Going Underground Episode Archive

We firstly speak to the Head of the UN Support Mission to Libya Stephanie Turco Williams. She discusses the situation regarding the Coronavirus pandemic in the country which has been in turmoil since the killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, how foreign interference and arms coming in from abroad are fuelling the ongoing war in Libya, the announcement that Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj will resign as Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord, the need for reconciliation between the GNA and Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, the ongoing refugee crisis and more!

We speak to Yaakov Katz, Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post. He discusses the Abraham Accords and whether they strengthen Israel’s security or weakens it, the tension with Iran over the signing of the Abraham Accords, Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent performance as Prime Minister amid his upcoming corruption trial, the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and much more!

We begin with a montage of some of our most prominent guests who have come out in support of Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange who now faces his US extradition trial, including Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Oliver Stone, Roger Waters, Slavoj Zizek, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to legendary journalist and filmmaker John Pilger. He discusses the Coronavirus pandemic and it’s damage to the U.K., the scandal of some of the most vulnerable patients being thrown out of hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the tens of thousands of excess deaths, ongoing privatisation of the NHS and the the continuous deterioration of the NHS before the pandemic, Matt Hancock’s performance as Health Secretary, the ongoing persecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, new charges against him, the efforts to extradite him to the US and the silence of mainstream journalists on his persecution. Finally, John Pilger discusses the rising tensions between the US and its allies and China, ongoing Cold War dynamics with Xi Jinping's China and Vladimir Putin's Russia, the hypocrisy of Western foreign policy against China, the Hong Kong National Security Law, the US military encirclement of China and how China is entering a ‘state of siege’, rising tension with Australia and more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to world-renowned American dissident and co-author of ‘Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal’ Noam Chomsky. He discusses why a Green New Deal is the most important project in human history amid the climate emergency and Coronavirus pandemic, how a Green New Deal would help to radically restructure the economy to benefit the majority after the Coronavirus economic collapse, the role of corporations and big banks in the climate crisis, the state of capitalism and the American population through the Donald Trump and Obama years, the 2020 Presidential election (Donald Trump vs Joe Biden), the choice between Joe Biden’s neoliberalism and Donald Trump’s White House which he says poses an existential threat to us all, the threat of nuclear war, Julian Assange’s US extradition hearing which will start on September 7th and more!

We speak to Lebanese MP Ghassan Moukheiber about the tragic explosion in Beirut port, which was considerably more powerful than the MOAB. He discusses what happened in his personal life in the first few moments of the explosion and initial reaction, calling it nothing of a nuclear bomb, the possibility of the explosion being triggered by some form of attack as President Donald Trump is saying, why the main factor is criminal negligence and corruption, Lebanon’s spiral of deterioration through economic and political crisis and how much worse the Beirut blast has made things, why Lebanon’s democracy is a façade, continual conflict with Israel and the role of Hezbollah in Lebanese politics, Israel’s claim it is a democracy and more!

We speak to Dr. Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park 5, who were wrongfully convicted for the rape and assault of a white female jogger in Manhattan’s Central Park. He discusses what it was like to serve out his sentence in a supermax prison, despite knowing he was innocent, the racist overtones of the media and criminal justice system that wrongfully prosecuted him and 4 others, the intervention of Donald Trump and Pat Buchanan in the case calling for their deaths, Joe Biden's Presidential run and his history of backing mass-incarceration, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) uprising in the United States and what this means for the police, criminal justice system and the racist history of the United States and much more!

Finally, we speak to Da 5 Bloods actor Clarke Peters. He discusses the filming of Back Lives Matter protests in the movie, a full year before the widespread protests we see today and why BLM protests were inevitable, the story of Da 5 Bloods and how the film provides a black perspective on the Vietnam War, his accusation that veterans around the world have been neglected after coming back from battle, his own arrest at an anti-Vietnam War protest, the Black Lives Matter protests today and the backlash against police brutality and much more!

We speak to Donald Trump’s former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. He discusses how Donald Trump has changed since becoming President, how the President has become more child-like, the Trump administration’s Coronavirus response, the Trump campaign’s chances against Joe Biden, why he doesn't support the US' wars in the Middle East, the likelihood that the stories of Trump calling dead US soldiers 'losers' are true and more!

