9/11 CultWatch

The 9/11 Cult: Definition, Origins and Response

Larry O'Hara's paper to the Anarchist Studies Network conference at Loughborough University is now available on-line.

You can read it by going here. Do come back to this blog to make your comments though!

9/11 Cultwatch Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

16 September 2008

To: All News Outlets

From: 9/11 Cultwatch

Resist 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

This month has seen a concerted push for respectability by the 9/11 ‘truth’ movement.

Around the seventh anniversary of the attacks in New York, some more ostensibly rational ‘truth’ activists such as Ian Henshall, Belinda McKenzie and Ian Neal, along with the ex-MI5 spy Annie Machon, are looking to hang out in press rooms and have attempted to buy major advertising space in at least one national newspaper.

Whilst cloaked in the language of opponents of US/UK foreign policy (among which we include ourselves) it should be understood that behind their charm offensive are the all too familiar shrill voices and oddballs who tell us 9/11 was carried out by the US government, Mossad, beam weapons, remote control planes, controlled demolition etc, etc

The ‘truth’ movement seeks to rebrand itself under the banner of ‘Reopen 9/11’ and ‘Make War History’ because people were repelled by the absurd arguments, cult like behaviour and rampant anti-semitism that characterised their previous incarnation – the UK and Ireland 9/11 Truth Movement.

Perhaps most worryingly of all the 9/11 truth movement has spawned mutant offspring, with theories looking to blame anyone but the actual perpetrators of subsequent terrorist outrages such as the 2004 Madrid bombings, the July 2005 London bombings and even the attack on Glasgow Airport. Any future bombings will no doubt be explained away in the same manner.
What price social cohesion if we cannot even recognise the challenge events like 7/7 pose to all our communities?

Encouragingly some former activists are beginning to see the danger of the 9/11 ‘truth’ movement. One such person, Mick Meaney, comments:

"In my experience, the truth movement provides a safe haven for anti-Semitism and is a breeding ground for ludicrous theories that only serve to divert attention away from the valid concerns about the War on Terror and the erosion of our civil liberties."

"During my involvement with the truth movement I have seen first hand racism and prejudice towards the Jewish people. Influential members of the movement will often label those who oppose this fascism as “shills” or other government agents, making the problem almost impossible to combat as those in prominent positions refuse to acknowledge its disturbing presence."

"Attacks against those who refuse to share their conspiracy theories have become all too common as journalists, terrorist attack victims (and their families), politicians and members of the public have been subjected to harassment, insults and slurs. What could have once been a credible campaign for justice and freedom has festered into a shameful display of aggression, racism and ignorance."

Heidi Svenson, on behalf of 9/11 Cultwatch, London.

Notes to Editors

You can find out more about 9/11 Cultwatch at http://www.911cultwatch.org.uk/ or the related blog http://paulstott.typepad.com/911cultwatch/

Mick Meaney is editor of RINF Alternative News. See www.rinf.com

You can contact Dr Larry O’Hara and Paul Stott of 9/11 Cultwatch at [email protected]
Both men have been observing the truth movement, often at depressingly close quarters, for a number of years.

Amongst The 9/11 Anniversary Pieces.......

Was this little cracker from Allen Roland in the US.

Scroll down to find this:

"Counter-Terrorism Officer, MI5 (Britain), David Shayler – regarding 9-11 "The available evidence indicates that people in key positions in the FBI, the State Department, the CIA and so on were not loyal to the Constitution; that they saw an opportunity in plans laid down by genuine Islamic terrorists to carry out an operation that would shock the world and would therefore justify U.S. adventurism in the middle East, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Does Mr Roland know something we do not with regards to Shayler's current employment?

Oh - compare and contrast Shayler's analysis here of 9/11 with his ongoing commitment to the CIA/MI5 explanation of the Lockerbie attack (an analysis that seems far more likely to crumble than the explanation of 9/11!)

Comments On Anarchist Studies Network Paper

Hello to the Fat Man on a Keyboard, who has commented on the paper I submitted to the recent Anarchist Studies network conference.

You can read his views here.

Peter is quite right that I concentrated on the overlap between truthers and far-right anti-semites. I could, and will at a later stage, say more about the cross over between some green and new age circles and the more unpleasant corners of the 'truth' movement.

On the issue of the left's anti-semitism, I think it is fairer to say that those walking down a street singing "Ooh aah Hezbollah" on anti-war marches have thus far proved harder for the truth movement to recruit than they would have wished. Indeed one of the reasons the truth movement has mutated into the Make Wars History campaign is precisely because the old left and anti-war movements have proved so resistant to their charms.

It will be interesting to see if this continues......

Two Upcoming Documentaries

As we approach the seventh documentary of 9/11 this Thursday, two programmes of interest appear on the horizon.

This evening Channel 4 shows "The 9/11 Hotel" - where holiday makers and business visitors resident in the WTC complex saw events unfolding around them.

At 9pm on Thursday Channel 4 feature someone who has given a dishonest account of what they saw on 9/11. No, we are not talking about William Rodriguez, but "The 9/11 Faker" Tania Head.

A Gatekeeper?

One of the more despicable habits of the 'truth' movement is its tendency to refer to any radical who does not agree with them as a 'left gatekeeper'.

One person thus abused is the US activist and journalist Amy Goodman, arrested last week whilst protesting at the Republican convention. You can read her account of this here.

Some gatekeeper!

Missed By Undercover Mosque........

Last night saw the second part of Channel 4's Undercover Mosque, focusing in large part on the religious teachings provided to female Muslims in London.

Whilst plenty of criticisms can be made historically about the Dispatches brand (in particular its programmes on the far-right in Britain) you have to admire their balls for standing by the first programme in the series, and then actually making a second.

Last nights programme briefly featured the Darussalam bookstore at Regents Park Mosque, where some pretty dubious books and DVD's can seemingly be purchased. Interestingly at the Islam Expo in London last July, Darussalam seemed to be the only stall selling 9/11 and 7/7 'truth' material, in the shape of the laughable ramblings of US Muslim Dr Kaasem Khaleel, and his book "Wrongly Blamed".

To save you the trouble of reading Wrongly Blamed, everything is the fault of the Jews/Mossad.

At Islam Expo, Daussalam had plenty of copies of this garbage prominently displayed. Dispatches either missed them on sale in the Regents park book shop, or worse, they had sold out at Islam Expo. Either way the promotion of such views advances only the cause of religious hatred and political cranks. Darussalam, and the people renting them space to trade at the most important mosque in London, need to think very carefully about the long term damage they are doing..........

Paper To Loughborough Conference

Both Larry O'Hara and myself will present papers on the 9/11 cult at the Anarchist Studies Network conference between 4-6 September.

The first of these papers is now on-line here.