabakh #Armenia #Azerbaijan Statement by Azeri Ambassador Tahir Taghizade On who started the fight on September 27, 2020: I would advise the guest to watch and analyze President Aliyev’s interviews again and try to do so without bias. What is there not to like? The fact that we do not have any single military target in Armenia and that we hold our fire despite our peaceful population being shelled? Or the fact that we don’t like to be dictated upon through putting forward preconditions? Besides, the war is going in the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. The consecutive provocative steps and inflammatory rhetoric by the current political-military leadership of Armenia during last two years has shown that this country is not interested at all in the resolution of the conflict which means the restoration of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. To name but one, Prime Minister Pashinian declared that “Karabakh is Armenia, Period” in August 2019. And in March 2019 Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan declared that “territories for peace” approach will no longer be applied. Instead he said he is rephrasing it to “new war for new territories”. And that is where Ms. Karapetyan’s answer lies. As we have been warning the international community, Armenia’s political-military leadership by trying to derail peace process, has been preparing for new war along the way. The testimony to that is Armenia’s attack on Azerbaijan three times for the last three month: Back in July Armenia attacked Azerbaijan alongside the international border near Tovuz region of Azerbaijan; in August they sent a group to sabotage Azerbaijani positions and on September 27 Armenia started shelling our positions and cities. With regard to civilian attacks Armenia’s political-military leadership is solely responsible for current situation and future developments. Starting from day one, Armenia has been attacking civilian population of Azerbaijan living in the regions and cities along the line of contact and removed far from the conflict zone like Ganja, Mingechevir, Terter, Berde, Goranboy, Beylagan and many more. As of 09 October, 31 Azerbaijani civilians were killed by Armenia’s missile attacks. Unlike Armenia we are targeting only military objects. In Khankendi, Azerbaijan’s response was to target an artillery brigade outside of this city which was used to resupply other artillery units. The base was a legitimate military target, but, unfortunately Armenia’s policy of applying human shields around military installments continues. We have warned all civilians to leave the area. Regarding “NK defense army” The puppet regime illegally established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to consolidate the results of the occupation has not been recognized by a single country in the world. There are only two parties to this conflict which are Armenia and Azerbaijan. Regarding the claims on terrorist elements and foreign fighters This is Armenian propaganda which we categorically reject. Azerbaijan has full-fledged and skilled military forces as well as capable state agencies to provide every protection the country needs. Yet, there have been numerous reports published in Greek, Arab and other media sources that terrorists of Armenian and non-Armenian descent from elsewhere are going to fight in Nagorno Karabakh. So I would say the nature of the conflict has not changed a lot: it is Armed forces of Armenia backed by terrorists and mercenaries against Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. What has changed is that now other terrorist groups, non-Armenian by nature are involved in the fight against Azerbaijan through good offices of the government of Armenia. After all, is it not indicative that a country size of Armenia has over a dozen of groups internationally recognized as terrorists? FULL STATEMENT RESPONSE BY AMBASSADOR TAGHIZADE ON RT'S WEBSITE: https://www.rt.com/shows/going-underground/503039-nagorno-karabakh-conflict-kyrgyz-revolution/

We firstly speak to Pastor Darrell Scott, Author of ‘Nothing to Lose: Unlikely Allies in the Struggle for a Better Black America’ and a member of President Trump’s 2016 transition team. He discusses Donald Trump’s Coronavirus diagnosis and rejection of a virtual debate with Democrat rival Joe Biden, why he believes Donald Trump is the most pro-black President in history, Donald Trump’s ‘Platinum Plan’ for African Americans and why the mainstream media won’t cover it, the Black Lives Matter protests, the level of Trump’s belief in the bible, Donald Trump’s record on race relations and more!

We speak to Apsana Begum MP of the Labour Party. She discusses the privatised Serco Test & Trace and its failures during the Coronavirus pandemic, the new 3 tier system of local lockdown measures, the ‘overseas operations bill’ which could immunise war crimes, torture and rape by British agents and soldiers, Sir Keir Starmer’s calls to abstain on the bill instead of vigorously opposing it, her own vote against the bill and much more!

We speak to Femi Kuti, four-time Grammy Award nominee and son of Afrobeat Pioneer Fela Kuti. He discusses the End SARS and anti-police brutality protests that have swept Nigeria, the root of police violence being in the colonial era, what causes Nigeria’s police brutality, his own involvement in helping calming the situation in an #EndSARS protest, the crackdown launched by security forces, why he believes President Buhari has handled both Coronavirus and the protests badly and much more!

