From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:24:03 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:24:03 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Social cleansing resisted in Northern Ireland, Spain and Australia Message-ID: <032901c824d3$194d39d0$0802a8c0@andy1> [This is the way to deal with "anti-social behaviour" crackdowns.] * BRITISH-OCCUPIED IRELAND: Crackdown patrol targeted in youth unrest * SPAIN: Shanty-town residents resist police eviction and demolition * AUSTRALIA: Indigenous revolt in Wadeye, target police (also background article on Wadeye and the NT crackdown) http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=67733 29 October 2007 Cops Targeted In Ardoyne Riot Weekend trouble has left two police officers injured and requiring hospital treatment. The PSNI officers were attacked during trouble in north Belfast's Ardoyne district when a gang of about 20 youths targeted a routine patrol aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour in the area. Stones and bottles were thrown at police and damage was caused to police vehicles in Ardoyne Avenue. One youth has been arrested, said police. Inspector Alan Swann said it would take time for the officers to recover. "Two officers received a mix of head, leg and body injuries which required several stitches to the head and staples throughout their bodies," he said. "Unfortunately, they will not be able to perform their duties for a while due to these injuries." (BMcC) VIDEO of police violence and resistance in Canada Real, Madrid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dmYQ0hYFKU http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20071018154803328 Madrid: Shantytown Residents Battle Police Thursday, October 18 2007 @ 03:48 PM PDT Contributed by: Oread Daily Views: 245 Dozens of people were injured on Thursday when residents of a Madrid shantytown fought Spanish riot police with stones and sticks to try to stop bulldozers destroying homes authorities say are illegal. SHANTYTOWN RESIDENTS BATTLE POLICE IN MADRID Oread Daily Dozens of people were injured on Thursday when residents of a Madrid shantytown fought Spanish riot police with stones and sticks to try to stop bulldozers destroying homes authorities say are illegal. Reuters says police fired plastic bullets and teargas at stone throwers, some of them women and children, and led baton charges at protesters in the Canada Real shantytown, home to around 30,000 people, many of whom are immigrants from Morocco and Romania. "They are animals," shouted an elderly man at police as television cameras filmed the destruction of a brick home El Pa?s says the 27 injured are 23 police officers and four civilians, with the residents using stones, gas bottles and other objects to keep the police out of the Canada Real Galiana settlement, located some 30 minutes southeast of Madrid's city center. The injured civilians include a three month pregnant woman. Her family is one of those evicted already. Her husband, whose home has now been demolished, was one of the nine people taken into custody after Thursday's altercations. Local authorities knocked down over 25 homes on Oct. 9 in Canada Real, many built with old doors and windows. Residents said houses were levelled with their possessions still in them. Dozens more homes have been targeted for destruction. The police were acting on a court order to clear several shanties, a spokeswoman for the housing department of Madrid's town hall said. She said the city has been looking to clear the city of shanty settlements and house their occupants elsewhere for several years. The following is from Radio Netherlands. Spanish slum dwellers clash with police Madrid - Inhabitants of an illegal slum near Madrid have clashed with police during an attempted demolition. The inhabitants, who were trying to stop bulldozers from destroying their homes, threw stones at the police, who responded with tear gas and plastic bullets. Many people were wounded. The Canada Real district, which consists of dwellings improvised mainly from discarded building materials, is currently home to approximately 30,000 people. These are mainly immigrants from Morocco and Romania. The district's population has expanded enormously in recent years, chiefly as a result of the massive influx of immigrants into Spain. http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_13114.shtml Nine arrests and 27 injured in clashes with police at Madrid shanty town By m.p. - Oct 18, 2007 - 10:33 PM Most of the injured were officers who were trying to evict one of the hundreds of immigrant families who live in the illegal settlement Police attempts to evict the occupants of a brick-built shanty house in Ca?ada Real Galiana, on the outskirts of Madrid on Thursday turned into a pitched battle, as others in this mainly immigrant settlement came to the defence of their neighbours. El Pa?s says the 27 injured are 23 police officers and four civilians, with the residents using stones, gas bottles and other objects to keep the police out. The injured civilians include a three month pregnant woman, the mother of the family City Hall has evicted for occupying a public right of way. Her husband, Abdel, whose home has now been demolished, was one of the nine people taken into custody after Thursday's altercations. Some 30,000 people live in this settlement 15 kilometres outside Madrid, in 2,000 illegal buildings which are mostly inhabited by immigrants from Romania and Morocco. A court decision is expected soon on the appeal placed by another 7 families against their eviction order. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:-Xm3h-Y73iMJ:tvscripts.edt.reuters.com/2007-10-18/350064f6.html+madrid+shantytown+riot&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=uk STORY: Dozens of people were injured on Thursday (October 18) when residents of a Madrid shanty town fought Spanish riot police with stones and sticks to try to stop bulldozers destroying homes authorities say are illegal. Police fired plastic bullets and teargas at stone throwers, some of them women and children, and led baton charges at protestors in the Canada Real shantytown, home to around 30,000 people, many of whom are immigrants from Morocco and Romania. Dozens more homes have been targeted for destruction in the shanty town which sprawls for 15 km (9 miles) across what authorities say is public land. One shanty town resident Mohamed Zinga called on police to leave his neighbours alone, saying: "We are not dealers, we are workers. The upper side is different, but here, in La Ca?ada there is no robbery and things like that." The shanty town sprang up early last decade but has swelled in size this decade as Spain received more immigrants than any other European country. Madrid's conservative Popular Party mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon has vowed to close all the city's shanty towns and relocate their families. Local authorities knocked down over 25 homes on October 9th in Canada Real, many built with old doors and windows. Residents said houses were levelled with their possessions still in them. http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/10/29/2459_ntnews.html Angry mob turns on cops in Wadeye riot PHOEBE STEWART 29Oct07 TERRITORY police were forced to shoot into the air to stop up to 40 armed rioters attacking them at a remote Aboriginal community. The angry mob advanced at police patrolling the Wadeye community, about 350km southwest of Darwin, on Saturday night. They carried machetes, rocks, spears and iron bars. Police asked the group to disperse from the community's basketball court, but they retaliated by trashing several police vehicles. The mob threw projectiles at police, including their weapons and rocks, smashing windows and windscreens and causing extensive panel damage. Police said officers tried to "tactically withdraw," from the riot but the group continued to advance. And after a number of orders to disperse, an officer was forced to fire "a warning shot" into the air from his police issue glock pistol. Ongoing violence has escalatedin the troubled community over recent days. Police said they could not confirm whether the violence was gang related or not. But the trouble has forced police to divert a number of extra officers to the community. Another four police officers were sent to Wadeye yesterday afternoon to the join the four Katherine officers who were sent on Friday to combat the violence in the community, which has a population of about 2500. Police said officers would continue to monitor the riot and would send further resources to the area as they were needed. They said no arrests had been made and investigations into the cause of the melee were continuing. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/29/2074002.htm?section=justin Warning shot fired during Wadeye riot Posted Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:19pm AEDT Map: Wadeye 0822 Northern Territory Police say an officer fired a warning shot in the air to disperse a rioting crowd at the Indigenous community of Wadeye, but only after several warnings. The Commander for Katherine and the Northern Region Command that includes Wadeye says there are now 16 police officers in the Territory's largest Indigenous community following riots on Saturday night. Commander Greg Dowd says police cars were damaged when they were set upon by a group of 40 people wielding iron bars and machetes. He says an officer made repeated warnings that he would fire a warning shot but the crowd did not disperse. "He did in fact fire a shot from his Glock pistol into the air and it had the desired effect of making them all disperse fairly rapidly and disappear into the darkness," he said. Commander Dowd says police have held meetings with elders from the different clan groups in Wadeye today in a bid to ease tensions. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/aug2006/wade-a24.shtml Wadeye: a case study of the Australian government's Aboriginal agenda By Erika Zimmer 24 August 2006 Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author Under the guise of concern for Aboriginal women and children, the Howard government has seized upon revelations of sexual abuse in indigenous communities, initially broadcast in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation "Lateline" program in May, to push through its right-wing agenda of "ending welfare dependence". After the ABC program, Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough announced an audit of indigenous communities, with "small, unviable communities ... encouraged to pack up and leave". The government intends to strip thousands of Aborigines of welfare entitlements so as to push them out of remote communities and into the "real economy" in towns and cities. The Australian estimated that the audit would include 1,000 settlements with fewer than 100 people. Two Labor governments-those of Western Australia (WA) and the Northern Territory (NT)-are collaborating closely with the federal Liberal-National Party government. The NT government is to study 547 indigenous communities with a view to targeting "specific communities ... for resettlement or service reduction". The WA government announced an audit of 300 indigenous communities. These "audits" have nothing to do with gathering information about the appalling conditions in remote communities, let alone attempting to address their underlying causes. Brough's spokesman rejected a call by the Australian Medical Association, the doctor's organisation, for a royal commission into the "health, land and social justice issues in remote Aboriginal communities". Such an inquiry was not needed "because we know the magnitude of the problem" and "clear objectives and practical initiatives" had already been worked out. What this agenda means in practice can be seen in the Aboriginal township of Wadeye, 320 km southwest of the NT capital, Darwin. It has faced the full glare of media attention following a riot in May, allegedly involving hundreds of young people. Surrounded by 20 outstations, Wadeye, formerly known as Port Keats, is the town service centre of the Thamarrurr region. While rich grazing lands south of the region, including the vast Victoria River Downs station, were opened up to pastoral interests in the late 1880s with devastating consequences for local Aboriginal people, the poor grazing potential and difficult terrain of the Thamarrurr region discouraged pastoral settlement. Lacking an economic base and crippled by chronic government underfunding, the region's conditions are comparable to some of the worst in the Third World. For example, the median life expectancy is 46 years, with death most commonly due to heart disease, kidney problems or diabetes. Twenty percent of the children are stunted, 21 percent are underweight and 10 percent wasted. While approximately 800 children of school age live at Wadeye, no high school exists. The sole Catholic primary school is able to accommodate only 300 children. At the same time, a shortage of housing means that up to 20 people live in each house. Unemployment stands at 84 percent while the average personal income for Aborigines is estimated variously at between $4,000 and $8,000 a year, less than 20 percent of the national average. It is little wonder that Wadeye has the highest per capita juvenile offending rate in the NT. One cause of the appalling statistics, according to the community's legal representatives, Arnold Bloch Leibler, is the redirection of hundreds of millions of dollars away from remote indigenous communities. A detailed analysis undertaken in 2004 revealed that Wadeye, the sixth largest town in the NT and the largest Aboriginal town was being short-changed $4 million per year. According to the National Indigenous Times, Wadeye's leaders are preparing to sue federal and territory governments for several decades of neglect. But neither the Third World statistics, nor the lack of government spending have rated any media scrutiny. Instead Wadeye first came to national attention when Prime Minister Howard flew into the town in April 2005, accompanied by a bevy of dignitaries and a large media contingent, to impose a Shared Responsibility Agreement (SRA) on the community. Wadeye was one of eight remote communities selected nationally as "pilots" for SRAs, which mark a step towards the complete abolition of social spending and welfare benefits. They make the provision of basic services and facilities, such as kidney-treatment centres, petrol bowsers and air-conditioning, contingent on communities carrying out activities such as rubbish disposal and increasing school attendance rates. This is not the first time that indigenous people are being targeted for measures to be used against the entire working class. The CDEP scheme of the 1970s, which imposed compulsory labour requirements on unemployed Aboriginal workers and became the forerunner for the 1990s Work for the Dole scheme. One of the requirements of Wadeye's SRA was to boost school numbers. A massive push by the local community saw school enrolments soar towards 700 at the start of the school year 2005 and again in 2006. But the shortage of desks, pens and teachers due to government under-funding led to five out of every six students dropping out. Taking advantage of the current media blitz, Brough sent a senior official, Wayne Gibbons, to the town to issue an ultimatum: residents would be stripped of government funding and welfare payments unless, within a month, gang members repaired damaged houses and parents sent their children to school. Two elders walked out of the meeting with Gibbons. The Thamarrurr Council wrote to Brough, describing Gibbons' behaviour as "verging on just plain bullying" and saying it would need more than a month to repair the houses, given the extent of the work involved. "In relation to every child must attend school every day, we point out that we have 688 schoolchildren and a school facility that can only hold 420," the council wrote. "Your representative, Mr Wayne Gibbons, came here and blamed us totally for the problems we are having. Is this how one partner treats another, by coming into their home and demanding unrealistic things and treating them with disrespect?" In order to enforce the Howard government's objectives, the NT government has joined in unleashing repressive "law and order" measures against the people of Wadeye. In June it attempted to ram through court hearings for more than 100 Wadeye residents-most of whom were arrested during the May riot-over just two days in Wadeye's tiny courtroom. One 36-year-old resident was jailed for two months and scores of others face months or years in prison. Legal proceedings were placed on hold after defence lawyers for two of the men charged argued they had no case to answer. On the eve of the hearings, NT Police Minister Paul Henderson unveiled legislation providing for greater police powers and harsher penalties to deal with gang activity. Police would be allowed to prevent large crowds gathering and stop and search alleged gang leaders without a warrant. Henderson said fast-tracking the court hearings was part of a plan to deal with violence at Wadeye. "This sort of behaviour is simply unacceptable and we are attacking it at its source, "he said. In reality, with the willing assistance of the media, the Liberal and Labor governments have come together to try and whitewash the sources of Wadeye's crisis, including their own culpability, in order to pursue an increasingly vicious social agenda. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22667101-17001,00.html No excuses for Wadeye rioters, says Mal Brough By Tara Ravens October 29, 2007 06:01pm Article from: AAP Font size: + - Send this article: Print Email RIOTING of the kind that erupted in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory on the weekend must be stamped out, says Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough. Up to 40 people wielding machetes, rocks, spears and iron bars confronted local police at the Wadeye basketball court, about 350km south-west of Darwin, on Saturday night. When police asked the rioters to disperse, projectiles were hurled at the officers' cars, smashing windows, windscreens and denting the side panels. "Members attempted to tactically withdraw but the group continued advancing," a police spokeswoman said. "After a number of requests to disperse, one officer fired a warning shot from his police issue glock pistol into the air." Mr Brough today said he wanted to "get to the bottom" of why the rioting had occurred. He said seven different language groups made up the 2500-strong community, which has a history of violent outbursts between warring gangs the Judas Priest boys and the Evil Warriors mob. "I am aware there was a disturbance but the reason for the disturbance I don't know and we do need to get to the bottom of it," Mr Brough told ABC radio. "What we do have to do is to not tolerate it, you cannot tolerate rioter's behaviour in any suburb or any town or any community in Australia." Mr Brough conceded Wadeye was still a volatile community, despite recent improvements. "We have to stamp it out and people have to know that the authorities which are the government and the police who operate on their behalf are in control," he said. "That keeps people feeling safe. Now the circumstances of Wadeye are a lot better than it was but any violence is unacceptable no matter what the reason is." The recent rioting at Wadeye began on Friday following a disturbance in the community in which a number of police vehicles were damaged. Four officers from Katherine, sent to assist with the situation, were joined by another four yesterday, after local police were confronted by the armed mob on Saturday night. Police today said it had been calm in the community overnight, although additional resources were ready to be sent if needed. There have been no arrests so far over the incidents. Fifty-five people were arrested in Wadeye after rioting by rival gangs in May last year. One man received a spear wound to his leg, and a youth suffered head injuries in the fracas, involving up to 300 people. In October 2002, up to 400 armed rioters converged on the community oval after organised one-on-one fists fights between the warring gangs got out of control. During the melee a teenager was fatally shot in the back by a police officer and the community erupted into a war zone as people trashed houses, torched cars and vandalised public property. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:28:05 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:28:05 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Africa: township rebellions and student unrest Message-ID: <032a01c824d3$a967a320$0802a8c0@andy1> * CAMEROON: Two shot as police attack taxi drivers during unrest, strike * ZAMBIA: Residents fight police over allegations of collusion in robbery * SOUTH AFRICA: Service delivery protests, roadblocks in Diepsloot * SOUTH AFRICA: Student protests and unrest over fees in Johannesburg, Witwatersrand, Limpopo http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7048141.stm 'Two shot' in Cameroon taxi riot Taxi motor-cyclists had set up barriers in the centre of the town Police have shot dead at least two motorcycle taxi-drivers at a protest against police abuses in north-west Cameroon, local residents say. Drivers had invaded the centre of the town of Bamenda to protest at the alleged severe beating of a colleague detained at a police checkpoint. When police tried to clear away the demonstrators' barricades, stones were thrown and police replied with gunfire. Thousands joined the protest to demand an end to extortion, witnesses say. A pregnant woman was also wounded in the shooting and some reports say three taxi-drivers were killed. A 'popular upheaval' The protests began on Tuesday morning after the detention of a driver on Monday at a checkpoint where he was reportedly stopped for not having the right papers. It seems the people want the police to pay for the killings an aide to the governor of North-West Province, speaking on condition of anonymity "He was thoroughly beaten until he lost consciousness and one of his eyes," one Bamenda resident, who asked not to be named, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. "His colleagues went to the police station to seek his release but the police used tear gas to chase them away. "They then invaded the town, mounting roadblocks and blocking the traffic. When the security forces came out to lift the roadblocks, they threw stones at them and the police fired at them in retaliation." An aide to the governor of North-West Province, who asked not to be named, confirmed there had been a "popular upheaval downtown" but could not confirm the deaths. "The situation is very tense here now," the aide added, requesting anonymity. "It seems the people want the police to pay for the killings." A local journalist told AFP news agency that passions among drivers were high because police harassment of taxi-drivers had been growing in recent days. The drivers are known locally as benskinners because passengers have to "bend their skin" to climb on to the motorcycles. What has happened in Bamenda is not very strange. Every now and then, when a citizen or citizens want to defend themselves or thier rights, they either end up dead, wounded or being locked up by the police who have the arms and most often it all stems from corruption when a citizen does not want to give a bribe. A similar situation as the one in Bamenda happened last weekend in the University Town of Soa some Kilometers from the capital city Yaounde where a citizen was killed by a Gendarme (paramilitary police) and this led to riots as there were road blocks, blocking the road from yaounde to Soa. This country really needs change . Bongsha Steve, Yaounde , Cameroon I am severely disturbed by the latest sad events in Bamenda. For several years now, residents of this city have been living in total fear and insecurity due to the upsurge in criminal practices. In Bamenda, you dare not go out of the house or return home after 8 pm, else you become a victim of armed bandits. Instead of fighting crime in the city, the forces of law and order prefer to spend several hours on the roadside preying on poor taxi-drivers/riders who are simply trying to eek a living. There is evidence that the police service is Cameroon has been distinquishing itself as the most corrupt sector. Cameroonians cannot continue to rely on the state for protection. They have understood this and that is why there is a proliferation of mob justice in major cities in Cameroon. This, too, has created other human security dilemmas. Yet, the rulers of this country are always quick to declare that Cameroon is an island of peace in turbulent sub-region. Since 1990, the city of Bamenda has been at the forefront of the fight for freedoms and for that it has paid a heavy price. Walters Samah, Yaounde, Cameroon Is this history repeating itself? Remember the 1984 burning of the GMI police station in Bamenda by youth due to unnecessary police brutality? How often will we go though the same thing over and over? I'm not saying that police shouldn't do their job if someone were operating illegally, but hey what's this about beating and torturing and killing of tax payers? Dear policeman where do you think your training, uniform, gun and salary come from? Sadly nothing is going to be done by the lethargic authorities... Nji Ateghang, Edison, USA This situation is particularly disturbing. I do not understand why there is so much lawlessness in Cameroon... There is no such thing as freedom of speech or human rights in Cameroon. I am not sure why policemen who should protect the citizenery would resolve to beating and ruthlessly killing innocent unarmed civilians. Bribery and curruption has eaten extensively deep into the core of Cameroonian society. Police officers are particularly notorious for taking bribes and would care less if a motorist has the right documents. Sometimes those hard core criminal officers will tell you that they do not eat papers, they need money. It is that simple. In a situation where a taxi driver or motocycle taxi rider (Bendskin) refuses to give money because he has the right documents, upset police officers merely detain the individual without cause and this person might just well rot in jail. It is hard to deal with curruption in Cameroon given the present government in place. In my opinion, a good constitution, I mean a revised constitution void of all pro CPDM clauses would realy set the tone for a new Cameroon where there will be accountability in every corner of the civil service. Cameroon is realy in ruins like a car running on its reserve tank and just waiting for a total breakdown. I have faced similar situations, though not as a driver but as a passenger being delayed and almost locked up because I dared to speak out against the bad practice. Lucas Chibong, Bamenda Cameroon I find this appauling. Something should be done about this. What gives an officer the right to shoot at unarmed civilians? The fact is that most of these bendskiners have no papers and the police use them as some form of income, becaue they claim they are not well paid. point taken, but does this make the innocent civlian at fault for not having papers? and if for any reason this bendskinner went out of line, gives them no right to lay their hands on him/them. Or where they acting on orders from the Boss?... And if this is not the case, Shoudl the Governor get involved to stop this violence and eventual upheavals. WE have to bare in mind, that a good number of these people are poor and live on close to nothing. They are wounded and incidents like this do not make it any better. The guilty parties should be dealt with accordingly. Its such a shame this country has specifically decided to move backwards. What has happened to human rights? or at least respect for one another, respect for human life and dignity? ndip arrey, Aberdeen, Scotland http://allafrica.com/stories/200711020211.html Zambia: Chaisa Residents Riot The Times of Zambia (Ndola) 2 November 2007 Posted to the web 2 November 2007 Obert Simwanza and Sylvia Mweetwa Ndola AT least seven people were yesterday apprehended and detained as residents in Lusaka's Chaisa Township fought running battles with the police whom they accused of aiding a group of armed robbers who shot dead a local trader and wounded his daughter. The riot started after the slain trader's wife accused one of the police officers, who arrived on the scene shortly after the incident that he was part of the group that raided the house. The bandits shot dead 36-year-old Stanley Halwindi and wounded his step daughter Helen Mudenda, 13. The riot left several residents with injuries after the stones targeted at the police landed on them. As early as 06:00 hours, the residents were carrying stones, tyres and other objects which they threw at the police post. Other overzealous residents attempted to loot shops at the market which is adjacent the police post but quick action by the police thwarted the move. By 14:30 hours, most shops at the market were still closed as some residents continued throwing stones at the police post while police officers retaliated by firing teargas canisters towards the crowd. Emmasdale police chief, William Banda and his team worked hard to disperse the unruly crowds to avoid destruction of property. When the situation seemed to be degenerating, Lusaka Province deputy commanding officer, Chewe Bowa came in with another contingent of officers. Mr Halwindi was shot dead at his Chaisa home around 01:00 hours yesterday while his daughter was shot on the fingers after the bandits entered the house through the window. Five bandits, two armed with AK 47 rifles and three with iron bars and other weapons, attacked the Halwindi family. When the bandits attacked the Halwindi family, they demanded to be given money which Mr Halwindi said he did not have. They searched the house and only found boxes of cigarettes worth K13 million. They later dragged Mr Halwindi outside where they shot him dead in the presence of his family. Police officers arrived at the scene after the robbers had left and Mr Halwindi's wife claimed that one of them was, in fact, among the bandits who raided the family. That angered the residents who had already gathered at the house after they heard gun-shots. The residents later mobilised themselves and attempted to go and set the Chaisa police post on fire. Police spokesperson, Bonny Kapeseo confirmed the killing of Mr Halwindi and said investigations had started. He said the officer who was alleged to have been part of the bandits had also been interrogated but investigations revealed that he was among those on duty and only visited the Halwindi's home following the shooting. Mr Kapeso however said investigations would continue and that if proved that the officer was among the bandits, the law would take its course and the officer would not be protected. "As police we condemn such riotous behaviour because we feel it's not the best way of solving any problem and it is for this reason that we have instituted investigations to establish the truth into the brutal killing of Mr Halwindi," Mr Kapeso said. He said police officers would remain in Chaisa until the situation normalised and appealed to the residents in the area to remain calm. And police have a retrieved the body of a grade eight pupil who drowned in Chongwe river after he allegedly failed to swim. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7073629.stm S Africans riot over bad services Some 1.5m homes new homes have been built since 1994 Police have fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of residents refusing to move from their shacks near South Africa's capital. The resident of Diepsloot near Pretoria say they would prefer better houses and clean water where they already live. In recent months, the country has been hit by a number of such demonstrations over a lack of new homes and services. Next month, the governing African National Congress elects a new leader with poor service delivery a big issue. The residents in Diepsloot, like in several other black townships across the country, are deeply unhappy with their living conditions. The BBC's Mpho Lakaje in Diepsloot said that shack dwellers launched their protest by barricading roads and turning away motorists. Heavily armed police officers in trucks then moved in and as tensions escalated officers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to try to disperse the angry crowd. The government has urged residents to protest peacefully against forced removals and poor living conditions. Some 1.5m homes new homes have been built since 1994, but an estimated 7.5m lack access to adequate housing, according to South Africa's Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions. But with the ANC preparing to elect a new president, the situation at grass roots level is slowly getting out of hand, our reporter says. Former Deputy President Jacob Zuma has accused President Thabo Mbeki of failing millions of poor South Africans during his rule. Both are likely to be contenders. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=nw20071008090920554C381869 Protest at University of Johannesburg October 08 2007 at 09:30AM Hundreds of University of Johannesburg students were protesting on their campuses on Monday morning, Gauteng police confirmed. Police spokesperson Constable Sefako Xaba said police had been called to the campus on Bunting road where about 200 students had gathered. He said the students were "running around" but no damage had been reported. About a hundred students from the Doornfontein campus in central Johannesburg were leaving to join other protesters at the old RAU campus in Auckland Park, said Xaba. University of Johannesburg spokesperson Sonja Cronje confirmed the protest was taking place. The protest is apparently related to proposed fee hikes at the university. On Sunday various students bodies voiced "utter dismay" at the hikes. "The action taken by the university management is nothing but a continuous trend by certain administrators of higher education in order to commodify education as a basic need of the South African people," said the students in a statement. Fees were going up five percent for diploma students, six percent for degree students and eight percent across the board, with a R250 increase on ICT levies and services, said the university's branches of the Progressive Youth Alliance, the SA Students' Congress, African National Congress Youth League and the Student Representative Council. Last week the University of the Witwatersrand saw protest action by students demanding zero percent increases for next year. Protesting students stormed into lecture theatres, disrupted classes and chased lecturers. Police used rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of students throwing bricks and stones at motorists at Wits on Wednesday. Two students - the Student Representative Council (SRC) president and deputy president - were arrested during the incident. - Sapa http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/education/0,2172,157316,00.html University protest continues despite talks October 11, 2007, 14:30 Protests by students at the University of Johannesburg's Doornfontein and Bunting campuses are continuing for a fourth day. The students are protesting against proposed fee increases. This is despite yesterday's meeting between students and management to end the protests, which sometimes turned violent. The university management has confirmed the increased fee of 14% for first-year students next year. The university spokesperson, Sonia Cronje, says tuition fees need to be on par with other universities. "We are striving to make our university a world-class institution and we need finances to achieve this objective," says Cronje. http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=583822 Rubber bullets fly at student protest SapaPublished:Oct 10, 2007 Police fired a number of shots at students, who then dispersed Rubber bullets have been shot at around 200 protesting University of Johannesburg students at the Kingsway Campus, police said today. Spokesman Constable Sefako Xaba said the students were trying to break down the gates at the Kingsway Campus, as they were locked out. "Police fired a number of shots at students, who then dispersed. There were no injuries and no arrests," Xaba said. Police would continue monitoring the situation. "Protests at the other campuses were continuing," Xaba said. University spokeswoman Sonia Cronje said that as pupils dispersed from the campus, they damaged a university car. "A brick was thrown at the car as the students ran away. They did not succeed in breaking down the gates," Cronje said. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20071101115759350C298014 Mass arrests after university protest November 01 2007 at 12:43PM About a 150 students were arrested overnight after a protest at the University of Limpopo's Turfloop campus, police said on Thursday. Police spokesperson Inspector Malan Nchabaleng said the arrests followed a Wednesday night protest at the campus which turned violent. About 1 500 students were at the protest which began at around 6.30pm. Students threw stones at motor vehicles passing through Polokwane and Houtbosdorp roads, said Nchabaleng. When police arrived at the Turfloop campus they found the gate to the main entrance damaged. The window panes of an administrative block and some classrooms had also been broken. The library had been damaged and the MBJ dining hall burnt and damaged inside. Nchabaleng said the students then proceeded to the campus control offices where they broke windows and damaged about ten cars belonging to security guards. A 20-year-old female student was injured during the protest action and taken to Mankweng hospital. Two students, two police officers and a security guard were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Nchabaleng said there was a visible police presence at the campus during the protest, but rubber bullets were not used to control the crowd. He said police were busy with their investigations and expected to make more arrests later on Thursday. Those arrested are to be charged with arson and malicious damage to property. Media accounts said the protest was about unconfirmed reports that university management would be hiking fees next year. Nchabaleng said the campus was quiet late on Thursday morning but police remained vigilant. - Sapa From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:29:39 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:29:39 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] School student protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <032b01c824d3$e173a110$0802a8c0@andy1> UK: Students burn blazers in uniform protest US: Students walk out to protest rat infestation KENYA: Exams suspended after student revolt Note on the UK incident: The school system is never very far from fascism, and this incident reveals it at its worst. "Inclusiveness" by making everyone the same? Why not just go the whole way and do the heil Hitler together too? The supposed arguments for school uniforms are really non-arguments. They're small matters of balance of goods, as against the issues of fundamental liberties on the other side; and they're based on the principle of imposing rather than constructing "community" which can only lead to alienation. It's also disgusting that rather than being embraced, the protest has been subject to disciplinary repression. And how arrogant is the claim that opposition is due to not understanding?! http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/blaenau-gwent/2007/10/11/pupils-uniform-protest-blazes-out-of-control-91466-19915773/ Pupils' uniform protest blazes out of control Oct 11 2007 by Dominic Jones, Gwent Gazette PROTESTING pupils ran amok at Abertillery Comprehensive school last week, setting fire to a blazer in a chaotic demonstration against uniform rules. Police and firefighters were called to the school at lunchtime on Tuesday, October 2, to put a stop to the rebellious scenes, with dozens of pupils refusing to return to lessons. Students were angered after being told the week before that they would have to wear blazers, and could not wear outside coats in the school building. On Tuesday, pupils who were not wearing blazers had their names taken and were told they would be sent home if they continued to break the rules. A group of students decided to stage a protest outside the school, chanting anti-uniform slogans and burning a blazer in the school bus bay. Headteacher Pauline Thomas said pupils and parents had ample time to prepare for the introduction of compulsory blazers and the protest was the result of children not understanding the reasons behind the new uniform regulations. Mrs Thomas said the idea of school blazers was introduced three years ago by the school council, made up of pupils, to improve the school's image and preventing discrimination. The idea was to phase the blazers in, with them becoming compulsory this term. Mrs Thomas said: "The council wanted to replace the old tatty sweatshirt, and we were happy to support the idea. "If the pupils are all wearing the same thing it becomes a more inclusive school. "If children turn up wearing expensive outside coats and garments it separates them from the children who don't." Mrs Thomas said reports of the protest were exaggerated, and students had been disciplined accordingly. She said: "We managed to get the majority of pupils back in class. "I've obviously had to exclude a few on one-day suspensions. The pupil who set fire to the blazer has been excluded for five days." Speaking outside the school gates, a concerned auntie with a niece and nephew at the school said: "I have lived in Abertillery all my life and I have not seen anything like this. "I used to go to Abertillery school and something like this would never have happened back then. "The school should never have let the problem get this bad. It is totally out of hand." The Gazette received numerous calls from parents concerned about the school's handling of the situation. Several were also concerned about the cost of the blazers. Donna Brown, aged 39, of Gladstone Street, Abertillery said: "My son is in Year 11, and there's no way I'm paying money for a blazer when he'll be leaving in May. "I've been told that if he doesn't wear one, he will be sent home and he's a grade A and B student." One parent of two, who did not wish to be named said: "They just don't want to wear the blazers. "I think it's disgusting that the kids had to do this to get their voices heard.'' Mrs Thomas said that despite these concerns, she still had the backing of many parents. She said: "The parents have been fantastic. Those of them that have come down to see me have gone away happy." In the week after the incident, Abertillery Comprehensive fell under the spotlight of the national media, and despite some further minor disruptions Mrs Thomas stuck to her guns, reinforcing the new dress code to parents and pupils. Pupils still not wearing blazers were removed from classes and parents contacted with a final warning. Mrs Thomas said the school had returned to normal by the end of the week. She said: "There have been no further disruptions. It's all back to normal, except now all the pupils are wearing blazers." Are you a concerned parent? Do you have an opinion on the school uniform debate? What do you think about the pupils' protests? Write to the Gwent Gazette at 14 Bethcar Street, Ebbw Vale, NP23 6HH or e-mail gwent.gazette at mediawales.co.uk http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306840,00.html New York Students Stage Walk-Out, Protest Unsanitary Conditions at School Wednesday, October 31, 2007 NEW CITY, N.Y. - Students at Clarkstown North High School staged a walk-out Wednesday to protest what they claim are unsanitary conditions at the school. The students claim they've seen rats and roaches in the school. Hundreds of students filled the school's athletic field and banging on the fence that surrounds it in protest. Some held signs reading, ""Clean North" and "Rams not roaches," according to the Journal News. Student had originally planned to march to the Town Hall, but they were told by school officials they would be arrested if they left campus, the newspaper reported. The district, located just north of New York City, removed three dead rats, including a decomposing one that was crawling with maggots, at the high school's annex building, according to the Journal News. http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/NEWS03/710310434 Hundreds of students walk out at Clarkstown North High School By STEVE LIEBERMAN THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: October 31, 2007) Several hundred students walked out of classes at Clarkstown North High School about 12:20 p.m. today, protesting conditions in the building. The students were on the sports fields at the school, holding signs that read, among other slogans: "Walkout CSHN," "Clean North" and "Rams not roaches." The school mascot is the Ram. Students chanted various slogans, including, "Save our school, roaches must go" and "No more rats." Standing near the fence on Congers Lake Road, students said they had first planned to march to Town Hall, but school administrators told them they would be arrested if they left campus. The district has in recent weeks has found and removed three dead rats, including a decomposing rat that was crawling with maggots, at the high school's annex building. District officials said they believe the rats came from a nest near a Congers Road home that was recently demolished. Parents have criticized the administration for waiting too long to inform them of the situation. North senior Stephen Jean-Baptiste, 17, accused the district of letting the situation fester. "It's disgusting," he said. "There are roaches and rats and they're not doing anything." Student Austin Abaras, 14, said he'd seen some insects in the school. "They have roaches in the bathroom," he said. "It's disgusting." The district superintendent's office refused to allow a reporter or photographer onto school property to speak to students and said the principal could not speak with a reporter. "The principal is not available today," said Maureen Sullivan, assistant to Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan. "He is actively working with students." http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--students-ratprote1103nov03,0,7780598.story No discipline for students in rat protest at suburban NY school 5:23 AM EDT, November 3, 2007 NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) _ An estimated 350 students won't get disciplinary notes in their files for walking out of classes to protest a rat and roach problem at their suburban high school. Clarkstown North High School Principal Harry Leonardatos says an unexcused absence would usually be documented with what's termed a disciplinary referral. But he says administrators decided to make an exception for Wednesday's protest. Clarkstown Central School District Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan has said the school's cockroach problem goes back years. The protest came after three rats were spotted in a school building. Two had died in the ceiling. A vice president of the school's extermination company, Bluesway Pest Control, says he'll meet with school officials Monday to discuss strategies for attacking the pest problems. http://allafrica.com/stories/200710292045.html Kenya: Candidates Suspended Over Riot East African Standard (Nairobi) 30 October 2007 Posted to the web 29 October 2007 Beauttah Omanga And Samuel Otieno Nairobi Homa Bay High School has suspended all their 151 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates following a riot. The candidates will now sit the examination as day scholars. They rioted on Friday, allegedly protesting against " strict rules" by the KCSE invigilators. They also damaged school property. In response, the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) has ordered the Nyanza Provincial Director of Education to identify the students who organised the strike. Knec secretary, Mr Paul Wasanga, said only the inciters should be victimised. The School Principal, Mr Andrew Buop, said trouble started when some candidates insisted on being allowed to enter examination rooms with notes. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:31:23 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:31:23 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] UAE: Mass strikes, migrant worker unrest Message-ID: <032c01c824d4$1fb39a70$0802a8c0@andy1> http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200710281617.htm Workers protest turn violent in Dubai Dubai (PTI): Hundreds of labourers, including Indians, demanding a salary hike and better working conditions, staged a violent protest outside their labour camp near here. The police rushed to the spot, brought the situation under control and persuaded the labourers to return to their labour camp, a media report said on Sunday. However, a number of vehicles were damaged during the demonstration which also disrupted traffic in the vicinity for a while. The police later cordoned off the labour camp area as a precautionary measure, the report said. UAE Minister of Labour Ali bin Abdullah Al Kaabi warned that his ministry would not hesitate in deporting the workers who had vandalised the vehicles including some police vehicles and public properties. "The ministry will not hesitate in taking necessary measures to deport whatever numbers of workers found responsible for such acts. We will not be lenient towards whoever tampers with the security of the state and safety of residents," he said. Humeid bin Demas, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour (MoL), said the labourers had "breached their contractual obligations" by resorting to such a protest. "The workers have been given time till on Sunday to resume their duties. Refusal to do so may lead to a cancellation of their labour permits and a life ban on entry to the UAE," said Demas. "Our monthly salary is a mere Dh600. What we would like is that this is raised to Dh1,000 and in case of qualified technicians to Dh1,200. But despite repeated requests, the company management has not responded favourably," two of the workers told Khaleej Times. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200710291408.htm UAE to deport workers involved in violent protest Dubai (PTI): Labour permits of hundreds of workers, including many Indians, involved in Saturday's violent protest outside the Jebel Ali Labour Camp have been cancelled and a life ban put on their entry to the UAE. The UAE Ministry of Labour have cancelled their permits and the labourers are expected to be deported, a report said on Monday. More than 4,000 construction workers were involved in the protest outside their labour camp. The majority of the workers are form India, an Indian official said without giving any numbers. The protesting labourers were demanding higher salary and better working conditions. http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=13436 Strike wave rocks the UAE's dictators A new mood of militancy by migrant construction workers has emerged in the UAE, democracy activist Issam Hambouz tells Simon Assaf Thousands of construction workers walked out on strike in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last Saturday. The labourers, mainly from South Asia, were attacked by police as they protested for higher wages. They responded by occupying a building and pelting police cars with stones. The state rounded up workers and deported them. Strikes have now become commonplace in a country where unions are banned and the overwhelmingly migrant workforce faces repression and exploitation. Oil dollars have made the UAE, a key US ally, a haven for the global rich, where huge glittering seven star hotels, indoor snow parks and mega building projects have sprouted from the sands. Behind the UAE's image as a model of the success of the "free market" lies an ugly system. Issam Hambouz is a democracy activist from the UAE. He told Socialist Worker, "The UAE is made up of seven states connected through a federal union. "Each state is ruled by a tribal family that owes their power to an alliance with the British Empire in the early 19th century. "They control the internal affairs of their kingdom. "All the emirates, Abu Dhabi in particular, jointly manipulate foreign affairs." These families have used oil wealth to fund prestigious projects. Some 89 percent of the UAE's population are labourers, mainly drawn from across Asia, who build these projects. The ruling families repress political dissent, with even relatively privileged citizens banned from forming political parties, associations or trade unions. Hambouz said, "However, there are a number of individuals who are attempting to make a positive change through projects like the Human Rights Associations. Unwanted "Migrant workers are trying to form unofficial unions, but most of their attempts have been met with the deportation of 'unwanted people'." The average monthly salary in the UAE is ?1,340. The majority of construction workers take home ?63 a month, of which ?30 is deducted for food, and monthly deductions for their work visa. They often find themselves deported at the end of their contracts without receiving their final pay cheque. Asian labourers have been at the heart of the construction industry in the Gulf states since the 1970s. However, the breakneck economic boom is giving rise to a new mood. Thousands of workers have taken to the streets in a wave of unprecedented protests this year. In March and August, workers marched through the glittering Sheikh Zayed street in Dubai in protest at a decision to deduct half their wages for meals. Their protest highlighted the growing anger in the shanty towns and slums on the fringes of the major cities. Hambouz said, "In September a massive fire swept through the Jebali Ali camp for foreign labourers outside the capital. The fire destroyed the possessions of 1,500 labourers and sparked protests." Shortly after this, thousands of labourers struck against low wages. The strikers destroyed company buses and blocked the main roads. Hambouz said, "After the riot, 180 labourers who worked on government projects were thrown out of the country without receiving pay due to them. The government said the workers came into the country illegally. "In April, three labourers at a construction company died from various illnesses related to their substandard living conditions. "Later that month 200 labourers from the Marhaba Marina company went on strike after they were not paid for four months. "In June, one municipality banned buses ferrying workers from entering certain areas. Prohibits "The labourers were forced to walk long distances from their camps to construction sites. In one month two died and 82 were made sick by heat exhaustion." Earlier this year the government was forced to pass a law that prohibits working under the noon sun during July and August. There are growing calls for change among UAE nationals. This summer, school teachers threatened to strike to demand higher wages. Last month the UAE passed an amnesty law allowing workers who overstayed their visas the right to go home with their earnings. Over 300,000 left, leaving the building sites empty and delaying prestigious construction projects such as the Burj Dubai - set to be the world's tallest building. The government has been unable to break the momentum of the struggle. The strike last Saturday is the latest manifestation of the new mood of militancy. