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Al Jazeera exposes alleged UK far-right links to Zimbabwe lobbying
2 hrs ago |
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An Al Jazeera Investigative Unit documentary, Contract Killers and the Far Right, has alleged links between British far-right political networks, a loyalist paramilitary figure and a campaign intended to generate support in the United Kingdom for lifting international sanctions against Zimbabwe.
The investigation centres on Jack Ross, chief executive of Turning Point UK (TPUK), and Allan Nesbitt, a convicted violent criminal linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a proscribed loyalist paramilitary organisation.
According to the investigation, Ross was acting on behalf of the Zimbabwean government and paid thousands of pounds to Nesbitt to organise a purported political rally designed to create the impression of public support for removing sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
The documentary also examines the alleged use of political networks and intermediaries to advance Zimbabwe's interests abroad.
The film reports that Nesbitt was presented as someone capable of arranging violent assaults and contract killings through his paramilitary connections. In an undercover operation, reporters posed a hypothetical dispute with a fictional business rival to test the claims. Al Jazeera says Nesbitt indicated that he could arrange the person's execution for an agreed fee.
The investigation also places Zimbabwean businessman and self-styled prophet Uebert Angel in the wider context of overseas lobbying linked to the Zimbabwean government. Angel, who has served as President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Special Presidential Envoy and Ambassador-at-Large to Europe and the Americas, has previously featured in Al Jazeera's Gold Mafia investigation. However, the central focus of this documentary is the alleged operational relationship between Ross, Nesbitt and the purported sanctions rally.
Ross has denied Al Jazeera's findings, saying his secretly recorded remarks were not meant seriously. The other parties featured in the investigation did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment, according to the network.
The revelations have raised questions about the use of political intermediaries to advance government interests overseas and about the potential overlap between far-right political activism and individuals with links to paramilitary organisations.
The investigation centres on Jack Ross, chief executive of Turning Point UK (TPUK), and Allan Nesbitt, a convicted violent criminal linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a proscribed loyalist paramilitary organisation.
According to the investigation, Ross was acting on behalf of the Zimbabwean government and paid thousands of pounds to Nesbitt to organise a purported political rally designed to create the impression of public support for removing sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
The documentary also examines the alleged use of political networks and intermediaries to advance Zimbabwe's interests abroad.
The investigation also places Zimbabwean businessman and self-styled prophet Uebert Angel in the wider context of overseas lobbying linked to the Zimbabwean government. Angel, who has served as President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Special Presidential Envoy and Ambassador-at-Large to Europe and the Americas, has previously featured in Al Jazeera's Gold Mafia investigation. However, the central focus of this documentary is the alleged operational relationship between Ross, Nesbitt and the purported sanctions rally.
Ross has denied Al Jazeera's findings, saying his secretly recorded remarks were not meant seriously. The other parties featured in the investigation did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment, according to the network.
The revelations have raised questions about the use of political intermediaries to advance government interests overseas and about the potential overlap between far-right political activism and individuals with links to paramilitary organisations.
Source - online
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