We speak to award-winning actor and playwright and author of ‘The Actual’ Inua Ellams. He discusses the issues illustrated in his poems such as climate change, Donald Trump and racism, why politics has become less about listening and more about knee-jerk reactions, why he believes the way the British government and people’s perception of immigration has to fundamentally change, the arguably toxic lesser-known legacy of Rudyard Kipling and much more! To conclude the show, he recites his poem ‘F—K/Batman’ STATEMENT FROM SHELL: https://www.shell.com.ng/sustainability/environment/ogon-issue/ken-saro-wiwa.html

We speak to Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the U.K. Tahir Taghizadeh about the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh against Azerbaijan. He discusses why foreign journalists have been barred from Azerbaijan, the allegations of the presence of Turkish-backed Syrian Islamists fighting alongside the Azeri army in Nagorno-Karabakh, Canada’s decision to suspend arms exports to Azerbaijan out of fear their arms could be used in the conflict, his allegations that Armenia is attacking Azerbaijan’s territories outside of Nagorno-Karabakh, the threat of the conflict escalating to include more regional and international powers such as Russia, allegations of Armenians from outside of Armenia joining the fighting, alleged Iranian involvement in the conflict on the side of Armenia and more!

We speak to Kyrgyzstan's Ambassador to the UK Edil Baisalov on the recent revolution in Kyrgyzstan following elections which drew mass protests after revelations of vote-buying and the nullifying of the election result. He discusses how certain political actors bought votes on a mass-scale and attempted to 'privatise the state' as well as buying the institutions for the next two decades, the theme of revolutions in Kyrgyzstan's post-USSR nation-building, why the revolution was entirely organic and not a product of foreign intervention by economic institutions or foreign powers, why Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy and Russian-friendly foreign policy is likely to continue after the revolution, the confusion over who holds what position as protests and violence sweep the capital Bishkek and more!

We speak to Allen West, former congressman and current chairman of the Texas Republican Party. He discusses the prospect of a Biden-Harris White House, Trump’s Middle East policy as regards the signing of the Abraham Accords, whether Donald Trump is preparing for a war with Iran in his second term, why the label of ‘Putin’s puppet’ has stuck with Trump despite arguably hawkish policies, the growth of Black Lives Matter protests in the US following George Floyd’s death, and much more!

We speak to Magid Magid, former mayor of Sheffield and Member of the European Parliament. He discusses his new book ‘The Art of Disruption: A Manifesto For Real Change’, his early childhood fleeing Somalia as a refugee, his time as Mayor of Sheffield and how he stuck to Sheffield’s tradition of radical politics, banning Donald Trump from Sheffield, the points-based immigration system Boris Johnson’s government is aiming to implement and why we should oppose it, the health threat of air pollution and much more.

We speak to former Democratic West Virginia State Senator, National Spokesperson for No Dem Left Behind and Retired US Army Major Richard Ojeda. He responds to Pastor Darrell Scott’s assertion that Trump is the most pro-black President ever, why he voted for President Trump in 2016 and why he calls it the worst decision he could have made, why Donald Trump has broken his promises to American voters, Joe Biden’s policy positions on climate change and foreign policy, the ‘No Dem Left Behind’ campaign, why someone from his mould cannot become President of the United States and much more!

Going Underground’s Deputy Editor Charlie Cooke speaks to Award-winning Photographer Jeff Mermelstein, Author of #NYC. He discusses the background of the photography project, contentions he had regarding privacy ethics surrounding #NYC, the changing dynamics of privacy today and how we are observed and monitored more than ever and why he chose New York over any other city in the world for the focus of the project!

We speak to Professor Danny Blanchflower of Dartmouth College, the former committee member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (2006-2009). He discusses his take on what the government's response should be to the Coronavirus economic crisis, why austerity after the 2008 financial crisis under David Cameron and George Osborne left the country unprepared for COVID-19, why the furlough scheme must continue despite Rishi Sunak's and Boris Johnson's decision to end it, the prospect of unemployment higher than 30% in the UK, why governments should not be worried about debt when it comes to fighting Coronavirus' economic impacts and more!

We speak to Dr. Jacob Granville who starred in Netflix’s ‘Pandemic’ and is the CEO of Distributed Bio. He discusses the treatments used to save Donald Trump’s life when he caught Coronavirus, the reports that the antibody cocktail he took uses tissue from aborted foetuses, how a Coronavirus vaccine would work in combatting Coronavirus, how close we are to getting a Coronavirus vaccine, Russia developing its own Sputnik V Coronavirus vaccine, why Coronavirus chaos won’t end once a vaccine is approved and more!