Going Underground’s Social Media Producer Farhaan Ahmed heads down to the Old Bailey where Julian Assange is facing his US extradition trial and speaks to Wikileaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, legendary journalist and filmmaker John Pilger and fashion icon Vivienne Westwood who all attended the pro-Assange protests outside the court. (Cameraman: Anthony Brown)

We speak to Dragons’ Den Star and business mogul Deborah Meaden. She discusses the economic impacts of COVID-19, the turbulent environment small and medium-sized businesses face with Coronavirus as well as a potential no deal Brexit at the end of the year, her disappointment in the government’s lack of clarity on Brexit, how she believes the economy must be transformed and how the government must help the industries of the future out of the ashes of the economic ruin caused by Coronavirus, which businesses will survive the greatest recession the world has faced and much more!

We speak to former Republican Congressman and former Presidential candidate Joe Walsh. He discusses the anti-Trump Conservative movements gunning for a Joe Biden victory over President Donald Trump, why he, a self-described tea party non-interventionist could support Joe Biden who has supported military interventions in the Middle East, his branding of Trump as a dictator, his allegations that masses of Conservatives are leaving the Republican Party, Trump’s chancing of winning 2020 and why Trump support is like a sinking ship, his belief that Trump is a dictator who is a puppet of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin and much more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal, author of ‘The Management of Savagery, about the newly released Russia Report in the U.K. He discusses the use of Christopher Steele as a key witness in the report, despite the fact he had been largely discredited in the United States, the findings of the report and why it failed to come to the conclusion of Russiagaters regarding Brexit, Keir Starmer’s Labour’s attempts to get RT’s license revoked in the U.K. and his motivations behind wanting RT shut down, the less-publicised side of Keir Starmer’s history and how he has been arguably moulded by the National security state, the Espionage Act being used to prosecute Julian Assange and its ‘chilling effect on journalists’, the real backgrounds behind US-backed sources’ claims on the persecution of Uighurs in Xinjiang by the Communist Party of China, Uighur organisations and their ties to the US government and more! #RussiaReport #Russia #Politics STATEMENT FROM THE WORLD UIGHUR CONGRESS: The WUC has always been transparent about its funding. The NED is a private institution that supports more than 1000 projects from around 150 countries that promote human rights and democracy. The WUC is one of these, who receives funding for human rights projects and our human rights training programs for Uyghur youth around the world. The Grayzone has a clear agenda and has repeatedly echoed talking points from the Chinese government to deflect criticism of the Chinese government's genocidal policies against Uyghurs and others. As there is now a mountain of evidence on what the Chinese government is doing to the Uyghur people, the CCP has been trying to discredit, threaten, and silence those who dare to speak up. We urge your viewers to look at the witness testimonies, satellite imagery, leaked documents, and statements from the Chinese government itself, which clearly evidence what is happening to the Uyghur people. In the spirit of transparency and openness, we hope the Grayzone will disclose its sources of funding.

We firstly speak to Gregory McKelvey, the Vice-Chair of the Oregon Democratic Black Caucus. He discusses the Portland protests which erupted after the death of George Floyd, the racist origins of Oregon which connect today’s Black Lives Matter protests to the past, Trump sending in federal agents to violently crackdown on BLM protesters, allegations that the protesters are ‘violent anarchists’, how Trump could intentionally be trying to make cities into warzones to make it harder to vote in November, the widespread use of tear gas against protesters and more! #Portland #PortlandProtests #2020Election STATEMENT FROM MAYOR TED WHEELER: I'm pleased the Governor and the Multnomah County Sheriff responded favorably to my request for mutual aid to implement the great planning work Portland Police have done to be ready for this weekend's potential protests. The additional resources provided by the state police will go a long way to ensuring we are able to do everything possible to be ready when alt-right and white nationalist groups come to our city. We all agree our state and our nation are facing unprecedented threats. I want our entire community to know - first and foremost - our shared priority is to ensure and protect the safety and well-being of everyone in the face of rampant divisiveness and ongoing violence. Having a unified command structure uniting the resources of the state, the county and the city is a timely and appropriate response to the threat we face. I categorically condemn violence of all kinds by all people. But let me be clear, the alt-right and white supremacist groups organizing to come to Portland on Saturday present the greatest threat we've faced so far. These groups embody and empower racism, intolerance and hate. Those are not Portland values, and they are not welcome here. Hate has no home in Portland. They have actively threatened violence against elected officials and others in our community. For Saturday to remain peaceful, we need everyone's help - the state, the county and the community. We must stand together, and we are. Together, we can prevent white nationalists from achieving their goals of spreading fear and intimidation and of misrepresenting Portland for political gain. We will always support the rights of people to peacefully assemble. And we will always stand against those who provoke violence, regardless of their beliefs. Again, I want to thank the Oregon State Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff for their support. Because of their leadership, combined with that of Portland Police Chief Lovell, I'm hopeful everyone will stay safe this weekend. I also want to thank the City of Milwaukie and the City of Lake Oswego, who also responded to our request for additional officers and support. Finally, I know there's a lot of interest in the use of tear gas. My order banning the Portland Police from using tear gas for crowd control remains in place. This weekend don't give out of town racists and bullies the satisfaction of distracting us, or slowing us down. Let's keep our focus on what's important and keep pressing forward together. And once again, thanks to our partners for responding to our request for mutual aid under these extraordinary circumstances.

