John McEvoy
 John McEvoy     ( journalist) | |
|---|---|
 | |
John McEvoy is a British independent journalist who writes for @thecanaryuk, @declassifieduk, @tribunemagazine, and @jacobinmag.[1]
Contents
Venezuelan gold
In a series of tweets on 18 July 2021, John McEvoy tweeted:
Thread: Tomorrow the UK Supreme Court will begin proceedings relating to the US$2bn of Venezuelan gold held in the Bank of England. The UN independent expert on sanctions recently urged the UK to unfreeze the gold so Venezuela can buy food, medicine.[2]
2/ The Court will consider who the UK government formally recognises as the President of Venezuela, and therefore whether the Maduro or Guaidó board has the power to represent and control the assets of the Central Bank of Venezuela.
3/UK officials have claimed that this is a matter for the courts, not politics. But it’s clear this issue forms part of the US- and UK-led effort to overthrow the Venezuelan government by way of hybrid warfare, a crucial part of which entails destroying its economy.[3]
4/ According to former NSA chief John Bolton, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt “was delighted to cooperate on steps they could take, for example freezing Venezuelan gold deposits in the Bank of England, so the regime could not sell the gold to keep itself going”.[4]
5/ The FCO won’t release information regarding US pressure, claiming “would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other states [...] the release of information relating to this case could harm our relations with United States of America and Venezuela”.[5]
6/ The FCO has also redacted all information regarding Hunt's briefing notes and discussions with Pompeo and Bolton.[6]
7/ After Hunt insulted Trump on Syria (the UK government didn't want troops removed), he confided that UK Venezuela policy amounted to an imperialist trade-off: "we need to use Venezuela as an issue on which we can be as fully in line with the US as possible".[7]
8/ The Venezuelan gov has requested access to the gold so to respond to Covid-19. In December 2020, Guaidó’s lawyers openly rejected a proposal to use the gold “for the purposes of supplying COVID-19 vaccines to Venezuela”.,[8]
9/ The legal basis for Guaidó's original claim to represent the Central Bank of Venezuela - that he was the head of Venezuela's National Assembly - no longer exists. The UK nonetheless remains loyal to Guaidó, dragging out a legal process that is harming ordinary Venezuelans.[9]
10/ The UK's claim to recognise Guaidó as President of Venezuela runs contrary to past UK foreign policy. After a military coup in Egypt in 2013, a spokesperson for David Cameron said: “We recognise states not governments" - ie: de facto not de jure.[10]
11/ The difference being Sisi came to power by way of a brutal coup, and Egypt becoming extremely pliant to UK oil interests. Shortly after UK recognition, the Sisi regime murdered at least 817 people, to little distress in Whitehall.[11]
12/ Oil interests are central to UK policy in Venezuela. In former minister Alan Duncan's words: "The revival of the oil industry [in Venezuela] will be an essential element in any recovery, and I can imagine that British companies like Shell and BP, will want to be part of it."[12]
13/ The issue of the Venezuelan gold held in the Bank of England will have international implications:
Does the UK government still assume the right to international piracy, and will the UK courts provide it a veil of legitimacy?
/end[13]
View the proceedings
The proceedings can be viewed live here.[14]
Timetable
A Document by John McEvoy
| Title | Document type | Publication date | Subject(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Britain’s secret defence plan with Israel | Article | 9 October 2024 | Israel Project HEZUK Iran Hezbollah Israel/Defense Forces Nakba Day DDoSecrets Joe Glenton The 77th Brigade | “When it comes to war and foreign policy – including our relationships with states currently under investigation for genocide – the UK is little more than a dictatorship, concealing from the public key details of relations with Israel, the most violent and destabilising state in the Middle East” (former British soldier Joe Glenton). |
A Quote by John McEvoy
| Page | Quote | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falklands War | “Argentina was able to acquire over twenty Nasher fighter jets from Israel in 1982, the year of the Falklands war, with more Israeli weapons and supplies secretly transferred through Peru. It also used Israeli-supplied Skyhawk jets to sink four British warships, including the Sir Galahad, which resulted in the deaths of 48 soldiers. Declassified files now reveal how Israel repeatedly misled the UK government about its military support to Argentina, provoking a diplomatic crisis between both countries.” | 2 April 2025 | Declassified UK |
References
- ↑ "Independent journalist - in International History Review, @thecanaryuk, @declassifieduk, @tribunemagazine, @brasilwire and @jacobinmag"
- ↑ "Tomorrow the UK Supreme Court will begin proceedings relating to the US$2bn of Venezuelan gold held in the Bank of England
- ↑ "UK officials have claimed that this is a matter for the courts, not politics"
- ↑ "John Bolton: The Room Where It Happened"
- ↑ "It could harm our relations with United States of America and Venezuela”
- ↑ "The FCO has also redacted all information regarding Hunt's briefing notes and discussions with Pompeo and Bolton"
- ↑ "We need to use Venezuela as an issue on which we can be as fully in line with the US as possible"
- ↑ "Open rejection by Guaido's lawyers"
- ↑ "The legal basis for Guaidó's original claim no longer exists"
- ↑ A spokesperson for David Cameron said: “We recognise states not governments"
- ↑ "Shortly after UK recognition, the Sisi regime murdered at least 817 people"
- ↑ "Oil interests are central to UK policy in Venezuela"
- ↑ "Does the UK government still assume the right to international piracy, and will the UK courts provide it a veil of legitimacy?"
- ↑ "Venezuela's Gold at the UK Supreme Court"