We speak to Palestinian American comedian Amer Zahr. He discusses his thoughts on the Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the neoliberal policy positions of both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, why the Biden campaign’s strategy of appealing to the center could be a recipe for disaster, anti-Palestinian and pro-Israeli thinking at the heart of Biden’s inner circle, why the Democrats may be taking the Arab-American vote for granted, foreign policy hawks influencing Biden and much more!

Going Underground’s Deputy Editor Charlie Cooke speaks to Alejandro Jodorowsky, Legendary Surrealist Film-Maker and Director and actor in classics such as El Topo and The Holy Mountain. He discusses his new film Psychomagic: A Healing Art, how he came to develop psychomagic, how it helps individuals suffering from experiencing trauma, his opinions on modern politics and economics amid the Coronavirus pandemic and much more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Prof. Karl Friston of the UK's Independent SAGE Committee regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He discusses Boris Johnson's new measures such as 10pm closing times for pubs and other businesses and local lockdowns and whether these policies will work, Boris Johnson's claim that track and trace 'has very little or nothing to do with the spread and transmission of COVID-19', why the key to beating back the Coronavirus second wave is to provide support measures for those who need to self-isolate, the prevailing concept of the herd immunity approach, the unnecessary polarisation in the debate on measures to be taken against COVID-19 and more!

We speak to the Palestinian Ambassador to the U.K. Husam Zomlot. He discusses the Coronavirus situation in occupied Palestine, the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE, Bahrain and Israel which was facilitated by Donald Trump, why the name Abraham Accords shouldn’t be used to describe the agreements, why normalisation of relations by UAE and Bahrain with Israel hinder Palestine’s quest for statehood and an end to Israel’s occupation, the Trump Administration’s treatment of Palestinians, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and more!

We speak to Greg Palast, world-renowned investigative journalist who has exposed mass voter-suppression and the purging of voter rolls in the United States. He discusses Donald Trump’s Coronavirus diagnosis and its impact on the election, the upcoming debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, his opinions on Donald Trump taking off his mask in the White House despite being infected with COVID-19, why he believes Donald Trump will still win the White House in November, the probability of violence from far-right groups during and after the election, why it is likely millions of ballots will likely be discarded in this election and much more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the author of ‘The Monster Enters: COVID-19, Avian Flu and the Plagues of Capitalism’, award-winning author and historian Mike Davis, who predicted we were imminently due a viral pandemic. He discusses why we are now in the age of pandemics, how capitalism and corporations are causing deadly pandemics to become more likely, the urgent need for a universal influenza vaccine, how a shortage of PPE influenced mask policy in the United States, how pandemic planning has been ignored for years by governments around the world despite warnings from the scientific community, how class divides and inequality mean poorer people will suffer more not just from COVID-19 but from future pandemics as well and more! The Swedish Embassy declined to comment on the allegations made in this broadcast.

Finally, Going Underground’s Deputy Editor Charlie Cooke speaks to Julian Sands, actor in the film ‘The Painted Bird’ which portrays the horrors of World War Two through a child’s eyes who suffers horrific abuse while seeking safety. He discusses the relevance of the film today as millions around the world are forced to flee their homes due to war, the themes of the film which are relevant to modern-day politics with hostility towards refugees and migrants, the Coronavirus crisis and its effect on the film and entertainment industry and much more! STATEMENT FROM THE U.K. Department of Media, Culture and Sport: We are working flat out to support our world class performing arts sector through challenging times. Our unprecedented £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund builds on £200 million in emergency public funding and will support organisations of all sizes across the country, including theatres. Indoor performances in front of a socially distanced audience can now take place and we're delighted to hear that, in addition to venues that have already opened such as The Bridge Theatre, Nimax and the National Theatre plan to open their doors again next month. We are continuing to work with the industry on proposals for how full audiences might return.

On this episode of Going Underground we speak to the ghostwriter of Donald Trump’s best-selling book The Art of The Deal and author of 'Dealing With The Devil: My Mother, Trump and Me' Tony Schwartz. He discusses how Donald Trump originally approached him to help him write an autobiography, how he gave the Art of the Deal idea to Donald Trump, the role of journalists and their uncritical reporting leading to the increase of Donald Trump’s power, the Trump administration’s response to Coronavirus and 200,000+ American deaths from COVID-19, why Trump views his own base as the biggest suckers and losers, how he came up with the phrase ‘truthful hyperbole’ and why Donald Trump loves it and more!

Finally we speak to Juanita Broaddrick, alleged rape survivor of former President Bill Clinton and author of "You Better Put Some Ice on That". She discusses the influence of the Clintons over the Democratic Party, her encounter with Bill Clinton after the alleged rape, why she is now a Republican and Trump supporter, the media and #MeToo movement's shunning of conservative victims of sexual assault and rape, Tara Reade's allegations against Joe Biden and much more!