We speak to legendary character actor Luis Guzman. He discusses the impact of Coronavirus and the lessons he has learned in his personal life regarding diet and nutrition to get healthier, the Black Lives Matter protests which have swept the United States and other countries, the toppling of statues such as of Christopher Columbus and how the brutal history of imperialism isn’t taught in US schools, why the war on drugs has been a failure and much more!

We speak to Alan Stern, the Principal Investigator in NASA’s New Horizons Mission to Pluto. He discusses the latest in space exploration such as the recently launched new Mars mission and mission to explore Pluto, the creeping role of private corporations in space travel, the militarisation of space and how hostilities on Earth between the US, China and Russia are slowly being taken to space, the development of Trump's Space Force and much more!

First, we speak to world-renowned human rights lawyer of Doughty Street Chambers Geoffrey Robertson QC. He discusses the new indictments being brought by the US against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange and why they have been brought at such a late stage, why the US is pushing so hard for his extradition to the United States, his belief that Julian Assange would get 50 years in prison if he is extradited to the United States, alleged bugging of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London by the United States to spy on Julian Assange, Julian’s limited access to lawyers inside Belmarsh Prison and much more!

We speak to Prof. Danny Dorling of Oxford University, author of ‘Finntopia: What We Can Learn From the World’s Happiest Country’. He discusses some of the problems in Finland such as gambling and racism which the government is trying to tackle, how Finland ranks in the top 3 of over 100 different world happiness indexes, the hard history of Finland and how it forced Finland’s citizens to come together, how left-wing unity in Finland has led them to become a dominant force in Finnish politics, how Finland’s education spending differs from that of other Western countries, policies which have led to the virtual ending of homelessness, how the U.K. is at the bottom of most rankings such as inequality among European states whereas Finland consistently remains at or near the top and more! STATEMENT FROM THE LEFT ALLIANCE: Left Alliance spokesperson: "There still is independent marginal Communist Party in Finland. Last elections it had under 1% support. I have not ever heard of ”former woman’s party”, and communist party or some woman’s party does not have anything to do with us. Over 30 years ago there was a ”Finnish People's Democratic League”. A large coalition of different kind of leftist people. Former Communist Party of Finland was a part of that leftist coalition. We The Left Alliance are now 30 years old party and we continue the heritage of Peoples Democratic League. We have more and more new young members every year. We are leftist, pro democratic and part of European green left. Important part of our ideology is to support the tradition of nordic welfare state and develop it. Of course gender equality is also important to us.” STATEMENT FROM THE FINNISH EMBASSY IN THE UK: Finnish Embassy in London spokesperson: "Finland ranks as one of the most socially just countries in the world, and for the third year in a row, Finland is the happiest nation in the World Happiness Report, which ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. This is quite a remarkable story when you consider, that when Finland became independent 100 years ago, it was one of the Europe’s poorest countries. "The secret to our happiness is simple. Since Finland has no significant natural resources, we have invested in the one resource we have – the people. Everyone’s potential is utilized, and today we have one of the most educated workforces in the world. "Other factors behind our happiness include high level of trust in the society, good governance and a respectful attitude towards nature."