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/502777-uae-draws-line-in-sand-over-worker-unrest?ln=en UAE draws line in sand over worker unrest by Safura Rahimi on Monday, 29 October 2007 Construction workers in Dubai are increasingly deciding to voice their concerns over pay and conditions through protests. (Getty Images) The UAE Ministry of Labour is to deport construction workers involved in a violent protest over the weekend as the government looks to draw a line in the sand over public demonstrations by low-paid labourers over pay and conditions. Employees of an unnamed contracting company took to the streets in demand of better pay, housing and transport services in the early hours of Saturday morning. The demonstration turned violent when police tried to remove the workers after they blocked Jebel Ali Industrial Road, with some of the protestors hurling stones at police and passing motorists. The workers - currently in custody - are having their visas revoked and face a lifetime ban from working in the country, a ministry official said, quoted UAE daily Gulf News on Monday. The majority of labourers facing deportation are reportedly of Asian origin. The move to deport the workers follows a similar incident in August when around 24 construction workers who had protested for a pay rise were deported for refusing to return to work. According to reports, the group was part of 500 construction workers protesting at their labour camp in demand of a 300 dirham pay rise in late July. The number of protests by low-paid labourers over pay and conditions has been steadily growing and the ministry's announcement is being seen as a clear message that the sort of protests witnessed on Saturday will not be tolerated. The Emirates construction boom is currently facing a number of challenges such as skills shortages and the rising cost of raw materials, and the government and developers will not want to add worker unrest to that list. http://www.nowpublic.com/people/uae-initiates-deportation-workers-after-violent-protest UAE initiates deportation of workers after violent protest by hussain | November 2, 2007 at 09:16 am | 104 views | 2 comments As many as 44 Pakistanis are among 155 expatriate construction workers from the Indian Subcontinent to be deported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a few days for their involvement in violent protest last week. "The UAE government has started deportation of Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi workers of a construction company for observing strike. The process to deport 44 Pakistanis, 91 Indians and 20 Bangladeshi workers of a construction company in Dubai for involvement in violent protest," diplomatic sources in the Pakistan capital said Friday. "The deportation process is going to be completed next week," said the sources, seeking anonymity. A massive strike broke out in the UAE wherein more than 40,000 workers from various Asian countries working with a leading construction company abstained from work paralysing construction work at various sites in Dubai. The demands of workers include increase in wages, improvement of basic facilities in labour camps, abolition of fines, better transport system and release of 400 workers detained by Dubai Police for marching on the road. The strike came a day after the UAE government decided to deport 159 workers who were involved in the violent protest in front of a labour camp in Jebel Ali on October 27. http://www.nosweat.org.uk/node/634 Migrant workers strike in Dubai Strike rages on at world's tallest tower in Dubai 1 day ago DUBAI (AFP) - Thousands of migrant builders in Dubai remained on strike on Wednesday, including many at the world's tallest tower, the emirate's construction giant Arabtec acknowledged. "The situation has not changed and the workers are still on strike," Arabtec spokesman Ammar Tuqan told AFP when asked about the status of the firm's 34,000 staff. He declined to go into further details but told the Dubai state-owned daily Emarat Al-Youm that only "around 1,500 Arabtec staff resumed work on Tuesday after a strike now running for nearly two weeks". The company is "trying to persuade other workers to return to their jobs," Tuqan added. The paper said that the "whole" of the company's workforce had joined the action for better wages and working conditions. Burj Dubai is still under construction but it overtook Taiwan's Taipei 101 tower as the world's tallest building when it reached 512 metres (1,533 feet) in June. Its eventual height remains a closely guarded secret. The skyscraper is being built by a consortium involving Arabtec, Samsung of South Korea and Besix of Belgium. The booming Gulf city of state of Dubai was hit by a rash of strikes by migrant workers that spread to several construction sites late last month. Some 4,500 migrant workers, most of them Indian, downed tools in a rare resort to industrial action in the Gulf emirate where strike action is outlawed and trade unions are illegal. "Some workers are adopting a hardline position demanding an immediate increase in wages," complained Tuqan. He said the firm was ready to "examine the question at a later date but on condition that staff first returned to work." Arabtec staff, who are paid an average of 700 dirhams (190 dollars) a month, are demanding an increase of 500 dirhams (136 dollars). The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday it will "urgently" review wages of workers in the construction sector following the wave of strikes. The labour ministry requires employers to "pay the wages of workers in full and without any cuts for whatever reason," in line with the agreed work contracts, senior ministry official Humaid bin Deemas said. Burj Dubai is no stranger to industrial action. In March last year, 2,500 labourers rioted at the construction site. The incident prompted the New York-based Human Rights Watch to issue a statement calling on the UAE government to "end abusive labour practices" and describing working conditions as "less than human." The authorities in the United Arab Emirates had hailed an end to the strike at Burj Dubai on November 1, saying that staff had agreed to resume work after the intervention of a delegation from the labour ministry, the Dubai police and the Indian consulate. An estimated 700,000 Asians, mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, work as construction workers in the UAE, an oil-rich Gulf country experiencing an economic boom where only some 20 percent of the four million population have citizenship. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:34:38 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:34:38 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Prison revolts, October 2007 Message-ID: <032d01c824d4$938c6ee0$0802a8c0@andy1> * RUSSIA: Prison unrest in eastern gulag - youths killed by police * RUSSIA: Abuse accusations spark unrest at St Petersburg prison * BAHRAIN: Prison protest ends in fire * EGYPT: Prison conditions cause revolt * BAHRAIN: Drug clinic inmates protest police invasion * PHILIPPINES: Guards under investigation after revolt http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gn4kEQAdNsFHO8WWBAO1JyQOTYawD8SB32MG0 2 Killed in Russian Prison Riot Oct 17, 2007 MOSCOW (AP) - A revolt at a Russian prison for minors swelled into a mass uprising that left two people dead and buildings gutted before guards and riot police restored order, officials said Wednesday. The unrest started late Tuesday when a group of inmates tried to break through a fence at the prison in the Sverdlovsk region in the Ural Mountains. Guards first fired a warning shot but then fired directly at prisoners after coming under attack, said Eduard Petrukhin, deputy director of the federal prison service. One prisoner was killed, and a guard also died in the rampage, he said. Thirteen people were injured, including six guards. More prisoners then joined the uprising, setting several buildings on fire and breaking windows. Eventually nearly half the prison's inmates, some 250 people, took part, Petrukhin said. The RIA-Novosti news agency quoted regional prison service spokeswoman Yelena Tishchenko as saying the prisoner was killed when a guard fired at inmates trying to break through the fence. The report did not indicate that she mentioned a warning shot or an attack on guards. Television images showed flames engulfing buildings in the middle of night and police in riot gear marching in. The riot lasted about four hours. Eduard Rossel, governor of the Sverdlovsk region, expressed gratitude to the riot police, saying they prevented dangerous prisoners from escaping, Channel One television reported. Twenty prisoners who slipped away in the melee were all tracked down, according to TV reports. Deputy Justice Minister Alexander Savenkov said the uprising had probably been planned, because it occurred while women were guarding the compound, the Interfax news agency reported. http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/15665 October 17, 2007, 14:15 Three die in juvenile prison riot Three people have been killed during a riot in a juvenile prison in the Russian Urals. Two inmates were shot dead when security guards opened fire at a group of prisoners trying to get over a barrier. Also, an officer who was on duty died in hospital from injuries. The riots began late on Tuesday at the correction facility in Kirovgrad, 100 kilometers north-west of the regional capital Ekaterinburg. After the escape attempt failed almost 300 inmates aged 14 through 18 set several buildings on fire. Special Forces were called in from neighbouring cities. Local residents say shooting was heard all night long. Earlier reports suggested inmates had taken control of the facility's guardroom where the firearms were kept, but the local Federal Penitentiary Service has not confirmed this. One of the wardens died of wounds from the fighting. Five other prison workers and seven inmates were badly injured and hospitalised. The Penitentiary Service says this was the most violent riot to occur at this prison. One of the major reasons behind the uprising is thought to objections by the young prisoners to being moved to adult facilities. The fire seriously damaged the area, as well as the headquarters of the prison. Teams are now working to clear the debris. All classes in the prison have been called off. Civilian personnel have been asked to stay at home till further notice. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/16/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-Prison-Riot.php Report: Inmate at Russian youth prison shot dead during riot The Associated Press Published: October 16, 2007 MOSCOW: A guard opened fire on rioting inmates at a prison for minors in Russia on Tuesday, killing one inmate amid violence that injured 11 other people, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. A guard fired at inmates who were trying to get past a barrier at a youth prison in the Ural Mountains, RIA-Novosti reported, citing Yelena Tishchenko, a spokeswoman for the Sverdlovsk region branch of Russia's prison service. Tishchenko said six employees and five other inmates were injured "during restoration of order" at the facility and they were hospitalized, the report said. It did not give the ages of inmates killed or injured, and officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Law enforcement authorities had the situation under control about three hours after the rioting began, but a fire the inmates set at a building on the grounds of the facility was still burning, RIA-Novosti quoted Tishchenko as saying. She denied an initial report that inmates had seized weapons and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement agents. http://newsfromrussia.com/news/russia/16-10-2007/98958-prison_riot-0 Riot breaks out in Russian youth prison Front page / Russia 10/16/2007 18:01Source: AP ? Inmates at a prison for minors in Russia excited a riot, setting fire to a building and injuring several guards. Seven employees and six inmates were injured in the riot at the facility in the Sverdlovsk region of the Ural Mountains, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported, citing the regional branch of Russia's prison agency. russian prison(www.flickr.com) Interfax reported that a prison service official, Alexander Sidorov, said five employees were injured and that the situation was under control. Officials denied an initial report that inmates had seized weapons and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement agents, ITAR-Tass and Interfax said. http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/16030 October 26, 2007, 4:54 Teenage prisoners riot near Petersburg after reports of abuse Young prisoners have rioted at a juvenile detention centre near Saint Petersburg, burning buildings and clashing with staff and other detainees. The distubances were sparked by rumours that some inmates had been beaten up by prison officers - a claim denied by staff af the facility in the town of Metallostroy. "The teenagers had incorrectly heard that their friends were being assaulted and so they started fighting," Aleksey Pavlov, Federal Penitentiary Service representative said. Mr Pavlov said there had been some violence at the prison but that it was quickly brought under control. "There was minor damage, only one window broken. Fire engines came just in case," he said. Youths set alight watch towers and tried to burn other parts of the prison. There were no reports of injuries. The riot comes only a week after disturbances at a juvenile prison in the town of Kirovograd in Russia's Sverdlovsk region. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=196582&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30207 Protest sparks police jail blaze By REBECCA TORR MANAMA: At least 15 ambulances were yesterday involved in a rescue operation following a blaze when detainees allegedly set fire to mattresses and blankets at the Isa Town Police Station. Forty people were treated for smoke inhalation in the incident which started when one of the inmates tried to escape by climbing the boundary wall during a smoking break in the outer area of the station and was arrested, said a Central Governorate police director. When the police ordered the inmates to their cells, they resisted but more officers joined to force them back into their cells. The arrested inmate then allegedly inciting fellow detainees to spread chaos, who locked the doors from the inside and set fire to blankets and mattresses. Eight of those injured were taken to BDF Hospital's Intensive Care Unit and the rest to Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa visited the scene and ordered a speedy investigation. http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1366211.php/Calm_returns_to_Egypts_prisons_after_riot Middle East News Calm returns to Egypt's prisons after riot Oct 17, 2007, 15:14 GMT Cairo - Calm returned to a prison in southern Egypt on Wednesday after three inmates and 10 policemen were injured in a prison riot in protest of poor living conditions, security sources said. A riot broke out in the main prison in the southern province of Qena when 150 inmates were protesting Monday against conditions in the prison. Prison authorities deployed a 400-strong security squad to secure the prison perimeter and prevent possible inmates' escape, the sources said. Civil defence forces were also sent in to end the riots and water canons used to disperse inmates. ? 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=196911&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30210 Drug centre patients protest 'raid' By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI PATIENTS at the Almoayyed Drugs and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre clashed yesterday with police following a surprise inspection. Police stormed the centre at the Psychiatric Hospital, Salmaniya, acting on a tip-off that drugs and weapons were being hidden there. Twelve patients at the centre protested against what they described as an invasion of their privacy. One of the patients, reportedly traumatised by the raid, attempted to commit suicide, they claimed Some patients were unhappy saying that having admitted themselves as drug addicts, they would later be identified by police as potential drug users. Health Ministry officials claimed that regular inspections were routinely carried out where information about drugs and weapons was concerned. They said a search was carried out by the Interior Ministry in co-ordination with the Public Prosecution. The ministry official said it was a question of protecting patients' safety rather invading their privacy. A 43-year-old patient said he was there voluntarily and had no police record, and so his 21-day rehabilitation was private and confidential. "Now, I am a regular face for the police since they had gathered us all in the television room, which means they know who we are. Another 40-year-old patient said he did not want to stay there anymore for fear of being harassed by the police every now and then. "I left my family because I want to be clean, but there are people who don't want me to be so. "But storming into my room or looking at my face means it jeopardises any hope of being clean." http://www.gmanews.tv/story/65806/Sorsogon-jail-warden-probed-for-riot Sorsogon jail warden probed for riot 10/25/2007 | 08:30 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us The Sorsogon provincial government has ordered an investigation of the provincial jail warden for a riot last Tuesday that left a prison guard and two others wounded. Radio dzRH reported Wednesday night that governor Sally Lee ordered controversial warden Josephine Lacdang investigated for allegedly firing her gun during the incident. At least two inmates of the Sorsogon Provincial Jail were shot and wounded during the riot. Shot and wounded were Michael Escano and Edgar Tarpolata, who along with fellow inmates started the riot at 7 a.m. to protest Lacdang's jail management policies. Lacdang started a dialogue with the inmates when one prisoner allegedly threw a bottle at her head. Shards of glass then hit Prison Officer 3 Florencio Escote. This prompted hostilities to resume, with Lacdang firing "warning shots." The bullets, however, hit Escano and Tarpolata. At the time, the inmates were protesting alleged lack of privileges, cutoff of visiting hours, bad quality of food, and inhumane treatment. Earlier this year, 39 of the jail's 302 inmates were not served food after holding a noise barrage to protest new regulations imposed by Lacdang. - GMANews.TV From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:38:37 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:38:37 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] South Asia: mass landless protest, protest vs retail giants and more Message-ID: <033101c824d5$22298700$0802a8c0@andy1> * INDIA: Protest against retail giants by small shopkeepers and farmers in Mumbai * INDIA: Karnataka rally against withdrawal of subsidies * PAKISTAN: Homeless people protest at supreme court * INDIA: Tens of thousands complete massive march for land rights * BANGLADESH: Farmers block roads, assault official over fertiliser shortage http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/11/stories/2007101161661500.htm Protest against retail giants Staff Reporter GATHERING FOR A CAUSE: Over 20,000 traders, farmers and shopkeepers staged a protest in Azad Maidan, Mumbai, on Wednesday against the entry of private retail giants like WalMart into the country, which they say will destroy millions of livelihoods. The protest was the biggest in the country yet against the ambitions of foreign and local companies to introduce Western-style supermarkets.. - PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE MUMBAI: Over 20,000 people gathered at Azad Maidan here on Wednesday to protest against the entry of corporates and foreign chains such as Wal-Mart into retail trade in India. The protesters, who were also demanding the implementation of labour laws in Special Economic Zones, belonged to diverse groups such as retailers, wholesale traders, hawkers and Mathadi labourers. They are opposing the amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act that allows corporates to buy products from farmers and sell them directly to the consumers. "Various groups that have never come together are protesting all over the State under the umbrella of "Vyapar Rozgar Suraksha Kriti Samiti," Mohan Gurnani, president of the Federation of Association of Maharashtra (FAM) said. "Our demands are simple," said Narendra Patil, leader of the Mathadi workers' union. "We want the amendment to the APMC Act cancelled. We do not want big corporates, Indian or otherwise, to enter the retail industry and labour laws should be implemented in SEZs." Some action would be required if their demands fell on deaf ears, he told the gathering. He referred to the closing down of Reliance Fresh outlets in Uttar Pradesh and called for a similar action from the Mathadi workers. Speakers such as Vivek Monterio of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions and trade unionist Baba Adhao said it was a myth that farmers and consumers would benefit from "farm to fork" strategy. For several years, middlemen were blamed for farmers getting poor returns. The big giants would wipe out competition and monopolise the business. It would only lead to exploitation of farmers and consumers, they said. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200710110341.htm Small traders hold protest against organised retail Mumbai (PTI): In perhaps the largest protest against organised retail in the country, thousands of traders on Wednesday came together to oppose entry of corporate giants in the fresh foods business. Apparently targeting western-style food retail stores of Reliance Fresh, Spencer's and the entry of Wal-Mart through a joint venture with Bharti, the traders under the banner of Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) asked farmers not to fall for the corporate's bait of remunerative prices for their produce. FAM leaders claimed that once the corporates establish their presence, farmers would no longer be able to dictate prices. http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/13/stories/2007101354370400.htm KRRS to hold protest Special Correspondent Bangalore: The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene will hold a demonstration here on October 15 to protest against the proposed 100 per cent of withdrawal of agricultural subsidies as part of the World Trade agreement. Speaking to presspersons here on Friday, KRRS president Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said that Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath would be signing an agreement to this effect later this month and it would spell disaster to an already ailing sector. Disaster had struck Indian farmers after the signing of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1994 and the present agreement would be a second blow, Mr. Chandrashekhar said. Over 1.50 lakh farmers had committed suicide in India after the implementation of the GATT agreement, he added. "The United States gives an annual subsidy of $ 296 billion to farmers. They have recently extended the subsidies by another five years. How can they expect the Indian Government to withdraw subsides to its poor farmers when such is the situation?" Mr.Chandrashekhar sought to know. http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/24/top18.htm Homeless protest in front of SC ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: The poor, deserving and homeless people of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad protested in front of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday and appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan to provide them ownership rights. Nearly 1,000 people including women, children and old people under the leadership of Head of World Minorities Alliance (WMA) and Pakistan Human Rights Party, J Salik observed peaceful protest in front of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The protestors were holding banners and placards. Addressing on the occasion, J Salik said that he had pledged with the poor to provide them shelter and in this regard, he would file over 6,000 petitions with the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary. These 6,000 petitions are placed in 14 boxes, he said. He said that the poor and homeless of the twin cities in their applications requested the CJP to provide them shelter and that besides the government officials and armed forces, plots should be given to the homeless.-Online http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gjiSfkaWqyBYCxlmyF64XFcAILqgD8SJ3U800 Landless Poor Protest in Indian Capital By GAVIN RABINOWITZ - 6 days ago NEW DELHI (AP) - Some 27,000 landless people gathered in New Delhi, hoping to march to Parliament with a single demand - give us land. But police locked them up Monday, chaining the gates to the vast Ramlila fairgrounds and barricading the demonstrators inside. Monday had been planned as the culmination of a monthlong, 185-mile march north from the city of Gwalior to the national capital with this message: The masses have been largely untouched by India's economic boom. "Day-by-day the Sensex goes up but the common people get nothing from this," said Anil Gupta, a march organizer, referring to the Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark index, which closed at a record high Monday. "People here are asking only for the basics. There is no greed. They don't want clothes or electricity, just land so they can feed themselves," he said. After police barricaded the protesters inside the dusty fairgrounds Monday, they settled in, saying they would stay as long as it takes - at least they were getting one meal a day from the organizers. At home, they have nothing. The call for land resonates in a country where some 70 percent of India's 1.1 billion people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, many eking out an existence as subsistence farmers or itinerant laborers. Poverty is rife. About 450 million Indians live on less than $1 a day, according to the World Bank. The march brought together India's traditionally landless people - the "untouchables" and tribals at the bottom of the country's complex social ladder - and the newly landless, forced from their fields by new economic projects. Dherum joined the march in the jungles of India's Madhya Pradesh state, the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book." He feeds his five children on about 50 cents a day, made by selling firewood foraged from the jungles. "I just want a small piece of land so I can grow some vegetables," said the 35-year-old, who like many from India's indigenous tribes goes by one name. "My father died doing this work, I'll die doing this," he said. "Give us some land to farm, nothing else." India is trying to attract foreign investment to spur its economy and help develop its largely backward infrastructure. In part, it has chosen to do this by setting up Special Economic Zones, where companies get tax breaks to open businesses and factories. But critics say farmers are often forced from their land or cheated of its value when it is acquired for these projects. Priya Bishnu's family has fished eastern India's massive Chilika Lake for prawns for centuries. But they left the area recently after large companies were granted the right to set up huge prawn farms in the lake. "When the government gives the multinational companies land, where does it come from? That's our land," the 33-year-old said. "It should be our right to fish the lake and sell the prawns," she said, sitting with other marchers under a sign of independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi. Their protest has been peaceful, in keeping with the passive resistance set out by Gandhi, but the fears and frustrations of others have overflowed into violence. The government canceled a plan to acquire 22,000 acres of land in eastern India for a petrochemical plant and shipyard after the deaths of 14 farmers in clashes with police. Another 15 people have died in sporadic violence. March organizers demand a national body be created to look into the land issue and amend India's vague property laws and endemic corruption that allow farmers to be strong-armed off their land by powerful landowners. In an apparent answer to the protests, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office announced late Monday that a National Land Reforms Council - with Singh as chairman - would be established. Officials in his office were not available to discuss details. But activists were skeptical. "They talk about helping the average man, but the policies are anti-poor," said Gupta, noting that legislation already enacted to provide land rights to the tribes has not been enforced. "But when a multinational needs land, the government organizes everything for them," he said. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jub9jCMgTsWK1JTCWxataCJijlWgD8SII2S00 Thousands Protest Land Seizure in India 6 days ago NEW DELHI (AP) - Tens of thousands of impoverished Indians arrived in the national capital on Sunday ending a monthlong march to draw attention to the plight of those dispossessed of their land by recent economic development. An estimated 27,000 protesters waved flags and chanted "Give us land, give us water," as they marched in long, orderly lines to central New Delhi where they plan to hold a massive protest Monday. The demonstrators, who marched some 185 miles from the central city of Gwalior, say they have not only been left behind in the wake of India's recent economic boom, but have suffered directly from the growth, with many forced from their land to make way for government-backed economic projects. Police reported Sunday that four people died in eastern India after clashes between farmers and government supporters over proposed land seizures to create an industrial zone. "We don't have food, land or water. We are going to Delhi to get this," Rasi Ram, one of the marchers in New Delhi, told the CNN-IBN news channel. India is trying to attract foreign investment to spur its economy and help develop its largely backward infrastructure. To that end, it has set up Special Economic Zones, where companies get tax breaks to set up business and factories. But critics say farmers are often forced from their land or cheated on its value when an area is designated for these projects. In West Bengal state, three government supporters died in an explosion, a day after an activist who opposes the land grabs was shot dead by supporters of the governing Communist Party of India (Marxist), said Raj Kanojia, the state's inspector general of police. Farmers in the Nandigram area in West Bengal fiercely resisted efforts by authorities to force land sales at cheap rates to build a shipyard and a petrochemical plant. The government officially abandoned the plan to acquire 22,000 acres of land in Nandigram in March, but the violence has continued. Those who support the farmers say the communists were killed when a bomb they were building prematurely exploded, while party officials say they were attacked to avenge the death of the activist. It's not only economic developments that have forced the poor from their lands. Some say India's vague property laws and endemic corruption allow them to be strong-armed off their land by powerful local landowners. "When these landowners see that someone strong is coming up to fight for his land rights they get them murdered," Vishwas Prasad, a marcher told the NDTV news channel. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/world/asia/28cnd-india.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin Indians Conclude 200-Mile Protest By SAHER MAHMOOD and SOMINI SENGUPTA Published: October 29, 2007 NEW DELHI, Oct. 28 - From a village in Madhya Pradesh State, in the heart of India, Gudiya Bai came here walking because, she said, she lost her land to a limestone mine. From eastern Orissa, Johny Bilyung came because most of his tiny plot was taken over for the construction of a dam. And from neighboring Jharkhand, Budhua Tanabhagat came because he has yet to get water from a dam that cost him half of his fields. For 26 days, thousands of peasants like these have marched more than 200 miles to the capital with the hope of telling their government how they had been cast aside by this country's roaring economic growth. They reached here this morning in an orderly, peaceful three mile-long procession. Most of them wore plastic flip-flops, and some said they were already on their third pair. A spokesman for Ekta Parishad, or Unity Council, which organized the march, estimated a turnout of 25,000, which could not be independently verified. Their principal grievance was over land, and their presence in the capital was a stark reminder of one of the biggest challenges facing India, as it seeks to balance the needs of a vulnerable countryside and the demands of economic expansion. More than half of the population makes its living off agriculture, and most Indian peasants subsist on tiny plots fed by fickle rains. While industrial and public works projects in past decades had displaced people from their land, the pace of industrialization has accelerated significantly in recent years, sharpening competition over land, one of the country's most coveted resources. Peasants' protests, some of them violent, have held up several proposed projects - from steel mills to power plants to Chinese-style Special Economic Zones - postponing several billion dollars in investments over the last two years. The government has been compelled to revisit its Special Economic Zone policy, which gives generous tax incentives to developers. It is also crafting a new policy to compensate those whose lands and livelihoods are lost. The peasant procession, which began in Gwalior, a once-royal city in the middle of the country, brought some of the most destitute Indians here to the richest city in the land. They carried sacks over their shoulders, containing a few clothes, a steel plate and cup, and thin quilts to keep themselves warm at night. Some carried umbrellas to shield themselves from the still-hot midday sun. Last week, three marchers were killed by a speeding truck along the road, in neighboring Uttar Pradesh state. Many among the marchers were indigenous people known here as tribals and among the most vulnerable to displacement by industrial projects slated for the heavily forested, resource-rich swath across central India. They were joined by a fair number of foreigners. The cost of the procession, about $1.25 per person per day, according to the organizers, was defrayed by some foreign-aid agencies. The marchers' demands included enforceable property deeds and fast-track courts to settle land disputes, which can stretch on for several years. "Land. Water. Forest" read a banner strung on a jeep that led the procession. Gudiya Bai, from a village called Jhiraha, said her extended family first lost half of its 10 acres to a limestone mine. What was left became infertile. She blames the mine for making water scarce, a claim impossible to verify. As their household income dwindled, one by one, family members went to work in the mine. Today, it employs six of her eight children, all but one of whom is under the age of 14, the legal working age in India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/20000_people_seeking_land_rights_arrive_in_Delhi_for_protest_at_Parliament/articleshow/2496843.cms 20,000 people seeking land rights arrive in Delhi for protest at Parliament 28 Oct 2007, 1346 hrs IST,PTI NEW DELHI: A massive rally of over 20,000 people from 15 states on Sunday reached the national Capital after marching 340 kms from Gwalior, demanding their rights to land and livelihood. The "Janadesh March", organised by Ekta Parishad, was flagged off at Guwalior on October 2 and have already marched for 24 days. The activists plan to sit on a protest near the Parliament on Monday. Their demands included setting up of a National Land Authority, fast-track courts and a single window system to deal with land and livelihood disputes. Around 200 foreigners from 30 countries are also taking part in the rally lending support to the cause of the Tribals, Adivasis and landless workers. "These villagers are not ready to go empty handed. This is an initiative to bring land reforms to centrestage in rural development policies," said Ekta Parishad founder P V Rajgopal, who is leading the rally. Rajgopal said there was a need for a "single window system" at district level to deal with land and livelihood issues. He said the government should set up a National Land Authority to look into the matters related to land reforms and other related issues. Seven persons have died during the rally till date. Four due to illness and three were killed in accidents. 50 trucks are carrying food items and medicines for the protesters. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5glF_xvNayz8p8KkbboJJ7o3_239A India sets up panel on land reforms after huge protest 6 days ago NEW DELHI (AFP) - The Indian government said Monday it would set up a special panel on land reforms after thousands of poor and landless people converged on the capital to press for land rights. An estimated 25,000 people from across India gathered in New Delhi after marching 600 kilometres (370 miles) from the central city of Gwalior to demand land reforms. The panel would look into "all land related issues, including land reforms", the government said in a statement. The expert committee would make recommendations on land policies, judicial reforms and speedier disposal of court cases related to land disputes, and submit them to another council headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Organisers of the protest march, who were prevented by police from moving to the federal parliament building earlier in the day, welcomed the announcement. "Our demands have been met. We are fully satisfied, now that the rural development minister came here and made the announcement," said Bharat Bhushan Thakur, a member of protest organising group Ekta Parishad, or Unity Forum. "These measures will clear the hurdles in giving land to poor people. We are now ready to go back," Thakur said, after thousands of people waving green and white flags spent a day at a dusty ground with no shade from the sun. Seven people died of fatigue or illness during the trek, which began on October 2 -- the day India celebrates Gandhi's birthday. The protestors had demanded that the government introduce iron-clad legislation on holdings, deeds and tenancy rights -- replacing the current system where ownership can easily be taken by the rich and powerful. The march has been the biggest show of anger yet over the problem of land grabbing in India, where poor farmers are being pushed off their land by both government and private developers. "Many people here have been displaced many times over -- first because of mining, then because of dams. They have nowhere to go," march organiser Puthan Vithal Rajgopal said. A government plan to set up tax-friendly special economic zones across thousands of acres of farmland in a bid to lure overseas corporations has led to sometimes violent protests over displacement in at least two states. "It is nothing but land grabbing," Rajgopal said. The Indian economy is expanding at around nine percent a year, with services and manufacturing clocking double digit growth. But the farm sector is being left far behind and activists are increasingly pointing at a widening gap between the rich few and the hundreds of millions of poor. "Our fight is for land, forests and water. Our slogan is 'give us land, or give us jail,'" said participant Sanjay Kumar. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=10905 Fertiliser Shortage Farmers block highway, assault UNO Our Correspondent, Manikganj Farmers failing to get fertiliser blocked Dhaka-Aricha Road for an hour and a half yesterday at Uthuli bus stand in Shibalaya upazila in Manikganj and assaulted the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) twice. They also confined the UNO and a fertiliser dealer to shops at the bus stand. Sources said the farmers went to the shop of fertiliser dealer Ashraful Islam Raja to buy urea in the morning but the dealer refused to sell as the upazila administration, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and the union parishad (UP) chairman and members failed to distribute slips to farmers on the basis of which the dealer should sell fertiliser. Farmers usually receive slips from the authorities mentioning their fertiliser requirements and the urea is sold to them according to the amount mentioned on the slip. At this, around 500 farmers went to the highway and blocked it at 11:50am disrupting road communications between Dhaka and south-western districts. It also created a traffic jam as hundreds of vehicles made long queues on both sides of the highway. UNO Soleman Khan and a DAE official went to the spot but the angry farmers assaulted the UNO. The DAE official managed to flee. The farmers then confined the UNO and the dealer to two separate shops. A district administration team comprising Assistant Deputy Commissioner Salauddin Ahmed and Deputy Director of DAE Mokbul Hossain Talukder went to the spot around 1:20pm and brought the situation under control with the help of police and by assuring them of giving fertiliser. They also rescued the UNO from the shop. Superintendent of Police of Manikganj Imtiaz Ahmed supervised the resumption of vehicular movement. The district administration officials tried to sit with the farmers to discuss the matter but the farmers refused to talk. A farmer alleged that they have been trying to get fertiliser for seven days. They said the UP chairmen and members were making delays in distributing the slips and alleged they were selling fertiliser at night at higher price. Later, Lt Col Fakhrul Ahsan, Major Shafi and Captain Arif of the joint forces went to the spot and rescued the fertiliser dealer. Lt Col Fakhrul Ahsan assured the farmers of giving fertiliser. He also asked for the distribution of 200 sacks of urea to each of the nine wards in Uthuli Union. However, farmers at Nayabari in the upazila again assaulted the UNO in the evening when he went there to distribute fertiliser. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:41:05 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:41:05 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Peace protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <033201c824d5$7a62fa00$0802a8c0@andy1> Police seriously need to stop whining. So people held a sit-down protest to disrupt parliament - so what? Not everyone worships the law the way these fanatics do. These scum had themselves attacked the right to protest beforehand, how can they then expect protesters' indulgence? They should feel grateful that their repression did not meet with a sterner response. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1393860 Four arrested at UK anti-war protest Oct 9, 2007 7:43 AM Police arrested four people during an anti-war protest which was given the go-ahead only at the eleventh-hour, Scotland Yard said. The four were detained for offences including assault on police officers and obstruction. Hundreds of protesters marched from Trafalgar Square to parliament to call for the government to withdraw troops from Iraq as politicians gathered on the first day after the summer recess. Police, who had earlier threatened to use a Victorian law to prevent the Stop the War Coalition demonstration, said the protesters had broken an agreement. "It was disappointing that, after assurances from organisers that they had no intention of disrupting parliament or preventing MPs from attending, a group of demonstrators held a sit-down protest in the road in Parliament Square," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison said in a statement. "To my mind this was not about lawful protest but about those who wished to deliberately flout the law and inconvenience others." Permission to hold the event was given less than an hour before the start, organisers said. Authorities had effectively banned the march under the Metropolitan Police Act of 1839, which dates from the time of the Chartist protest movement, a period when the ruling class believed they were on the brink of social revolution. The Stop the War Coalition had been determined to go ahead with the march even without the official green light. Convener Lindsey German told BBC Radio Four: "We think, in a democracy, we should be allowed to go to our parliament." She also questioned the timing of the move. "We have to ask: why is it (the Act) being raised at this time? I guess that Gordon Brown would like to draw a line under the war in Iraq and demonstrations on the first day that parliament comes back are probably an embarrassment to the government." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2687692.ece >From Times Online October 18, 2007 Thousands of Kurds mount peaceful protest against threat of Turkish attack Deborah Haynes, of The Times, in Zakho, close to the Turkish border Waving colourful banners and Kurdish flags, thousands of people demonstrated across northern Iraq today in protest at the growing threat of a big military incursion by Turkey to hunt down Kurdish rebels. The peaceful rallies took place as leaders of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region met to respond to a decision by the Turkish Parliament yesterday to authorise the deployment of troops across the mountainous border that divides the two countries to crush members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "Understanding each other is better than killing each other," read one of the many slogans that daubed the banners brandished by demonstrators, old and young, in the regional capital of Erbil and Dohuk, the closest Kurdish city to Turkey. Another banner declared: "The language of threat is no more." Related Links ? Turkey votes for attacks on rebels in Iraq ? Kurdish separatists vow bloody resistance Organised by student unions, advocacy groups and other civil society movements, the protests attracted at least 10,000 people in Erbil and more than 5,000 in Dohuk. A smaller rally also took place in Sheladze, a town about 20km (13 miles) south of the Turkish border, while about 1,500 minority Turkomen in the northern city of Tal Afar demonstrated in solidarity with the Kurds. "We are protesting because we do not want the Turkish Army to enter the Kurdish region," said Renas Jano, 28, President of the Kurdistan Students' Union, which organised the Erbil protest that ended outside the United Nations' office in the city. "We will continue this action...We will use every, civil method," he told The Times. He like many others was prepared to fight for his freedom alongside the Kurdish region's Peshmerga security force if Turkey did cross the border. In Dohuk, the atmosphere was similarly passionate, with protestors holding high the sunshine flag of the Kurdish region, which sits on a backdrop of red, white and green. "We are ready to defend our land," said Nasser Ali, 25, a teacher on the rally, which similarly led to an office of the UN where a document was submitted calling on the world body to stop any Turkish activity inside Iraq. District leaders around the Kurdish region have also been holding meetings with local people to explain the situation. In Zakho, a town only 10km from Turkey, Rezgar Zakhoy, a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), one of the two main political parties in the regional government, addressed a crowd of about 150 concerned men and women. "It is clear that there is now a threat in the area,"said Dr Zakhoy, who explained that he was passing on a message from Massud Barzani, President of the Iraqi Kurdish region, after a meeting with him this week. Dr Zakhoy, KDP leader in the district, which is home to more than 200,000 people, emphasised that the chances of Turkey carrying out a serious incursion were very weak. But he told his audience: "We are not afraid. Today the Peshmerga are in the prepared places and they are ready to defend Kurdistan and when it is needed we will all join them to defend our land." Speaking to The Times before the town meeting, the senior politician called on the United States to help, saying that it was responsible for securing the whole of Iraq under a special UN resolution. "We ask the United Nations and the United States, according to article 1483, to protect the Kurdish people because we do not have the power to confront this Turkish force," Dr Zakhoy said. "We are asking for them to come and protect us." Turkey's vote yesterday removed the last legal obstacle to an offensive against the PKK across the border in northern Iraq, but there was no sign of imminent action as the US and the Iraqi Government urged restraint. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in the southeast of Turkey since 1984 in a conflict that has killed more than 30,000 people. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/10/counterprotest_against_code_pi.html October 19, 2007 Counter-Protest Against Code Pink in "The Lion's Den" Rick Moran It may have been a first for the city of Berkeley, California. A large group of protesters supporting the troops far outnumbered a rag-tag group of leftists who were agitating against a Marine recruitment office smack in the middle of downtown: Flag-waving demonstrators far outnumbered a group of peace advocates who were protesting a U.S. Marine Corps recruiting center in downtown on Wednesday. But groups on both sides of Shattuck Avenue slowed traffic and jammed sidewalks as they shouted back and forth at each other. Police kept the two competing groups across the street from each other; there were no arrests. One protester who was burning something was cited by police after he was warned by officers not to burn anything in public, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss. Protests in Berkeley are nothing new. A protest of a protest is unique -- even in Berkeley. On one side of the street was CodePINK, Grandmothers Against the War, Berkeley East Bay Gray Panthers, Women in Black and other peace groups holding "no war" signs and chanting "out of Iraq." On the other were military veterans, mothers and fathers of soldiers, members of the UC Berkeley College Republicans and Melanie Morgan, whose conservative talk show airs on KSFO. They waved American flags and chanted "USA, USA, USA." The recruitment office was forced to move from nearby Alameda when the building they were occupying was slated for destruction. So the Marines, not ones to back away from a fight, boldly set up shop in a city that boasts one of the only truly socialist local governments in the United States. The results were predictable. The office has been defaced by graffitti several times and protests are a daily occurrence. Conservative talk show host Melanie Morgan was incensed at the defacement as well as the harrassment of potential recruits and organized the counter-demonstration. Hundreds turned out to support the Marines. We are actually seeing more and more of this attempt to counter anti-war protestors across the country - something that was not done during the Viet Nam war. But with talk radio and the internet, it has become possible for conservatives to organize better and push back against the radicals who oppose the troops and the military. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iXiWeWCw11vMr02mhG3bnLDslK8A Antiwar protests draw thousands of demonstrators across the United States Oct 27, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO - Thousands of people called for a swift end to the war in Iraq as they marched through downtown Saturday, chanting and carrying signs that read: "Wall Street Gets Rich, Iraqis and GIs Die" or "Drop Tuition Not Bombs." The streets were filled with thousands as labour union members, antiwar activists, clergy and others rallied near City Hall before marching to Dolores Park. As part of the demonstration, protesters fell on Market Street as part of a "die in" to commemorate the thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens who have died since the conflict began in March 2003. The protest was the largest in a series of war protests taking place in New York, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, organizers said. No official head count was available. Organizers of the event estimated about 30,000 people participated in San Francisco. It appeared that more than 10,000 people attended the march. "I got the sense that many people were at a demonstration for the first time," said Sarah Sloan, one of the event's organizers. "That's something that's really changed. People have realized the right thing to do is to take to the streets." In the shadow of the National Constitution Center and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, a few hundred protesters ranging from grade school-aged children to senior citizens called on President George W. Bush to end funding for the war and bring troops home. Marchers who braved severe wet weather during the walk of more than 30 blocks were met by people lining the sidewalks and clutching a long yellow ribbon over the final blocks before Independence Mall. There, the rally opened with songs and prayers by descendants of Lenape Indians. "Our signs are limp from the rain and the ground is soggy, but out spirits are high," said Bal Pinguel, of the American Friends Service Committee, one of the national sponsors of the event. "The high price we are paying is the more than 3,800 troops who have been killed in the war in Iraq." Vince Robbins, 51, of Mount Holly, N.J., said there needed to be more rallies and more outrage. "Where's the outcry? Where's the horror that almost 4,000 Americans have died in a foreign country that we invaded?" Robbins said. "I'm almost as angry at the American people as I am the president. I think Americans have become apathetic and placid about the whole thing." In New York, among the thousands marching down Broadway was a man carrying cardboard peace doves. Some others dressed as prisoners, wearing the bright orange garb of Guantanamo Bay inmates and pushing a person in a cage. In Seattle, thousands of marchers were led by a small group of Iraq war veterans. At Occidental Park, where the protesters rallied after the march, the American Friends Service Committee displayed scores of combat boots, one pair for each U.S. solider killed in Iraq. http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-28-voa8.cfm Thousands Protest In 11 US Cities Against Iraq War By Amy Bickers Seattle 28 October 2007 Bickers report (mp3) - Download 625k Listen to Bickers report (mp3) Peace activists demonstrated in at least 11 cities across the United States Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the vote by the U.S. Senate approving the Iraq war. As Amy Bickers reports from the northwestern city of Seattle, the message was the same everywhere - end the war and bring the troops home. Thousands of people participate in a demonstration against war in Iraq as part of a national day of protest in New York, 27 Oct 2007 Tens of thousands of anti-war activists protested across America Saturday calling for a swift finish to the war in Iraq and demanding a cut-off of U.S. congressional funding. The anti-war demonstrations took place in several major cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle. In Boston, protester Myra Wilson said she felt positive about the impact of the rallies. "I feel empowered," said Wilson. "I feel like we have a very large support for our troops to be home and this war to end. It is unnecessary." In Seattle, protester Duncan Bond expressed frustration at the government's handling of the war. "I think people are getting to the point where they have just had enough. They've had enough of what the [Bush] administration is doing," said Bond. "They've had enough of Democrats not doing anything to stop things. And people are very frustrated and they are glad to get out here." Protesters across the United States marched through downtown streets, holding anti-war signs and chanting. The demonstrations brought together young and old, including grade school children, senior citizens and labor union activists. In New York, thousands marched down Broadway in rainy weather, including one man carrying cardboard peace doves. Others dressed as prisoners, wearing bright orange outfits reminiscent of Guantanamo Bay inmates and pushing a person in a cage. In San Francisco, news reports said more than 10,000 people took part. Protesters along Market Street dropped to the ground to honor the thousands of American troops and Iraqi citizens who have died since the war started in March 2003. In some cities, small counter-demonstrations by war supporters were also held. The protests come on the fifth anniversary of the vote by the U.S. Senate authorizing the Iraq invasion. Some protesters also expressed fears about nuclear weapons and what some consider the growing possibility of U.S. military intervention in Iran over its nuclear program. While most of the peace rallies took place in major urban areas, activists also marched in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the location of a company that is the largest producer of weapons that use depleted uranium. Saturday's so-called "National Day of Action" was organized by a coalition of groups called United for Peace and Justice. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20071027-1633-ca-anti-warprotest.html Demonstrators rally in San Francisco to protest Iraq war SAN FRANCISCO - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators marched through downtown San Francisco under sunny skies on Saturday, staging a "die in," chanting slogans and carrying signs to protest the war in Iraq. The streets were filled with thousands of laborers, anti-war activists, clergy and others who rallied near City Hall before marching to Dolores Park. As part of the demonstration, protesters fell to the ground as part of a "die in" to commemorate the thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens who have died since the conflict began in March 2003. Labor unions including the Service Employees International Union and seven Bay area labor councils. "More and more union members are seeing the war's impact on our schools, transportation and health care systems because money is being spent abroad that could be spent at home," said Sharon Cornu of the Alameda Labor Council. Similar anti-war protests are taking place in New York, Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities. Congresswoman Barbara Lee and activist Cindy Sheehan spoke at the City Hall rally. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7075724.stm Campaigners make Trident protest Protesters called for the scrapping of the Trident weapons system Hundreds of campaigners have marched through Edinburgh to protest about the Trident nuclear weapons system. The march and rally was intended to put pressure on the UK Government to remove all nuclear weapons from Scottish soil. Police said about 1,200 people took part in the event which was a follow-up to last month's Trident summit, organised by the Scottish Government. The SNP-administration is against the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, which is based at Faslane on the Clyde. Scottish soil The march and rally was organised by the Scotland's For Peace campaign, which includes religious, trade union and peace groups. It began at the Scottish Parliament before heading to Princes Street Gardens. Campaigners then attended a rally where SNP MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville read out a message of support from First Minister Alex Salmond. It said: "The position of the Scottish Government is clear - we are opposed to the replacement of the Trident system and the deployment of weapons of mass destruction on Scottish soil." Scotland now has a real opportunity to make a decisive contribution to disarmament by stopping the replacement of Trident Isobel Lindsay Scotland's for Peace In her speech the Lothians MSP said: "We want Scotland to be a force for peace in the world, not a storage depot for weapons of mass destruction." She added: "Trident is economically inept and morally repugnant. "Its presence on our shore is an insult to democracy and an insult to all of us who believe peace is preserved by persuasion and diplomacy not threats and aggression." Other politicians at the event included John Barrett, the Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West and Patrick Harvie, a Green MSP for Glasgow. Representatives of the Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church and the Muslim Association of Scotland also attended, along with Phil McGarry, the president of the Scottish Trades Union Congress. Scotland's for Peace convener Isobel Lindsay said: "Scotland now has a real opportunity to make a decisive contribution to disarmament by stopping the replacement of Trident and this would be an initiative that would have an international impact for good." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/Canadians_protest_war_in_Afghanistan_call_for_troop_pullout_/articleshow/2496343.cms Canadians protest war in Afghanistan, call for troop pullout 28 Oct 2007, 0525 hrs IST,AFP MONTREAL: Canadians protested in numerous cities across the country Saturday to call for the return of their soldiers from Afghanistan, local media and protest organizers reported. "The people of Canada grow ever more upset with this war and are calling for our troops to be brought home alive," said Bob Ages of the Canadian Peace Alliance, which organized protests in 22 cities. About 300 people demonstrated in Montreal beginning at mid-day, according to Radio Canada. "The global movement that erupted around the Iraq war is growing again to challenge the occupation of Afghanistan and the so-called War on Terror," Ages said in a statement. Canada has a contingent of 2,500 soldiers deployed in southern Afghanistan, and 71 Canadians have died in the country since the mission began in 2002. Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently reiterated his support for the mission up through 2011. But the mission has currently an official expiration date of February 2009. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:01:47 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:01:47 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-racist protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <034c01c824d8$5e9ecb20$0802a8c0@andy1> * UK: Protest over deportation threat to British person's partner * US: Irving immigration persecution sparks protests * US: Orange County immigration crackdown protested * ITALY: Immigrants protest inefficient bureaucracy * US: Black leaders plan hate-crimes rally * US: Hundreds march over boot camp death of black teen * US: Black teens sell book in racism protest http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7043746.stm Protest over deportation threat A protest march to highlight the case of an African woman facing deportation has been held in Sussex. Marjory Cook, 47, who is married to a UK resident, has been told to return to Zimbabwe to apply for a UK visa. But she says she fears for her safety. She married in 2002, but the Border and Immigration Agency said her wedding was six weeks after her former visa expired, and she needs a spousal visa. A rally was held in Portslade on Sunday, where Mrs Cook lives. Her husband, Dave Cook, 53, has said he is unable to travel abroad with his wife, and cannot understand why the Home Office is suggesting Marjory go to Zimbabwe voluntarily. It is a truly awful situation Celia Barlow MP The demonstration is backed by Celia Barlow, MP for Hove and Portslade, who said Mrs Cook's family were opponents of Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe. Ms Barlow said: "It is a truly awful situation where a couple who are clearly committed to one another and have enjoyed a happy and loving marriage are still in legal limbo." She said Mrs Cook had been asked to go back to Zimbabwe to apply for a visa that she would "in all likelihood be granted anyway" Mrs Cook has said the couple did not marry earlier because the Home Office had her passport. In a statement in August, the Border and Immigration Agency, which is part of the Home Office, said: "We do not comment on individual cases. "In order for an applicant to be settled as a spouse they must hold a valid UK entry clearance for entry in the correct capacity. "Applicants who do not meet the requirements for leave to remain as a spouse will be expected to return home and apply for entry clearance in the correct capacity in order to join their spouse/fiance in the UK." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/101007dnmetirvrally.2b192db.html March planned to protest Irving's immigration stance 08:08 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News bformby at dallasnews.com Hispanic activists are planning a march Saturday to protest the Irving Police Department's use of a controversial program that turns illegal immigrants who have been arrested over to federal officials for deportation proceedings. "We think it's excessive and needs to be looked at," said Jose Galvez, a rally organizer. The march is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday and will begin at the corner of Rock Island Road and Main Street and move west along Rock Island to City Hall. A rally will follow. Mr. Galvez, a Farmers Branch resident who ran unsuccessfully this year for a City Council seat there, said the march will be peaceful. He expects 400 to 1,200 people from North Texas to participate. The march will come less than a month after more than 1,000 protesters rallied at Irving City Hall and called for an end to the city's use of the Criminal Alien Program. The program provides around-the-clock communication with federal authorities. Irving officials say that they aren't deporting anyone but rather working with federal officials in a program open to all cities. Police have turned over more than 1,600 people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the last year. Last month, Mexican Consul Enrique Hubbard Urrea warned immigrants from his country to avoid the suburb. For more information about the rally, call 214-524-1741. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-march19oct20,0,4286269.story?coll=la-home-center Day laborers march in protest of Orange's new ID rules By David Reyes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 12:05 PM PDT, October 19, 2007 Day laborers marched today near an Orange job center to protest the city's new requirement that workers present residency documents to use the center. "We are walking to protest as a way to give the city of Orange a message that they have to repeal their decision," said Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. Under the requirement, day laborers must show two forms of identification to use the Orange Resource Center on McPherson Road. The rule, which targets workers suspected of being here illegally, was prompted by a city report that found that 80% of the center's participants were not from Orange. "We as a city need to uphold the federal requirement laws and not go against what new laws require on employment. The council will be addressing this issue in the near future," said Orange Mayor Carolyn Caveeche. Alvarado is hoping city officials will negotiate a better solution. In the meantime, more than 50 laborers marched to an unofficial job site at the intersection of Chapman Boulevard and Tustin Avenue. "If they keep the current situation, we will fight back and take it to the streets and the court," Alvarado said. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/21/news/italy.php Immigrants protest inefficient bureaucracy in Italy By Elisabetta Povoledo Published: October 21, 2007 PRATO, Italy: Immigrants in this central industrial city railed Sunday against inept bureaucratic practices that they say thrust foreign workers and residents into a state of illegality. The difficulties of renewing residence permits "is the most pressing issue for immigrants in Italy today," said Junyi Bai of Associna, an association of second-generation Chinese immigrants that organized a debate on the issue along with other local associations. Citing statistics from the Interior Ministry, Associna contends that only 120,000 of the 900,000 requests made in the last year to renew residence permits had been completed. In some cases, Bai said, immigrants will pick up their permits only to find out they have already expired. "We're not talking of criminals, or clandestine immigrants. These are people who fall within the law and want to respect it," he said. "The message we're getting from this unfair treatment is that immigrants aren't wanted in Italy." Critics put the blame on Italy's sluggish bureaucratic machine, as well as the government's decision last year to outsource some of the steps involving residence permit renewals to the Italian postal service, Poste Italiane. Designed to take the pressure off the overstretched resources of the police department, the results from outsourcing have been less than satisfactory. Immigrant associations say that claimants can expect to wait nine months for their papers to be processed instead of the 20 days cited by the law. "You have a system that asks immigrants to respect a series of rigid rules but at the same time isn't able to live up to its part," said Antonio Ricci, an immigration expert with the Catholic charity Caritas. "The government has demonstrated good will to change things, but it isn't working." The issue is particularly pressing in this part of Tuscany, where a once-thriving textile industry fueled immigration, especially from China. The influx of new workers had spurred local administrations to meet with the police department to cut through the bureaucracy. The new procedure has been a huge setback, local officials said. "Before, we could get papers processed in 15 days, we were cited as a model area," said Irene Gorelli, the provincial councilor for social affairs. "Now it's as bad as Milan or Rome, it takes months." Immigrants whose residence permits have expired can stay in Italy as long as they can show - via a stub from the post office - that they have applied to renew them. But not having official papers takes its toll, Bai said. "It's harder to find work, rent homes, and impossible to travel in Schengen countries," and psychologically "it's devastating," he said. Although immigration is a relatively recent phenomenon in Italy, the number of newcomers has swelled rapidly. In the last year alone, about 500,000 foreigners applied for residence permits, bringing the resident immigrant population to around 3.5 million. Most live in the central and northern regions, providing manual labor in factories or in the fields, or as caregivers to Italy's aging population. Protests against the bureaucratic shortcomings have increased in recent months, including the peaceful occupation in September of the central post office in Rome, enough to lead Paolo Ferrero, the minister of social solidarity, to tell immigrants to take to the streets in protest. "Is it right for a civilized country to have people who have been here for 15 years wait for 18 months to have their permits renewed?" Ferrero asked last month. "This way, people who are perfectly legal are in danger of turning into illegal immigrants." http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/10/22/march_1023.html Black leaders to announce hate-crimes protest Plans in place for march on Washington next month By SAEED AHMED The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 10/22/07 Several African-American leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, are expected to gather in Atlanta on Tuesday morning to announce a march on Washington, D.C., to demand that federal authorities intervene in the "huge outbreak" of hate crimes nationwide. The gathering will take place at 10 a.m. outside the Richard B. Russell building in downtown Atlanta. Charles Steele, the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is scheduled to attend, as are representatives from the Nation of Islam and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. At the gathering, organizers will formally announce plans for the march on the nation's capital that will take place Nov. 16. "In the history of the civil rights movements, we have often had to appeal to the federal government to intervene. That was certainly the case during my father's era of leadership," King said Monday night. "[The march next month] is an appeal to the federal government to do something about the crimes, such as the nooses that seem to be popping up all over the nation." Since a noose-hanging case on a high school campus in Jena, La., made headlines, there have been a number of other nooses found in incidents across the country: in a black Coast Guard cadet's bag, on a Maryland college campus and, earlier this month, on the office door of a black professor at Columbia University in New York. In Atlanta last week, a worker at a construction site for Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was fired for hanging a noose. "Some people say it's a prank or a joke. But there are some things you just don't joke about," King said. Nooses are a symbol of the lynching violence of the segregation era. The Department of Justice already has created a task force to handle noose-hanging investigations. It investigated the Jena matter but decided not to prosecute because the federal government typically does not bring hate crimes charges against juveniles, the government said. The march will also ask the federal government to intervene in other cases, such as the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson in Panama City, Fla. Last week, seven former boot camp guards and a nurse were acquitted of manslaughter in the death the boy who was hit and kicked by the drill instructors in a videotaped altercation. Anderson was black. The guards are white, black and Asian. The guards' attorneys said Anderson's death was unavoidable because he had undiagnosed sickle cell trait. - Information from the Associated Press was used in this report http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Boot-Camp-Death.php Hundreds march in protest over death of black teen in Florida boot camp The Associated Press Published: October 23, 2007 TALLAHASSEE, Florida: About 700 protesters marched to a federal courthouse Tuesday to denounce Florida's handling of a black teenager's death after he was hit and kicked at a state boot camp last year. Demonstrators demanded a federal investigation of what they allege were civil rights violations against 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson by camp staffers and authorities, including Florida's former top law enforcement official. Anderson's death sparked widespread outrage, prompting Florida lawmakers to dismantle the state's military-style boot camps for youth offenders and pay the teen's family $5 million to settle civil claims. The case also led to the resignation of the chief of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The protest comes less than two weeks after an all-white jury acquitted seven camp guards and a nurse of manslaughter charges in Anderson's death. The U.S. Justice Department announced within hours of the Oct. 12 verdicts that it was reviewing the state's prosecution. "Lord, we need justice and we need it right now," Pastor Fred Maeweathers of the Shady Grove Mission Baptist Church of Ocala said in the opening prayer on the steps of the federal courthouse. A videotape showed guards at the military-style camp in Panama City, Florida, repeatedly punching and kicking the boy's limp body, as a nurse stood by watching. Anderson died in a hospital one day later, on Jan. 6, 2006. U.S. Attorney Gregory R. Miller and Justice Department officials met with some of the protesters inside the courthouse. The protest, organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also targeted former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Guy Tunnell. He was Bay County's sheriff when his office founded the boot camp and now works as an investigator for the state attorney's office in the area. The civil rights organization wants Tunnell investigated for allegedly trying to prevent the videotape from being made public and making racist remarks related to the case. NAACP officials also alleged Tunnell has committed other civil rights violations unrelated to Anderson's death. Joe Grammer, spokesman for State Attorney Steve Meadows, said Tunnell would not discuss the boot camp case because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Tallahassee mayor John Marks welcomed the protesters - many of whom traveled from South Florida in an all-night bus caravan - and praised them for keeping the pressure on federal authorities to take up the case. After meeting with the NAACP, Miller and the representatives from the civil rights division and FBI met with Martin Lee Anderson's parents and their counsel. Miller's office said "if there is sufficient evidence to establish a prosecutable violation of any federal criminal civil rights statutes, appropriate action will be taken." But it declined further comment on an open investigation. NAACP attorney Chuck Hobbs said, "They pretty much assured us that they have taken these types of cases seriously in the past and they are definitely taking this case seriously." http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071013/BREAKINGNEWS/71013015 Originally published October 13, 2007 Students gathering Sunday to discuss next step in Anderson protest The Student Coalition for Justice is meeting Sunday to discuss the group's next step in its protest of the Martin Lee Anderson verdict. Bay County jurors on Friday found seven guards and one nurse at a boot camp not guilty on manslaughter charges in the death of Anderson, 14. Anderson died after a confrontation with the boot-camp personnel. A number of students protested in Tallahassee after the verdict was read. They clogged downtown streets and chanted for justice. No one was arrested or hurt. The meeting is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Rattlers Den on the campus of Florida A&M University. http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7004734,00.html Fla. Students Drop Boot Camp Protest Thursday October 18, 2007 2:01 AM By BRENT KALLESTAD Associated Press Writer TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Federal authorities reached a truce Wednesday with college students who had threatened to march on the state Capitol next week to protest the acquittal in state court of seven boot camp guards and a nurse in the death of a teenage boy. U.S. Justice Department officials assured protest organizers that they were continuing their investigation into possible civil rights violations by the guards and nurse. The students said they would hold off on a protest. ``It was a very productive meeting,'' said Cendino Teme, spokesman for a coalition of students from Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College. ``I am confident in the individuals we spoke with. That they will try to pursue some types of civil rights violations.'' Students from the three schools briefly blocked traffic during rush hour Friday in downtown Tallahassee, a few hours after the all-white jury in Panama City delivered its verdict. Teme, a 26-year-old Florida State graduate student from Miami, said it was too early to plan further protests. Teme was one of nine black leaders who spent roughly 90 minutes with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Kerwin and Karen Rhew. A Justice Department official from Washington also attended. Kerwin would not talk about the meeting, saying a written statement would be issued, but none was immediately made available. U.S. Attorney Gregory Miller was out of town. Black teenager Martin Lee Anderson died in January 2006, a day after being hit and kicked by the guards as the nurse watched at the boot camp in Panama City. Prosecutors argued that the videotaped altercation caused his death, and they tried the eight defendants on manslaughter and other charges. Defense attorneys argued that the staff's tactics were acceptable in the boot camp system and that Anderson died of a previously undiagnosed medical condition. After Anderson's death, the Legislature dismantled the military-style youth boot camps and the chief of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement resigned. The Legislature also agreed to pay Anderson's family $5 million to settle civil claims. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-liwats1024,0,3129455.story?coll=ny_community_guide_lihistory_util Black teens sell Watson book in protest Sisters, from left, Safiya Cesar, 17, Karah Cesar 17, and Diana Cesar, 14. The sisters are auctioning their signed copies of a book by Nobel prize-winning scientist and author Dr. James Watson on eBay to protest his recent statement that Africans are generally less intelligent than whites. (Photo by James A. Escher / October 23, 2007) BY MICHAEL AMON | michael.amon at newsday.com 3:15 PM EDT, October 23, 2007 Karah and Safiya Cesar, 17-year-old seniors at Cold Spring Harbor High School, were honored to meet DNA co-discoverer James Watson at a recent book signing in Locust Valley and thrilled that he personally signed copies of his new book. That was before the twins, who are black, knew that Nobel Prize winner was quoted questioning the inherent intelligence of Africans. "They were level-headed about it, but they thought it was really inappropriate," said their father, Joe Cesar, a psychologist. Now the girls have put their signed copies up for sale on eBay, in hopes the scientist's notoriety will help them pay for college and prove Watson wrong about the intelligence of blacks. "This book is worth something to someone," a statement from the girls said on eBay. "All proceeds will go to paying for college." The opening bid for Watson's book, "Avoid Boring People: Lessons Learned from a Life in Science," is $300, but there are still seven days for online shoppers to make an offer. The books were signed to Cesar's four daughters -- Angelique, 18, Karah and Safiya, and Diana, 14 -- on Oct. 14, the same day The Times of London quoted Watson saying that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all of our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really." Watson has apologized for the comments and said that science does not support them. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suspended Watson last week from his administrative duties as chancellor. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:23:32 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:23:32 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression, October 2007 - USA Message-ID: <034f01c824db$687f7380$0802a8c0@andy1> * LA Police blamed for Mayday carnage in official inquiry * Priest imprisoned for small-scale civil disobedience * Homeless activism group challenges funeral protest law which could outlaw town hall protests * Attack on immigrants in Farmers Branch * Lawyer barred from Guantanamo client's hearing * Eight more wrongly imprisoned men released after long spells in Guantanamo http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjDApNQ0ekq0tDwkLuq2BmtOADjA Los Angeles police takes blame for violent May Day protest Oct 9, 2007 LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday admitted it used excessive force to disperse a May Day demonstration for immigration reform that left dozens injured. In a report to the Los Angeles Police Commission, police investigators said top ranking LAPD officers had "underestimated the size and significance of the McArthur Park march," and their men were not properly trained in crowd control. "As the day wore on, there was a breakdown in command" that left officers on the ground to their own devices when they were pelted with bottles and rocks by protesters. "As subordinates from various positions in the field made numerous requests over the radio that went unacknowledged and unanswered ... officers began to make independent decision in efforts to control the crowd," the report said. Some officers used their batons to strike protesters, while others fired rubber bullets inappropriately into the crowd in violation of police procedures, the report added. The investigators determined that 146 rubber bullets were fired and police batons were used 100 times during the clash injuring 246 civilians, including nine journalists, and that 18 police officers were treated for cuts and bruises. "Officers who struck demonstrators and journalists with rubber bullets and batons in an excessive and chaotic effort to clear a May Day rally after coming under attack suffered from lack of planning, training and orderly supervision," the report said. In the aftermath of the demonstration, LAPD Deputy Chief Cayler Carter resigned and his second in command Commander Louis Gray was demoted. Some 200,000 people demonstrated in Los Angeles on May 1, as part of a national day of action in demand of immigration reform to deal with 12 million illegal aliens living in the country. Proposed immigration reform legislation eventually failed to reach a vote in Congress. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/19/BAGJOSSUGA.DTL priests in Arizona protest go to prison Kevin Fagan Friday, October 19, 2007 Two Catholic priests who have been longtime activists in the Bay Area peace movement started five-month prison sentences this week for breaking the law while trying to deliver an anti-torture protest letter to an Army commander of Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The Rev. Louie Vitale, 75, and the Rev. Stephen Kelly, 54, who both live in Oakland, were arrested in November as they led a demonstration of 120 people at the fort. The letter the priests were trying to deliver asked the base, which houses the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School, to stop conducting training in torture methods. Fort commanders deny the practice. The pair pleaded no contest in U.S. District Court in Tucson on Wednesday to one federal count of trespassing and one Arizona state count of failure to comply with police orders. They will serve three months in federal prison and two months in state prison. Vitale was pastor of St. Boniface Church in San Francisco for 13 years until 2005 and is now on staff at Pace e Bene, a peace advocacy group in Oakland. This will be his third federal prison term for peace activism. Kelly, a Jesuit priest in Oakland, will be serving his fourth such term. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/10/09/funeral_1010_web.html Group sues to challenge funeral protest law By BILL RANKIN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 10/09/07 The Metro Atlanta Taskforce for the Homeless and a Statesboro activist filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging parts of Georgia's funeral protest law. The law makes it a crime to have a demonstration or assembly within 500 feet of a funeral - even if the protest is not directed at or does not disrupt a funeral. "No matter how well intentioned, the law cast a whale-size net that captures innocent speakers," said one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, Gerry Weber, former legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. Georgia's law was designed to prevent the disruption of funerals, yet it was written too broadly, Weber said, noting similar laws in Kentucky and Missouri have previously been struck down. The suit was filed in federal court in Atlanta by the task force and James Hood, who has regularly picketed in Statesboro since 1968. When the Metro Atlanta Taskforce holds its annual Poor People's Day march to the Capitol, it passes by two churches and ends across the street from another church. If a funeral were held in any of the churches on the day of the march, the group would have to cancel its march or be subject to arrest, the lawsuit said. "We've never had any intention of disrupting a funeral," Anita Beatty, director of the metro task force, said in a statement. "But Georgia's law makes having Poor People's Day at the state Capitol or our protest of Atlanta's panhandling law at City Hall a criminal act because a funeral happens to be taking place nearby." Farmers Branch Pulls in the Welcome Mat By Megan Feldman Published: November 1, 2007 Tim O'Hare Subject(s): illegal immigrants, Farmers Branch, code enforcement An artist's work is deemed inappropriate and yanked from the walls of the public library. An 82-year-old woman faces jail time because she can't afford to pay $1,900 in code enforcement fines. Hispanic activists scramble to educate parents after the city demands the names, addresses and phone numbers of every child enrolled in the local schools. Welcome to Farmers Branch. One year after the city council landed in the national spotlight for efforts to ban illegal immigrants from apartments and declare English the official language, the aging suburb is evoking comparisons to Pleasantville, Beaver Cleaver's America or 1930s Germany, depending on your point of view. While the illegal immigration ordinance passed by voters last spring is tied up in the courts, the city council is pushing ahead with other measures focused on such things as home maintenance, overcrowding and library conduct. At the helm of the agenda are Tim O'Hare, the council member who forced the immigration issue to the forefront, and his two new allies on the council, Tim Scott and David Koch. They say their goals are to protect homeowners' property values and ensure residents' safety and quality of life. But critics see an all-white, all-male city council hell-bent on purging Farmers Branch of any shred of diversity-be it racial, economic or philosophical. "All of these activities seem to be directed toward the Latino community," says Travis Carter, who was involved in grassroots efforts to oppose the immigration ordinance. "At best, they are not in any way embracing the richness and diversity in that community and others like it in Texas. At worst, they're trying to take an entire community back in time." David Koch calls such claims "hogwash." The councilman says the "same cast of characters" who opposed the immigration ordinance is vilifying separate measures that in any other town would be considered commonplace. On October 11, as the council considered regulating paint colors on homes and discussed barring library access to "entertainment" Web sites such as YouTube and regulating library behavior-Koch said at a meeting that noisy children and videogames conflict with the council's "conservative and traditional values"-Scott sent out a mass e-mail to supporters. "Please know," he wrote, "that this city council and the city manager are hard at work carrying out the agenda that the voters overwhelmingly endorsed in the May election." The capstone of that agenda, which voters indeed supported at the polls, was the ordinance targeting illegal immigrants. In late September, City Manager Gary Greer ordered several paintings removed from Manske Library's gallery. Ironically, the works, by Carrollton artist Alex Trevino, were inspired by the immigration debate and assembled in an exhibit titled "Clash of Cultures." Trevino was not available for comment, but he told The Dallas Morning News that the paintings related to personal experiences of racism as well as what he considers public resentment of Hispanics. One of the paintings showed a lion fighting an eagle, its claws and mouth dripping with the lion's blood. Mayor Bob Phelps said people had complained about the works and that they weren't appropriate for children because of violence and nudity. "I think if it's offensive it shouldn't be in our library to start with," he said. "I heard from a couple people it was freedom of speech, but it's a matter of opinion." Elizabeth Villafranca, a Farmers Branch business owner and activist, says the efforts to control self-expression through art, activity or language are an example of the council's overzealousness. She recalled that a little more than a year ago, council member Ben Robinson suggested banning all foreign language materials from the library. In an e-mail summarizing an August 2006 work session, he wrote: "Remove all foreign language books, CDs and periodicals. We should encourage use of the English language, not discourage it." Council member Jim Smith takes issue with a number of the city's recent decisions, including the removal of Trevino's art. "I didn't care for it. I'm a Remington and Russell guy," he says. But, "I think it's a form of censorship." As for efforts to limit the library to local residents, monitor activities and deny access to certain Web sites, he says, "I think they oughta back off on the library, frankly." Smith also has concerns about the city's stepped-up code enforcement, another of O'Hare's main priorities. Farmers Branch has hired an extra enforcement officer, bringing the total to six and making for more efficient and frequent inspections. Smith and other critics say poor and elderly people are being unfairly impacted. He's trying to work with the city to set aside $1,900 in penalties for an 82-year-old woman who can't afford to pay the fines because she lives on a fixed income of $1,000 a month, he says. There's a warrant out for her arrest. "They tell me the fine is because she had a shed in her yard that's not allowed and a light shining into someone else's home," Smith says. Meanwhile, the local Rotary Club is seeking help for an elderly couple who can't afford to paint their front porch posts as required in an enforcement notice. To Villafranca, the city council seems to be trying to expel not only illegal immigrants but anyone it considers "undesirable." In late September, she and representatives of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund were alarmed to find out the city council had requested the names and addresses of all children enrolled in local public schools, reportedly to address overcrowding in apartments and private homes. Smith said he considered the request unnecessary. "I hear lots of concerns about the number of cars in the driveways-that's a problem," he says, "but I don't think the fact someone has four kids in the house with them is much of a problem." Khadr's lawyer barred from Guantamo trial Jane Sutton Reuters Thursday, November 01, 2007 http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=fc0cb427-de17-4435-b3ec-f\563af9617d2 MIAMI - A civilian lawyer for the only Canadian terrorism suspect held at Guantanamo said yesterday he had been barred from his client's hearing at the U.S. base next week because of a dispute with military defence lawyers. The Canadian lawyer, Dennis Edney, said he was prevented from visiting Toronto-born Omar Khadr, who is accused by a U.S. military war crimes tribunal of throwing a grenade that killed one American soldier and wounded another during a firefight at an alleged al-Qaeda compound in Afghanistan in 2002. Mr. Edney said the ban came after he disagreed with and publicly criticized the U.S. military lawyers appointed to defend Mr. Khadr, who was 15 years old and severely wounded when he was captured. He is now 21. "It's certainly not in Khadr's best interest," Mr. Edney said by telephone. "It's a violation of the accepted right to counsel. They obviously don't want me speaking to Khadr before the arraignment." Military defence lawyers did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The detention camp that opened in 2002 at the Guantanamo naval base in Cuba holds about 330 non-Americans accused of links to al- Qaeda or associated Islamist militant groups. So far, just one person has been convicted in the war crimes trials, and that was the result of a plea bargain. The dispute among Mr. Khadr's lawyers came to light as the U.S. military prepares to resume the widely criticized tribunals. In June, the proceedings screeched to a halt when military judges threw out the charges against Mr. Khadr and Yemeni prisoner Salim Hamdan. The judges said they lacked jurisdiction because the two defendants had not been designated "unlawful enemy combatants," as required under the 2006 law that authorized military tribunals for foreign terrorism suspects. The distinction was crucial, the judges said, because international law requires other types of trial for "lawful enemy combatants." A newly convened military appeals court ruled that the judges themselves had authority to decide whether defendants were "unlawful" combatants and reinstated the charges. A hearing was scheduled at Guantanamo for Nov. 8 to take up Mr. Khadr's case. Another is planned in December for Mr. Hamdan, who is accused of driving and guarding al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Mr. Hamdan's legal challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court forced the government to scrap its first Guantanamo trial system. The Anonymous Victims of Guant?namo Eight More Wrongly Imprisoned Men are Quietly Released By ANDY WORTHINGTON 06/10/2007 http://www.cageprisoners.com/print.php?id=21939 Hot on the heels of the release of Mohammed al-Amin, a Mauritanian student who was just a teenager when he was kidnapped for a bounty payment on a street in Pakistan over five years ago, the Pentagon has released another eight detainees -- six Afghans, a Libyan and a Yemeni -- thinning "the worst of the worst" at Guant?namo from 778 men to just 335. Of the six Afghans released, the identities of three are unknown. This is hardly surprising, as the Department of Defense never reveals the names of those it releases, and the media long ago abandoned turning up in Kabul to welcome back another bunch of farmers, shopkeepers and Taliban conscripts from their brutal and surreal sojourn in a small corner of Cuba that is forever America. Of the 163 Afghans released since Guant?namo opened (out of a total of 218), a dozen of those released in the last few years have not been identified, and these three look like remaining just as anonymous. To compensate, however, the three Afghans who have been identified represent a microcosmic cross-section of the ineptitude of the US military and the Pentagon during the two years that followed the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, consisting of a pro-US, anti-Taliban military leader, another man who was arrested after his house was bombed, and another who was seized while walking in the street. The pro-US military leader -- one of several dozen actively pro-American Afghans held at Guant?namo over the years -- is Sabar Lal Melma. 