second opinion - government extends illegal occupation
WORKERS, JULY 2004 ISSUE
The illegal 37-year US occupation of Diego Garcia and related islands by the US military has now been extended by the British government. The forcible deportation of the islanders in 1967, to create a vast US military base threatening the Middle East and Indian Ocean, was authorised by the British government, which leased the islands to the US. After 30 years of legal challenge, the High Courts ruled in 2000 that the islands should be returned to the indigenous people.
Now, using feudal legislation dating back nearly 800 years, the Labour government has bypassed Parliament, set aside the High Court ruling and arbitrarily extended the US occupation. The arrogance of the British government clinging to territories seized by imperialist aggression is only matched by the warmongering ambitions of US imperial might.