UKC

In what possible sense can Macer Gifford, a former city trader, a former conservative party candidate and good mates with Nigel Farage, be described in this news item as a ‘Human Rights Activist’? This is a man who fully supported the UK government’s decision to revoke Shamima Begum’s citizenship - a decision Amnesty International described as ‘legally and morally questionable’. Macer (not his real name) and who went on to state that at 15 she knew what she was doing and should be treated as a criminal rather than a child who was subject to child sexual exploitation. I wouldn’t give this charlatan the time of day let alone my old climbing rope. There are better ways of supporting Ukraine.

What's better: someone with a very questionable past volunteering for a noble cause and doing something good

or... someone with a past I have no reason to question, not (as far as stated) volunteering for the noble cause but instead seeking to dissuade others from contributing

The old wisdom was to "judge a tree by its fruit" (i.e. Not by its looks)

Edited, because my original post was hasty and probably overly obnoxious, apologies for posting the last bit I just edited out

Your thread provides a handy way to include a link to the News item in question:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ukc/donate_climbing_rope_to_help_ukraine-...

Presumably this guy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macer_Gifford ?

In which case you could imagine his views on ISIS sympathisers/supporters/members might be pretty hardcore having fought them in the YPG.

You might not agree with him, but what makes him a charlatan?

Hard to see what the Shamima Begum thing has to do with donating climbing rope. People can hold different views on different issues you know.

Yep

I'm having trouble with the use of a pseudonym, might be called Harry, the claim to have been a councillor comes from an interview in the Guardian etc. I don't doubt he went to Syria, respect for that, but he seems awfully fond of self publicity.

He might well be genuine, and I'm just a cynical old man, but I'm a bit wary of his motives.

His claim to be a 'Human Rights Activist' and his disregard of the principle of 'Universal' Human Rights means that, for example, even Shaimima Begum (and now her children) have rights at the age of 15.  This man is motivated by his neo-conservative political agenda rather than alturism and is using 'good causes' to serve his own Trumpian ends. UKC and Natalie Berrys uncritical reporting are having the wool pulled over their eyes and I'm just pointing out that all is not what it might seem. 

youtube.com/watch?v=1jhUjAXnkn4&

Yep, and while people might be on the "right side of history" in terms of the sides they support, it doesn't mean they might not also be war junkies who get something out of fighting themselves. The chap from Leicester was it?, with the natty moustache, in the Ukrainian marines who is now (hopefully) in a Russian POW camp, had also fought in the YPG before travelling to Ukraine. 

OK, this guy - the pseudonymous Mr Gifford, isn't going to fight, but you get the feel he doesn't mind being 'where the action is' some how. 

Well, as my old dad says, 'give 'em enough rope'

I have to say, seeing the buses escorted by Russian AIFVs made me think that someone might be digging a big hole with a bulldozer somewhere.

I think people have various reasons for going to fight somewhere, they might feel the need to fight oppression, they might have military experience and want or need to go back to that environment, they might be a 'war junky', or they might be a Walter Mitty, dress up in the uniform, have some warry photos taken standing in front of a flag or collection of body parts, then quickly run away and spend their life bullshitting about being a steely eyed dealer of death to anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped in a pub with them.

I dunno. I know it's a quote from the Guardian, but "I saw friends of mine who would bleed to death just because they got shot in the arm" doesn't ring true to me. It might be misquoted, or out of context, but that doesn't sound like someone who's seen the mess a rifle bullet makes, even if it's just in the arm.

Don't forget politics, race and religion.

You pray not, and with all the publicity around it, you think even the Russian government might balk at just disappearing all 260 of them in front of the ICRC and UN agencies and so on. But then it's hard to underestimate just how low Putin's regime will go.

Lots of rumours that there is a swap already organised. There's not been too much coverage but the Ukrainians have quite a few POWs and there have been a number of swaps already. So fingers crossed the Ukrainian soldiers, including the two Brits, might get exchanged.

He was "where the action was" in Syria where he went to fight the genocidal terrorist group ISIS.

He's very brave. You have no reason or excuse to say he has questionable motives.

If you had fought against ISIS in Syria and live in the UK, there's a chance that jihadists here (who could have returned from Syria, fighting for ISIS themselves) would want to behead you.

A pseudonym sounds like a wise precaution.

The whole point of "reporting" is to report the facts, without criticism or praise.  Let the reader make up their own mind.

Fair enough expressing an opinion in these forums, mind.

Somewhat undermined by deliberately having your photo all over the internet, unless he employs someone to pretend they're him?

Of course, he'd be safer if, like the people criticising him, he kept a low profile and didn't campaign against genocidal terrorist groups or want to help the Ukrainians.

It's still a sensible precaution.