We speak to Prof. Jeffrey Shaman, Director of the Climate and Health Program at Columbia University. He discusses the possible effects of the climate on influenza viruses and Coronavirus, why the Coronavirus pandemic is significantly harder for forecasting fatality with regards to atmospheric conditions and human behaviour, how Coronavirus can have innate seasonality, how winter could make the Coronavirus more transmissible, the findings of studies which have looked into how atmospheric conditions affect the Coronavirus and much more!

We speak to former Hong Kong legislator and founder of Demosistō Nathan Law about the new Hong Kong National Security Law, implemented by Beijing. He discusses why he must conduct the interview with Afshin Rattansi from an undisclosed location, why he believes the national security law destroys Hong Kong's freedom and autonomy, allegations of organizations in the Hong Kong protest movement being tied to Western intelligence agencies such as the CIA, the role of the US-backed National Endowment for Democracy in the Hong Kong protests, Beijing using the narrative of foreign interference to fool its own citizens, how the law arguably curbs freedom of speech and assembly, China's policies in Xinjiang regarding Uyghur Muslims and more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to UK rap legend Lowkey ahead of the 3rd Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Tragedy and amid a revitalized anti-racism movement in the UK. He discusses why we should commemorate the 'state crime' of the Grenfell tragedy on Sunday, the link between government deregulation and the Grenfell tragedy, the alleged role of certain companies in making it possible for the Grenfell fire to happen, his allegations of a corporate cover-up regarding investigations into the tragedy, the media's failure to cover the companies' alleged role in creating the conditions leading to the Grenfell fire, reports of UK security services contracting out Instagram and Facebook accounts as a part of their PREVENT strategy, PREVENT using his music videos in training sessions, statues being torn down in Black Lives Matter protests in the UK, why the British public supports the British Empire despite its bloody history, Britain having to pay the victims of the British Empire and wars Britain has participated in and more! STATEMENT FROM THE GRENFELL TOWER INQUIRY: "The undertaking that has been sought does not grant immunity from prosecution and does not have that effect. Prosecutions can still be brought, but any oral evidence given to the Inquiry by a witness subject to the undertaking cannot be used in support of the prosecution of that person. Any prosecution would therefore have to be supported by other evidence. The undertaking does not apply to any statements or documents already in the possession of the Inquiry and it does not prevent the prosecuting authorities from making use of answers given by one witness in furtherance of a prosecution of another.” We contacted The British Museum who directed us to a blog by Director Hartwig Fischer that can be found here: https://blog.britishmuseum.org/a-message-from-director-hartwig-fischer/

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to legendary filmmaker and actor Werner Herzog. He discusses his own experience under Coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles California, the COVID-19 situation in the USA, his film ‘Family Romance’, how his German nationality influences his views on capital punishment, the Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the nation following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police, the Soviet role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War Two and why the role of the Soviet Union is being increasingly ignored, the conflict in Yemen and the need for a new approach to settle the conflict and more!

We speak to Greg Palast, author of ‘How Trump Stoke 2020’. He discusses why Donald Trump has likely already won the 2020 election despite Joe Biden and the Democrats being massively ahead in the polls, how tricks related to direct mailing and removing tens of millions of Americans from voter rolls is changing the outcomes of elections, how Republicans are engaged in voter suppression against African-American voters, why the mass mail-in ballot voting method will mean Trump winning 2020 and more!

We firstly speak to the co-creator of 'Yes Minister' and 'Yes Prime Minister' Jonathan Lynn. He discusses Sir Mark Sedwill's intention to quit as Boris Johnson's Head of the Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary, how politicians view civil servants and vice versa, the similarities between Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister characters, the similarities between the character Dorothy Wainwright and Dominic Cummings, the domination of Oxbridge and Eton-educated elites among politicians and civil servants, his shows airing in the Soviet Union, why he believes Western democracy is the best system of governance, how politicians use the civil service as an excuse for their failures, Brexit, Coronavirus and more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Rob Wallace, author of ‘Big Farms Make Big Flu’. He discusses how in recent history, deforestation and land use changes driven by global capital have caused more epidemics, his own experience battling Coronavirus, why the emergency response to Coronavirus has a side-effect of making the population see the structural causes of deadly pathogens, for-profit science and why it is ineffective at solving problems such as deadly pathogens, China’s level of responsibility for Coronavirus, how leaving airports open was instrumental in the rise of Coronavirus as a pandemic, whether Coronavirus will kill of the World Health Organisation and more!