40 years old at the time of his capture, Melma was the military aide to Haji Roohullah, the commander of a long-standing anti-Taliban militia based in Kunar province, which was aligned with the Northern Alliance. Roohullah, who was also described by Ghulam Ullah, the head of education in Kunar, as "a national religious leader," had fired the first salvo against the Taliban in Kunar after the US-led invasion, and as a result of his anti-Taliban credentials and his support for Hamid Karzai, he was rewarded with an important position in the province's post-Taliban administration, and was also made a member of the Loya Jirga, the prestigious gathering of tribal leaders that elected Karzai as President in June 2002. Betrayed by a rival ? probably Malik Zarin, the head of the rival Mushwani tribe, who had ingratiated himself with the Americans and was using them for his own ends ? Roohullah, Melma and eleven others were seized by US forces in August 2002 and taken to the US prison in Bagram airbase for questioning, where they were accused of being part of an Islamic extremist group and helping al-Qaeda fighters to escape from Tora Bora, even though they had had numerous meetings with senior American officials and had offered support for the Tora Bora campaign. Although the others were subsequently released, the Americans decided that both Roohullah and Melma had sufficient intelligence value to be transferred to Guant?namo in August 2003. According to an Associated Press report, they believed, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that Roohullah "had strong links with Middle Eastern fighters in Afghanistan, particularly Saudi Arabians like Osama bin Laden," and thought it significant that he was a follower of the Wahhabi sect of Islam. In his tribunal, Melma pointed out the injustice of imprisoning him with members of the Taliban: "The only thing I want to tell you that is so ironic here is that I see a Talib and then I see myself here too, I am in the same spot as a Talib. I see those people on an everyday basis, they are cursing at me ... They say, 'See, you got what you deserved, you are here, too.'" Astonishingly, though Melma has now been released, Haji Roohullah remains in Guant?namo, with no immediate prospect of release. The man who was taken to Guant?namo because his house was bombed is Mohibullah, from Uruzgan province, who was just 21 when he was captured. Woken in the night by the sound of firing, he went into his compound and fired three warning shots into the air to ward off what he thought were burglars. Soon after, an American plane dropped a bomb on his compound, injuring him, and he was captured by Special Forces the following morning. "I never worked with the Taliban, or talked with them or ate with them," he told his tribunal at Guant?namo. "I was a bus driver." Two years ago, in an attempt to secure his freedom, he wrote a habeas corpus petition, without the help of a lawyer, in which he explained more about the circumstances of his capture, noting that he was severely injured when his house was destroyed, but that when the Americans, who admitted that the bombing might have been a mistake, took him away, claiming that they were going to treat his wounds, he was transported to Guant?namo instead. "Now it has been two and one-half years that I have been detained here and I do not why," Mohibullah wrote. "Even the interrogators have still not told me what my crime was and why they detained me." The third Afghan -- the one who was captured in the street -- is Azimullah. Just 20 years old at the time, he explained to his tribunal in Guant?namo that he was captured near a madrassa (religious school), where he was studying. He was accused of acting "as a guide to a group of individuals attacking the Salerno Fire Base" (a US base), but he said that he didn't know anything about this group, or about allegations that they had "weapons, surveillance equipment (cameras and binoculars) and radios," or that he "met with an Arab man and an Afghan man who gave him money prior to the attack." Asked about the circumstances of his arrest, he said that he was walking towards the village with a man named Salim, whom he did not know previously, but whom he had met "on the way going to the village," when a group of Afghan soldiers "saw us and arrested us." He explained that he was not told why he was arrested at the time, but that "when they took me to the base," where he was handed over to the US military, "they told me that I attacked them and that I did this and this." The story of the released Libyan, Abu Sufian Hamouda, is rather more complicated. Hamouda, who is 48 years old, was a refugee from his homeland. According to the US military's "evidence," accumulated over the last five years, he had served in the Libyan army as a tank driver from 1979 to 1990, but was "arrested and jailed on multiple occasions for drug and alcohol offenses." Having apparently escaped from prison in 1992, he fled to Sudan, where he worked as a truck driver. In an attempt to beef up the evidence against him, the Department of Defense alleged that the company he worked for, the Wadi al-Aqiq company, was "owned by Osama bin Laden," and also attempted to claim that he joined the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militant group opposed to the rule of Colonel Gaddafi, even while admitting that an unidentified "al-Qaeda/LIFG facilitator" had described him as "a noncommittal LIFG member who received no training." After relocating to Pakistan, Hamouda apparently stayed there until the summer of 2001, when he and a friend crossed the border into Afghanistan, traveling to Jalalabad and then to Kabul, where Hamouda found a job working as an accountant for Abdul Aziz al-Matrafi, the director of al-Wafa, a Saudi charity which provided humanitarian aid to Afghans, but which was regarded by the US authorities as a front for al-Qaeda. Over the years, dozens of Guantanamo detainees were tarred as terrorists because of their associations with al-Wafa. The majority have now been released, but one of those who remains in Guant?namo, little-known and barely reported, is al-Matrafi, who was kidnapped on a flight from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia in November 2001. It's difficult to ascertain whether there is any truth in the allegations that al-Wafa was a front for al-Qaeda. According to the "evidence" against Hamouda, "Members of the Taliban would frequently visit the al-Wafa office in Kabul and had dealings with the director of that office," which was hardly surprising, as the Taliban was the government at the time. Less clear is the claim that, according to various accounts, including a statement allegedly made by Hamouda, "the director of the al-Wafa office was connected to al-Qaeda and knew Osama bin Laden." Even setting aside the dubious circumstances under which this "confession" was produced, other detainees have claimed that bin Laden was actually suspicious of al-Wafa, because of its Saudi links. What's apparent, however, is that Hamouda's involvement with the organization centered on its humanitarian work, as another "allegation," which actually had nothing to do with terrorism, made clear. In the "evidence" presented for his Combatant Status Review Tribunal, under factors purporting to demonstrate that he "supported military operations against the United States or its coalition partners," it was stated that, while working for al-Wafa, he traveled to Kunduz "to oversee the distribution of rice that was being guarded by four to five armed guards." In Guant?namo, it seems, even the distribution rice can be regarded as a component in a military operation. Captured in Islamabad, after fleeing from Afghanistan following the US-led invasion, Hamouda was held for a month by the Pakistani authorities, and was then handed over to the Americans, who began mining him for the flimsy "evidence" of terrorist activities outlined above. Earlier this year, he was cleared for release, and, despite misgivings on the part of his lawyers, stated that he was prepared to return to Libya, even though what awaits him may not be any better than what he was suffered over the last five years. Perhaps, as one of Guant?namo's truly lost men, he has decided that, if he is to spend the rest of his life in prison for no apparent reason, he would rather be in Libya, where his wife and his family might be able to see him, than in Guant?namo, where, like every other detainee, he was more isolated from his relatives than even the deadliest convicted mass murderer on the US mainland. The last of the eight, Ali Mohammed Nasir Mohammed, was 19 years old when he was seized by Pakistani soldiers and delivered to the US military in December 2001. Slightly evasive in his tribunal, he said that he went to Afghanistan to "look around to see how the people were doing," and added, "In my imagination I thought I was going to see many centers with a lot of guards in them and I would see a lot of Muslims. I would find out how the Muslims were worshipping and what they do." He admitted, however, that he attended a training camp for 40-45 days and also admitted that he had worked for the Taliban, although he said that he had worked only in the kitchens or as a guard behind the front lines, and had not participated in military operations against the US-led coalition, telling his tribunal, "I have never shot one bullet in my life." After escaping from Afghanistan by passing through the Tora Bora region to reach Pakistan, he was captured by Pakistani soldiers after asking directions to the Yemeni embassy. What makes his story unusual is that, once the Pentagon had decided that it was not worth holding onto a cook for the Taliban who clearly knew nothing about al-Qaeda, confusion over his identity prevented his release for 16 months. Back in May 2006, as the Washington Post described it four months ago, "He got a checkup. His photo was taken, as were his fingerprints. He was measured for clothes and shoes, then offered a meeting with the Red Cross. As the Pentagon tersely put it later in an e-mail to his attorneys: 'Your client has been approved to leave Guant?namo.'" However, as his lawyer, Martha Rayner, explained, "He never went home." "Stuck," as the Post article went on, "in a limbo of mistaken identities, bureaucratic inertia and official neglect," his case was "an indictment of a system, still cloaked in the strictest secrecy and largely beyond accountability, in which a man who face[d] no charge and no sentence remain[ed] deprived of the freedom he was granted" in May 2006. "It's a lovely illustration of what happens when there's no oversight of the jailer," Rayner noted, acutely. The Washington Post article went on to describe what had happened to prevent Mohammed's release for 16 months. Although he was born in Saudi Arabia and had been living there before his all-advised trip to Afghanistan, he was regarded as a Yemeni, under both Yemeni and Saudi law, because his parents are from the Yemen, where they still live, and Mohammed had a Yemeni passport and grew up there. What particular confused matters was the fact that the US military regarded Mohammed as a Saudi, and while the Saudi authorities washed their hands of him, and the Yemeni government said that it was "unaware of his case," he languished in Guant?namo for another 16 months, imprisoned in Camp Six, where even cleared detainees are held in solitary confinement, until a new arrangement could be made. As these eight men finally leave Guant?namo after five years or more in US custody without charge or trial, their cases clearly do nothing to salvage the administration's reputation for illegal incompetence. And it can only get worse. Of the 335 detainees still held in Guant?namo, the government has admitted that it only intends to put forward around 80 for trial by Military Commission. Of the remaining 255, at least 70, like the men just released, have been cleared for release (some for two years or more), and despite the administration's blustering this summer that it intended to hold dozens of others indefinitely because, in another revolutionary legal twist, they are too dangerous to be released, but not dangerous enough to be charged, it now seems inevitable that they too will eventually be given their freedom. Even if the 80 proposed trials go ahead, which is extremely unlikely, it must surely be impossible for the architects of this disaster to claim that an 11% success rate is sufficient justification for the moral, ethical, judicial, and financial cost of an operation that has been manifestly revealed not as the triumphant prison wing of the "War on Terror" but as an inept, cruel, degrading and ultimately failed experiment. Andy Worthington is a British historian, and the author of 'The Guant?namo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison' (to be published by Pluto Press in October 2007). He can be reached at: andy @ andyworthington.co.uk From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:27:12 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:27:12 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression, October 2007 - Europe, Australia, New Zealand, UK Message-ID: <035001c824db$eb606520$0802a8c0@andy1> * AUSTRALIA: Police impunity seems likely over Wadeye shooting * POLAND: Riot police attack dissident convent * UK: Riot police called over pub customer who lit cigarette in protest [In this case - recognised even in the British media as an excessive police response to very minor deviance - this is the latest in a persistent pattern of riot police being used to terrorise and sledgehammer people; other recent cases have involved a man who got a visit from riot police for sending an email critical of the local council, and a disturbed elderly man who was attacked by riot police for defying council officials, without any attempt made at mediation.] * UK: Courts again excuse Mayday police atrocities [The Mayday ruling that the Human Rights Act does not say what it obviously says because it would be inconvenient if it did, that victimisation of protesters and bystanders was "for their own protection", effectively denying the very principle of human rights by insisting that police convenience in obtaining control by whatever means is the ultimate good. Even someone who is not even a protester but simply a bystander is deemed a legitimate target of police abuse. Hence the judge decides that liberty = fascism.] * ITALY: Anarchists beaten and arrested for standing up for arrestee * NEW ZEALAND: Crackdown targets Zapatista solidarity activists http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/10/2056191.htm?section=justin Lawyers urge charges against cop over Wadeye riot shooting Posted Wed Oct 10, 2007 6:48pm AEST Map: Wadeye 0822 The counsel assisting the coroner has recommended a Northern Territory policeman face criminal charges for fatally shooting a man during a riot in an Aboriginal community five years ago. The coronial inquest into the death of Robert Jongmin, 18, has wrapped up today, with two lawyers recommending criminal charges. It was Senior Constable Robert Whittington's sixth day on the job in Wadeye when he found himself in the middle of a riot of up to 300 people. He told the inquest he saw a gunman fire a shot at Mr Jongmin and aim again. Sen Const Whittington said he then fired four shots, hitting the gunman in the arm and fatally shooting the man he was trying to save. The lawyer for Mr Jongmin's family wants the officer to be charged with manslaughter, while the counsel assisting the coroner has recommended he be charged with doing a dangerous act causing death. The policeman conceded today that Mr Jongmin was in his line of sight when he was firing. Until now, Sen Const Whittington has said that Mr Jongmin was not in his line of sight when he fired at the man waving a shotgun. Under intense questioning today by the lawyer for Mr Jongmin's family, the officer was asked if he fired the shot that killed the 18-year-old. He replied, "Yes". He was then asked, "If that's the case, he was in your line of sight?" and he said, "Yes". Sen Const Whittington also conceded today that on the day in question he broke one of the key firearm safety principles: never shoot at anything you have not positively identified. In closing submissions, the counsel assisting the coroner, Phillip Strickland, told the court that Sen Const Robert Whittington's marksmanship was not of a high standard but was sufficient for him to be an operational policeman. Despite Sen Const Whittington not being trained to shoot from more than 12 metres, during the riot he fired the shots at the armed man from about 45 metres away. Mr Strickland has told the court that Sen Const Whittington's serious errors of judgement were not motivated by malice, anger or retribution, but flowed from blind panic. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/11/wpol111.xml Riot police storm rebellious Polish convent By Matthew Day in Warsaw Last Updated: 3:07am BST 12/10/2007 A rebellion that pitted an order of Polish nuns against the might of the Vatican has ended after police forced their way into their convent, evicting 64 people and arresting two. With a battery of television cameras rolling, about 150 officers, many in full riot gear, moved against the Sisters of Bethany after they refused to comply with a court order requiring them to leave their convent in the small town of Kazimierz Dolny, south-east of Warsaw. The eviction ended a revolt that dated back to 2005 when the Vatican sacked the then mother superior, Jadwiga Ligocka, after she claimed that she had had "private inspiration by the Holy Spirit". Attempts to replace her triggered the confrontation. Loyal to their spiritual leader, the Bethany sisters locked the doors of the convent, cut themselves off from the world and failed to follow the Church's orders. The rebels refused to comply with the Vatican's demands even when 10 of them were defrocked and the diocese banned the administration of the sacrament in the convent. Faced with ex-communication, they adopted a siege mentality, hired security guards, changed the locks on the gates and shunned all contact with the outside world. Cut off from the Church and without electricity, the women had to rely on food parcels brought by well-wishers and family members. Officers used a ladder to scale the convent walls after the women had refused to unlock the gates. While some of the black-habited rebels sang religious songs and played guitars, other hurled abuse and swore, according to a police spokesman. The former mother superior and a renegade monk, Roman Komarczyko, whom police described as "very aggressive", were arrested. Speaking on behalf of the Polish Church, Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, admitted that the affair had damaged the Church but added that it had been left with no choice but eviction. "It was the last resort that nobody wanted," he said, "but we had to do it." http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=51961 15/10/2007 09:05 Riot police were called to a Warwickshire pub after a man lit up in protest, reports the Daily Mail. John Vaughan became so enraged when staff at the Copper Pot in Leamington Spa switched the channel over from the cricket to the foootball that he started smoking in protest. This all took place - last month on 8 September. Police confirmed that had received a report of a man being aggressive and smoking. "The cricket only had ten minutes left, but the football wasn't even going to start for another 45 minutes," he told the Mail. "We complained but nothing happened. So I decided to light up out of protest. "Staff told me I couldn't smoke, but I said I'd had enough of being pushed around by the Government. "They pressed a panic button and the next thing I knew, there were six policemen in the pub and two outside." No action was taken against Vaughan after he agreed to leave. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23416618-details/Riot%20police%20storm%20pub%20after%20a%20smoker%20lights%20up%20in%20protest%20to%20the%20ban/article.do Riot police storm pub after a smoker lights up in protest to the ban 15.10.07 Add your view It wasn't exactly the dramatic finale one cricket fan was expecting. Having installed himself in his local pub to watch England play India, John Vaughan was enraged when the channel was switched over to football just as the cricket was reaching its thrilling conclusion. So Mr Vaughan lit up a cigarette in protest. When he refused to extinguish it, staff pressed a panic button behind the bar. And a few minutes later six riot police officers wearing protective gear stormed the pub. Mr Vaughan had been watching the one-day international at the Copper Pot pub in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, last month. The game was about to finish when the channel was switched to the England versus Israel Euro 2008 football qualifier. Mr Vaughan said yesterday: "The cricket only had ten minutes left, but the football wasn't even going to start for another 45 minutes. "We complained but nothing happened. So I decided to light up out of protest. "Staff told me I couldn't smoke, but I said I'd had enough of being pushed around by the Government. "They pressed a panic button and the next thing I knew, there were six policemen in the pub and two outside." No action was taken against demolition boss Mr Vaughan after he agreed to leave. There was a big cheer round the pub from about 60 people, added Mr Vaughan, "and even the police found it quite amusing." Warwickshire Police confirmed officers had been sent to the pub on September 8 following reports of a man "smoking and being aggressive". A spokesman said: "They explained why he should not be smoking, asked him to leave and he did so happily." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7044948.stm Pair lose May Day protest claim Lois Austin said she was not allowed to leave to pick up her child Police acted lawfully when they detained more than 1,000 people for more than seven hours during a May Day protest, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Geoffrey Saxby, from East Sussex, and protester Lois Austin, of Southwark, south London, claimed the tactics in 2001 breached the Human Rights Act. They were among people corralled in London's Oxford Circus without food, drink or access to toilets. The appeal court backed the High Court which rejected the claim in March 2005. Serious injury Mr Saxby, from Hastings, said he was not involved in the protest but had got caught up in the chaos while collecting money from a bank. Ms Austin told the court she had to get a friend to collect her 11-month-old daughter from a creche because she was not allowed to leave to pick up her up. The Metropolitan Police had argued the containment was lawful in order to maintain peace and was necessary to protect public safety and prevent disorder and crime. The pair, who sought damages alleging false imprisonment and a breach of their right to liberty under the European Convention, were given permission to appeal against the High Court decision. Agreeing with the High Court judge's earlier ruling, Master of the Rolls Sir Anthony Clarke said the pair's "imprisonment" was lawful. He said: "The risks were from crushing, trampling and missile-throwing which could have been fatal. "The crowd of over 1,000 at Oxford Circus needed measures to be taken to control them for their own protection." "It was a dynamic, chaotic and confusing situation in which there were also a large number of other protesters in the immediate vicinity outside the cordon who were threatening serious disorder and posing a threat to the officers both on the cordon and within it." A night of ordinary democracy in Bologna: 5 anarchists are beaten and arrested On Saturday October 13, at around 4am, a girl who is sleeping in piazza Verdi is noticed by police on patrol. The latter decide that the girl's behaviour is 'abnormal' and must be corrected by compulsory sanitary treatment (TSO). They call the ambulance while keeping the girl under their custody against her will. Five comrades of the anarchist place 'Fuoriluogo' witness the episode and cannot help expressing their contempt at the police. They do their best to prevent the arrest of the girl. The police's answer is brutal: armed with truncheons and even guns they chase the comrades. As the latter flee, six more police vans are called on the scene and the short escape ends in piazza San Vitale. The 5 are handcuffed while being severely beaten by the cops. A few residents in the area are clearly indignant at the police's behaviour but do not intervene. The accusations against the comrades are quite heavy: aggravated robbery (the cops have lost a pair of handcuffs), resistance and damage (of a police van in which one of the comrades had been taken). The 5 are immediately imprisoned in La Dozza prison. Two girls are eventually put under house arrest. We know even too well what the 'crime' of the 5 is, that of having chosen to oppose with courage a legal world of violence in which resignation live along with repression and exploitation. Struggle and action against the oppressor are the only way not to be accomplices of the silence imposed by this murderous society. FREE MADDA, MANUELA, TEXINO, FEDE AND FACO! That very night and the following morning the police search the houses of other comrades in Bologna with the pretext that they are searching for the disappeared handcuffs. In the evening a spontaneous march in solidarity to the arrested anarchists is carried out. Some of the demonstrators decide to express their solidarity also through 'dangerous' writings on the walls of the town. Caught by Digos officers, they are arrested and tried summarily: Juan and Bogu are sentenced to 10 months and taken to prison whereas Davide, Alessio and Belle are sentenced to 4 months and put under house arrest. A 17 year-old comrade from Rovereto is also accused. Here are the addresses of the imprisoned comrades: Cristian Facchinetti, Federico Razzoli, Andrea Tessarin (arrested on Saturday 13), Miroslav Bogu (arrested on Sunday 14)Casa Circondariale La Dozza Via Del Gomito 2 40127 Bologna Italy Juan Antonio Sorroche Fernandez (arrested on Sunday 14) Casa Circondariale di Ferrara Via Argione 37 44100 Ferrara (Italy) http://www.narconews.com/Issue47/article2843.html Pro-Zapatista Activists Among Those Imprisoned In New Zealand Crackdown Using New Anti-Terror Laws, Police Target Indigenous and Supporters Across the Country By Julie Webb-Pullman Special to The Narco News Bulletin October 17, 2007 WELLINGTON: Two hundred people today demonstrated outside the Wellington District Court in New Zealand, to protest Monday's detention of four Wellingtonians, the first under the country's new Terrorism Suppression Act. Two peace activists compas from the Wellington Zapatista Support Committee are amongst these supposed "terrorists" - both of whom have been active in Oaxaca and Chiapas in the last year supporting the struggles in Mexico, and fundraising in New Zealand for health services for Zapatista communities. D.R. 2007 Julie Webb-Pullman At today's hearing the Wellington Four were further remanded in custody with name suppression until Friday, when there will be a bail hearing, as well as a determination as to whether their cases will be heard 1,000 kilometers away in Auckland, with the other "suspects." More than 300 police, many armed, had swooped down simultaneously in several cities around the country, arresting 17 people, several of whom are indigenous and all of whom are environmental, peace, or indigenous activists. They have all been charged under the Arms Act with various offenses relating to alleged possession of various firearms and ammunition. More charges may be added in the future. Police are still looking for about 60 more people, and on Tuesday more Auckland activists were being called in for questioning. Christchurch was no walkover, however - Save Happy Valley Coalition spokeswoman Frances Mountier refused to let the police enter her premises because they did not have a search warrant. Ruatoki women were not so lucky - they reported having their door smashed in and their children herded into another room by armed police. An elderly woman had a gun held to her head, while another was locked in her garage for six hours while police searched her property. Meanwhile, delegates to the annual New Zealand Defense Industry Weapons Conference being held in Wellington, sponsored last year by L3 Communications (the sixth-largest defense company in the United States, providing surveillance equipment amongst other things). Serco, a company involved in nuclear weapons; Safe Air Ltd., with Indonesian war plane connections; and KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary which provides logistical support to the US army in Iraq and runs Guantanamo Camp in Cuba, all lounged in luxury at the Duxton Hotel with not a search warrant in sight. This blatant criminalization of social movements in New Zealand, once world leader in human and indigenous rights observation (which frankly is not that hard, given the appalling state of these internationally) and anti-nuclear activism, has sent shock-waves throughout the community. Maori Member of Parliament Te Ururoa Flavell said a small rural community in his electorate was placed "under siege" by the police. "The Maori families living in my electorate feel unduly harassed by the number of search warrants imposed, the charges laid and the intimidation they believe they have experienced," he said. The Alliance Party President Victor Billot says that confusion and secrecy surrounding the unprecedented use of armed state power in a political context within New Zealand needs to be resolved quickly. "The exact and detailed nature of alleged threats to public safety must be made public immediately, and not in a selective way; the scale and timing of police operations, and the use of police publicity to create an impression of immediate danger, must be investigated; and the extremely wide nature of arrests and searches that have taken place must be justified," he said. Global Peace And Justice Auckland denounced police allegations of terrorism in the Urewera ranges, saying they are trumped up to create the right political environment to pass the latest so-called anti-terrorism bill currently before parliament. Canterbury University academic and spokesperson for ARENA, David Small, who successfully sued the New Zealand police for illegally searching his home at the time of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in 1996, has labeled the police raids of the homes of social activists "draconian and probably illegal." He said the police seem to have learnt nothing from Justice Young's judgment condemning the police for failing to distinguish between political and criminal activity. "Democratic societies need free and open debate. And groups engaging in this kind of critical activity need the law to protect their rights to do so. Today's raids have the opposite effect and are clearly designed to intimidate and silence these voices of dissent," said Dr Small on Monday. Christian World Service National Director Jonathan Fletcher was shocked to hear of the early morning raids by police on homes around the country. "New Zealand police have stepped way over the mark - they are creating fear in our communities and fanning the flames of racism against Maori and mistrust of legitimate activists," he said. When the Terrorism Suppression Act came into law, Maori said that it was only a matter of time before it was used against them - and Monday has proved them right. Protests are expected to continue throughout the country as the accused make further court appearances. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:32:17 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:32:17 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression, October 2007 - global south Message-ID: <035101c824dc$a151d940$0802a8c0@andy1> * WEST PAPUA/INDONESIA: Activists demand release of lawyer * BURMA: Protest leader arrested * OAXACA/MEXICO: Expulsions, raids and arrests * OAXACA/MEXICO: CIPO-RFM centre, activist house under attack * INDIA: Gujarat state government censors TV channels to cover up pogrom accusations * MEXICO: Riot police attack street vendors in Mexico City * YEMEN: Human rights group condemns shootings by police during unrest [In the Yemeni case, notice the statists blaming the victims for their own violence] * PAKISTAN: Wave of repression targets lawyers, dissidents, activists * TONGA: Trials over pro-democracy revolt end in acquittals * ZIMBABWE: Riot police attack women's luncheon * PHILIPPINES: Riot police threaten former Arroyo supporters * ARGENTINA: President charges over 2001 killings http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.1487415107 Indonesia: Activists call for release of Papuan lawyer Jakarta, 29 Oct. (AKI) - Human rights activists are calling for the immediate release of Sabar Iwanggin, a Papuan lawyer, arrested because he forwarded a mobile phone text message , said to be offensive to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Frederika Korain, a lawyer with the rights groups Secretariat of Justice and Peace, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the arrest had no legal basis. She was also worried about possible abuse of Sabar Iwanggin. "We are opposing this arrest. How can he be accused to encourage violence for forwarding an SMS?" she said. "We are also worried because in the past, several Papuans were taken away from the island and some died due to 'unknown reasons.' We don't want that to happen to Iwanggin," she added. Sabar Iwanggin was reportedly arrested on 18 October in Jayapura, Papua's main city. Last Thursday he was transferred to Jakarta. Iwanggin, a lawyer with human rights group Elsham, has been charged under the criminal code for offending the president and inciting disorder. If found guilty, he risks up to six years in jail. The incriminating SMS reads "The president has an agenda of wiping out Papuans by poisoning food and hiring members of the army as doctors, restaurant workers, and motorcycle taxi drivers to kill Papuans." But according to media reports, Jayapura police say the arrest of Iwanggin is a criminal matter and deny he was arrested by the anti-terrorism police. Human rights activists in Jayapura say this SMS message has been forwarded across Papua since July 2007, and that thousands of people in Papua have received it. Situated at the east-end of the Indonesian archipelago, Papua was controversially annexed by Indonesia in 1969. It is believed that most of the population has never accepted the integration and a strong opposition movement is active and asking for a new referendum. However, throughout the years, the Indonesian armed forces' response has reportedly been harsh and tainted by widespread allegations of human rights abuse. http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/foreign/display.var.1751449.0.0.php Burma protest leader arrested Comment | Read Comments (2) RANGOON The leader of the activists who launched Burma's recent anti-government protests was arrested yesterday, and an opposition party member has died during interrogation by security forces, exiles claimed. The Thai-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners also said security officers had been threatening relatives and neighbours to get information on the whereabouts of those involved in last month's pro-democracy protests, which were brutally suppressed by the military regime. The Burmaexile group of former political prisoners said authorities had informed the family of Win Shwe, 42, that he died during interrogation in the central region of Sagaing. He and five colleagues were arrested on September 26. advertisement White House Foreign Affairs Spokesman Gordon Johndroe condemned Win Shwe's death and warned the US would impose new sanctions on Burma, also known as Myanmar, if it continued its crackdown on dissidents. The association said at least seven people had been seized in the largest city, Rangoon, even as the junta and the NLD appeared to be taking cautious steps towards talks. Hla Myo Naung, 39, a leader of the '88 Generation Students group, which organised marches in August over fuel price rises, was arrested while seeking treatment for a serious eye problem, the exile group said. He had evaded arrest for two months.-AP http://elenemigocomun.net/1320 Evacuation, raid, and arrests of demonstrators in Oaxaca ONE YEAR AFTER THE PFP's DEFEAT IN OAXACA November 2, 2007 - Kolectivo Todxs Somos Presxs writes: Fifteen arrests are reported, including teachers, students, and youth. The state police continue to make arrests in the streets surrounding the 5 Se?ores municipal agency and the area around University City. A year ago today the Federal Preventive Police (PFP) tried to tear down the 5 Se?ores and Soriana barricades. This morning, November 2, 2007, a number of people gathered at the 5 Se?ores intersection to lay out carpets and altars on the Day of the Dead in honor of more than 23 of our own people killed by the state and federal governments during the Oaxacan movement. At approximately 6:30 a.m. the sand was in place for making the carpets and the 5 Se?ores crossing partially blocked. By this time the state police were already patrolling the area on motorcycles. At approximately 7:30 the police arrived. There were several state police trucks with police on board and bunker type trucks full of state police. All in all, there were around 100 armed police. They pointed their guns at the people at the intersection, surrounded the area, and began to follow and arrest people who ran. At this time we know of approximately 15 compa?eros and compa?eras who have been taken to the offices of the Department of Citizen Protection (CEPROCI) and the Attorney General's Office in the Experimental neighborhood on the edge of the city. WE HOLD THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY SERGIO SEGRESTES R?OS (FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE OAXACA STATE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL INTEGRITY OF OUR COMPA?ER at S WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED. !WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE FREEDOM OF ALL ARRESTED COMPA?ER at S! !STOP THE REPRESSION! Kolectivo Todxs Somos Presxs http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/383351.html Oaxaca: PRI candidate house attacked, CIPO-RFM HQ facing repression Oscar Beard | 10.10.2007 17:19 | Oaxaca Uprising | Repression | Social Struggles | Zapatista | World PRI Municipal Presidency house attacked with heavy caliber guns, neighbouring CIPO-RFM communal house facing repression following attack. The street of CIPO-RFM HQ CIPO-RFM 3.50am, 7 October, 2007: Gun shots rang out outside the communitarian house of CIPO-RFM in the district of Santa Lucia del Camino, Oaxaca. Witnesses saw several unknown assailants in a car opening fire and the vehicle fleeing immediately. Following a tense time, determining whether it was safe to exit the headquarters, people went outside to see six heavy calibre bullet holes in the house of Santa Lucia PRI municipal presidency. The military, federal riot police, municipal police and plain clothes officers soon moved in, they claimed, to protect the voting of the municipality. The CIPO-RFM headquarters had been busy in recent days, following a three-day preparatory meeting of The Indigenous People of America, from 4 October, and they were in preparations for a trip to Vicam for the main meeting of The Indigenous People of America when the attack happened. According to CIPO-RFM, one compa?ero, Juan, was viciously beaten in the face and hospitalised by uncover cops and his car was stolen. On 8 October at 2am, when part of the delegation set off on the Vicam trip, they faced harassment from the authorities, first from public security officers, then aggressively by the police, who interrogated them for some time. On 9 October, around 5am, the Vicam delegation were stopped and again interrogated by the military, infantry battalion 89 of the third military district. The military were backed up by Obreg?n City officials, who refused to identify themselves. This is just the latest incident involving those attending the Indigenous People of America meetings, including forced evacuations of Zapatista towns and a direct attack on a meeting by Yaquis authorities. CIPO-RFM have been the brunt of brutal oppression for years, which has increased recently following escalated attempts to peacefully halt the destruction of communal forests in the Sierra Norte, north of Oaxaca. More information on CIPO-RFM here: http://www.blogcharm.com/jasonparkinson/77886 CIPO-RFM webpage: http://www.nodo50.org/cipo/ Oscar Beard http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2072327.htm Indian state blocks TV over riot claims India Last Updated 27/10/2007, 20:54:52Select text size: Officials in the Indian state of Gujarat have blocked television channels which aired a sting operation that claimed to expose local government involvement in the 2002 mass killings of Muslims. The Headlines Today television network broadcast footage on Thursday of men - accused of taking part in the deadly Gujarat riots - apparently admitting that the Hindu nationalist-ruled local government backed the violence. The Indian Express newspaper reports cable operators on Friday received written orders to block the channel, and others that covered the expose. Police verbally told cable operators in other parts of the state to stop carrying the channels, a Hindustan Times report said. Gujarat government spokesman, Bhagyesh Jha, denies the state has issued any orders against television channels. At least 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the 2002 riots after a Muslim mob was accused of torching a train, burning 59 Hindus alive. An enquiry by the state-run railways later ruled the fire on the train was an accident. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/13/2058823.htm?section=world Riot police remove Mexico City street vendors Posted Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:36pm AEST Hundreds of police officers in riot gear in Mexico City have forcibly removed thousands of street vendors from the historic city centre. The local government says about 15,000 traders have been cleared from the area. There are an estimated 35,000 street vendors in Mexico City, selling everything from newspapers and cigarettes to football shirts and jewellery. More than 1,000 police officers removed illegal vendors from 87 streets in the city centre. The incumbent mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, has promised to deal with the illegal trade on several occasions, but the traders say it is only temporary. They have promised to return to their pitches as soon as they can, and warned the Government against heavy-handed tactics. - BBC http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2007_10_14_6923 YOHR condemns violating right to life by riot police 14/10/2007 SANA'A, NewsYemen The Yemen Observatory for Human Rights has strongly condemned "the violation of people's right to life by some riot police who blindly achieve orders of the authority". The Yemeni rights watch said it has worriedly followed up killing four citizens and injuring 15 others in the latest demonstration in Radfan district of Lahj province on Saturday when a group of soldiers shot at protesters who gathered to prepare for a rally on Sunday that marks the 44th anniversary of southern Yemen's uprising against British occupation in 1963 protesting against the government's neglect to better their living conditions. YOHR said killing protesters was a violation of rights guaranteed by Islamic Sharia, national constitution and laws and all international human rights treaties which Yemen has ratified. The independent organization urged the government to immediately investigate the incidence and arrest military personnel who opened fire and bodies who gave direct or indirect orders to shoot at the rally. The investigation must be comprehensive to answer the possibility of any political or reprisal motives behind the accidence, said YOHR. "People were expressing their opinions and feelings and these are human rights which nobody can infringe," it said. The organization has expressed its deep concern that such attacks on people might lead to more tensions in case the authorities could not keep social peace and security and prevent human rights violations in the country. President Saleh blamed in a speech on the 44th anniversary of 14th October Revolution on Sunday "those who provoke demonstrations" for the killing of people. "I feel sorrow for such incidents, but those who provoke demonstrations are responsible for what happened. Our constitution guarantees freedom of each citizen to express opinion by all peaceful means, not by force," said Saleh, according to official news agency, Saba. People in southern Yemen complain unemployment, difficult living situation as well as confiscating lands by officers from the northern Yemen after war between south and north in 1994. Press Release Dated: November 4th, 2007 Eitezaaz Ehsan and Asima Jahangir Imprisoned!!! Prominent members of the Lawyer's movement i.e Mr. Muneer Malik, Mr. Ali Ahmed Kurd and, most prominently, Mr. Eitezaaz Ehsan have been arrested by the present military regime for drummed up charges. In another crack down members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) namely Ms. Asima Jahangir and Mr. I. A. Rahman have also been put under house arrest. The Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party condemns these measures taken by the military general's regime. The Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party, furthermore, understands that this present emergency is of an absolutely artificial nature and is an exercise in deception. The Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party demands that these eminent social figures be freed and this emergency lifted immediately. Inqalaab Zindabaad! Down with Military Dictatorship!! Long live the People of Pakistan!!! Long live The Lawyer's Movement!!! Long Live The Civil Society!!!! Dear All, Over 100 civil society activists have been arrested from a meeting of Joint Action Committee, at Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Lahore on Sunday 14.00 hrs. The meeting was called to discuss the situation after the imposition of Emergency in the country by General Pervez Mushraf. Police broke the windows of the hall to enter into the meeting venue. Disrupt the peaceful indoor meeting and asked the participants to come out. All the participants were bundled into the police vans and driven to the Model Town Polioce Station. among the arrested men and women include I.A Rehman, Iqbal Hyder, Robina saugol, Azra Shad, Khalid Mehmood, Mehboob Khan and Raja Salman. The other names could not be identified yet. Me and Bushra Khaliq, secretary WWHL were late from the meeting. When we reached the HRCP office to attend the meeting at 12;30 by that time police cordoned off the whole building and blocked the road towards HRCP office. The police refused our entry in the meeting hall. We stayed outside the hall for half an hour to asses the situation. We contacted some friends in present in the meeting on moble and apprised them about the situation outside. More contingents of police were pouring in. it was all a threatening scenario. gun totting police men on red lighted vehicles and bikes can be seen all around the HRCP hall. The police ordered all the people waiting ousite the hall to leave the place. Meanwhile We remained in contact with some participants on phone. They told us that police have entered in the hall, stopped the meeting and offered the women participants to leave the venue while all the men were told that they are arrested. The women participants refused to go so they were also arrested along with men. later they werte all taken to police station. Police has refused to tell them the nature and period of their detention. In view of the latest crackdown on political activists, Farooq Tariq, general secretary LPP is underground to avoid arrest and police is looking for him like grey hounds. last night a police raid was also conducted at his Lahore residence. It is pertnent to mention that LPP has denounced the Emergency and vowed to resist it. farooq tariq Syed Abdul Khaliq on behalf of Farooq Tariq LPP vows to resist draconian Emergency Lends full support to resisting judges Hails lawyers for taking up the fight Lahore: The Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) has strongly condemned the Musharraf regime for imposing Emergency thus depriving the people of Pakistan of their already-limited basic human and democratic rights. The LPP Chairperson, Nisar Shah, and Secretary General Farooq Tariq, in a joint statement issued here Saturday vowed to resist the imposition of Emergency in collaboration with civil society bodies, trade unions and opposition parties. While lending full support to the resisting Supreme Court judges and Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Ch., the LPP leaders condemned Justice hameed Dogar for taking oath under new PCO saying: ' Regardless of the immediate outcome of the judges fight against the generals, the resisting judges have deprived the Emergency of all its justification' . They said that it was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan that judiciary had showed such a courage. 'This resistance also owes to the mass movement led by lawyers fraternity last summer that humbled the Musharaff regime and chief justice was reinstated',' they added. They also hailed the Karachi lawyers for taking lead in announcing to launch their struggle to fight back Emergency. The LPP leaders appealed to activists, trade unions and civil body organisations to join hands with resisting judges and lawyers to rid the country of military regime. They said: 'Though the regime is likely to use Taliban-occupation of certain districts in Frontier province as a pretext to impose Emergency yet it is most likely that Emergency is imposed to pre-empt a court ruling against Musharaff's re-election. Emergency means that all basic democratic rights will be suspended while courts would have their powers curtailed'. 'Pakistan has been in grip of political crisis and regime was facing growing mass resentment. This Emergency is a desperate attempt to cling to power,' they added. Farooq Sulehria V?stertorpsv 85 129 46.H?gersten. Sweden Mob 00 46 709 305 436 http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36132 Tongan lawyer says more riot trials could end in acquittals Posted at 03:14 on 31 October, 2007 UTC A lawyer representing a number of those charged over the rioting in Tonga a year ago says unless police focus on who instigated the violence, more trials can be expected to fall over. There have been just a handful of convictions to date with the latest Supreme Court trial resulting in acquittals yesterday of six of the seven accused. A pro-democracy MP, Clive Edwards, who himself is to face trial on a sedition charge in connection with the riot, says many of the accused had had confessions extracted under duress. "There are a number of those aspects at these trials that are going to affect the Crown securing convictions where people were ill treated, instead of specifically dealing with those who were responsible, or directly responsible, in causing the destruction. And this is the problem at this point in time. Until they clear that up I don't think that the juries will be convicting people." http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36145 Tonga Information Minister comments on latest riot trial verdict Posted at 22:15 on 31 October, 2007 UTC The Tonga government says it never expected all charges made in the wake of last year's riot in Nuku'alofa to stick. Few of the suspects have so far been convicted - in the latest court decision, six of seven were acquitted on Tuesday after a lengthy Supreme Court trial. There has been criticism the prosecutions are not properly prepared. But the Information Minister, Afu'alo Matoto, says the conduct of the enquiry is up to the police and the crown prosecutor - he says the government does not want to exert any influence whatsoever. Though Mr Matoto says the option of trial by jury can often produce results that do not reflect the evidence. http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/Zimbabwe/2007-10-18-voa37.cfm Zimbabwean Riot Police Storm In On Opposition Women's Luncheon By Carole Gombakomba Washington 18 October 2007 Interview With Tongai Matutu Listen to Interview With Tongai Matutu Controversy over the decision by officials of a faction of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change to dissolve the formation's women's assembly was further fueled late Wednesday as police in southeast Masvingo detained 18 female members of the faction for four hours for allegedly holding a political gathering. Those detained at Masvingo Central Police Station included Theresa Makone, tipped as the leading contender to fill the chair of the women's assembly of the MDC faction led by party founder Morgan Tsvangirai. The panel was dissolved early this month. With Makone was Evelyn Masaiti-Matongo, wife of the late chairman of the faction, Isaac Matongo, and other top Masvingo women MDC activists. Makone said the detention was unwarranted because the group was simply lunching at the Flamboyant Hotel and talking about a memorial service for Matongo. Lawyer Tongai Matutu, representing the women, told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that police overreacted by sending five trucks of officers bearing AK 47 rifles and batons when there was no political meeting in sight. Matutu is the MDC faction's member of parliament for Masvingo Central. Masvingo police officials could not be reached for comment on the incident. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/66116/Anti-riot-cops-readied-vs-groups-nixing-Erap-pardon Anti-riot cops readied vs groups nixing Erap pardon 10/27/2007 | 12:45 PM Groups that helped catapult President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power by ousting her predecessor Joseph Estrada six years ago now stand to face the "might" of the police. The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday said it has instructed its anti-riot operatives to deal with marchers and protesters opposing Mrs Arroyo's grant of pardon to Estrada. The 70-year-old ousted leader was granted an executive clemency by President Arroyo on October 26, or 43 days after Estrada was convicted of plunder charges by the Sandiganbayan. "Laging nakaantabay ang PNP sa ganitong kaganapan. Meron tayong civil disturbance management units (CDMU) na sanay na sanay na sa ganoong pagkilos (The PNP is ready for any eventuality. Our CDMUs are used to dealing with these protest actions)," PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said in a radio interview. Militant and so-called civil society groups earlier threatened to stage protest actions against the granting of pardon to Estrada. While some groups called for "peaceful" protests such as wearing black on Fridays, others hinted at street marches and demonstrations. "Makakaasa ang taumbayan na ang pulis handa harapin ang ganitong kaganapan (Our people can be sure the police will be ready to face them)," Pagdilao said. It was a turnaround of sorts for the PNP, which used to keep an eye on Estrada's bulwarks and supporters, and to immediately disperse them at any gathering. Last Thursday, Mrs Arroyo granted pardon to Estrada after six-and-a-half years, claiming she based her decision on Estrada's age and on his wish to be with his ailing 102-year-old mother. - GMANews.TV http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=11692&formato=HTML Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Direct Link: http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=11692&formato=html Former Argentine leader charged with riot killings in 2001 A federal judge charged former Argentine president Fernando de la Rua with five counts of manslaughter Tuesday in connection with bloody street riots in December 2001 when his administration collapsed plunging Argentina to its most serious economic meltdown in recent times. Judge Claudio Bonadio said the former president is also being prosecuted, (which does not amount to a formal indictment) on charges stemming from injuries to 172 other people during street clashes between demonstrators and police that year. It was the first time a current or former democratically elected Argentine president has faced charges for the conduct of security forces under his oversight. De la Rua, who took office in 1999, declared a state of siege as thousands of Argentines took to the streets to demand his resignation. Judge Bonadio did not call for the preventive arrest of De la Rua, but established bail of some 6.3 million dollars. If found guilty, the former president could face a jail term of up to 10 years, although he would only have to serve under house arrest because he is over 70. De la Rua resigned in December 2001, halfway through an elected four-year term as Argentina suffered one of the worst economic collapses in recent its history, with a sharp devaluation of its currency, banks deposits freeze and a record 100 billion US dollars debt default. The turmoil forced De la Rua to resign and he later fled Argentina's presidential palace in a helicopter. At least 30 people were reported killed nationwide in street riots during December that year. A text of the case document says De la Rua "did not use the tools" available to him as head of state to prevent the bloodshed. The judge has already filed similar charges against de la Rua's former security chief, and seven former federal police officers. Fernando Chironi, a member of Congress with de la Rua's opposition Radical Party, said the former president could not be held liable under the criminal code for violent events that spun out of control. ''He was not directly responsible for those who acted below him,'' Chironi said, referring to police and state security agents. Following De la R?a's resignation, the Argentine Congress after several short lived interim heads of state, voted in the strong Peronist Leader, Eduardo Duhalde who took office as caretaker president until 2003 when new elections were convened. Current president Nestor Kirchner was voted in the run off when the winner of the first round, Carlos Menem did not present himself fearing a landslide defeat. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:42:48 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:42:48 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Reflections on protests, unrest and mobilisations, October 2007 Message-ID: <035f01c824de$19b45f10$0802a8c0@andy1> * "Forget Bono and bracelets, protest for real" - Naomi Klein * MEXICO: State terror and dirty war: a year of state recuperation * UN food chief warns of mass revolt if food prices soar * BURMA: A monk's tale of protest and escape * UK: Toilet paper art sheds light on 1932 jail revolt - "it's comic violence, it's kind of carnival" * FRANCE: The banlieues two years after the revolt NOTE: I won't even forward THIS little piece of dogshit on the Amsterdam unrest: http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/10/amsterdam_is_a_riot.php which not only refuses voice to the oppressed and uses stupid anathemas and labels, but is utterly empirically incoherent (if cracking down "works", why did the French unrest carry on for WEEKS after the crackdown started?!). The racism of the piece is also instantly apparent - and the comments are even worse ("shoot them in the streets like rabid dogs" rants one bigot). I remain perplexed as to why this kind of anti-"crime" bigotry is so rarely recognised as the hate speech it so clearly is. Notice too the rather dubious use of the term "gangs" and "gang violence" in the AFP article on France. The term "gang violence" connotes the idea of clashes between groups of youths of different (ethnic, regional, sporting, friendship, criminal) allegiance - whereas in this case the discussion is of clashes between youths and police. "Gang violence. between youths and police" really doesn't make much sense as a term. The Gare du Nord incident was also covered at the time as a clash between youths and police, NOT between different groups of youths. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article2633537.ece >From The Times October 11, 2007 'Forget Bono and bracelets, protest for real' Ben Hoyle, Arts Reporter Naomi Klein, the poster girl of the anti-globalisation movement, has attacked the "Bono-isation" of protests against world poverty. Speaking after an appearance at The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival she said that the involvement of celebrity campaigners such as the U2 singer and Bob Geldof had set back the cause of building a fairer world. "The Bono-isation of protest, particularly in the UK, has reduced discussion to a much safer terrain," she said as she singled out for criticism the Make Poverty History campaign, which tied into the G8 summit at Glen-eagles in 2005. "It was the stadium rock model of protest - there's celebrities and then there's spectators waving their bracelets. It's less dangerous and less powerful [than grass roots street demonstrations]." Bono and Klein make a formidably glamorous pair of rival activists. He is the Dublin-born singer who has sold more than 140 million albums with U2 but devotes much of his time to twisting the arms of presidents and prime ministers to help the poor in Africa. He has received an honorary knighthood and been named Person of the Year for his work by Time magazine. She is the elegant Canadian journalist who became a figurehead for the antiglobalisation movement with the publication of her first book, No Logo, seven years ago. It lambasted the exploitative, brand-driven consumer-ism created by multinational corporations such as Nike and sold more than a million copies in the process. Klein, 37, describes her new book, The Shock Doctrine, as "much more overtly political". It sets out to demonstrate that Western politicians of the past 40 years have persistently exploited disasters to push through lucrative, unpopular, free-market economic policies. It has sharply divided opinion on both sides of the Atlantic and Klein now finds herself more isolated than she did after the release of No Logo. "The movement has fizzled," she said. In her view it has been damaged by fear of government coercion in the US after the events of September 11, 2001, and by the rise of blogs and chat rooms. "It's safer to mouth off in a blog than to put your body on the line. The internet is an amazing organising tool but it also acts as a release, with the ability to rant and get instant catharsis . . . it's taken that urgency away," she said. Then there is the problem of crusading rock stars. "I think it's fantastic when celebrities engage with politics and stick their necks out. I think more people should do it, in less safe ways. My problem with Bono is not about him being a celebrity or being rich. It's that his model of organising is dated." "My analysis is that change isn't popular. It comes because a real counter-power emerges which carries negotiating power, which leads to change." This activist model had been replaced by the idea that "we can make this really good argument and get some celebrity to endorse it". "In terms of the movement this gen-trification of the protest space by the Bonos and the Geldofs has had a really corrosive effect. I really don't think it's a good thing." Jamie Drummond, the executive director of Debt, Aids, Trade, Africa (DATA), founded with Bono in 2002 to eradicate extreme poverty and Aids in Africa, said that Klein was "missing the point", adding that effective change can only be brought about by a combination of outside mobilisation and inside manoeuvring, He added: "It's a gross simplification to think you can achieve anything without one or the other. It's not cool to meet President Bush. It would be a much better look for Bono to be wearing a balaclava and lobbing Molotov cocktails. But we want to win, rather than be on the margins moaning about the system." Naomi Klein put the point on what's dangerous of Bono-isation. Bono is more used to get us to believe that everything is all right, and in the end we have come nowhere. Making poverty history starts where the roots are not on the top. The responsibility starts in Africa, not in the White House. Margaret Engdahl, L??nsboda, Sweden Bono, Geldorf, Sting....they are other servants of the Globalist, which are very smart to provide such a tools which makes people beliee that they are still free to express their opinion. Does anything change? Hell,no! In case you still did not get it, it 1984 Big Brother's time! Julia, Paris, France I totally agree with Klein. I think that despite Bono"s good intentions, in the end everything continue to be the same. The real power lies with the people not with celebrities who only care about their pockets and fancy way of living (probably, Bono"s case and Gore"s case...). S??lvia Lorena, Salvador, Brazil http://libcom.org/news/state-terror-dirty-war-year-state-recuperation-mexico-08102007 State terror and dirty war: a year of state recuperation in Mexico October 8th, 2007 by Alan An in-depth look at the contemporary situation in Mexico in the aftermath of recent state offensives against movements in Chiapas, Oaxaca and San Salvador Atenco. Following a heady 18 months of diverse and popular struggles up down the country, the Mexican state is using familiar tactics to reassert itself as the country's main authority. Enlisting the support of the US state and using the cover of a war on drugs (a war which the US now claims to have won, in part thanks to the deployment of 30,000 Mexican troops to different parts of the country) and the search for the culprits behind a recent bombing campaign attributed to Marxist-Leninist guerrillas the EPR (Ej?rcito Popular Revolucionario - Popular Revolutionary Army), the Mexican police and army have spent the year of 2007 attacking - with increasing audacity - working class movements in places such as Oaxaca and the autonomous Zapatista communities in Chiapas. Subcomandante Marcos, the infamous spokesman for the EZLN (Zapatista) movement, confirmed in a communiqu? dated September 24th that La Comisi?n Sexta (the movement's leadership) had cancelled the second leg of their nationwide tour La Otra Campa?a (The Other Campaign - which seeks to build an all-Mexican revolutionary movement) due to what political commentators are calling "the biggest [military] offensive in nine years" [link in Spanish] in Chiapas. Thus far in 2007, over 10,500 hectares of land have been seized by paramilitary groups masquerading as farmers' interest groups. Of course, these activities are done with the full approval of the local state infrastructure: Tribunal Unitario Agrario (the local land arbitration panel) had already rubberstamped these moves. Moreover, the Chiapan state government - dominated by members of the highly corrupt social democratic PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional - Institutional Revolutionary Party) - and the municipal government of PRI's leftist split the PRD (Partido de la Revoluci?n Democr?tica - Democratic Revolutionary Party) have been complicit in the continued presence of some 79 permanent (para)military camps within the state of Chiapas, with their weapons pointed at the Zapatista communities. The recent government attacks in Chiapas are said to be linked to the Plan Puebla Panam?, a NAFTA-inspired initiative introduced in 2001 by the then Mexican President Vicente Fox in order to "promote the regional integration and development" of southern Mexico, the entire of Central American and Colombia. The programme would include further privatisation of land and the opening up of the area to even more capitalist investment - which would necessitate the removal of hostile political movements. In southern Mexico, this process dates back to the 1880s but has been stiffly resisted every step of the way. In the communiqu?, Marcos also expressed fear at the safety of EZLN members entering areas "where [the EPR] has presence or influence" without an EPR ceasefire, and that even in the event of an EPR ceasefire for the benefit of La Otra Campa?a, that the "nervously stupid" PAN (Partido Acci?n Nacional - National Action Party) right wing government of Felipe Calder?n "would launch an attack and later attempt to blame it on non-existent disputes with the EPR". The EPR came into existence in 1996 in the south-western state of Guerrero. Heavily armed, they claimed to have killed 59 soldiers within 6 weeks of their formation. The Mexican state was still reeling from the Zapatista uprising and for a brief moment, revolution looked imminent. However, the shortcomings of the choice of an attempted clandestine insurrection quickly became apparent to the Zapatistas (who were quick to disassociate themselves from them), and like most leftists, the EPR became bogged down in a series of splits and disappeared for over 10 years. The renaissance of the EPR last July took the form of several bomb attacks in the El Baj?o region of central Mexico on gas lines owned by Pemex, the nationalised oil company. It was quickly followed by bombs in department stores and banks in Cuidad de Oaxaca before another bombing of a Pemex gas line, this time in Veracruz. Rumour is rife of the involvement of government agents in the newly active EPR faction(s), and some whispers centre around government attempts to orchestrate a situation similar to the Strategy of Tension in Italy in the 1970s, in which government agent provocateurs committed terrorist acts and blamed them on anarchists and revolutionaries in order to vindicate their subsequent repression. As of yet, these claims are just speculation, although such underhand tactics have been the intermittent modus operandi of the post-revolutionary Mexican state. The EPR communiqu?s claim that their attacks are in response to the disappearance of their "leaders", Edmundo Reyes and Gabriel Alberto, in Oaxaca in May this year. The government claims another revolutionary organisation kidnapped him, a story the Mexican public has not swallowed. Reyes' daughter, Nad?n Reyes Maldonado, has been especially explicit in blaming the state, while admitting that, upon her father's release, "there are some things he's going to have to explain to us". Either way, the state has used the pretext of EPR's apparent association with the Oaxaca revolt to launch several more assaults on the APPO (Asamblea Popular del Pueblo de Oaxaca - Popular People's Assembly of Oaxaca) movement. In one incident in July, Emeterio Marino Cruz was beaten into a coma by police when he and fellow APPO members tried to participate in the celebration of the Guelagetza, a traditional Oaxacan festival. Cruz emerged from hospital deaf, dumb and paralysed in the right side of his body. Even the Mexican state found this story too much to condone, and have since detained five policeman (including three from the notoriously savage PFP [Policia federativa preventiva - Federal Preventative Police]). However, that represents an anomaly in terms of the state's activities in Oaxaca. Conservative estimates put the death count at 20, with an unknown amount of disappearances and tens of political prisoners. This figure is still rising. Enrique Rueda Pacheco, head of the fiercely radical Oaxacan section of the SNTE (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores en Educaci?n - National Union of Education Workers), whose strike in May last year started the revolt, was forced into exile by the Oaxaca state government's death threats, despite Pacheco's repeated attempts to end the teachers' strike. The hand-wringers from Amnesty International have twice visited the area, twice wagged their fingers at the police and military, and twice their appeals have been ignored. The government even sent its own Comisi?n Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (National Human Rights Commission) - an organisation whose redundancy is almost universally recognised - down to investigate, with a rather ironic consequence. Their envoy, a panista (member of the PAN party), called for the resignation of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, the embattled PRI-affiliated state governor - a moderate prognosis in the circumstances - only to retract it publicly 24 hours later. It is in times of heightened class struggle such as these that the squabbling ruling factions suddenly find it in themselves to drop their differences. Meanwhile, another tactic successfully used by Ortiz et al to break the revolt is to force a split in the local SNTE. Secci?n 22 has been joined by Secci?n 59, which was intended to be comprised of pri?stas (PRI supporters) and scabs (although even the scabs' union has found itself ignored by its party and thus is becoming more and more hostile towards local government). In response, as reported on Libcom, Secci?n 22 members formed the oppositional current CNTE (Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educaci?n - National Coordinating Committee of Education Workers) [link in Spanish]. As for the APPO itself, it appears to be in a state of crisis, exhausted by the intensity of the last 17 months and merely focusing on continuing to exist rather than confronting its contradictions. Pacheco, the aforementioned exiled SNTE leader, has been "trying to end the teachers' strike since July [2006]" in favour of a movement that was broad enough to incorporate PRD and the Zapatistas, while the arrest of APPO's de facto leader, Flavio Sosa, revealed that he was still a member of the leftist PRD, despite the APPO's explicit prohibition of political party members. Concurrently to the writing of this article, one can participate in a poll [link in Spanish] on the APPO website which deals with the upcoming municipal elections. One can either choose that the APPO "participate [in the elections] and continue struggling [outside of electoralism]" or that it "doesn't participate and continues struggling". Thus far, the results are roughly two-thirds in favour of participation. As has been commented on Mexico before, at times the bourgeoisie prefers to rein in subversive or revolutionary elements, integrating them into the unwieldy and multi-tentacled state. However, even if Oaxaca is being recuperated, it pales in comparison to the events in San Salvador Atenco in Estado de M?xico, just outside Mexico City. Following a rebellion in May 2006 over the police's attempt to evict market stallholders (which are about as ubiquitous in Mexico as moustaches), the small town saw a new level of police violence. Unlike Oaxaca and Chiapas, the movement failed to organise itself sufficiently and was brutally crushed within a week. Around 400 people were taken prisoner in Atenco and neighbouring Texcoco, and the country was shocked by their systemised rounding up and subsequent beating, torture and rape (a subsequent investigation reported that "30 of 47 women detained suffered sexual abuse" [link in Spanish]). Most of the police brutality happened in the police vans on the way to be processed, but in a clear signal to would-be rebellious residents of Atenco, the police patrolled the town's narrow streets, emptying houses into the street, binding and masking their detainees and hitting them with batons as a means of "counting them". As such, although the FPDT (Frente del Pueblos en Defenso de la Tierra - People's Front in Defence of the Land) continues, forging links with APPO and the EZLN [link in Spanish], their main focus seems to be legal battles to free the huge amount of people still imprisoned (many of whom still haven't been charged, more than 15 months after the revolt) in jails in Santiaguito and Texcoco, only really emerging in public to record the victories and defeats in this process [link in Spanish - scroll down to "Campesinos en Atenco son Inocentes"]. However, it's worth noting the current unrest in Atenco can be traced back to a successful farmer-led movement against the attempted construction of an airport there in 2002 (in the end, an airport opened up the road in Toluca instead). As such, it seems unlikely that we've heard the last from there. Indeed, there is plenty of ongoing class struggle in this country. Libcom has already reported on the national public sector workers' Movimiento ResISSSTE against a new law which would seriously deplete their pensions. There's also a massive ongoing strike in the glassworkers' industry based in the peyote-rich state of San Luis Potos? [link in Spanish], as well as miners' strikes in Zacatecas and Guerrero [link in Spanish]. Mexican strikers are partially helped by Mexican labour law, which (much to the envy of British workers) legally requires striking workers to occupy their workplace. The net effect of this law however, is that the many employers contest the legality of strikes in the court, and often workers suffer losing their right to strike on a legal technicality due to a right wing judge. Generally however, the year of 2007 has been one of retreat for the Mexican working class, helped in no small part by the controversy over the presidential elections in summer 2006. The eventual victor, Calder?n, who has defined his stay in power thus far through his combative stance against working class movements, is casually referred to as a "fascista" in the chattering classes, but the PRD's Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador has played his part too, distracting many would-be working class militants with his dead end post-electoral campaign based mainly on vague claims of electoral fraud. The FPDT is keen to point out [link in Spanish] that, like the rest of bourgeois political scene, Obrador was strangely silent in the aftermath of the brutality in Estado de M?xico. Nationally, the huge divisions still remain (Mexico is economically the most unequal country in the world, housing Carlos Slim, the world's richest man, while 40% of the country lives in extreme poverty) and there exists a general distrust of the corrupt, dishonest and hegemonic political elite. Unfortunately, the economic disparity has social ramifications too in widespread anti-indigenous attitudes and suspicion directed at people from barrios populares (the dangerous, if fascinatingly atmospheric, overcrowded suburbs on the edge of the great Mexican cities) The attempts of La Otra Campa?a to build a national movement against this backdrop are to be commended, even if their main success thus far has been in publicising various local struggles throughout the country. However, as we have seen not only recently but also historically (in events such as the Tlatelolco students' massacre of 1968 and the strikes in R?o Blanco in 1906-07 and Cananea in 1906 [both links in Spanish]) in this country, any movement with any sort of relevance will have to contend against the dual Mexican and American bourgeoisie. http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-30142420071024 Poor may riot if food price soars - U.N. food chief Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:14pm IST By David Brough LONDON (Reuters) - Soaring food and energy prices could trigger political upheaval and riots in developing countries, the United Nations world food body chief Jacques Diouf said on Wednesday. Food prices are booming: the Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index in July stood at its highest level since its inception in 1990, and was almost 70 percent higher than in 2000, the Rome-based FAO director-general said. "There will be very serious strain on the little resources they (developing countries) have and a risk of social and political conflicts," Diouf said in an interview for Reuters Television. "If food prices continue to be high, there are risks of riots." "If you combine the increase of the oil prices and the increase of food prices, then you have the elements of a very serious crisis in the future," he added. Protests over food prices have already taken place in some African countries, including Niger, Guinea and Burkina Faso, and in Yemen and Mexico. Food costs account for the bulk of people's incomes in the world's poorest countries. More than 2 billion people live on $2 a day, according to Diouf. Many of the poorest countries depend on imported crude oil, which is now trading at near record high prices. The world's poorest people are the most vulnerable to the impact of surging cereals, vegetable oils and dairy prices. Food prices are soaring because of falling stocks, rising production costs due to higher energy prices, adverse weather, faster economic growth and rising biofuels demand. BOOST OUTPUT Diouf, who was on an official visit to London to meet foreign office and aid officials, said African countries needed to boost food output to counter the upward pressure on local food prices and to produce their own biofuels. "We have to take into consideration the great potential of natural resources, of water, soil and also people that exists in developing countries in general, and in Africa," the veteran Senegalese food agency chief said. Diouf said soaring food prices would make it tougher in the short term for the international community to move closer to its millennium development goal to halve extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. But he said that if the right policies were adopted in developing countries -- investments in rural infrastructure and in water control -- prospects should improve. Diouf estimated that some 854 million people are severely malnourished, the vast majority in Africa and Asia. He said a major conference to be hosted by FAO was planned for June 2008 in Rome to discuss linkages between food prices, green fuel and climate change. Several heads of state are expected to attend. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/asia/26monk.html?_r=1&ref=asia&oref=slogin A Monk's Tale of Protest and Escape From Myanmar By THOMAS FULLER Published: October 26, 2007 MAE SOT, Thailand, Oct. 25 - A 24-year-old Buddhist monk who says he was one of the leaders of the recent protests in Myanmar and escaped last week painted a picture on Thursday of a bare-bones group of young monks planning and organizing what became a nationwide uprising. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Thomas Fuller/The International Herald Tribune Ashin Kovida, a Buddhist monk, said he was a leader of recent protests in Yangon, Myanmar, and fled to Thailand last week. Enlarge This Image Courtesy of Ashin Kovinda Mr. Kovida led monks through the streets of Yangon on September 19. During a six-hour interview in this border town, the monk, Ashin Kovida, said he had been elected the leader of a group of 15 of his fellows and led daily protests in Yangon from Sept. 18 through Sept. 27, the day after the authorities began raiding monasteries. He said he was inspired by the popular uprisings in Yugoslavia against the government of Slobodan Milosevic, videos of which were circulated by dissident groups in Myanmar. Eight members of his organizing committee are "missing" and six others are hiding in Yangon, he said. He described escaping to Thailand by using a false identification card, dyeing his hair blond and wearing a crucifix. Many details of Mr. Kovida's account could not be independently confirmed, but his role as an organizer was well known among nongovernmental organizations in Myanmar, formerly Burma, and Western human rights groups. Hlaing Moe Than, 37, a leading organizer of students in the September demonstrations who also fled to Thailand, was shown a picture of Mr. Kovida on Thursday and confirmed his identity. "He is one of the famous leaders among the Buddhist monks during the protests," Hlaing Moe Than said. Mr. Kovida's group received financial help from three well-known Burmese dissidents - an actor, a comedian and a poet - but it did not receive foreign aid during the protests, he said. One of his main preoccupations, he said, was providing food for the thousands of monks who came to Yangon, Myanmar's main city, to join the protests. He said he also worried about what he called "fake monks," whom he suspected the military government had planted. The spark for the demonstrations came on Sept. 5, when the police fired warning shots at protesting monks in Pakokku, in central Myanmar, Mr. Kovida said. "The first time I heard the information, I was speechless," he said. "It was an unbelievable thing." Older monks and abbots urged the monks to protest in the monasteries, but the younger monks thought protesting in their cloistered world would do no good, he said. He reached out to students he had met during alms collections and began to plan marches in Yangon. "We realized that there was no leadership - a train must have a locomotive," he said. He said he helped supervise the printing of hundreds of pamphlets, titled, "The Monks Will Come Out Onto the Streets." "We delivered to all the monasteries." in Yangon, he said. "We tried to distribute to other regions as much as possible." On Sept. 18, he led the first column of monks through the streets in Yangon, he said. On Sept. 19, about 2,000 protesters, including 500 monks, sat on the tiled floor in Sule Pagoda, a focal point of the protests. "To continue demonstrations in a peaceful way we must have leadership," Mr. Kovida said he told them. "I call on 10 monks to come join me in the front." Fifteen monks came forward, he said, to form what they called the Sangga Kosahlal Apahwe, the Monks Representative Group. "In this country at present we are facing hardships," he said he told the crowd, after he was elected chairman of the group. "People are starving; prices are rising. Under this military government there are so many human rights abuses. I call on people to come to join together with us. We will continue these protests peacefully every day until we win. If there are no human rights, there is no value of a human." He said that, for a week, he met with his group of organizers in the morning and led marches at noon. He said he heard reports on the Burmese-language service of the BBC about other monks who had organized themselves but he had never met them. Then, on Sept. 26, the government began a violent crackdown. Security forces clubbed and tear-gassed protesters, blocked their path and arrested hundreds. "The police pulled the monks' robes and beat them," Mr. Kovida said. "Nuns were stripped of their sarongs." He said he escaped by climbing over a brick wall. The next day, as the crackdown intensified, he said he changed out of his robes and fled to a village about 40 miles away where, with the help of relatives and friends, he hid in an abandoned wooden hut. He was so afraid of attracting the attention of neighbors that he suppressed his coughs and never left the dark hut for two weeks, he said. He relieved himself using a plastic bucket, he said, and friends occasionally dropped off food. On Oct. 12, his adoptive mother, whom he called Daw Thin Thin Khaing, was detained, news that was immediately relayed to him. He fled into the night, barefoot. "I ran down a large road," he said. "Whenever a car came I hid in the bushes." He headed back to Yangon, he said, where he dyed his hair blond. He bought a crucifix in a local market and, several days later, boarded a bus heading toward the Thai border. Using a false identity card, he passed about eight checkpoints and reached Myawadi, a border town, on Oct. 17. The next morning, he said, he crossed the Moei River to Thailand in a boat, bypassing the official border post. An Oct. 18 article in The New Light of Myanmar, the state-run newspaper, accused him of hiding "48 yellowish high-explosive TNT cartridges" in his monastery. Now, facing almost certain detention in Myanmar, Mr. Kovida said he would request refugee status in Thailand. "I have been in the monkhood since I was so young," he said. "My whole life, I have been studying only Buddhism and peaceful things." Pornnapa Wongakanit contributed reporting. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=74026&in_page_id=34 Toilet paper art sheds light on jail riot Thursday, November 1, 2007 The big tissue: The sketch shows inmates partying as a guard stands on a wall The discovery of a 75-year-old sketch on toilet paper has been hailed as providing important new evidence on one of Britain's worst jail riots. The pencil drawing, made by an unknown former inmate, depicts the uprising at Dartmoor Prison in January 1932. One prisoner was shot and injured and a further 80 seriously hurt by guards when 300 rioting convicts laid siege to the prison in Devon. Protesting at poor conditions, the inmates started fires and rampaged through the jail with handmade spears. The daughter of a prison officer sent the drawing to researchers after an appeal for information about the riot. Dr Alyson Brown, of Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire, said: 'This picture is quite different from the official images of the riot. It's a cartoon, which says something for a start. 'You see prisoners playing musical instruments and smoking and, while there is violence, it's comic violence. It's a kind of carnival.' The loo roll picture features in the November issue of BBC History Magazine. Editor Dave Musgrave said: 'This source casts a fascinating new light on the riot, for which the official line was that the convicts were on the rampage and out of control.' http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/news/world/20071027-France-suburbs-riots-two-year-anniversary.html By AFP Parisian suburbs mark riot's two year anniversary Saturday, October 27, 2007 Two years after youth riots broke out in the suburbs of cities across France, little has changed. The government plans a reform in January, but in the meantime residents are left with raw memories. Two years after the 2005 youth riots in France's mostly immigrant suburbs, the low-income estates facing high crime and unemployment remain a "powderkeg", police and politicians warn. President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is due in January to unveil a Marshall-type plan for the hundreds of out-of-town areas where simmering discontent among ethnic minority youths boiled over into violence on October 27, 2005. The three weeks of arson attacks and street battles with police were sparked by the accidental deaths of two teenagers of African origin, who died after climbing into a power sub-station while running from the police. Hundreds of people were injured, more than 10,000 vehicles and 300 buildings torched, as the violence spread from the Paris suburbs to the rest of the country, leading the government to declare a national state of emergency. The riots exposed France's failure to integrate its large minorities, with the French-born children of African immigrants facing racial discrimination and jobless rates reaching 40 percent in some "cites", or estates. Sarkozy's tough-talking stance as interior minister at the time -- he vowed to clean out one estate with a "power hose" after a young boy was killed in a shoot-out between two gangs -- made him a hate figure for many rioters. As president, he sent out a powerful signal by appointing three women of African origin to his government -- including Housing Minister Fadela Amara, a women's rights campaigner of Algerian parents. Since June, Amara has been travelling the country to draw up a national plan to boost education and youth employment in the suburbs. But social workers and opposition politicians warn the ingredients that sparked the 2005 riots remain firmly in place. "It is still a powderkeg, there is a deep sense of territorial isolation and a lack of opportunities," said Manuel Valls, the Socialist mayor of Evry south of Paris. "The situation has got worse," said Francois Pupponi, the Socialist mayor of Sarcelles, a poor north Paris suburb. "All it will take is a match for everything to go up in flames like in 2005. There are more and more weapons out there," warned a police officer from the Paris area under cover of anonymity. Gang violence continues to break out sporadically between youths and police in troublespots near Paris and elsewhere. Earlier this month some 50 masked youths went on a rampage in a twon in eastern France, using metal bars to smash a firefighters' vehicle, torching cars and buildings and clashing with police. Clashes between gangs broke out last month at Paris's main Gare Du Nord station, which was the scene of a major riot in March, when youths attacked windows, vending machines and shops before being dispersed with tear-gas. Police fear that youth gangs from the suburbs could cause trouble on the sidelines of marches against Sarkozy's reform programme next month -- as happened during mass youth job protests in March 2006. Ministers insist the suburbs are a "priority" for Sarkozy, with Urbanism Minister Christine Boutin stressing their "extraordinary potential". But an association of 120 suburb mayors, of all political stripes, on Thursday denounced the "contradiction between new of an umpteenth Marshall plan for the suburbs and a drop in funding for the towns involved." As part of the suburb plan, the mayors are calling for 30 measures to improve their constituents' daily lives, starting with stepped up transport links and powerful tax incentives to get more suburb residents into work. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:20:24 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:20:24 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Latin America anti-neoliberal protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <032801c824d2$96e5bdf0$0802a8c0@andy1> * COLOMBIA: Workers, indigenous protest Uribe government, clash with police * COLOMBIA: Further unrest over allegations of election rigging * URUGUAY: Fishermen clash with police in Mar del Plata * ECUADOR: Amazon villagers force concessions in oil occupation * COLOMBIA: Man dons iron mask in poverty protest * BOLIVIA: Sex workers protest crackdown, sew lips together; protest wins results * TRINIDAD: Residents demand land deeds http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hIbOXqXj8l2HK7szfPcZ4c0v0JmwD8S6P1300 Colombians Protest Uribe Government Oct 10, 2007 BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Police clashed with hundreds of protesters who blocked roads and burned trucks in Colombia on Wednesday in demonstrations called by unions, farmers and indigenous groups who accuse the government of ties to right-wing militias. Picketers blocked traffic for hours on the Panamerican Highway in the southwestern state of Cauca, where at least 1,600 members of indigenous groups squared off against anti-riot police that came to clear the road, police said. Television images showed at least three trucks burning. Cauca police chief Col. Luis Camacho said at least two police officers and three protesters were injured in the violence, and another eight demonstrators were arrested. The clashes were part of nationwide demonstrations against President Alvaro Uribe's government called the Central Workers Union, Colombia's main labor federation. Tens of thousands of people participated in protests, including nearly 5,000 in Bogota, federation Vice President Fabio Arias said. Uribe has capitalized on his popularity for pushing back leftist rebels and bringing down one of the world's highest kidnapping and murder rates. http://www.narconews.com/Issue47/article2832.html Chronicle of Resistance in Colombia, October 8-10 Police Brutality, Military Offensives and Government Intimidation as Protests Break Out Across the Country By the Human Rights Commission National Coordination of Agrarian and Popular Organizations of Colombia October 12, 2007 Bulletin #1 >From the Human Rights Commission of the National Coordination of Agrarian and Popular Organizations of Colombia To the National and International Community In the departments (states) of Tolima, central Colombia; Putumayo, southwestern Colombia, and Arauca, eastern Colombia, The Colombian state, as part of its strategy of military and paramilitary terror, is illegally and arbitrarily imprisoning, accusing, stigmatizing, terrorizing and attacking humble rural citizens, the indigenous, Afro-Colombians and students - as well las their organizations - who have been taking part in the national agrarian and popular mobilization that will take place on October 10, 11 and 12, 2007, throughout Colombian territory. All these acts of state terrorism are meant to affect the process of mobilization against the current regime of terror and misery to which the great majority of Colombians are subjected. The state is using both legal and illegal actions toward this end. This information is based on reports from the affected communities Events: Tolima Department On October 8, in the municipality (county) of Rioblanco, the High Mountain Infantry Battalion #17, under the command of General Jos? Domingo Caicedo, detained brothers Manuel Hern?ndez and Anselmo Hern?ndez as they were driving in a private car. The army claims the detained youths must stay with the battalion for their obligatory military service. On October 9, in the municipality of Prado, at approximately 12:30 p.m., members of the Root Battalio detained Hernando Hern?ndez, Edgar Ruiz, Wilfredo Garc?a and Dani Gonz?lez, claiming the young farmers all needed to report for military service. At a point on the road to the municipality of Cajamarca known as La Cuchilla, members of the Root Battalion also detained peasant farmers Jos? Ocampo and Jos? Miguel Quevedo for the purpose of drafting them. Hours later, the two were released on the condition that they not participate in the mobilization. The municipality of Santa Isabel has been completely blockaded and left incommunicado. The people are unable to leave the municipality, and the bus and taxi companies have express orders not to provide service. In the municipality of Salda?a, at 3 p.m., four cars were detained by soldiers from the 6th Brigade. A similar situation exists in the nearby indigenous reservation, where young men are also currently being drafted into military service. In the municipality of Venadillo, at 4:49 p.m., military forces have blockaded the roads from the villages of La Argentina, La Esperanza and El Salto to the main city of Ibaqu?. In the road between Caparral and El Lim?n municipalities, members of the Caicedo Batallion detained two cars transporting several peasant farmers to the mobilization. The number of people detained and arrested now stands at approximately 200. In the municipality of Coyaima, in the indigenous reservation of Guayaquil, members of the 6th Brigade of the National Army are carrying out a food blockade of that community. Two cars were detained at 5:00 p.m. on the road between Castilla and Coyaima by soldiers drafting young men who are participating in the mobilization. The detained were indigenous men from the reservations of San Jabonda, Ilarquito, San Diego, Cacique and Calarca. The army also retained several townspeople's identification papers. In the municipality of Purificaci?n, a military roadblock has been set up and the police are threatening demonstrators talking of a supposed investigation against them. There is also a military roadblock in the municipality of Cajamarca, with the intent of blocking the farmers from leaving. The community of San Juan de la China, in the municipality of Anzuategui was intimidated by the army and told not to participate in the mobilization. This act was directed most of all at the leaders. In the village of Honduras, members of the army confiscated food and supplies for the mobilization from the townspeople. Putumayo Department On the morning of October 8, in the village of Siberia, Orito municipality, mayor Berta Ligia Pantoja expressed to the peasant-farmer leaders that she was 'receiving pressure to forcibly remove the peaceful concentration of peasant farmers" there. She offered to wait until Wednesday, October 10, for a meeting between national and local government spokespeople and delegates of the protesting communities, hoping to find a way to reach agreements to solve the economic and social crisis in the area. At the school in the village of Santa Lucia, also in Orito municipality, the peaceful rural protest was, beginning at 2 p.m., brutally suppressed by special forces of the anti-narcotics police, counter-insurgency forces, and ESMAD riot police. Arriving by both land and helicopter, they attacked the community using tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds against the demonstrators. This caused an unknown number of injuries, including both rubber and live bullet wounds, gashes from machetes, broken bones and injuries caused by clubs wrapped in barbed wire. Arauca Department On October 8, in the village of Aguachica, Arauquita municipality, at 3 a.m., unknown assailants working in coordination with the 18th Brigade took brothers Jos? Aurelio Beltran, 23, and Pedro Jos? Beltran, 24 from their homes. According to members of the community, the assailants were driving a truck. At 5:15 a.m., the brothers were brutally murdered. The same day, at 1:30 p.m., assassins from the same group that killed the Beltr?n brothers murdered Mr. Gratiniano Argote, founder of the village of Aguachica, who had always been known as a humble servant of the community and for his gift for talking to people. These crimes in the department of Arauca are added to the more than five extra-judicial executions perpetrated in the town of Pueblo Nuevo and neighboring villages in the municipality of Tame, murders denounced in a timely fashion by the communities and human rights organizations. The authorities and oversight agencies have done nothing to prevent them. These events have occurred in a department with major military presence (including the 18th Bridage) and the policy of "Democratic Security." Faced with the pressure and attacks of state military and paramilitary groups who apply repressive measures with the goal of affecting the organizational process and political action that the organizations in Tolima, Putumayo and Arauca have been preparing - and with the fact that today, like yesterday, the exercise of civil and political rights will provoke a violent reaction from the Colombian state - we hope that today, unlike yesterday, the peoples of the world break the silence and join in all forms of solidarity available to them against the actions this regime has historically taken against the Colombian people. WE DEMAND OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: a.. That it carry out its mandate as overseer of the Colombian state's fulfillment of its constitutional obligations and International Human Rights Law; OF THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT a.. The immediate fulfillment of the repeated recommendations on respect and observance of International Human Rights Law as formulated by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, and other international organizations, b.. That it cease the repressive measures and attacks to which the communities of Chaparral, Prado, Santa Isabel, Boqueron, Coyaima, Purificaci?n, Castilla and Anzuategui, in the department of Tolima, are being subjected by the regular and irregular forces of the Colombian state, c.. That it guarantee the rights to life, physical and psychological integrity, free movement, free association and protest of the citizens of Tolima; OF THE DEPARTMENTAL GOVERNMENTS OF TOLIMA, PUTUMAYO AND ARAUCA a.. That they cease the repressive measures and attacks to which the communities of Chaparral, Prado, Santa Isabel, Boqueron, Coyaima, Purificaci?n, Castilla and Anzuategui, in the department of Tolima, are being subjected by the regular and irregular forces of the Colombian state, b.. That they guarantee the rights to life, physical and psychological integrity, free movement, free association and protest of the citizens of these departments; OF THE OFFICE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN a.. That it fulfill its institutional role as overseer of respect by the regular and irregular forces of the Colombian state for the constitutional rights to life and legitimate protest of the communities of the mentioned departments and municipalities. WE REQUEST OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: As part of the fulfillment of its mandate, that it take all action possible to ensure that the actions of the Colombian government comply with the internal and external norms that it has committed to respect, and that it begin all necessary investigations into volations of these norms. We appeal to the human rights groups and popular organizations, that they remain ready and alert with respect to the critical human rights situation faced by the Colombian people, and especially to the immanent repression and risk to the communities, organizations and leaders who are participating in the national agrarian and popular mobilization of October 2007. Human Rights Commission of the National Coordination of Agrarian and Popular Organizations of Colombia October 10, 2007 http://www.justiceforcolombia.org/?link=newsPage&story=54 Riots hit Colombia Government buildings in the town of Cienaga de Oro have been burnt down in protest at electoral fraud. Allegations of fraud in Sunday's regional elections in Colombia have caused protests around the country including serious rioting in some towns. Already one protester has been killed and the army has been sent into the streets to restore order. In Sucre department huge protests are being held against alleged vote rigging that ensured that a candidate linked to paramilitary groups was elected as Governor. According to Colombian daily newspaper 'El Tiempo' the protests are aimed almost exclusively at candidates from pro-government parties and particularly those from the 'Party of the U', the political party closest to President Alvaro Uribe. Major protests include: ? Rioting in Cienaga de Oro in Cordoba department against the election of Plinio D'Paola of the 'Party of the U'. At least 20 people have been injured and 18-year-old Luis Roberto Bedoya was shot and killed. Protesters chanting that the elections were rigged in favour of the pro-Uribe candidate burnt down municipal government offices as well as the home of Mr D'Paola's parents. ? The army has been sent into the town of Cimitarra in Santander department to quell protests against the election of pro-Uribe Herman Rodriguez Guerrero as mayor. The protesters, who have destroyed the mayor's residence, are also alleging fraud. ? Government offices have been torched in Alto del Rosario in Bolivar department during protests against the election of Emiro Antonio Carpio of the 'Party of the U'. ? Clashes with police have also occurred over claims that 'Party of the U' candidates were fraudulently elected in Orocue (Casanare department), Florida and Pradera (Valle department), Castilla la Nueva and San Carlos de Guaroa (Meta department) and Galapa and Alto del Rosario (Atlantico department). ? In the town of Regidor in Bolivar department, violence also erupted on Sunday when residents confronted politicians who were bringing carloads of voters in from the neighbouring departments of Santander and Cesar to vote in the town. ? El Tiempo reports (read here) that protests have occurred in at least seven other towns. Perhaps the biggest protests have occurred in Sucre department where serious allegations of fraud have been made concerning the election of Jorge Barraza as the new Governor of the department. Police and soldiers have been firing into the air to try and disperse demonstrators in the city of Sincelejo and the towns of Sucre and La Mojana. Barraza, also of the 'Party of the U', has received the backing of three politicians who are currently in jail for their links with paramilitaries and was listed in a recent investigations as having a 'high risk' of paramilitary connections. The opposition Liberal Party has threatened legal action if his apparent victory is not declared null and void. http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=11589&formato=HTML Thursday, October 11, 2007 Direct Link: http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=11589&formato=html Registered User Log-In E-Mail: Password: Striking fishermen clash with riot police in Mar del Plata Argentine striking fishermen clashed on Thursday with the police following a rampage against fish processing plants in Mar del Plata. Protestors were trying to convince fellow workers of Argentina's main fishing industry city to join the stoppage. Incidents begun when strikers assembled outside the main offices of Coaport, a federation of fishing cooperatives, tried to break in violently. Riot police moved in with batons, tear gas and finally rubber bullets as the occupants of the building resisted with stones and pieces of furniture. A primary police report indicated that several people were slightly injured and one striker arrested for attacking a policeman. Nobel Peace prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel who happened to be in Mar del Plata for a Book Show mediated in the incident helping to establish a precarious dialogue, according to local press. Striking fishermen are demanding higher salaries and a full incorporation of part time workers by companies. The ongoing conflict has been particularly violent and last September 27 one of the strikers was shot. On this background and following the announcement of demonstrations schools in the fishing industry district of the city were closed for the day. The demonstrations coincide with the industry-trade unions' talks being held in Buenos Aires under the auspices of Argentina's Labor Ministry which decreed a truce period for the two months conflict. Fisheries Secretary Gerardo Nieto has warned fishing companies that if they don't normalize contract conditions for their workers in processing plants they could be exposed to a non renewal of fishing licences. In related news a visiting delegation from the Xunta of Galicia, Spain confirmed that several of the Spanish companies' plants in Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz province, which were torched by striking fishermen and suffered damages estimated in 100 million Euros, remain mostly inactive. The Xunta's chairman Migule Lopez Sieiro currently visiting Buenos Aires said that although the Argentine government promised compensations "in the medium term", the Galician companies Vieira, Argenova, PEscargen and Santa Cruz have had difficulties in resuming production fearing further incidents. Furthermore it was revealed that the few fishing vessels of those companies that continue to operate are doing most of their catch landings in other ports. http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1843288620071018 Ecuador ends Amazon oil protest, reports losses Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:03pm BST Email This Article | Print This Article | Digg | Single Page [-] Text [+] Market News Congo panel says 61 mining contracts not viable More Business & Investing News... QUITO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Ecuador reached a deal with protesters in the oil-rich Amazon region to end a three-day protest that cost the country 26,227 barrels of crude and $2 million in revenues, the state company said on Thursday. Petroecuador said in a statement that its daily output was down to 155,364 barrels on Thursday from last week's average of 174,124 barrels. It said it will take eight days to reach normal production levels. Earlier this week dozens of villagers in the Shushufindi region in the Sucumbios province blocked roads leading to key oil fields operated by Petroecuador. The company said the blockage prevented workers and needed fuel to reach oil facilities. Government negotiators late on Wednesday agreed to some of the villagers' demands for more jobs. Repeated oil demonstrations in the poor Amazon jungle have slashed output of both private and state companies in South America's fifth largest oil producer. http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjTaU-qoPYb0wwYLmiz90D2jZ6bw Iron-masked protest Oct 21, 2007 An unemployed man in Colombia has sewn shut his mouth and locked himself behind an iron mask to demand the government attends to his family's desperate economic plight. Luis Miguel Aldana, 52, said he adopted the peculiar form of protest five days ago after being locked out of his flat in Bogota. Instead of paying two months' rent, Aldana said he bought shoes for his three children. http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Bolivian-prostitutes-suspend-protest/2007/10/27/1192941371886.html Bolivian prostitutes suspend protest October 27, 2007 - 5:34AM Advertisement The intervention of a legislator led Bolivian prostitutes on Friday to suspend their drastic protest over the closing of brothels in the city of El Alto. Scores of the city's prostitutes started a hunger strike on Monday at a health centre, and three of the women had their lips sewn shut under partial anaesthesia at the clinic on Wednesday in protest. The women also drew blood from their bodies to write protest slogans. They were planning to be buried in caskets in grounds belonging to the municipality of El Alto. "We trust the good faith of legislator Guillermo Mendoza, who is keen on finding a solution," Lily Cortez, the leader of about 500 affected prostitutes in El Alto, said on Friday. Last week, violent protests led to the plundering and arson of the city's brothels. Under pressure from residents, city authorities decided to close all brothels, where women receive clients in exchange for about $US2.50 ($A2.76). City authorities closed about 20 brothels and 30 bars, after angry residents demonstrated for weeks against the brothels on the so-called "Sin Street" in El Alto's red light district. Protesters said the businesses had a bad influence on young men and attracted crime. Prostitutes accused the demonstrators of hypocrisy, saying most of their clients are family men. El Alto Mayor Fanor Nava said Thursday that 370 bars and 20 brothels have been authorised to operate. However, he noted that the city has "over 1,500 clandestine bars and an undetermined number of dating brothels". El Alto, with 870,000 residents, is 4,000 metres above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in the world. It is above La Paz, the seat of government in the Andean country. Together, both cities constitute a metropolis of 2.5 million people, the largest region in Bolivia. http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/10/bolivian-hooker.html Bolivian sex workers sew lips together in protest Prostitutes have sewn their lips together to protest a crackdown on brothels in El Alto, Bolivia, according to Reuters. "We are fighting for the right to work and for our families' survival," Lily Cortez, leader of the El Alto Association of Nighttime Workers, is quoted as saying. "Tomorrow we will bury ourselves alive if we are not immediately heard. The mayor will have his conscience to answer to if there are any grave consequences, such as the death of my comrades." In addition to the 10 women who sewed their mouths shut, the wire service says 30 others are fasting inside a local medical clinic. Last week, AFP reported that the women were threatening to parade nude through the streets of La Paz. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161226244 Las Cuevas residents protest long wait for deeds Kristy Ramnarine kramnarine at trinidadexpress.com Thursday, November 1st 2007 WANT ACTION: A passer-by looks on as a group of Las Cuevas residents display their placards during yesterday's protest in front of UDeCOTT's Port of Spain office on Dundonald Street. A group of Las Cuevas residents protested outside the Port of Spain offices of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) yesterday morning. The residents are upset over a seven-year delay by UDeCOTT in providing them with deeds to lands, which they purchased at Rincon East and North Las Cuevas. "We started paying for out lands in 2001. We are finished paying for it but we are still waiting on our deeds," resident Scipio De Lorme told the Express as he showed his receipts. While the protest action was taking place an official at UDeCOTT called the residents into a meeting. After approximately 45 minutes resident Ignatius Walters came out of the meeting and said an agreement had been arrived at with one of the corporation's managers. "Apparently they have been hearing that we were having a protest and they have decided to resolve the problem," he said. When asked what assurances UDeCOTT gave to them he said: "They are going to give us a written statement saying that the deeds are going to be handed out by (tomorrow)." Walters said the 18 residents who have already completed paying for their lands will receive deeds while the others will receive when they are finished paying for the land. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: clip_image007.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 16974 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:51:19 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:51:19 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and human rights protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <034a01c824d6$e8250280$0802a8c0@andy1> (NOTE: In police-state terms, Singapore is only a step or two ahead of Myanmar; basically standard protest activities are illegal and suppressed there.) * SINGAPORE: Opposition protests Myanmar deals * EGYPT: Newspapers pulled in protest over government harassment * BALOCHISTAN/PAKISTAN: Journalists protest abduction, allege state involvement * IRAN: Students denounce president at campus event * IRAN: Students rally against sentences for activists * UK/ZIMBABWE: London protest targets Mugabe * UK/SAUDI ARABIA: British visit of Saudi ruler protested * SWITZERLAND/CHINA: Olympics in China protested over human rights * AUSTRALIA/CHINA: More Olympics protests * BELARUS: Opponents rally against Lukashenko * PAKISTAN: Lawyers clash with police during "state of emergency" * INDIA: West Bengal protest over state, Maoist clashes in Nandigram * GEORGIA: Mass protests call for elections * HUNGARY: Protesters battle police, march on parliament on anniversary of unrest * NIGERIA: Workers start anti-corruption protests * BURMA: Monks begin to regroup, stage first protests since crackdown * MANIPUR: Burmese exiles march * ZIMBABWE: Women, lawyers stage protests * BAHRAIN: Locals battle police, block roads in dispute over access to islands * AUSTRALIA: Taxi drivers protest airport arrest, police abuse * GLOBAL: Pants protest over Burma http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSIN30196720071008 Singapore arrests opposition members in Myanmar protest Mon Oct 8, 2007 10:18am EDT SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singapore opposition party leader and several of his supporters were arrested on Monday as they gathered outside the presidential palace to protest the city-state's trade ties with Myanmar's ruling junta. The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), in a statement on its Web site (http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/index.html), said that four of its people, including Chee, were arrested by plain-clothes police as they began the protest in front of the presidential palace, also called the Istana. Singapore police confirmed that Chee Soon Juan was taken into custody, but said a total of five SDP supporters had staged an unlawful demonstration in the park facing the main entrance of the Istana. Under Singapore law, an assembly of five or more people requires a permit. "The police seized the placards and arrested Chee and others," said a police statement emailed to Reuters. The police statement also warned the "public not to participate in an assembly or procession that does not have a permit, as it is an offence to do so. "The public should also stay away from the vicinity of such illegal protest activities. Our laws apply equally to all, whether local or foreigners. But Chee considers himself to be above the law," the statement said. Singapore is one of Myanmar's biggest foreign investors and its trade with the country formerly known as Burma was worth S$1 billion ($680 million) last year. European Union parliamentarians last week urged Singapore to ease strict bank secrecy laws to avoid becoming a financial haven for organized crime. It also urged Singapore to punish the Myanmar generals that ordered the bloody crackdown on anti-government protests by seizing their assets in Singapore. Singapore's prime minister on Friday denied accusations that it is a money-laundering centre for members of Myanmar's military regime in a CNN interview broad cast on Friday. "We don't play dirty money, we don't condone money laundering," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. "Our rules against that are as strict as any other financial centre - London, Hong Kong, New York," Lee said. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=94606 Singaporean activist resumes Myanmar protest Agence France-Presse Last updated 07:22pm (Mla time) 10/15/2007 SINGAPORE -- A pro-democracy activist began a one-man vigil on Monday over Singapore's ties with military-run Myanmar, one week after he and others were arrested for a similar demonstration. Chee Soon Juan, 45, stood across from a gate to the presidential palace holding a placard that read: "No arms no deals with the junta." His demonstration follows the deadly repression of recent mass anti-government protests in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The junta's crackdown there killed at least 13 people and more than 2,000 were detained. Chee is one of a few people in Singapore, where protests are rare, to have spoken out against the ruling People's Action Party. He is secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), which does not hold a seat in parliament. Chee and three other SDP officials, along with their cameraman, were arrested in the same spot on October 8 during a protest. Police said the group had gathered in an area where assemblies are forbidden for security reasons. Chee vowed to continue his one-man protest until Friday in a bid to get the government to clarify whether government-linked firms do business in Myanmar. "We want them to tell us. What is going where? How much?" Chee said while police filmed him from a distance. His sister, Chee Siok Chin, said later that police had warned Chee that he needed a license under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act to continue his vigil. "He's staying put," the sister said. Chee said earlier that he and his party colleagues also gave palace police a petition with more than 1,100 signatures, asking Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to clarify Singapore's relationship with Myanmar. Lee has expressed "revulsion" at the Myanmar junta's actions. Singapore strongly denies allegations that it allows banks based in the city-state to keep illicit funds on behalf of Myanmar's secretive generals. But human rights activists and other Myanmar experts say companies from Singapore still do business in the Southeast Asian nation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7033460.stm Egypt press protests 'harassment' The trials of newspaper editors have been criticised internationally More than 20 independent and opposition newspapers in Egypt did not publish on Sunday in protest at what they say is government harassment of the press. Seven journalists have been sentenced to prison recently for defaming the president and misquoting a minister. One editor is on trial for harming national security after his paper questioned President Mubarak's health. Trials of newspaper editors have been strongly criticised by the US and international human rights groups. The independent newspaper, al-Masry al-Youm, said it was also protesting against the journalists' association, which it said had failed to deal with the crisis facing its members. Pro-government newspapers criticized the protest. One said the protest was a result of "pressures from an unknown power". Another pro-government newspaper said that the protest was driven by "personal issues" . http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/866/op4.htm Day of protest By Salama A Salama Last Sunday, 22 independent and party- affiliated newspapers declined to appear in protest against the sentencing of editors for publication offences. The day of protest did little to alleviate the crisis between the ruling party and the press. The National Democratic Party has its own views on the freedom of the press. It claims that certain reporting can jeopardise the stability and security of the nation and is therefore punishable by imprisonment. Under current laws, journalists can be imprisoned under 18 provisions of the penal code, something that doesn't exist in advanced countries where publication offences are punishable by fines. In a democratic country, a protest staged by such a large number of newspapers would shock the entire political system. Not here. Not when the government owns more newspapers than all the independent publications combined. What happened, instead, was that the crisis escalated into a quarrel among journalists. Some wanted the Journalists' Syndicate to take action against the wrongdoers. Others called on the government to abolish imprisonment for publishing offences and pass a law ensuring the release of information vital to the public. Ordinary citizens found the whole thing too complex to merit their attention. It is easy to forget that the public's interest in the printed press is not what it used to be. According to a recent study, over 55 per cent of Egyptians rely on television and electronic media for information. A large portion of Egyptian households who used to buy one or two papers a day is no longer buying any. This is why the independent media often resorts to sensationalism to court readership. There is a media explosion going on. This explosion has confused everyone: the government, the public, and publishers. The confusion is so acutely felt because for decades the government had absolute control on the news and the media. The government can not keep the media on a tight leash, nor can it prevent news from being leaked to our news-hungry media. Consequently, a schism of credibility began taking shape, with the government and its papers operating on one side of the schism and the independent and private media operating on the other. The government is simply unused to the press exposing its failures or attacking it without mercy. So a strong lobby emerged in the corridors of power and the ruling party. This lobby wants all legal, security and political means to be used against the press. It is hard to understand the current crisis without looking at the professional situation of journalists themselves. For years, the state has tried to tame them. Using a mixture of carrot-and-stick methods, the government bought loyalties and ultimately succeeded in weakening the independence of the press. No wonder journalists were so divided during the recent crisis. What is the solution? Some may say that the answer is in doing things the old way, taming the media and keeping it on its toes. The government's stand on the media certainly reminds one of how it used to treat the public sector, before it opted for free economy. Recently, Safwat El-Sherif said the press was doing fine and freedom of expression is unassailable. His remarks make one doubt the possibility of change coming anytime soon. But change will have to happen. Sooner or later, everyone will have to change: the ruling party, journalists, and the syndicate. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C10%5C10%5Cstory_10-10-2007_pg7_13 Journalists protest reporter's kidnapping * Involvement of govt official alleged * Reporter abducted after filing reports on stolen-vehicle mafia, received threats Staff Report QUETTA: Journalists in Quetta and Khuzdar district staged rallies on Tuesday to protest the kidnapping of a Khuzdar-based journalist, allegedly on the directives of a senior government official. The journalist, Riaz Mengal, has been missing for a week, and the government has not been able to trace his whereabouts. Members of Mengal's family indirectly hinted that a senior federal government official was involved in Riaz' kidnapping. Stolen-vehicle mafia: The journalist was abducted shortly after filing reports against a mafia involved in smuggling stolen vehicles. When the journalist persisted with his professional duties despite threats by influential local people, he was kidnapped. Journalists in Quetta, headed by Quettta Press Club President Shahzada Zulfikar, staged a rally to protest the government's inability to recover the abducted reporter. Protestors carried placards, photographs of the missing journalist, and banners demanding press freedom. They also chanted slogans against the government as they marched on various roads in the provincial capital. They demanded the immediate intervention of the Balochistan High Court, human rights organisations and international media watchdog bodies for the recovery of the abducted journalist. In Khuzdar district, journalists boycotted an official function organised under Federal Petroleum Minister Mir Nasir Mengal in protest. Riaz Mengal is the second journalist from Balochistan - the other being Baloch Voice TV managing Director Munir Mengal - who are missing. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g2YgY2ppO_diSEl3NN0g85tl4oRwD8S5B3181 Rare Protest Targets Iranian President By ALI AKBAR DAREINI - Oct 8, 2007 TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - About 100 students staged a rare protest Monday against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling him a "dictator" as he gave a speech at Tehran University marking the beginning of the academic year. While the demonstrators and hard-line students loyal to Ahmadinejad scuffled in the auditorium, the president ignored chants of "Death to the dictator" and gave his speech on the merits of science and the pitfalls of Western-style democracy, witnesses said. The hard-line students chanted "Thank you, president" as police looked on from outside the university's gates without intervening. The protesters dispersed after Ahmadinejad left the campus. Students were once the main power base of Iran's reform movement but have faced intense pressure in recent years from Ahmadinejad's hard-line government, making anti-government protests rare. The president faced a similar outburst during a speech last December when students at Amir Kabir Technical University called him a dictator and burned his picture. Organizers hoped to avoid a similar disturbance Monday with tightened security measures. They checked the identity papers of everyone entering the campus and allowed only selected students into the hall for the speech, but the protesters were somehow able to gain entrance. Iran's reform movement peaked in the late 1990s after reformist Mohammad Khatami was elected president and his supporters swept parliament. But their efforts to ease social and political restrictions were stymied by hard-liners who control the judiciary, security forces and powerful unelected bodies in the government. Reformists, who also favor better relations with the United States, were further demoralized and divided after Ahmadinejad won the presidency in 2005 elections. In recent months, dissenters have witnessed an increasing crackdown, with hundreds detained on accusations of threatening the Iranian system. Numerous pro-reform newspapers have been shut down and those that remain have muted their criticism. At universities, pro-government student groups have gained strength and reformist students have been marginalized, left to hold only low-level meetings and occasional demonstrations, usually to demand better school facilities or the release of detained colleagues. Some dissenters blame the crackdown on the regime's fear of a U.S. effort to undermine it as tensions over Iran's nuclear program intensify. Others say the intent is simply to contain discontent fueled by a faltering economy. Ahmadinejad's popularity at home has fallen since he was elected, with critics saying he has failed to fix the economy and has hurt Iran's image internationally. Elected on a populist agenda, Ahmadinejad has not kept campaign promises to share oil revenues with every family, eradicate poverty and reduce unemployment. Instead, housing prices in Tehran have tripled, and prices for fruit, vegetables or other commodities have more than doubled over the past year. Inflation worsened after a 25 percent hike in fuel prices in May. Last December, Ahmadinejad's allies were humiliated in municipal elections, with some reformists gaining seats. He was dealt another blow when a rival, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, was chosen as chairman of the Assembly of Experts, a powerful clerical body, over a close Ahmadinejad ally. Conservatives who once supported the president have increasingly joined in the criticism, saying that he needs to pay more attention to domestic issues and that his inflammatory rhetoric has needlessly stoked tensions with the West. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/world/middleeast/23iran.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin Students in Iran Protest Sentences for 3 Activists By NAZILA FATHI Published: October 23, 2007 TEHRAN, Oct. 22 - Students at one of the most politically active universities in Tehran demonstrated Monday amid high security to protest jail terms for three student activists, an Iranian student news agency reported. Students from different universities gathered at Amir Kabir University to protest sentences of up to three years issued last week for the activists, Ehsan Mansouri, Majid Tavakoli and Ahmad Ghassaban, the student news agency, ISNA, reported. Authorities accused the three, all from Amir Kabir University, of publishing articles insulting to Islam in student publications. The students denied the charges and said their publications had been forged to frame them. Mr. Mansouri's mother said in August that the three men were tortured at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Pictures distributed by ISNA showed a few hundred students, whose faces were digitally blurred to maintain their anonymity, holding photographs of the jailed students. The news agency also reported that the protesters walked around the campus chanting slogans and giving speeches in front of its central building. "The student movement is under pressure and needs unity," said Rashid Esmaili, a student activist from Alameh Tabatabai University in Tehran. Two weeks ago, students at Tehran University protested during a speech given by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. More than 100 students clashed with supporters of Mr. Ahmadinejad, where he was speaking to mark the start of the school year. Students and professors there were angered when Mr. Ahmadinejad appointed a cleric as the university's president. In December, a small group of students at Amir Kabir chanted "Death to the Dictator!" during a visit to the university by Mr. Ahmadinejad. The Web site of the Islamic Association of Students, a student organization at Amir Kabir, reported that protesters were chanting "Down with the dictator" and "Political students must be freed," according to Agence France-Presse. http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-14-voa9.cfm London Protest Condemns Zimbabwe Leader By VOA News 14 October 2007 Demonstrators in London have held a protest against Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and urged other African countries to condemn him. The protest marks the fifth anniversary of the first rally, called the Zimbabwe Vigil. It has been held outside the Zimbabwean embassy in London every Saturday since October 2002. Demonstrators chanted and waved banners saying "No Mugabe No." One of the coordinators of the demonstration (Dumi Tutani) said the protesters are trying to raise awareness of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. A member of Britain's Parliament, Kate Hoey, attended the rally and received a petition from the protesters. It urged southern African nations to speak out against the Zimbabwean president and called on European Union countries to suspend aid to southern African nations until human rights conditions in Zimbabwe have improved. President Mugabe has come under international criticism since 2000, when the government began seizing white-owned commercial farmland. Rights groups have also denounced Mr. Mugabe's government for a crackdown on opposition leaders, alleged election fraud, and a massive eviction of slum dwellers. President Robert Mugabe blames his country's woes on Western nations that have frequently criticized his rule and have imposed sanctions against his government. Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hURRsSgOtGIzlYVWrn9rA6pc2mCAD8SJQ5DG0 Britons Protest Visiting Saudi King By D'ARCY DORAN - 4 days ago LONDON (AP) - Queen Elizabeth II welcomed Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Tuesday with an honor guard and rode with him to Buckingham Palace in her gilded carriage, passing protesters who condemned the oil-rich kingdom for alleged human rights abuses. Before arriving Monday for the first state visit by a Saudi king in two decades, Abdullah accused Britain of failing to act on intelligence that might have prevented the 2005 London transit bombings. Analysts said the comments appeared to be an attempt to distance himself from the extremists and at the same time pre-empt attacks on Saudi Arabia's record of fighting terrorism. "I don't think the U.K. should be hosting human rights abusers," said Anna Jones, 26, who donned a mask of Queen Elizabeth as she joined a row of dozens of other protesters along the procession route. Other protesters yelled and waved banners condemning the British government's "hypocrisy" and saying: "You can't do this in Riyadh." Vince Cable, acting leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats boycotted the visit, claiming the kingdom has a poor human rights record, especially regarding torture, public executions and discrimination against women. Olympic protest staged over China's human rights Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:00pm EDT LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders protested outside Lausanne's Olympic museum on Monday over what it said was a crackdown on human rights in China ahead of next year's Beijing Games. Some 15 activists from the Paris-based body held up black-and-red banners showing the five Olympic rings in the form of manacles and chanted slogans calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take a stand on the issue. "Today in China there is no political, religious, trade union or media freedom," founder and general secretary of the group Robert Menard told journalists. "There are thousands of political prisoners and thousands of executions every year. All this is the total opposite to the Olympic spirit." Menard said his organization, also known under its French name Reporters Sans Frontieres or RSF, set up the protest to coincide with the opening on Monday of the 17th Congress of China's ruling Communist Party and of an IOC technical meeting. The museum, on the shores of Switzerland's Lake Leman, is run by the IOC which also has its headquarters in Lausanne. In a statement on the protest, RSF said that the run-up to the Congress in China had seen new restrictions slapped on all sectors of the media, including newspapers, television, radio and the Internet, as well as on foreign journalists. Menard called on IOC President Jacques Rogge to make good a pledge in 2001 when Beijing was given the Games that there would be changes for the better in the rights situation in China. IOC officials say that in dealings with the Chinese authorities they routinely point out a host country's obligations to observe human rights and dignity. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/china-protest-in-sydney/2007/10/27/1192941401765.html China protest in Sydney October 28, 2007 A TORCH relay that aims to bring attention to human rights violations in China in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics arrived in Sydney yesterday. Hundreds of people followed the torch from Town Hall down George Street to Circular Quay, where it roared into First Fleet Park on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle ridden by Randall Nelson of the Kings Cross Bikers Social and Welfare Club. The torch was carried by 1964 Olympian Jan Becker. The relay included a yacht leg on Sydney Harbour and a motorcade to Manly. Inspired by the Olympic torch relay, the flame was first lit in Athens in August and will visit more than 100 cities on five continents before the Games begin in August next year. Groups such as Darfur Australia Network, Democracy for Burma, Tibetan and Vietnamese communities and a Chinese pro-democracy movement attended the event, organised by practitioners of the Falun Gong religion. http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2007-10-14-voa25.cfm Peaceful Protest in Belarus Against Lukashenko By VOA News 14 October 2007 Belarus opposition protest in downtown Minsk, 14 Oct 2007 Thousands of Belarusian opposition supporters marched in Minsk Sunday against the authoritarian policies of President Alexander Lukashenko. At least 5,000 people heard opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich demand closer ties to Europe, saying Europe means free elections and free citizens. He said Belarusians will keep demonstrating as long as they are not free. The demonstration was peaceful. But the Belarusian opposition website Charter 97 says authorities kept European Parliament Vice President Janusz Onyszkiewicz from entering the country to speak to the crowd. Belarusian authorities have marchers the rare permission to demonstrate, although they were only allowed to gather in a remote park in Minsk instead of the city center. Riot police warned demonstrators who did gather in the central square that they were breaking the law, but made no moves to stop them. The European Union and United States have imposed travel sanctions on senior Belarusian officials, including President Lukashenko, for suppressing human rights and free speech. Mr. Lukashenko claims he has widespread support in Belarus and accuses the West of interfering in Belarusian internal affairs. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=6577416 Meanwhile, at least 350 people were arrested as riot police clashed with lawyers in Pakistan in the wake of Musharraf's declaration of a state of emergency. They joined another 500 opposition leaders and activists placed in custody as security forces across Pakistan blockaded courts to quash the protests which have been banned. Pakistan's main stock market dropped 4.3% on rumours that Musharraf had been put under house arrest by the vice-chief of the army, which he "laughed off," according to deputy information minister Tariq Azim. He said the president was at his official residence in Islamabad. Unrest broke out in the eastern city of Lahore and the southern city of Karachi as lawyers attempted to stage anti-Musharraf protests. In addition, Pakistan's largest religious party Jamaat-e-Islami reported that more than 500 of its workers and supporters were held on Sunday. General Musharraf imposed the emergency ruling on Saturday despite Western allies urging him not to. The move has worsened Pakistan's political uncertainty. General Musharraf's government said that parliamentary elections, due in January, could now be delayed by up to a year. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200710271940.htm Mamata calls for West Bengal `protest' on Oct. 31 Kolkata (PTI): Stopping short of calling it a Bangla bandh, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturdaysaid all activities would be paralysed from dawn to dusk in West Bengal on October 31 in protest against "state-sponsored terrorism" in Nandigram. She also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his arrest for the "state sponsored terrorism" in Nandigram, where one person was killed and another injured in a fresh outbreak of violence with bombs and guns being used. Asked whether she was calling a bandh, Banerjee said, "I am not using the words bandh and hartal. What I am saying is that all activities in West Bengal will be paralysed for 12 hours on October 31". She said that it would also be to protest the death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rehman and corruption in the public distribution system. Referring to violence in Nandigram, she said "the situation in Nandigram is very serious. We are shocked. We have tolerated it for long. There is a limit to everything. We will not take it lying down any more." She alleged that armed CPI(M) cadres from the marxist stronghold of Khejuri were attacking adjacent Nandigram. Incidentally, Left opposition party Socialist Unity Centre of India has called a 12-hour 'Bangla Bandh' on October 30 over Rizwanur's death and the corruption in the PDS. http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/01/stories/2007110155801200.htm Trinamool protest affects normal life Special Correspondent KOLKATA: Normal life was affected in West Bengal on Wednesday during the 12-hour bandh, called by the Trinamool Congress to protest against the spurt in violence in the Nandigram area and support the demand for "the rule of law." Stray incidents of clashes between Trinamool Congress supporters and those opposing the call were reported from some areas. There were reports of road blocks and attempts to disrupt train services. A six-year-old girl was seriously injured when she was caught in a group clash in north Kolkata. Those opposing the stir protested when a medical store was attacked. In all, more than 2,000 people were arrested in the city and districts. Transport services were hit in Kolkata. Some long-distance trains were held up at different stations. State buses and taxis were virtually off the roads. Though air services were unaffected, passengers had trouble in getting vehicles to and from the airport. Commercial establishments, shops and educational institutions remained closed. Attendance in offices was thin. The industrial sector, however, remained largely unaffected. Leaders of the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) made conflicting claims regarding the effect of the agitation. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said that the "people's peaceful, absolute and spontaneous response to the call was a no-confidence [vote] against the State Government." http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/02/georgia.protest/ Protests against Georgia president Story Highlights Thousands protest against Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili in Tiblisi Saakashvili, a U.S. ally, came to power after the 2003 Rose Revolution Political turmoil after falling out between president and ally Irakli Okruashvili (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of people gathered Friday in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, to protest against President Mikhail Saakashvili and demand -- apparently in vain -- that elections be held months earlier than scheduled. Crowds in Tiblisi, Georgia protest against the rule of President Mikhail Saakashvili. A sea of demonstrators waving Georgian flags packed into the main square in front of the east European country's parliament. Opposition leaders were insisting, among other demands, that Saakashvili bring forward to spring 2008 parliamentary elections set for late next year. The protesters were told a delegation of seven opposition leaders met Friday with the speaker of Georgia's parliament, Nino Burjanadze, to discuss the demands. "We are not going to disperse unless we receive an acceptable response from the authorities," said Gia Tortladze of the Movement for United Georgia. But after the talks, Burjanadze told the Georgian television network, Imedi, that parliamentary elections would go ahead as originally planned. She added, however, that the government is still in discussions with the opposition over other issues, which include calls for changes to the electoral system and for the release of "political prisoners" and "prisoners of conscience." The latter is thought to be a reference to the former defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, who was arrested but then freed on multimillion-dollar bail last month after he retracted allegations accusing Saakashvili of corruption and a murder plot. The president of Georgia called the allegations "unpardonable lies." Opposition leaders claimed around 150,000 people attended the protest, but European media reports put the figure at an estimated 40,000. Even so, the protests are the biggest in the east European country since a peaceful revolution drove then President Eduard Shevardnadze from power in 2003. Shevardnadze was replaced by Saakashvili, who was swept to power on a promise to tackle corruption in the former Soviet satellite state. However, the country is still struggling to recover from years of post-Soviet economic decay, instability and civil war. Demonstrators accuse the Georgian leader of political persecution, abuse of the judicial process, and failing to tackle high levels of unemployment. They claim he has spent too much time trying to improve his international profile, including a bid for Georgia to join NATO. Demonstrators at the rally told CNN it was being conducted in a "peaceful and cheerful" atmosphere. A 40-year-old protester told CNN by phone that he had taken the day off work to attend the protest and vowed to stay there until the president agreed to meet opposition demands. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7076398.stm Fresh protests in Georgia capital Protesters say the president has not done enough to end poverty Up to 12,000 protesters have been on the streets of Georgia for a second day to demand the resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili. Many of the protesters had camped overnight outside the parliament building in the capital, Tbilisi. The crowd swelled during the day, but did not match the 50,000-strong crowd seen on Friday. The protesters want an early election, accusing the president of leading a corrupt, authoritarian government. The pro-Western Mr Saakashvili came to power in January 2004 following the peaceful "Rose revolution", which toppled President Eduard Shevardnadze. The country is still struggling to recover from years of post-Soviet economic decay, instability and civil war. The president remains popular among much of the population, reports the BBC's Matthew Collin in Tbilisi - but the opposition is also hoping to capitalise on discontent with widespread poverty. "Saakashvili has said absolutely nothing. How can he stay silent when tens of thousands of people are on the streets? It shows he thinks nothing of us," 23-year-old Levan Kaprindashvili told AFP news agency. 'Political blackmail' The country's previously weak and divided opposition parties formed a united front last month, and began a nationwide protest campaign against the Georgian leader. The government has accused the opposition of using the protest as a form of blackmail. Mr Saakashvili said on Thursday that Georgia was a failed state before he came to power but had now become a model of democratic development and economic reform. He has suggested minor changes to the electoral process to ensure more opposition representation in parliament - but the opposition says this is not enough. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iWQsqyQz_fiS1HrPB7l5DW6ZgQTg Several hundred rally in Georgian capital ahead of mass protest 3 days ago TBILISI (AFP) - Several hundred people rallied in the Georgian capital early Friday ahead of what opponents to President Mikheil Saakashvili hope will be the largest protest since his election. Up to 1,000 demonstrators, many saying they had come from outlying regions of the country, gathered outside Georgia's parliament in the early hours of Friday, more than 12 hours before the planned start of an anti-government demonstration. "Saakashvili's time is up," Kakha Kukava, a lawmaker with the opposition Conservative Party, said at the rally. "This is only the beginning. Thousands and thousands of people will be here later." Hundreds of police were already on the streets of Tbilisi early Friday and a large part of the city surrounding parliament was blocked to traffic. Opposition activists expect thousands of protesters will attend Friday's protest and say it will represent the biggest challenge to Saakashvili's authority since he came to power after the 2003 pro-democracy uprising dubbed the Rose Revolution. Saakashvili has been praised internationally for making democratic and free-market reforms, but opponents say his reputation abroad masks deep problems in Georgia, including government arrogance, political persecution, abuse of the judicial process and a widening gap between rich and poor. Opposition activists said Thursday they expected at least 20,000 people -- some said up to 100,000 -- to attend Friday's protest to demand new elections and Saakashvili's resignation. Tensions rose on the eve of the demonstration amid claims that Irakli Okruashvili, a former defence minister who was arrested on corruption charges after turning against Saakashvili, had been sent into exile against his will. The interior ministry quickly denied the accusation. Georgian authorities have dismissed the opposition's demands as unconstitutional and say presidential and parliamentary elections will be held as planned late next year. Opposition groups have built up to Friday's rally with a series of demonstrations in regional cities following a September protest that drew up to 10,000 people, the biggest anti-government rally since the revolution. http://www.budapesttimes.hu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1649&Itemid=1 Riot rerun Written by Robert Hodgson Monday, 29 October 2007 Extremists denied access to PM on eve of riot anniversary Violence broke out again on the streets of Budapest last Monday evening when hundreds of right-wing extremists clashed with police. Now familiar scenes of water cannon, tear gas and burning vehicles were played out in central Budapest when a group of protesters tried to disrupt a 1956 remembrance evening at the Opera House attended by Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcs?ny and President L?szl? S?lyom. Right-wing gathering The necessary elements for unrest gathered earlier in the form of a rock concert held by an assortment of extreme nationalist groups in central Budapest at 5pm that evening. It took place on Szabads?g t?r, provocatively held right in front of the Hungarian Television (MTV) building that was famously stormed during the first wave of anti-government rioting in September last year. The crowd of between one and two thousand youths - mostly a mixture of black clad rockers and "traditional" skinheads - drank beer and sang along to a nationalist rock band whose name translates as "Romantic Aggression". The organisers had applied for a permit to march at 8pm to the Opera House, the scene of a gala evening to commemorate the 1956 Uprising. Permission was publicly refused by the police last Monday morning. People living in the secured area around the Opera House were told not to leave their homes and the yellow M3 metro line that runs along Andr?ssy ?t past the Opera House was closed for "technical reasons". The same reason for the metro closure was given the next day, as Fidesz supporters were trying to get to the House of Terror museum, which is on the same line. Standoff By about quarter to eight last Monday evening, the bottles and tear gas canisters were flying. A crowd of several hundred had headed for the Opera House but was repulsed by police in Nagymezo utca, the street which formed the edge of a grid that had been closed to the public for the duration of the event. The police started firing tear gas when the crowd refused to disperse. Demonstrators surged towards the line of riot police line throwing bottles, stones, and fireworks. During the ensuing skirmish, petrol bombs were also thrown from the crowd, briefly setting alight crowd control vehicles. A number of cars were upturned or pushed around in an attempt to form a barricade. The police responded with water cannon and by continuing to fire tear gas grenades into the front line of rioters as well as deep into the crowd on Nagymezo utca. By shortly after 8pm the crowd, many smarting from the effects of tear gas, had been driven out of the street known as "Budapest's Broadway" onto Bajcsy Zsilinszky ?t. At this point, with a light rain falling, some started to make their way home, albeit heckling, chanting and tossing the odd beer bottle at passing police vehicles along the way. A portion of the crowd which had reassembled at the end of Nagymezo utca was driven along Bajcsy Zsilinszky ?t towards Nyugati t?r by a phalanx of riot police backed up by water cannon. Isolated outbreaks of hooliganism in the Nyugati area gradually subsided, and by 10:30pm Budapest's latest outbreak of street violence was officially over. Unwelcome feeling Figures released by the emergency services last Tuesday morning had the number of injured at 19, of which 14 were police officers, and three were members of the press, including a photographer from Reuters who was struck on the head by a beer bottle thrown by a rioter. The fact that there were far fewer reporters and cameramen in evidence during the events of Monday evening compared to the riots of 23 October last year partly reflects a loss of interest abroad in what is has become a regular side show in Budapest. There is also a growing fear for personal safety - particularly among photographers, who are easy to spot. Several cameramen reported being attacked or having their equipment smashed by rioters during unrest on 15 March this year. A extreme-right website listed which media organisations would not be welcome at events. Not numbered among the official injury figures for last Monday night was this reporter, who was severely bruised after being struck on the chest by a tear gas grenade fired from the police line about 100 metres into Nagymezo utca. Standing round the corner in Bajcsy Zsilinszky ?t shortly afterwards, my colleague and I were called "stinking Jews" by a small group of retreating rioters. A marginally more level-headed member of the group, a youth in his late teens or early twenties, clearly high on adrenaline, recognised us as being from the press. He shooed away his companions before stopping to explain breathlessly in English: "You see how the police are? This is not democracy. This is Communism." Assessing the damage The police "intervened lawfully and to a necessary and proportionate degree," stressed National Police Chief J?zsef Bencze in a press release last Tuesday morning. During his speech in the Opera House, the Prime Minister said "democracy is not an easy thing", although Hungarian democracy is not threatened by a few hundred loud voices, "but by those who believe they have the authority to force us to give in". Of the twenty people apprehended during last Monday evening's disturbances, only L?szl? Toroczkai - head of one of the nationalist organisations that organised the Szabads?g t?r concert - was still in custody by the following evening. He was arrested for leading the march on the Opera House despite the official prohibition. There was trouble in the neighbourhood of the prison on Gyorskocsi utca in Buda last Tuesday evening as a crowd of demonstrators assembled to demand Toroczkai's release. About 100 demonstrators, some throwing bottles at the police, were dispersed at around 9pm. The prisoner had already been transferred to Szeksz?rd jail in southern Hungary. http://allafrica.com/stories/200710250741.html Nigeria: NLC Begins Anti-Etteh Protest October 30 Daily Trust (Abuja) 25 October 2007 Posted to the web 25 October 2007 Abdullahi M. Gulloma The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said yesterday that it will on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 begin mass protest against Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, for refusing to resign following her indictment by the Idoko-led panel. This was disclosed by the acting President of the NLC, Comrade Ladi Iliya, in Abuja yesterday. She said the protest was necessary in order "to demonstrate our aversion to corrupt and our determination to see the removal of any public officer in any branch of government that has an established indictment on an established dlinecase to answer." Comrade Iliya said the protest, to be led by the leadership of the NLC and leaders of Civil Society Organisa-tions, will be peaceful and will involve all segments of the Nigerian people. She said the NLC and its partners had exercised restraint hoping that the House rules would take precedence in the cause of resolving the current crisis occasioned by the N628 million renovation scam. She said the adjournment of the House to October 30, 2007 by Mrs Etteh was a clear indication that the Speaker has not intention to step aside as demanded by majority of Nigerians. According to her, the Speaker has left Nigerians with no other option but to regard her as an impediment and a liability to the country's democratic process. http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,,2202881,00.html Burmese monks stage first protest since uprising Ian MacKinnon, South-east Asia correspondent Thursday November 1, 2007 The Guardian About 100 Buddhist monks took to the streets in central Burma yesterday in the first protests since pro-democracy demonstrations were bloodily suppressed by troops in late September. The monks, in the Buddhist religious centre of Pakokku - which provided the spark for the nationwide uprising that left at least 13 dead-marched peacefully through the town for almost an hour, chanting and praying. They shunned overtly political slogans but two called a dissident radio station to assert that their goals remained the same as those of earlier demonstrators, whose ranks swelled to more than 100,000. The first flickers of defiance against the crackdown come days before the return of the UN special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, on Saturday. But analysts doubt that the demonstration will lead to a repeat of the uprising that took place five weeks ago, when at least 3,000 people were arrested. The political and economic crisis spawned by the junta's mismanagement is likely to cause a smouldering resentment, though, and some observers believe it could give rise to sporadic demonstrations. Yesterday, monks from several monasteries converged and marched three abreast through Pakokku's streets before convening at the Shwegu pagoda. The demonstration began an hour after a staged, pro-government rally in the town. One monk who called the opposition-run Democratic Voice of Burma station, which is based in Oslo, said: "We are continuing our protest from last month as we have not yet received any of the demands we asked for. "Our demands are for lower commodity prices, national reconciliation, the immediate release of [detained pro-democracy leader] Aung San Suu Kyi and all the political prisoners." Big rises in the cost of petrol and diesel in August sparked sporadic demonstrations which were put down by the mass arrests of the protest leaders and by the pro-government thugs of the Union Solidarity and Development Association. But Pakokku's monasteries joined the fray after police fired over the heads of protesting monks and beat other demonstrators on September 6, spawning the nationwide uprising as thousands of their colleagues took to the streets. Initially they demanded an apology, but the protests became political as their confidence grew. Britain's ambassador to Burma, Mark Canning, said yesterday: "It's not a great surprise they have come back on to the streets because the underlying political and economic forces driving this have not gone away. The economic and political frustration that is within the population will manifest itself again in the coming months, but how and to what scale is unclear." The protests came hours after the Burmese junta released seven members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, who had been held for more than a month in Rangoon's notorious Insein jail. The return of Mr Gambari just a month after he met the Burmese leader, General Than Shwe, and Aung San Suu Kyi, will buoy hopes that he can persuade the junta to release political prisoners and begin moving towards democracy. Mr Gambari has just concluded a six-country Asian tour that included Burma's most influential neighbours - China and India - in an effort to recruit them to the cause and use their leverage over the reclusive regime. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/01/2078796.htm?section=justin Monks regroup to protest in Burma By South East Asia correspondent Karen Percy Posted Thu Nov 1, 2007 2:16pm AEDT More than a month ago monks led mass demonstrations in cities across Burma. (File photo) (Reuters) Monks in a small town in central Burma have defied the military junta to stage a peaceful march. It is the first public gathering of monks since September's brutal crackdown against the monk-led protests. As many as 250 monks reportedly marched and chanted through the city of Pakokku yesterday. More than a month ago it was monks who led mass demonstrations in cities across Burma to demand that the government lower fuel costs and release political activists. The protests lasted more than 10 days before the soldiers turned violent, beating and shooting the monks and their civilian supporters. Hundreds are feared to have been killed, although the military junta says only 13 people died. UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari will arrive in Burma on Saturday in a bid to put pressure on the junta to implement democratic reforms. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070029161&ch=10/12/2007%206:00:00%20PM Myanmar crisis: Exiled activists protest Kishalay Bhattacharjee Friday, October 12, 2007 (Kaimuanthang) Burmese pro-democracy activists, who have been in exile in Manipur since they fled Rangoon after the 1988 uprising, led a protest march against the Burmese Junta on Friday. It was probably the biggest protest march in India since the recent military crackdown on the monks. Thousands of locals joined in, walking down Churachandpur road, shouting slogans. There were students from at least twenty schools and colleges. ''I've been in India since 1988, we are on the streets again for restoration of democracy in Burma. The students and monks will carry on their movement. We will return and join the movement,'' said Kothurah, Vice-chairman of Burmese Solidarity Organization. This is also India's rebel zone, dotted with long drawn insurgencies, which have always based themselves in Myanmar. Ironically these tribal underground outfits have also offered support to the anti-Junta protest. ''We will fight for democracy by all means and in our fight every organization, even the undergrounds have extended support,'' said Pallah, leader of Federation of Trade Union in Burma. The Church has joined in too, saying that it is against the Junta. It is a protest which may not be loud enough for the Junta to hear, but the activists hope that at least India will listen to what they are saying and pay heed. http://allafrica.com/stories/200710151850.html Zimbabwe: 75 Woza And Moza Activists Arrested During Protest March SW Radio Africa (London) 15 October 2007 Posted to the web 15 October 2007 Tichaona Sibanda At least 75 activists from Women of Zimbabwe Arise and Men of Zimbabwe Arise were arrested outside the parliament building in central Harare, after staging a peaceful demonstration against police brutality against its members. Woza co-ordinator Jennie Williams was one of those arrested and taken to the central police station in the capital. Patuma Sonyowa who took part in the protest march said police needed five trucks to ferry the activists from parliament to the central police station. 'We started our march from First Street right up the parliament door steps where we intended to handover the report on political violence against our activists. It was also here where police ordered us to disperse but we refused and instead sat on the pavement. We were singing songs that denounced police brutality and we also called for a new constitution and the return of the rule of law,' Sonyowa said. She said police took away all their banners and protest newsletters. Their lawyers were denied access to the activists who were believed to be under interrogation from the time they were picked up by the police just after 11.30am. 'The lawyers told us they were chased away by the police and that they were making frantic efforts to engage more senior practitioners to handle the case,' said Sonyowa. http://voanews.com/english/Africa/Zimbabwe/2007-10-17-voa59.cfm Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyer Alleges Police Assault During Protest By Chris Gande Washington 17 October 2007 Interview With Tafadzwa Mugabe Listen to Interview With Tafadzwa Mugabe A lawyer representing the activist group Women of Zimbabwe Arise said Wednesday he was assaulted by police earlier this week and will seek damages in the case. Attorney Tafadzwa Mugabe said he was assaulted by a senior police officer Monday after WOZA staged a demonstration in Harare to draw attention to a report alleging official violence against members of the organization. About 75 members of the group were arrested and released later Monday evening with no charges brought. Mugabe, a member of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, told reporter Chris Gande of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Chris although he reported the alleged assault to higher-ups in the police administration there has been no indication his complaint is being acted upon, so he intends to file suit for civil damages. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/15/africa/ME-GEN-Bahrain-Protests.php Anti-riot police clash with Bahrainis protesting restricted access to tiny islands The Associated Press Published: October 15, 2007 MANAMA, Bahrain: Hundreds of security troops fired tear gas and heavy rubber bullets on Monday to disperse Bahrainis who gathered in an attempt to visit the kingdom's third largest island, which the public is normally restricted from visiting, local officials and witnesses said. Security troops deployed along Bahrain's western coastal line, especially in Shiite-dominated villages to prevent Bahrainis from approaching Um Nasan island, witnesses said. Helicopters hovered above and women were seen hurrying to their houses fearing anti-riot police, which sealed off roads leading up to the village of Malikiya and other small towns on the western coast. "They fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the people gathering," said Sayed Hashim, one of the protest organizers. No one was allowed to approach the coastal line, including an Associated Press photographer who was threatened by a masked policeman with a pistol and ordered to leave. Some young Bahrainis reacted by setting tires on fire, according to witnesses. "The young protesters tried to blow up a gas cylinder, but they failed to do so," said Ahmed Mansour, a city council official in Malikiya. The protests appear to have been triggered by Shiite opposition in Bahrain to defy a taboo by debating the royal family's ownership of some 30 Bahraini islands and banning citizens and residents from having access to them. Regular Bahrainis occupy four main islands while the rest are inhibited by royal family palaces and some are used for military purposes. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the island of Um Nasan is for military use and national defense. "Therefore it's banned for anybody to approach or to carry out any activity close to it or he will be violating the law and will be punishable by law," the statement carried by Bahrain's official news agency said. The idea for Monday's protest came after the minister of municipalities issued a statement saying all the islands were public property. A committee of residents from western villages then sent an invitation to Bahrainis to visit the island. On Sunday, the royal endowment warned citizens against visiting Um Nasan. Discussion over the royal family's possession of the majority of Bahraini islands was taboo for many years until about two years ago when the parliament, which Shiites make up about 40 percent, began questioning it. Shiites, who make up more than 60 percent of Bahrain's 700,000 people, have long complained they are squeezed out of power by the Sunni monarchy. Part of the controversy was also sparked when the Web browser-based mapping tool Google Earth was first introduced in Bahrain, showing pictures of the vast areas of Bahraini territories occupied by royal family palaces. Only those who obtain a permission from the king are allowed to enter those islands. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, is a close ally of Washington. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/16/2060906.htm?section=justin Cabbies protest Sydney Airport arrest Posted Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:42pm AEST Updated Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:48pm AEST Map: Sydney Airport 2020 Related Story: Sydney Airport's $500m makeover begins Dozens of taxi drivers refused to pick up passengers at Sydney Airport this morning to protest against the arrest of a cab driver who got into a fight with an Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer. Police used capsicum spray to subdue the 39-year-old after he became angry when an officer asked him to move his car, which the AFP say was blocking an exit road at the international terminal. The AFP say an argument ensued when the officer asked the driver to move his car. They say the car started moving and hit the officer's leg. The man then allegedly got out if his car and refused to show his licence. Police say he became violent but was subdued with capsicum spray. The 39-year-old has been charged with offences, including resisting arrest, and will face Waverley Court early next month. Dozens of other taxi drivers protested against the arrest, one of them telling police the man was "bashed" and police went too far. "It just happened here. It does happen every time," he said to an officer. "We can't talk to anybody. We are a human beings - we have a right. We're good citizens, we're serving the public." Police say no-one was bashed. The New South Wales Transport Minister, John Watkins, says his department is looking into the incident. But Mr Watkins says he is unable to say much because the man has been arrested. "The Ministry of Transport will be looking further at the matter to see if there's anything that the State Government through the Ministry of Transport has to do to assist in the resolution of this matter," he said. Taxi Council spokesman Howard Harrison says there have been problems with holding area at Sydney Airport. "The holding area in Sydney Airport does get overcrowded first thing in the morning," he said. "We are talking to the Sydney Airport to see what can be done to to increase the holding area but that will be in the future, I'm afraid, because land is scarce and it costs a lot of money to build car parks and those sort of things." "But at the moment, it's a police matter to be looked at by the driver and the police." http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1674282007 Pants protest over Burma WOMEN in several countries have begun sending their knickers to Burmese embassies in a culturally insulting gesture of protest against the brutal crackdown there. "It's a strong message in Burmese culture," said Liz Hilton, who supports Lanna Action for Burma, an activist group that launched the "Panties for Peace" drive this week. The group says the country's superstitious generals believe contact with women's underwear saps them of power. This article: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1674282007 Last updated: 20-Oct-07 00:00 GMT From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 18:58:33 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:58:33 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Welfare state, workers and farmers protests October 2007 Message-ID: <034b01c824d7$eac385b0$0802a8c0@andy1> US: Chicago students protest budget cuts SCOTLAND: Taxi drivers hold go-slow protest in Dundee IRELAND: Hundreds protest lack of firefighters in Bray IRELAND: Thousands attend Mayo hospital rally IRELAND: Farmers target EU over beef imports BAHRAIN: Mass clean-up in protest at government ZIMBABWE: Hundreds rally against water meters ZIMBABWE: Magistrates rally, strike over working conditions, unpaid wages UK: Thousands join rally for NHS UK: Music syat heads hospital closure protest US: Wisconsin teacher boycotts No Child Left Behind tests US: Taxi drivers protest against GPS PAKISTAN: Engineers? strike grounds flights BAHRAIN: Teachers plan mass protest ROMANIA: Cattle farmers protest at parliament for subsidies FRANCE: Fishermen protest fuel prices, demand aid BULGARIA: Healthcare workers stage protest ITALY: Public sector strike over lack of funding SOUTH AFRICA: Abalone fishing ban reconsidered due to protests INDIA: Workers shave heads in pay protest NICARAGUA: Bread makers protest price restrictions http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/602947,CST-NWS-julian14.article Julian students protest teacher cuts 'NOT FAIR' | Violence last school year blamed for drop in enrollment October 14, 2007 BY ANNIE SWEENEY AND ROSALIND ROSSI Staff Reporters Students already wearied by the violence that touched Julian High last school year protested yet another upheaval Friday -- the dismissal of 10 teachers because of a sharp drop in the number of students. Enrollment at the South Side school has plummeted to 1,688, down 255 students from last year, Chicago Public Schools officials said. Their preliminary guess was that a large block of freshmen who had been expected to attend Julian went elsewhere. Some were quick to blame the succession of protests and news stories that followed the bus shooting that killed Julian honor student Blair Holt and injured four others. Three Julian students and one teacher were killed last school year, all in incidents that occurred at least five blocks from Julian but still threw a cloud of tragedy over the school at 103rd and Elizabeth. "Some kids are afraid to come to Julian because of the [Holt] shooting," one student protester, who asked not to be named, said Friday. "It's not fair. . . . It's a good school. It's a great school." When word spread Thursday that 12 teachers were being cut -- a number CPS trimmed to 10 by Friday -- some students gathered in the halls in tears. In addition, several training programs -- including fashion design -- were axed, and several student schedules had to be reworked a month into the new school year. "We were confused something like this could happen all of the sudden," said Raven Coleman, a junior who led the Friday protest that included one banner reading "Save Our Teachers." "We are tired of all the negative news. It's just like no one ever promotes anything good at our school. We worked so hard to get the programs . . . and now they are taking them away." Raven, 16, said this school year started off on a good note. But the news about the loss of the popular teachers was too much to take. Some students said the teachers created a sense of family. One student said her teacher loaned her a laptop so she could do her papers. "These teachers, they try to relate to our situations," said Jameson Dixon, 17, senior class vice president. Some teens "don't have role models at home. They bring you in as family. It is hard to let that go." The cuts were announced Thursday in the library during a meeting of students and teachers. On Friday, several students planned to walk out in protest, but instead gathered to pray in the lobby. Julian Principal Therese D. Johnson could not be reached Friday. CPS officials set the number of positions to be cut, but Johnson decided who would be cut, said CPS spokesman Michael Vaughn. Told that students were upset, Vaughn said, "I don't blame them. We're upset, too. We don't like to close positions." Julian's projected enrollment was 1,915, but only 1,688 showed up, Vaughn said. Officials were trying to figure out why the estimate was so far off. The exact reason for the drop was unclear, Vaughn said, but potential freshmen may have been lured away by at least four South Side schools that opened this fall. Ron Holt, a Julian Local School Council member whose son Blair was shot and killed while riding the 103rd Street CTA bus home from school in May, said he has talked to families who decided to pull their children out of the school. But like the students, Holt said, Julian can not be blamed for street violence. "I'm disappointed they took their children out, but it's understandable considering what happened over the past year," Holt said. Contributing: Art Golab http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/7041991.stm Last Updated: Friday, 12 October 2007, 15:31 GMT 16:31 UK Taxi drivers hold Dundee protest Drivers have been threatening industrial action for weeks Taxi drivers have held a protest in the centre of Dundee as part of a dispute with the council. About 50 cabs were driving slowly around the city's main roads to draw attention to the row. The protest, which lasted for about an hour, had been threatened unless the local authority took action over a series of concerns. They included complaints about space on ranks, the number of licences and some private hire companies. Tayside Police had previously threatened to "use the full force of the law to deal with any disruption to the road network". We have repeatedly spoken to the council and had no concrete answers from them and until this happens, we are resorting to further action Mark Bennett, taxi driver A list of drivers' grievances was due to be discussed at a meeting of the council's taxi liaison group next week. Taxi driver Mark Bennett said he felt compelled to take action because he was frustrated the dispute had not been resolved. He said: "We are driving very slowly around the Marketgait and ring road to highlight the situation between ourselves and the council. "We have repeatedly spoken to the council and had no concrete answers from them and until this happens, we are resorting to further action. "We don't want to upset people, but we have found in the past that decisions have been made prior to the taxi liaison committee meeting." A spokesman for Dundee City Council reiterated their position that the taxi liaison group was the appropriate forum to discuss drivers' complaints http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article3056814.ece Hundreds protest lack of full-time fire service in Bray Saturday, October 13, 2007 Up to a thousand people took to the streets in Bray town in County Wicklow today in protest at the failure to provide a full-time fire service in the town. The demonstration follows the tragic death of two part-time firefighters in the town as they fought a blaze at a disused factory on September 26th last. The families of 46-year-old Brian Murray and 26-year-old Mark O'Shaughnessy have since been campaigning for a full-time fire service. http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1028/mayo.html Thousands attend Mayo hospital protest rally Sunday, 28 October 2007 22:11 Over 7,000 people turned out at a public rally in Castlebar, Co Mayo today in protest at the withdrawal of cancer care services from Mayo General Hospital under the national cancer control programme. Cancer support groups who attended the rally called on the Minsiter for Health, Mary Harney, to retain the regional cancer network in the west. They also demanded that the Health Service Executive retain and expand existing cancer sevices at the Castlebar Hospital. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article3112911.ece Farmers continue sit-in protest at EC offices in Dublin Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Up to 40 farmers are continuing a sit-in protest at the European Commission offices in Dublin this morning. The Irish Farmers Association mounted the demonstration yesterday afternoon as part of its campaign for an EU ban on Brazilian beef imports. The IFA has accused the EC of ignoring major problems with production standards in Brazil. It also claims an EU report that exposes these deficiencies is being withheld from the public. The IFA has been campaigning for months for a ban on Brazilian beef, saying it is hypocritical to allow such imports while imposing strict standards on beef produced in the EU. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=197237&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30213 Join clean-up protest appeal By MOHAMMED AL A' ALI PEOPLE in the centre of the country are so fed up with their public sanitation company that they are planning to launch their own clean-up operation. Members of the public are now being urged to join in a clean-up campaign as part of an ongoing protest against cleaning firm MBM-Alam Flora. It will take place in one of Bahrain's most polluted areas and companies have already donated equipment. They have also pledged to provide manpower for the task, which is being spearheaded by the Central Municipal Council. The council is upset that the Tender Board reopened bidding a month ago for the contract currently held by MBM-Alam Flora. It says it has already selected a replacement firm out of 13 bidders, but the board described the selection as improper and appointed a new consultancy firm to oversee new bids. Council chairman Abdulrahman Al Hassan said the clean-up campaign was a last-ditch attempt to solve the area's refuse crisis. "In the coming days cleaning equipment and machinery will be available for us from national companies for free," he said. "The council has also contacted community organisations to support the campaign and their response has been overwhelming because they know if the situation gets worse, the governorate will be thrown into chaos. "The cleaning status in the governorate has reached a low point and needs immediate action." Citizens in the governorate will be asked to contribute to the clean-up drive until a new company is appointed to replace MBM-Alam Flora. "Garbage is piled up near homes for more than two days and our roads and streets are unclean because the company doesn't sweep any more due to a shortage in manpower," said Mr Al Hassan. "This means the council is forced to ask the people to clean up the place by themselves, something the government should be doing. "The campaign will be divided among our nine constituencies, with each councillor getting his own volunteers and equipment to ensure that work goes ahead at once. "Nothing will be left out. Neighbourhoods, alleys and side roads - all will be cleaned. "We have already co-ordinated with societies, charity funds, clubs and youth societies who have voluntarily signed up for the campaign." However, he said more volunteers were needed and urged the public to take part. "The door is open to everyone from any governorate," he said. "The fate of our governorate's cleanliness is in the hands of the people, who we are confident will do a better job than MBM-Alam Flora even though it is getting paid." Brochures and booklets will also be distributed around the country highlighting the importance of cleanliness in co-ordination with the Central Municipality. "A hotline is currently being set up so people can report any piled up garbage near their homes and neighbourhoods so it can be removed immediately," added Mr Al Hassan. "In the end, this campaign is fuelled by the people. Without their efforts and patience it would not be up to expectations and we are confident that people power always wins." Central Municipality director-general Yousif Al Ghatam said the municipality would back the campaign any way possible. "We welcome this national campaign, which comes after cleanliness levels reached their lowest," he added. MBM Alam Flora serves the Central, Northern and Southern Governorates. However, the three councils scrapped the firm's original contract in June last year, saying the company was not up to the job. Contract They retained the firm on temporary six-month contracts until a replacement could be found. Its current contract expires at the end of December, but the decision to reopen bids for a replacement means a fourth, six-month extension is likely. The company has been responsible for cleaning and drainage in the three areas since 2002 and its original contract was due to expire in 2009. The Malaysian-Bahraini joint venture company has had to sub-contract out to smaller cleaning companies to help it fulfil its commitments. alaali at gdn.com.bh http://allafrica.com/stories/200710251152.html Zimbabwe: Hundreds Protest Against New Water Tariffs in Mutare SW Radio Africa (London) 25 October 2007 Posted to the web 25 October 2007 Tichaona Sibanda There was a peaceful protest march by hundreds of Woza and Moza members in Mutare late on Wednesday, against the huge increases in water tariffs recently introduced by the government. A statement issued at the end of the protest by Woza said nearly 300 women and men marched for several blocks through the eastern city to the civic centre, demanding access to affordable water and a more reliable service. The statement added that there were no arrests during or after the demonstration as riot police officers arrived after the protesters had dispersed. Several bystanders are reported to have joined in the procession. The protestors also called for an end to violence against human rights defenders. This is the fourth Woza demonstration in Mutare this year and the third peaceful street action this month, following two in Bulawayo and one in Harare. There have been concerns that state security agents are in the habit of visiting homes of activists at night in Mutare, long after demonstrations are over. After a demonstration in Mutare in August, several members had their homes visited and illegally searched. It is expected that similar harassment of activists will occur in the coming weeks. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711030058.html Zimbabwe: Magistrates Continue Protest The Herald (Harare) 3 November 2007 Posted to the web 3 November 2007 Harare PROVINCIAL magistrates yesterday continued remanding cases as their demands for salaries and a review of working conditions rages on despite Government's assurance that their grievances were being considered. The protest started on Tuesday, before prosecutors and support staff joined in. No trials were taking place at all the courts countrywide yesterday. At the High Court, no prosecutors appeared yesterday, leaving prisoners stranded in court cells waiting to be remanded. "We have been here since morning and no criminal court ever sat since Thursday," said a prison officer. A court official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the prosecutors were likely to resume work on Monday if the impasse between them and their employer was solved. Only civil cases were entertained at the High Court. At Harare Magistrates' Court only police prosecutors were vetting cases and appearing in court with magistrates who had agreed to remand cases until midday when they expected their grievances to have been addressed. After lunch, all prosecutors from Harare province were gathered for a meeting with their superiors over the issue. Efforts to get comment from the Justice Ministry's human resources director Mr Maxwell Ranga were fruitless. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7046879,00.html Thousands set for NHS protest rally Press Association Saturday November 3, 2007 6:28 AM Thousands of NHS employees are converging on London to protest at the state of the country's health service. NHS staff are taking to the streets to rally against the increasing fragmentation of the NHS and low morale among its staff. Nurses, midwives, doctors, physiotherapists, hospital cleaners and technicians from all over the UK will march to Trafalgar Square for the rally at 1.30pm. The 'I Love The NHS' march and rally was co-ordinated to celebrate the successes of the NHS, which is 60 next year. As part of the event, a song written in celebration of the country's health service will be performed. The NHS rendition of the Sopranos theme tune, penned by Alabama 3's frontman Larry Love, is entitled Woke Up This Morning and pays tribute to free health treatment and NHS nurses. However, the rally is also being used by health service employees to send a message to the Government that, while staff are committed to their jobs, they are feeling increasingly demotivated and demoralised by longer working hours and bigger workloads. Pro-NHS campaigners believe that over-involvement of the private sector in public services is jeopardising the future of the health service. Geoff Martin, head of campaigning for Health Emergencies, an NHS pressure group, said that his organisation was attending the rally because it supported a free health service and wanted to warn against the dangers of privatisation. He said: "Large health sector corporations are actively seeking to take over the budgets of Primary Care Trusts and primary care since the creation of a market in healthcare under the Blair government. "We support the NHS but everything we have that's good could be put at risk by these corporations. We defend the principles of a free health service, a service which is free from profit." http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7029036,00.html Rolling Stone Keith in protest walk Press Association Saturday October 27, 2007 4:58 PM Rolling Stone Keith Richards joined a protest march on Saturday to campaign against possible cuts to a hospital close to his country home. The 62-year-old rock star marched alongside thousands of other people through Chichester, West Sussex, to protest against proposed changes to St Richard's Hospital. The rocker has owned Redlands, in nearby West Wittering, since the 1960s. It was the scene of an infamous drugs bust in 1967. His main home is in Connecticut, USA. He turned up to the demonstration in a minibus dressed in a long black leather coat, a trilby, and sunglasses. Other celebrities who attended the protest march included actress Patricia 'Hyacinth Bucket' Routledge and actor Christopher Timothy, best known as James Herriot in TV's All Creatures Great and Small. An estimated 15,000 people attended the march. A public consultation is currently taking place about the provision of hospital services in West Sussex. Plans are afoot to make one of the county's three hospitals - in either Chichester, Worthing or Haywards Heath - the major general hospital and downgrade services at the others, protesters claim. Campaigners want St Richard's Hospital to retain its acute A&E and maternity services. They say that if these services are axed patients will be forced to travel to Worthing or Portsmouth to give birth or receive emergency treatment. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j9DEyt2_EpfroIoPSHgC1rRsqTpAD8SL7QE80 Wis. Teacher Protests No Child Law By RYAN J. FOLEY ? 3 days ago MADISON, Wis. (AP) ? A middle school teacher who refused to administer the first part of a federally required standardized test because of moral objections was reluctantly at his desk for the second round Thursday to save his job. David Wasserman had sat in the teachers' lounge Tuesday, leaving his colleagues to oversee the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. The test is used to measure whether schools are meeting annual benchmarks under the No Child Left Behind law, President Bush's signature education policy. Schools that do not meet goals can face sanctions. Like many teachers, he said he believes the test is a poor way to measure student progress, takes up too much class time and is used unfairly to punish schools. So after years of growing frustration, he said he decided to be a "conscientious objector" this year. Wasserman had planned to resume his protest for five more days of testing. But he said district officials warned he would be fired from Sennett Middle School if he did. On Thursday, he was allowed to sit at his desk for 90 minutes but still have two other teachers oversee the test for his 30 eighth-grade students. "I was able to stick to my morals. I did not have to touch a single test booklet. I didn't have to read a single direction," he said. "I sat there quietly while the students were working really hard on this really unnatural assessment that they are not used to." He added: "I did get one kid an eraser. That's what I did for an hour and a half." He said he planned a similar routine during the final four days of testing next week. District spokesman Ken Syke said Wasserman fulfilled his required duties on Thursday and "administered the test." Syke said the district would not comment on any possible discipline for the initial protest, but Wasserman said he was told he would get a letter of reprimand in his personnel file for insubordination. Wasserman, 36, said he was considering whether to appeal the reprimand with the teacher's union but said he was glad to keep his job. FairTest, a national group that opposes the overuse of standardized tests, said it was unaware of any other similar actions by teachers protesting the law. Wasserman said teachers and parents bombarded him with phone calls and e-mail messages Thursday after news of his protest spread nationwide. He said that some critics have falsely accused him of not caring about his students but that the vast majority of messages have been supportive. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/nyregion/22taxi.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin Cabbies Plan 2nd Strike to Protest New Devices By FERNANDA SANTOS Published: October 22, 2007 A group that says it represents about 10,000 cabdrivers is calling for a strike today, its second in less than two months, to protest a city plan requiring the more than 13,000 medallion taxicabs to install global positioning systems and credit card machines. The group, New York Taxi Workers Alliance, staged a two-day work stoppage last month, but it had limited participation and failed to achieve its goals. The group plans a 24-hour strike this time, beginning at 5 a.m. today. ?We are not going to back down,? Bhairavi Desai, the alliance?s executive director, said in an interview. Ms. Desai said the strike was also intended to compel city officials to use revenue from a planned medallion auction to create a health care and retirement fund for cabdrivers. Officials will roll out a contingency plan much like the one used during last month?s stoppage, but are ready to cancel it if the strike fails to significantly disrupt taxicab service, Allan J. Fromberg, a spokesman for the city?s Taxi and Limousine Commission, said in a news release on Thursday. The contingency plan calls for a zone-based fare structure, with four zones in Manhattan and one in each of the other boroughs. Trips inside one zone will be a flat fee of $10 per rider; another $5 will be charged for additional zones entered. Tolls are included in the price of the trips. On trips to and from the airports, passengers can choose to ride alone and pay metered rates. Group riders will each pay flat fees from Manhattan to La Guardia Airport ($20) or to Kennedy International Airport ($30). About a dozen cabdrivers interviewed yesterday at Punjab Food Junction, a 24-hour deli on 10th Avenue near 28th Street, said they participated in the strike on Sept. 5 and 6, and were planning to do the same today, even as few among them seemed hopeful that officials would reverse course. ?Cabbies don?t have enough power to defeat politicians,? Shahid Iqbal, 44, who has driven a cab for four years, said over a plate of lentils and chicken curry. ?But we can make our voices heard and hope for change some day.? Mr. Iqbal does not have the new system in his cab, but Hamado Bissiri does. He said he also had a host of complaints about it ? like the time it takes to start up to the credit card machine, which frequently malfunctions. ?If a person goes to the supermarket and the credit card machine isn?t working, he has to pay cash or leave his groceries behind,? said Mr. Bissiri, 38, who has driven a cab since February. ?But if my credit card machine freezes at the end of a fare, I could lose money because people can just leave without paying.? Charles Fergusson, a cabdriver for 26 years, said, ?This is a war that can?t be won, but I?ll go on strike in solidarity.? During the previous strike, there was no noticeable change in subway and bus ridership, said Jeremy Soffin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In fact, Mr. Soffin said, ?our bus operators were actually thrilled about it because traffic moved at a faster clip without so many taxis on the road.? If demand warrants, however, the city could add more buses on the line from Manhattan to La Guardia and along other busy routes, he said. Last month, a group of cabdrivers organized by the Taxi Workers Alliance sued the city in federal court, arguing that it acted unconstitutionally when it ordered taxicabs to install tracking systems. During a hearing on Sept. 28, a federal judge refused to block the city rule, saying the use of technology to improve service seemed to outweigh drivers? privacy rights. Ms. Desai said the group planned to take the lawsuit to trial. William Neuman contributed reporting. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/nyregion/23taxi.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin City Cabdrivers Strike Again, but Protest Gets Little Notice By ELIAS E. LOPEZ Published: October 23, 2007 A one-day strike called by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance had little effect on the daily commute yesterday, according to city officials, commuters and drivers. At a news conference yesterday afternoon in Downtown Brooklyn, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the strike, which began at 5 a.m. and was to end today at 5 a.m., had ?no appreciable impact? on transportation in the city. That seemed to be the case at some of the major traffic arteries of Manhattan, where the flow of yellow cabs seemed unchanged. ?If there?s a taxi strike going on, it certainly doesn?t look like it,? said a man handing out free newspapers near Pennsylvania Station, as dozens of taxis lined up to pick up fares in front of Madison Square Garden. The taxi strike, the second in less than two months, was called by the alliance, which says it represents 10,000 cabdrivers, to protest a city plan requiring taxicabs to install global positioning systems and credit- and debit-card readers. The group says the new equipment will mean an extra cost for drivers: 5 percent in fees on credit-card transactions. Yesterday, city officials put in effect a contingency plan that consisted of a zone-based fare structure and allowed drivers to pick up multiple fares. Trips inside one zone cost a flat fee of $10 per rider; an extra $5 was charged for additional zones. Tolls were included in the price of the trips. Outside the headquarters of the Taxi and Limousine Commission in Lower Manhattan, Bhairavi Desai, the alliance?s executive director, addressed those protesting the commission?s decision to move ahead with the technological requirements. The commission regulates more than 13,000 medallion taxicabs. After the demonstration, Ms. Desai said the strike did have an effect at the airports. ?If the impact was minimal, why did the city implement a contingency plan?? she asked. But then she offered explanations about why many cabdrivers had decided not to participate in the strike. ?It was too much economic pressure for a lot of drivers,? she said. ?Also because they feel there?s nothing they can do. It?s a feeling that comes with the T.L.C. having absolute power.? Lack of participation also diminished the impact of the previous strike , on Sept. 5 and 6. But back then the presence of cabs on the streets shrank enough to make would-be passengers spend more time with their hands in the air and to stretch five-minute waits for a cab at the airport to half an hour at some terminals. That did not appear to be the case yesterday. In Midtown, a couple stepped out of a taxi after a ride from La Guardia Airport. ?We had no trouble getting a ride,? said Brittney Bone of Alabama. ?He actually sought us out.? One driver, Jose Laguardia, 65, said, ?It?s too late to protest now. ?Technology is a necessity,? Mr. Laguardia said. ?There?s nothing we can do at this point but keep working, keep driving.? Ms. Desai said the alliance planned to continue to work with drivers who object to the requirements. ?We plan to consolidate our organizing goals and regroup,? she said. ?We want to give drivers more time to gain economic strength for when we decide to strike again.? Diane Cardwell contributed reporting. http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-30309220071103 Pakistan's PIA engineers to resume work, end protest Sat Nov 3, 2007 3:51pm IST KARACHI (Reuters) - Ground engineers for Pakistan International Airlines said on Saturday they would end a work stoppage that had forced widespread flight delays and cancellations, enabling crippled services to resume. Most of the loss-making state carrier's fleet remained grounded on Friday, with dozens of flights cancelled, as the engineers took medical leave en masse to demand higher wages. The protest continued on Saturday, again disrupting many flights. The engineers certify the air worthiness of aircraft after every flight, and planes cannot take off without their checks and say so. "We will all be back at work by 3 p.m. (1000 GMT) today, only because we realise the discomfort it has caused our passengers," Mashkoor Hasan, General Secretary of Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan told Reuters. "PIA management has not fulfilled our demands but this is our airline, we have engineers who have been with this company for 25 and even 40 years and we know how much loss it is incurring because of this," said Hasan. PIA was in trouble even before the protest, announcing this week accumulated losses of $584 million during the first nine months of the year. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=197510&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30216 Teachers planning massive pay protest THOUSANDS of teachers are preparing to demonstrate for the third time to demand a 30 per cent pay rise, it was announced yesterday. They were awarded a 15pc raise last month along with other civil servants, but the Bahrain Teachers Society is demanding 30pc. Society members and teachers met yesterday to discuss preparations for the third protest. Society president Mahdi Abu Deeb said parliament's financial and economic affairs committee would also be reviewing the teachers' plight. MPs last month pledged to review the teachers' demands for a bigger pay rise, along with improved living conditions. "This initiative is still ongoing and the committee has not reached any decision yet," said Mr Abu Deeb. "We want to keep on pushing for our rights and we will not stop until we get them." He said a 10-day black armband campaign which started on October 1 had proved fruitless. He said teachers were allegedly being harassed by school principals for wearing the armbands in school. The Education Ministry told principals to report teachers who wore them, said Mr Abu Deeb. He said some principals threatened teachers that they would not be given incentives or promotions if they continued wearing the armbands. The society set up hotline numbers to receive complaints from teachers who claimed they were being harassed. A date has yet to be fixed for the new protest, but organisers are hoping for a massive show of support. "We would like to invite all the teachers to participate in this protest, which will take place at a date to be announced soon," said Mr Abu Deeb. "The hotline numbers are still open for teachers, and those who wish to complain may do so at any time." Thousands of teachers demonstrated twice in front of the ministry in June and in early September, to demand an increase in salary. The hotline numbers, open 24 hours a day are 39622531, 39641141 and 39892981. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/22/europe/EU-GEN-Romania-Agriculture-Protest.php Romanian cattle farmers protest outside Agriculture Ministry to call for higher subsidies The Associated Press Published: October 22, 2007 BUCHAREST, Romania: Pouring milk on the ground and ringing bells that are sounded at funerals, about 150 Romanian cattle farmers demanded higher subsidies on Monday. The country's agriculture minister, meanwhile, traveled to Brussels to try to persuade European Union officials that Romania would strengthen its oversight of EU payments to farmers. Chairman of the Agrostar Federation trade union, Stefan Nicolae, who attended the Bucharest protest outside the Agriculture Ministry said Romanian cattle breeders were looking for an additional 300 lei (US$127, ?89) per head of cattle for farmers who had up to three cows or bulls. He said that would apply to about 90 percent of farms in the country. The government is offering 240 lei (US$102, ?71.39). Nicolae said that 600,000 cattle were not officially registered, which could lead to some breeders not receiving subsidies. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Dacian Ciolos was talking to European Union officials after the EU threatened this month to withhold ?110.8 million (US$155.5 million) in farm handouts to Romania if it did not improve its oversight of the payments to its farmers. EU officials gave Bucharest until November to improve controls and auditing of where the EU aid is spent ? through the adoption of new computer software and by taking other steps ? or risk a 25 percent cut in handouts next year. Romania joined the EU on Jan. 1. Almost half of Romania's 22 million citizens live in rural areas, and agriculture generates up to 70 percent of income in rural areas, according to a World Bank study. The ministry has allocated 420 million lei (US$178 million, ?124.58 million) next year in subsidies for all animal farmers, national news agency Rompres reported. Some protesters played a funeral song on trumpets and others carried a wooden coffin with the word "animal farming" inscribed on the side. Others threw away milk. They said they would protest for the next two days and have threatened a large protest at the end of November if the government does not increase subsidies. http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL0318992820071103 UPDATE 1-French fishermen protest over rising fuel costs Sat Nov 3, 2007 3:30pm GMT (Adds Le Havre protest, minister) RENNES, France, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Fishermen disrupted traffic in northwestern France on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of fuel and to demand state aid. Around 100 vehicles slowed down traffic in a "snail operation" on main roads in western Brittany, said a spokesman for the fishermen who started a strike in the northwestern port of Guilvinec on Friday. The fishermen said they had expanded their strike from Guilvinec to the northwestern ports of Concarneau, Lorient, La Turballe and Le Croisic. "The strike should widen to all ports of the Atlantic and the Channel," said Dominique Faou, spokesman for the fishermen's crisis committee. "If nothing's moving forward by Monday, we will start new action." In the northern port city of Le Havre, around a dozen boats briefly blocked a lock, delaying the start of a sailing race. Fishing firms say they had budgeted for diesel to cost some 30 euro cents a litre this year. But the price has jumped to 51 cents in recent days, meaning boat owners risk making a loss every time they go to sea. The fishermen want a cut in duty on fuel and have dismissed a 25.5 million euro ($37 million) aid package announced by the government as insufficient. Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said he would receive representatives from the fishing industry again next week to talk about their concerns. Oil surged 2.5 percent on Friday, nearing a fresh peak as strong U.S. economic data reignited a rally that has added more than 40 percent to prices since August. Oil prices hit more than $96 per barrel earlier this week. http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/healthcare-workers-on-one-hour-protest/id_25785/catid_66 HEALTHCARE WORKERS ON ONE HOUR PROTEST 17:30 Fri 26 Oct 2007 Workers in the National Healthcare System (NHS) have announced a one hour warning strike on Monday October 29. This was announced on October 26 in a press statement from union KT Podkrepa, quoted by BTA. Healthcare workers are demanding a 60 per cent raise in salary. Representatives of the union did not accept the budget proposal for salaries in the NHS. The budget proposal was the reason to call for the strike. Employees of the NHS, through their unions, were in an open conflict under the Law for arrangement of collective labour conflicts, and an agreement in this conflict had not been found yet, the announcement said. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/26/europe/EU-GEN-Italy-Strike.php Public workers go on strike in Italy to protest lack of funds in 2008 budget The Associated Press Published: October 26, 2007 ROME: Italy's public workers staged a strike Friday that threatened to shut down offices and state museums and halt medical services across the country. The eight-hour strike, starting at 10 a.m. (0800GMT), was called by the main labor confederations to protest the lack of funds in the 2008 budget to renew future contracts. Thousands of the 3 1/2 million public workers converged on Rome to hold a protest. Emergency sanitary services were guaranteed throughout the day, unions said. Union officials called on state and city museum personnel to take part in the walkout. The unions estimate a shortfall in the budget of ?5.12 billion (US$7.27 billion) from what is needed to cover the contract renewals. The budget must be passed by parliament by the end of the year and it already faces a fierce battle within Premier Romano Prodi's fractious coalition. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20071030195600235C228897 Abalone ban: protest to be considered October 30 2007 at 08:53PM Environmental affairs and tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has undertaken to consider representations made by trade union organisations about the proposed ban on abalone fishing following a late afternoon meeting at his office in Cape Town. Speaking after the meeting on Tuesday Van Schalkwyk's spokesperson Riaan Aucamp said it had been a constructive discussion which concluded a number of issues regarding the abalone industry as well as subsistence fishing. The minister had assured the representatives of the Congress of SA Trade Unions, Masifundise Development Organisation, and Food and Allied Workers Union that he would apply his mind to the issues raised and communicate his decision in due course. Aucamp said there was general acknowledgement at the meeting that the abalone fishing industry was in a crisis. Originally Masifundise, along with Cosatu, issued an ultimatum to Van Schalkwyk to withdraw his decision to close the commercial abalone industry by midday on Tuesday. Last Thursday, government announced that all wild abalone (perlemoen) fishing would be suspended from November 1. Government Communications head Themba Maseko said the suspension was based on the fact that abalone stock was in crisis and threatened with commercial extinction. He said a social plan to address job losses resulting from the decision had been approved. ? Sapa http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/Pix_workers_tonsure_heads_in_protest/articleshow/2488181.cms Pix workers tonsure heads in protest 25 Oct 2007, 0303 hrs IST,TNN NAGPUR: Tonsuring heads as a mark of protest seems to be emerging as a popular mode of expressing resent in the city. Much like the Shivangaon villagers protesting against the cargo hub project, over 300 workers of the Bajargaon-based Pix Transmission's unit shaved their heads. However, they maintained that it was their original idea, and they were not inspired by the Shivangaon episode. The workers who are demanding a pay hike, staged demonstrations near Variety Square on Wednesday. Secretary of Bharatiya Pix Transmission Kamgaar Sanghathana Nandkishore Pund said that some of the union members suggested the move. The union is holding constant parleys with the management, but it has been of no avail so far. The protests began with a "maun vrat" (mute protest), followed by slogan shouting. Then, someone suggested that the workers tonsure their heads. The workers have been shaving their heads bald one by one since the last week, said Pund. timesnagpur at timesgroup.com http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aPQWUnPIRVqs&refer=news Nicaraguan Bread Makers Protest Threats of Price Restrictions By Eric Sabo Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Nicaraguan bread makers demonstrated in the city of Granada to protest new taxes and threats of price restrictions by President Daniel Ortega's government. ``Ortega has made nothing better for us,'' said Juan Lopez, president of the Association of Bread Bakers of Granada. High costs of basic ingredients such as flour and new taxes on electricity have raised production costs, said Lopez, who led the march of fewer than 100 bakers in the colonial city today. The government said Oct. 23 that it will take ``necessary measures'' to prevent higher prices for basic foods. Lopez said that his group will stick with price increases of 50 percent implemented Oct. 21. The association now charges 15 cordobas (80 U.S. cents) for a loaf. ``The people support us,'' said Lopez, whose association represents 1,884 bread makers in Nicaragua. To contact the reporter responsible for this story: Eric Sabo in Granada, Nicaragua at esabo1 at bloomberg.net . Last Updated: October 25, 2007 19:08 EDT From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:09:24 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:09:24 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <034d01c824d9$710b2c80$0802a8c0@andy1> * UK: Greenpeace protesters scale power plant * THAILAND: Locals protest over steel plant, clash with supporters * US: New nuclear reactor protested * KENYA: GM crops law protested * US: Banner drop at Chicago Board of Trade meeting * INDIA: Tribal people rally against irrigation project * INDIA: Tribal people rally against steel plants, demand resettlement * US: Investment company gets "toxic toys" protest * AUSTRALIA: Irrigation protests continue * AUSTRALIA: Protesters against pulp mill occupy bridge * AUSTRALIA: High school students join pulp mill protest * NEW ZEALAND: Greens hold fancy dress protest * US: Bank of America protested with banner drop over coal * UK: Wind turbines protested over ecosystem impact * PUERTO RICO: Hundreds protest state massacre of pets * AUSTRALIA: Greenpeace target GM crops * AUSTRALIA: Protest over project targeting islands * AUSTRALIA: Protest group formed to target dam scheme * JAPAN: TV star joins protest to save dolphins and whales from slaughter http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jsxDqqtiCQt5CKz-F3lo3V6c0p6A 18 held in power plant protest Oct 8, 2007 A total of 18 people have been arrested following a protest at a power station, police said. Around 26 Greenpeace members staged a protest at the Kingsnorth power station in Medway, Kent. Six activists climbed a 200m-high smokestack at around 5am while 20 more chained themselves to the station's conveyor belt to prevent it burning coal. They were urging Prime Minister Gordon Brown to reject plans for Britain's first new coal plant in more than 20 years. Power company Eon wants to build a plant on the site that could supply electricity to 1.5 million homes. But activists warn it will pump harmful carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and create a precedent for more coal in the future. Protester Ben Stewart, 33, who scaled a chimney at the site said: "We are facing a climate change emergency and we have not got the time to sit around. We have to force the issue. "We want to have a planet we can live in and bring up children in. This will be difficult if countries like Britain build new coal-fired power stations." A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "Officers do remain at the plant as there are protesters still at the site." http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1095274/steel_protest_nearly_turns_violent/index.html Posted on: Tuesday, 9 October 2007, 12:00 CDT Steel Protest Nearly Turns Violent By Bangkok Post, Thailand Oct. 9--Around 500 protesters rallied at the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry yesterday to protest against plans by the Sahaviriya Group to build a 500- billion-baht smelting plant in Prachuab Khiri Khan province. The protest came even after Sahaviriya announced it would downsize the project to reflect concerns voiced by villagers. The protest nearly turned violent after opponents confronted some 200 villagers from Bang Saphan, Prachuab Khiri Khan, who turned out in support of the project. They favoured the new jobs expected to be created in the area. Around 60 policemen were deployed at the ministry to prevent any violence between the two groups. However, they later dispersed after meeting with Kasemsun Chinnavaso, the secretary-general of the Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning Office (Onep). Mr Kasemsun told smelter opponents that his agency, which is in charge of reviewing the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report and making recommendations to the NEB, had found some flaws in the project's EIA and already told the firm to revise it. "We will exercise extra caution when considering the EIA once the firm resubmits it," Mr Kasemsun said. Smelter opponents demanded the state agency reject the project's EIA report, saying it was unreliable and based on inaccurate information, according to the villagers. They also called on the government to investigate the private consultant firms hired by the steel giant to conduct the EIA report. Under the environmental law, proposed construction projects will not be allowed to go ahead if the EIA and mitigation plans fail to get approval from the National Environment Board (NEB). The protests began more than a year ago after environmentalists and social activists called for the venture to be scrapped due to fears of serious ecological impact in the area. Protesters also claimed that part of the project site encroached on public land. The Sahaviriya Group (SGC) held a public hearing for the project on Friday, attracting about 250 villagers. Pirote Mockdara, SGC's vice-president for special projects, said the company told villagers that it had agreed to eliminate 350 rai out of 1,500 rai planned from the project due to public concerns. While the company insists that it has a proper legal title for all 1,500 rai originally proposed for phase one, it was willing to downsize the project to move forward, he said. Under the original plan, the country's first upstream iron and steel smelting project would be built in five phases, each taking five years and with production capacity of five million tonnes per year per phase. The total project is estimated to be worth 500 billion baht, with a production capacity of 30 million tonnes per year once completed. The new downsized plans for phase one will shift the project's location slightly to the north. SGC requested to withdraw its EIA submitted to Onep to reflect the modifications, and is expected to resubmit its proposals shortly. "There is nothing wrong with the land, and we hold all of the title deeds legally. But we want to see our project moving forward instead of wasting times with this kind of issue," Mr Pirote said. Company observers noted that the protesters seemed to be largely led by activists from a non-governmental organisation, with little participation by Bang Saphan villagers. SGC executives insist that they have been transparent about the project and were fully sensitive of the concerns of local villagers. "We arranged over 20 public meetings, covering all relevant parties, including local schools, local businessmen, hotel and tourism business operators as well as farmers," one executive said. "We have always received a good response. These protesters, who are led by the same activists, aren't even Bang Saphan villagers. For SGC, we will focus on the real villagers and try to live with them peacefully." SGC, founded by Viriyaprapaikit family, has been active in the steel industry for decades. Its SET-listed affiliate Sahaviriya Steel Industries Plc has operated a hot-rolled steel complex in the area since 1990. http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/blog/2007/10/calvert_cliffs_protest.html Calvert Cliffs protest Maryland Public Interest Research Group, which launched a campaign in March to try to stop the construction of a third nuclear reactor in Southern Maryland, is holding another protest today. MaryPIRG says it is planning an 11 a.m. event today (Oct. 11) on the Solomons Boardwalk in Solomons Island with three concerned residents of Calvert County, a Baltimore doctor from the group Physicians for Social Responsibility, and a representative of a group called Beyond Nuclear. Johanna Neumann, a spokeswoman for MaryPIRG, said her group is concerned that the evacuation routes away from the nuclear reactors at Calvert Cliff, which have been operating for three decades, are not adequate, in part because reactors are on a peninsula and there's only one major route in and out. Calvert County has strongly endorsed the construction of a third reactor, saying that the plant has proven its safety over many years of operation. Some supporters of nuclear power argue that reactors are a proven method of generating lots of electricity without producing any of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. But skeptics of an expansion of the nuclear industry worry about the proliferation of nuclear weapons around the globe, and the issue of where spent fuel rods should be stored. http://allafrica.com/stories/200710111135.html Kenya: MPs Pass Biosafety Law Amid Protest The East African Standard (Nairobi) 12 October 2007 Posted to the web 11 October 2007 Nairobi The Biosafety Bill sailed through the Second Reading in Parliament amid protests by a lobby group that filed a court case against the introduction of Genetically Modified Foods. Debate over the Bill was concluded on Tuesday when the House was hit by a quorum hitch as Science and Technology Minister, Dr Noah Wekesa, was responding to members' contributions. When the House resumed yesterday, the Bill was disposed off within five minutes, in what looked like hurrying up the matter before it is entangled in lengthy court process. The Bill seeks to regulate the modification of genetic organisms besides setting modalities for the establishment of the national biosafety authority. The Bill outlines strict measures under which businessmen can be allowed to import GMOs. The Bill outlines the policies and the framework on how activities related to GMOs would be handled. It also provides for the establishment, powers and functions of the National Biosafety Authority, as the focal point on issues pertaining to genetically modified organisms. A scientist appointed by the minister will chair the 14-member board of the authority. A lobby group and 13 individuals have gone to High Court to seek a national referendum on whether genetically modified organisms and foods should be produced, marketed, consumed and used. The lobby group, Africa Nature Stream, and 13 others filed an injunction blocking debate and enactment of the Bill pending hearing and determination of the case. If the Bill were rushed through the Committee Stage next week, it would mean the court case would have been overtaken by events. But if the House were adjourned before the Bill is scrutinised by the Committee of the Whole House, it would mean that the Bill dies with the Ninth Parliament and the court case could succeed to ensure the Tenth Parliament, without consultation, does not revisit the matter. The lobbyists opposed to the Bill claim the Government and MPs are pushing for the legislation as agents of biotechnology multi-nationals that are largely American. Challenging the move to introduce GMOs, they allege the genetically modified foods have been known to cause terminal illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, chronic fatigue and hepatitis C among others. They argue that apart from USA, where genetically modified organisms and foods technology were pioneered, Western Europe and Japan have remained skeptical about their use and consumption "on account of their unquantifiable risks and long-term environmental hazards." Further, they claim that western nations are asking their citizens to consume organic foods and urging third world countries to embrace genetically modified foods. The 14 applicants are of the view that widespread use and application of the biotechnology will replace native animals, traditional foods, plants and herbs well known to have high medicinal and curative ingredients. http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1026119720071010 Five arrested for 50-foot "green" protest at CBOT Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:56pm EDT By Karl Plume CHICAGO, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Protesters draped a 50-foot banner on the Chicago Board of Trade building on Wednesday, accusing agribusiness giants ADM (ADM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Bunge (BG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Cargill of destroying rainforests to produce renewable fuels. Chicago police arrested four men and a woman on charges of reckless conduct, criminal trespass and criminal damage to property after four of the activists scaled the outside of CBOT building to the 23rd floor to hang the banner, while the fifth person coordinated the effort from the ground. The protest came one day after an activist group ran a full-page advertisement in the Chicago Tribune calling the companies the "ABCs of rainforest destruction" for their role in expanding soy and palm oil plantations by clear-cutting rainforests. A Bunge Ltd spokesman said he was aware of the accusations, but stressed the company's environmental and social record. An Archer-Daniels-Midland Co spokesman declined comment. Cargill spokesman Bill Brady said: "We take our environmental footprint in the rainforest geographies very seriously. Cargill is committed to responsible economic development around the world." Streets around the landmark building were gridlocked as morning rush hour traffic was diverted, while curious pedestrians gawked at the banner, which eventually became tangled in the wind before authorities removed it. "The expansion of these commodity crops into the world's rainforests are causing mass destruction of rainforests, intensifying climate change and forcing communities off their land," said Leila Salazar-Lopez, director for the Rainforest Action Network's Stop Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign. Soybean planting in South America has been growing rapidly as more of the oilseed, which is traded at the CBOT, is used in the production of biofuels. In the United States, ethanol is largely made from corn grown across a wide swath of the Midwest. Wednesday's action raised concerns about CBOT building security, which has been heightened since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. CBOT is a subsidiary of CME Group Inc (CME.N: Quote, Profile, Research). CME Group spokesman Allan Schoenberg said the exchange was evaluating what, if any, changes to make to security policy. http://newsrack.in/DisplayNewsItem.do;jsessionid=3FC61C701521D6024AEC46C3BE765EE9?ni=18.10.2007%2F58.statesman.crawler%2Fpage.news.php_clid%3D9_AMP_theme%3D_AMP_usrsess%3D1_AMP_id%3D173662 Thursday, 18 October 2007 News Magazine Tribals to protest against irrigation project Statesman News Service BARIPADA, Oct. 17: The tribals of Deuli are ready to create a stir against the multi-crore Jambhira Medium Irrigation Project for displacing them. Those engaged in mobilising the tribals said they are protesting under the banner of Gana Abhijan Orissa (GAO). According to the leaders of GAO: "We are not against development. But we cannot remain silent while the people are suffering. They should be properly compensated." They gave examples of the kind of compensation paid to the displaced in Jajpur and other districts. Mr Sarat Kumar Nayak, a local representative, stated that a five-point charter of demands will be presented to the collector tomorrow. The demands include payment of Rs 1 lakh per acre from the oustees, Rs. 1 lakh for the construction of houses where they would be settled, payment of subsistence allowance to each displaced family for a year, government job for at least one member of every family. http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20071027/77383.htm Chhattisgarh tribals plan rally against Tata, Essar plants >From correspondents in Chhattisgarh, India, 02:30 PM IST Tribals in Chhattisgarh's mineral-rich Bastar region have planned a rally next month against the proposed projects of Tata Steel and Essar Steel and are also demanding the rehabilitation of the nearly 50,000 people displaced due to Maoist violence. The rally will be held Nov 5 at Jagdalpur town, district headquarters of Bastar district, under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Mahasabha, an umbrella group of tribal organisations. Manish Kunjam, national president of the Mahasabha, said nearly 100,000 tribal men and women were expected to attend the rally to oppose the planned integrated steel plant of Tata Steel in Bastar district and of Essar Steel in neighbouring Dantewada district. 'Tribals will not hand over their land at any cost to Tata Steel for its proposed five million tonne per annum (mtpa) project and also to Essar Steel for its 3.2 mtpa project,' Kunjam told IANS Saturday. Tata Steel had inked a deal with the Chhattisgarh government in June 2005 to set up the five-mtpa plant at Lohandiguda block in Bastar with an investment of Rs.100 billion. Essar had similarly signed a deal to invest Rs.70 billion for a two-phased 3.2-mtpa steel plant at Dhurli and Bhansi villages in Dantewada. The district has large fine quality iron ore stocks at Bailadila hills. Kunjam also said that they sought the rehabilitation of the people displaced due to increased Maoist violence after the launch of a civil militia movement against the rebels. 'The Mahasabha seeks early rehabilitation of about 50,000 people displaced due to a fallout of the civil militia movement, Salwa Judum, launched in June 2005 and another 50,000 people who were forced to flee their native villages and are presently living in bordering Andhra Pradesh as refugees due to authorities' excesses,' he said. http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-dealzone/2007/10/15/kkr-gets-toxic-protest-at-its-doorstep/ VIDEO-KKR gets 'toxic' protest October 15th, 2007, filed by Michael Flaherty The private equity protest movement moved to New York's West 57th Street on Monday, this time appearing on the doorstep of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The video clip here shows a group of speakers outside KKR's building at 9 West, including New York City council member Melissa Mark-Viverito. It then follows the group to 9 West's entrance where it tried to get in. The clip ends with Emily McKhann, chief executive of The Motherhood, a nonprofit organization for mothers. The title of Monday's event: Toys R Toxic? Barbarbians in the Playroom-The KKR and Toys "R" Us connection to toxic and dangerous toys. About two-dozen or so protesters gathered in front of the slick, 9 West office building to call on KKR to adopt a "code of conduct" to protect children from lead-tainted toys. Toys R Us agreed to be bought by KKR, Bain Capital and Vornado Realty Trust in March 2005 for $6.6 billion. The toy maker pulled vinyl baby bibs from shelves after testers found too much lead in them. Dollar General, another KKR portfolio company, recalled nearly 400,000 key chains in April for lead paint poisening and recalled more toys earlier this month. KKR owns Toys R Us with two other firms, and it's barely owned Dollar General for more than a few months. And several retailers, from toy makers to pet food sellers to drug makers have been caught up in the Chinese-made tainted product recalls that began earlier this year. But the protest group that descended on 9 West on Monday chose to focus their attention squarely on KKR. After a few speeches, the group tried to enter the building, causing security guards to scramble. Two guys held the doors inside, while the main security person stood in front, refusing to let the group in. He took some lip from some of the protesters, but it was a civil affair, ending with the group chanting "KKR. We'll be back" as they walked away. That's after chanting "KKR. Toxic Toys" on their approach. A KKR spokesman declined to comment. The event comes on the heels of several protests organized by union groups that are opposed to the private equity industry's history of slashing jobs to increase profits at their portfolio companies. Union groups have protested at private equity firms/events in other New York spots and Washington D.C. The Carlyle Group has also taken its lumps from union protesters. KKR took some heat from some critics who said they overpaid for Dollar General at the time of the deal. Now they're taking some heat just a few month's after the deal closed. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/17/2061552.htm Riverland grower to join water protest Posted Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:24am AEST Map: Renmark 5341 A South Australian Riverland grower will join a group of Victorian irrigators at a rally at Parliament House in Canberra next week. Renmark almond grower Jim Beleharis says he wants to make the Federal Government accountable for what he says is decades of mismanagement of the river system. Mr Beleharis says no-one has taken responsibility for the water crisis so far. "If you're faced with an issue and people to address it and the right people address it, you think to yourself, 'well there is a problem but we're working through it'," he said. "Here we've got a crisis on our hands bigger than this country's ever seen, except for perhaps the world wars, and everybody's just shrugging their shoulders and passing the buck." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/23/2066875.htm Farmers say Parliament House protest a success Posted Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:00am AEST Murray Valley irrigators who protested in Canberra yesterday say their trip was worthwhile, despite not being able to meet federal politicians. About 300 people rallied outside Parliament House yesterday to protest against the $10 billion federal water plan, environmental watering and the management of the Murray-Darling Basin during the drought. Wakool Mayor and group spokesman Ken Trewin says the rally attracted plenty of national media attention and efforts will continue to get the plight of irrigators onto the election agenda. "We're not going to give up, as their lives and their futures are literally on the line for our farming communities - not politicians," he said. "It's time the politicians listened to us on the ground. So we're going to drive it very vigorously over this next four weeks." http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/17/2061560.htm Bridge protest over pulp mill Posted Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:29am AEST Map: Bell Bay 7253 Anti-pulp mill protesters have scaled the Batman Bridge over the Tamar River in northern Tasmania. The site is close to the area proposed for Gunns' proposed $1.7 billion pulp mill. The three protestors work in the tourism industry and say they have enough provisions to last until Friday. Group spokesman, Holger Strie says they will come down when they're ready. "We're pretty safe at the moment," he said. "The bridge is barricaded as well. "We're going to come out when we're ready and that will probably be Friday at this stage. "We've got enough food and water up here so we're going to sit tight and we will come down peacefully." Police say the Batman Bridge remains open to traffic. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/19/2063867.htm High school students join mill protest Posted Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:24am AEST Map: Hobart 7000 Tasmanian high school, college and university students are the latest to protest against the proposed Gunns pulp mill. They will take to the streets on the first of next month and rally outside the Tasmanian Parliament. A new protest group, Students Against the Pulp Mill, has called on students to show dissent by walking out of class. A spokeswoman, Amyris Cauchi, says many students are not old enough to vote in the federal election but will have to live with the pulp mill. "The pulp mill is something that's a big concern for us because it's our future and we don't want our future to be ruined by something that may not be sustainable," she said. A spokeswman for the Education Minister says in the case of younger students, any decision to stop classes rests with the school and the parents. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1427769 Greens hold fancy dress protest Nov 3, 2007 12:28 PM Green Party members are holding a bloody bad taste fancy dress BBQ today outside a Wellington furniture store. They are hoping to draw attention to the sale of suspect Kwila furniture. Party co-leader Russel Norman says it's in bad taste to sell furniture made from timber taken from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. He says our government and the World Bank have both produced reports showing most of the logging in these two countries is illegal. Norman says they are dressed up in old-style Hawaiian shirts, 80's jump-suits with their Kate Bush music blaring in the background and giving away vegetarian sausages, while encouraging the public to support New Zealand manufacturers who use sustainable sources of timber. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2007/10/22/daily15.html Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Activists arrested at BofA protest Charlotte Business Journal - by Rich Thomaselli Staff Writer Two protesters were arrested Tuesday morning after accessing an uptown construction site, scaling a 70-foot crane and unfurling a banner protesting Bank of America Corp.'s alleged funding of mountaintop coal removal. The two men were charged with trespassing and breaking and entering. The protesters scaled the crane at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel construction site at College and Trade Streets before hanging a 50-foot banner at 6:15 a.m. that read "Bank of America: Funding Coal, Killing Communities." The construction site is across College Street from BofA's corporate headquarters tower on Tryon Street. Another two Rainforest Action Network representatives at the site were arrested, says Sam Haswell, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based environmental group. "As far was we're concerned, it was a success," Haswell says. "No doubt it got the attention of people around Charlotte and Bank of America officials, and that was the point. We needed to amplify our message that they're financing an archaic practice." Rainforest Action Network claims BofA (NYSE:BAC) has invested billions of dollars in companies that practice mountaintop removal of coal in the Appalachian region of the United States. "The reality is that, as a country, over 50 percent of the electricity we all consume comes from coal," says BofA spokeswoman Eloise Hale. "Bank of America is aggressively investing in and financing the development and use of cleaner, renewable energies." Initial calls to police falsely claimed the men were stuck in the crane. The banner remained aloft for nearly two hours until police and firemen forced the men down. The protest caused a traffic bottleneck around BofA's corporate headquarters. Police were forced to close College Street between Second and Fifth streets. Police also closed the Trade and College street intersection for one block in each direction. By 9:07 a.m., all streets were re-opened. One city of Charlotte policeman remained stationed in front of the main entrance to BofA's headquarters. A single Mecklenburg County sheriff's car was parked nearby. Reach banking reporter Rich Thomaselli at (704) 973-1119 or rthomaselli at bizjournals.com. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/14/nbook114.xml Christopher Booker's notebook By Christopher Booker Last Updated: 1:37am BST 15/10/2007 Storm of protest over turbines gathers force A Government inspector gave the go-ahead last month to 10 giant wind turbines at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, famous for its 7th-century Anglo-Saxon chapel, the oldest in Britain. Each 400ft turbine will be as high as Salisbury Cathedral, visible for miles. The scheme was opposed by almost everyone in the area, including Maldon council, whose head of planning, James Doe, said: "Once built, the windfarm will change the historic landscape of the area for years to come, with historic landmarks such as St Peter's Chapel irreparably harmed." The inspector, Philip Major, claimed on the other hand that, although there would be "a major change" to the area's appearance, its "essential character" would not be lost, and that the "elegant" turbines would not harm the setting of St Peter's. Thus the majority of those who will actually have to live in the turbines' shadow thought one way, while a single individual who may never visit Bradwell again thought the opposite. Naturally his view prevailed. All over Britain scores of similar battles are taking place, as the Government desperately fights to meet its EU-imposed target that, by three years' time, 10 per cent of our energy must come from renewable sources. At the moment that figure is less than 5 per cent (only 1 per cent from wind). The only way the Government can see to meet its target is by forcing through permission for as many as 8,000 more turbines. Little noticed, however, was a recent recommendation from Ofgem, which regulates gas and electricity industries, that the Government should end its Renewables Obligation, under which the wind industry receives a hidden subsidy of nearly ?1 billion a year (eventually due to rise to a staggering ?32 billion a year), paid by all of us through higher electricity bills. This compels the electricity companies to buy all the power generated from wind at around twice the normal market price. Without a subsidy, as the British Wind Energy Association pointed out, the industry would become so "uneconomic" that investment would dry up. One reason this drama does not receive more national attention is that it is being chiefly fought out through local battles, which attract only local coverage. Just occasionally a campaign hits the headlines, such as that over Glyndebourne opera house's plan to build a single, comparatively small turbine next to the Sussex Downs. But this is insignificant beside other proposals, such as the 130 turbines, each 450ft high and requiring 30 miles of new roads, that threaten to destroy many square miles of ancient peat bog at Strathspey. In Devon residents are fighting 22 vast turbines planned around Knowstone. In west Cumbria they are opposing 21 giants planned to dwarf six villages. In Dumfriesshire they are shocked by the prospect of the 71 monsters recently approved by the Scottish Executive near Moffat. In the past year or two, however, a significant change has come over the nature of these battles. No longer are communities objecting to wind turbines just because they represent colossal intrusions into some of our wilder, more beautiful landscapes. The penny is dropping that subsidised windpower is an expensive way to generate only pitifully small amounts of electricity, and that the CO2 emissions it saves are derisory (when it was recently boasted that the hundreds of turbines in Wales save 200,000 tons of CO2 a year, an expert pointed out that a single coal-fired power station in Glamorgan emits this amount every week). So locked is our Government into the vain dream of meeting its EU target that it is prepared to bend normal planning rules and flout local democracy in every direction, to force through as many schemes as it can. But people are at last waking up to the fact that windpower has become one of the most lucrative confidence tricks of our age. When even Ofgem calls for an end to the subsidy system as "the most costly and inefficient form of lowering CO2 emissions" yet devised, the days of the "great wind scam" may at last be numbered. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22626267-1702,00.html Hundreds protest Puerto Rican 'pet massacre' By John Marino October 22, 2007 08:45am Article from: Reuters HUNDREDS of people, angered over an alleged "pet massacre" in Puerto Rico's northwest town of Barceloneta, joined in a protest march on Sunday from the island's Supreme Court to its Capitol. Many in the crowd of about 500 brought dogs and wore T-shirts reading, "I'm a animal lover" or "I love mutts." Others held signs with slogans like "stop animal abuse" and "justice for the pets of Barceloneta." The October 8 and 10 raids, in which authorities seized around 80 pets from their owners at three public housing projects in Barceloneta, stirred widespread anger. Residents say many of the animals were later thrown off the 50-foot (15-metre) Paseo del Indio highway bridge outside of town to their deaths. "I'm here because we have to stop the abuse against dogs and other animals," said dog owner Mari Luz Santiago. Fellow protester Ramon Martinez added: "If what they say is true, that's an action that's unfitting for any civilized country." Mayor Sol Luis Fontanes ordered the raids after instituting a no-pet policy at the projects, though commonwealth and federal housing officials say they had no rules barring pets. Forty-five residents filed a $22.5 million federal lawsuit on Friday against the town, the Public Housing Administration, the owner of an animal control company and several others. The suit claims at least 50 of the pets were beaten, drugged and then thrown to their deaths from the bridge. Animal Control Solutions President Julio Diaz, whose company was contracted by the municipality, said municipal officials delivered the pets to his firm, which then euthanized the animals humanely. Mr Diaz said many pet corpses below the bridge were decomposed and probably killed before the raids, but some residents told of rescuing pet survivors and identifying bodies. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/23/2067318.htm?section=justin Three arrested in GM crop protest Posted Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:04am AEST A Greenpeace activist dressed as a cow protests at the headquarters of milk giant Murray Goulburn in Melbourne. (AAP: Julian Smith) Map: Melbourne 3000 Three Greenpeace activists have been arrested during a protest at Murray Goulburn's Melbourne headquarters. Protesters went into the building demanding the co-operative support bans on genetically engineered food crops. Police had to forcibly remove three campaigners from the premises, but several protesters remain outside. Campaigner, Louise Sales, says the dairy giant supports the reintroduction of GE crops for use in stock feed. "Murray Goulburn play a pivotal role in the dairy industry not only in Victoria but also in all of Australia," she said. "We think its important that they support clean healthy food for consumers and stand up for farmers and protect our GE free status," she said. "So I had a brief interchange with the managing director but he was fairly hostile and wasn't really ready to engage," Ms Sales said. "So we will continue to pursue a meeting with Murray Goulburn to talk about their policy," she said. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2007/s2070135.htm Kimberley protest over gas proposal Thursday, 25/10/2007 Protestors have disrupted a public meeting in Broome, angry at plans for a multi-billion dollar gas development on the Kimberley coast. The protestors called on Japanese company Inpex to abandon its plans for a liquified natural gas plant on the isolated Maret Islands. They held up signs in Japanese saying "Shame on Inpex" and "Hands off the Marets", which spokesman Kevin Blatchford says was an attempt to highlight the issue overseas. "We're going to take the fight to Japan," he says. "The Japanese people need to realise how precious the Kimberley is to us here in Australia. "Now, yes we want to give them their gas, but what we're saying is this company doesn't need to destroy the values of the wilderness when they have an alternative". http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/25/2069792.htm New protest group may be formed to fight Traveston dam Posted Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:16am AEST A gathering of anti-Traveston Crossing dam campaigners will take place tonight in Maryborough, in south-east Queensland, to decide whether or not to establish another protest group to fight the State Government's proposed dam. Tiaro Shire councillor Darryl Stewart says the dam's environmental impact statement prompted the move because he says it downplays the impacts a dam would have on the lower reaches of the Mary River. Cr Stewart says a new group would focus on the area between Tiaro and the river mouth and would work closely with other groups waging campaigns against the dam. "The Great Sandy Straits group is a fairly small one which has only been recently started and we'll certainly be looking at working very closely with them in getting the message out to the general public," he said. "The impacts are going to be absolutely huge and the more people we can have involved in fighting the proposal the better." http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4258166a5620.html Heroes star Hayden joins whale protest (+photos) Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 1 November 2007Heroes star Hayden Panettiere has joined a high-profile protest in Japan at the site where thousands of pilot whales are slaughtered every year. Panettiere joined Logie award-winning Australian actor Isabel Lucas and other celebrities and professional surfers to form a floating circle on surf boards offshore near the coastal village of Taiji. The pre-dawn protest was staged in recent days and it sparked a heated confrontation with local fishermen. Some fishermen in the town kill dolphins and pilot whales in hunts that use fishing boats and metal noise-makers to herd the animals into netted coves and bays where they are held captive before being killed. "I couldn't believe how red the water was," Panettiere said in a media statement issued through the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "The whales were so scared. Hopefully their deaths won't be in vain." Lucas said the fishermen kept "revving their engines and driving towards us." "We couldn't save these whales, but hopefully shining the light on their deaths will save others." -With AAP and SMH. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:17:29 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:17:29 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Miscellaneous protests, October 2007 Message-ID: <034e01c824da$9260b160$0802a8c0@andy1> * ITALY: Anarchists dye fountain red * JORDAN: Villagers clash with police over water contamination * CHINA: Social tensions threaten "harmony" * ITALY: Mass unrest after police murder football fan [NOTE: When a cop is killed by fans, the state goes into overdrive, cancelling football indefinitely and passing draconian laws. When a fan is murdered by a cop, the state tries to play it down. This is not the first time Italian police have been caught shooting into crowds. Before the well-known murder of Carlo Giuliani during the Genoa protests, there had been a wave of such incidents in the 1970s. There is a simple way to prevent incidents of this kind: disarm the police.] * NEW ZEALAND: Protests target "terror" arrests of activists * PAKISTAN: Bandh, unrest after assassination attempt against opposition leader * INDIA: Tribal peoples protest over extension of scheduled caste status * US: Christian singer faces gay rights protest * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Magistrate stoned to death over hit-and-run * INDIA: Death of student sparks candlelit protest * US: Marchers protest over undiscovered bodies * US: Students wear holsters in protest for campus gun rights * INDIA: Anger and delight over campus traffic ban * NIGERIA: Students protest running-over of colleague, trash vehicles * NEPAL: Pogrom survivors start then call off bandh * BELGIUM/EUROPE: Turks in Belgium and elsewhere stage protests and fight police in rallies against PKK * NEPAL: Journalists protest abduction of reporter * BOSNIA: Ethnic protests by Serbs over reforms http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jDwQ5kjHntuhAdLy-KewG1MGdSYQ Rome's Trevi Fountain flows blood-red in 'anarchist' protest Oct 19, 2007 ROME (AFP) - Self-described anarchists on Friday poured dye into Rome's Trevi Fountain, turning the water in the tourist magnet a bright blood-red, an AFP reporter witnessed. Leaflets left around the fountain referred to the RomeFilmFest which opened Thursday in the Italian capital: "You wanted just a red carpet; we want a city entirely in vermilion" before denouncing the event's 15-million-euro (21-million-dollar) budget. They added: "Today we give birth to a new violent conception of life and history, which exalts the battle against ... the toadies of false power, slaves to the global market." The statement was signed "FTM Azionefuturista 2007," in what appears to be a reference to a futuristic art movement founded in 1909 which Mussolini embraced as the official art of fascism. The tract said the group opposed "this grey and bourgeois society ... We who are vulnerable, old, ill, students, workers, we come with vermilion to colour your greyness." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/29/africa/ME-GEN-Jordan-Poisoning-Riots.php Jordanians clash with riot police angered over poisoning in northern village The Associated Press Published: October 29, 2007 AMMAN, Jordan: Dozens of villagers clashed with riot police in northern Jordan on Monday, two days after some 400 people from the area were hospitalized for poisoning. The riots erupted at sundown, with Sakeb villagers pouring into the streets, burning tires and hurling stones at the local government office, said Ahmed al-Zoubi, the mayor of the town of al-Murab, which also oversees Sakeb. Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, accompanied by health, water and environment ministers, toured Sakeb, visiting a handful of the patients who remain in a local hospital there. Some 400 people from Sakeb were admitted to the area's hospitals on Saturday with diarrhea, vomiting and high fever. Local officials and doctors in the region had said Saturday that over 160 were hospitalized, but health officials Monday said the toll was much higher. The incident was the third such case of mass affliction in the region in four months. Health officials have said the latest poisoning was being investigated, adding that initial reports pointed to either contaminated water or food items sold at a fast food joint in Sakeb. "They're upset because they think the drinking water in Sakeb is contaminated," al-Zoubi told The Associated Press over the phone. "We told them that test samples taken from the water and the local restaurant aren't out yet and they shouldn't jump into conclusions, but nobody wanted to listen." According to al-Zoubi, the rioters also blocked the main highway outside Sakeb, which links the nearby Roman-ruin city of Jerash with Ajloun, further north. When police moved to reopen the road, the villagers briefly clashed with the troops. "Now, the situation is under police control," al-Zoubi said. It wasn't clear if any arrests were made. Sakeb, with a population of 20,000, lies near Jordan's famed Jerash and about 48 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital, Amman. In July, a waterborne virus gave some 500 people in a Mafraq city suburb, north of Jerash, diarrhea and high fevers. Officials said the episode was caused by a water pipe that became contaminated with animal dung. In August, 204 people were poisoned because they ate sandwiches with undercooked chicken in the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, just outside Jerash. Health authorities shut down the restaurant and banned the sale of chicken shawerma sandwiches and homemade mayonnaise, which often uses raw eggs. Despite being economically well off, the north of Jordan, health officials say, suffers from lax health inspection standards. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jKIIrcnGkXMomzaY8K8W-gkfLonAD8S9QHN80 Social Tensions Confront China's Harmony By AUDRA ANG - Oct 15, 2007 XIAMEN, China (AP) - It was a sight to behold: Thousands of protesters massed on the streets of one of China's most prosperous cities, demanding that construction of a chemical plant close to their homes be stopped. Demonstrators, many wearing yellow bands of cloth in a show of unity, faced down a wall of policemen, marching past skyscrapers and shopping malls as onlookers passed out bottles of water under the hot June sun. The protest led the government to halt construction of the $1.4 billion facility, at least for now, and became emblematic of the simmering discontent facing Chinese leaders. As Communist Party leaders gathering in Beijing this week call for creating a "harmonious society," signs abound that the country is far from it. In China's wrenching transformation from a poor, largely agricultural society to a prosperous industrial one, the party is wrestling with changes that have angered many Chinese. "Farmers have lost their land, workers of state-owned companies have gotten laid off, people living at the bottom of society struggle in their daily lives, there is a huge difference in incomes of the rich and the poor, and a large amount of violence exists," said Ai Xiaoming, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University and an advocate for human rights and legal reform. "These are signs of a disharmonious society," she said from Guangzhou, the capital of prosperous Guangdong province, where rising land prices have touched off disputes between farmers and developers. The tensions pose a challenge for the authoritarian communist government, which often tries to suppress dissent, and especially for President Hu Jintao. In power for five years, Hu has made a priority of distributing the benefits of recent decades of speedy economic growth more evenly. He has used the phrase "creating a harmonious society" and a related phrase, "the scientific outlook on development," as slogans for this campaign. Senior Communist Party members are expected to weave the ideologies into a final draft of a document outlining priorities for the next five years. "We will spare no effort to solve the most specific problems of the utmost and immediate concern to the people and strive to create a situation in which all people do their best, find their proper places in society and live together in harmony," Hu told more than 2,200 delegates Monday in the weeklong conclave's opening speech. Hu's government has set aside billions of dollars in new farm subsidies, increased spending on social security, education and health care, and made public efforts to root out rampant corruption. But it is an uphill task to ease social tensions. According to the most recent figures from the Ministry of Public Security, 87,000 "mass incidents" were reported in 2005, including a deadly clash between police and villagers over the seizure of land for a power plant. And just last month, thousands of demobilized soldiers sent to railway training centers rioted in at least three cities. Then there's the emerging middle class, whose investments in homes, cars and their children's education gives them a growing stake in society and an awareness of their rights. "The amount of demonstrations is growing as social issues of instability are increasing. People's sense of safeguarding their rights is awakening," wrote Wen Yunchao, a columnist for the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper, who witnessed the June 1-2 protests in Xiamen. "I will slap anyone who says today's China is harmonious." In Xiamen, a tropical port city once known in the West as Amoy and once a haven for pirates and the opium trade, the demonstrations centered around construction of a Tenglong Aromatic PX (Xiamen) Co. plant in the coveted Haicang district, a breezy suburb west of the city of 1.6 million. The plant would have made the petrochemical paraxylene, which is used in the production of plastics, polyester and film; it can cause eye, nose or throat irritation and chronic exposure may result in death. Residents say they were kept in the dark about the project until details started trickling out in March. Soon, text messages, blogs, Internet bulletin boards and computer messenger services were abuzz. One phone message likened the plant to an atomic bomb being dropped on Xiamen. Talk of protest gathered steam. "I felt that if everyone went, we could make a change," said Wu, a 32-year-old resident who did not want his full name used for fear of reprisals and who carried his 3-year-old son to the protest. "If my son asks me in the future 'Where were you when the project was being built, Dad?' I would feel ashamed if I had not dared to join the march." After the protest, the State Environmental Protection Administration said it was conducting a new environmental assessment for the entire city, including the paraxylene plant. Less than two miles from the construction site, many apartments now sit empty because no one wants to live there, and real estate prices have plunged. Residents are not sure if their victory was final or temporary. Telephones at state and city government offices were not answered. Company officials refused to release any information and hung up the telephone repeatedly. In calling for social harmony, Hu seems to be trying to juggle rising expectations by meeting demands for better living standards while forestalling any chance for meaningful political change, experts said. "It does not in any way imply a real democratic change," said Steve Tsang, an expert on Chinese politics at Oxford University. "If anything, it pre-empts the need for political reform." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7090017.stm Last Updated: Monday, 12 November 2007, 00:41 GMT Italy fans rampage after killing Rioters set vehicles alight near Rome's Stadio Olimpico Italian football fans have reacted violently inside and outside stadiums following the police shooting of a Lazio supporter. Gabriele Sandri, 26, was shot in what police called a "tragic error" as they tried to stop violence between rival fans at a motorway stop in Tuscany. A match between Atalanta and AC Milan was stopped as fans and police clashed. There was violence at other games. Later hundreds of fans rampaged in Rome and there were more protests in Milan. Police chiefs, politicians and football administrators will be meeting on Monday to seek to limit the damage from the weekend's incidents. Bus torched The worst violence was in the capital, where hundreds of armed fans attacked a police barracks and the Italian Olympic Committee headquarters. Sunday's late match between AS Roma and Cagliari had been postponed as a precaution but fans wielding rocks and clubs turned up outside the Stadio Olimpico. Security guards in the Olympic headquarters barricaded themselves in as fans outside smashed windows and burned vehicles as they clashed with police. The mob blocked off one end of a bridge over the Tiber and ordered motorists to leave the area. A bus was torched and several people including police were injured. There were also angry scenes in central Milan near the offices of the broadcaster RAI, as fans hurled rocks at a police station and beat up two journalists. In Bergamo, where Atalanta were playing AC Milan, police and fans clashed ahead of the match. The game was abandoned 10 minutes after kick-off, when fans tried to smash down a barrier and force their way onto the pitch. In Siena, supporters shouted "murderers" at police. There was also violence at lower league games in southern Italy. Seven of the top league games started 10 minutes late with players wearing black armbands although atmospheres remained tense. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi called for a full investigation into the shooting and said the violence was "very worrying". 'Tragic error' Mr Sandri, a 26-year-old disc jockey from Rome, was a Lazio fan on his way to a match with Inter Milan. Lazio fans and supporters of Juventus on their way to a match at Parma reportedly clashed at the service station near Arezzo. Mr Sandri was apparently shot while in a car outside the motorway restaurant. Police suggested he may have been killed by a warning shot. The exact details of the shooting are unclear and an investigation is under way. "It was a tragic error," said Arezzo police chief Vincenzo Giacobbe. "Our agent had intervened to prevent the brawl between these two groups, who had not been identified as fans," Mr Giacobbe said, according to the Italian news agency Ansa. The Inter-Lazio game was postponed. In April the Italian government introduced a law aimed at stamping out football hooliganism. It was enacted after a policeman was killed in rioting at a match in Sicily in February. The BBC's Frances Kennedy in Rome says that despite the new anti-hooliganism measures, Sunday's explosion of anger shows that violence is never far from the surface. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/413551/1428084 Protest turns nasty at party meeting Nov 3, 2007 6:43 PM More than 35 police called in to tackle a crowd of angry protesters outside the Labour Party's annual conference in Auckland. The violence erupted when Labour Party member Len Richards went into the crowd and allegedly hit a protestor following a struggle with the megaphone he was using. Richards was not arrested but several protestors were taken away by police. The relatively peaceful protest, which involved around 80 people, was staged in opposition to the Terrorism Suppression Act employed in recent police raids. A man who tried to intervene was dragged away and taken to a police van where he was cuffed and searched. The mood of the protest continued downhill when a young Maori protester doing the haka confronted a police officer and spat at him. Police took the 17-year-old away. He was charged with technical assault but was later released. Protesters are furious their people are being arrested while those that started it go free, but Richards has repeatedly said he has done nothing wrong. "It didn't hit anybody. If I did it was because I felt threatened, but I didn't go out there to hit anybody. There was no violence...I oppose violence," he says. Police spoke with Richards but showed no interest in arresting him. A protester is understood to have laid a complaint against Richards and police say they are investigating http://www.stuff.co.nz/4253363a10.html Terror raids protest spreads By EMMA PAGE - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 28 October 2007 Kiwis around the world joined local protesters yesterday in calls for terrorism laws to be scrapped after police raids that have angered activists and split public opinion. In Auckland a crowd of nearly 700, led through the city by Tuhoe visiting from the Bay of Plenty, chanted "stand up, fight back when human rights are under attack". With his young son in a pram and carrying a sign saying "defend our civil rights", Aucklander Tom McMillan said he was taking part because he wanted terrorism laws to be dropped. "We just don't need them." Algerian refugee Ahmed Zaoui's lawyer Deborah Manning and Harmeet Sooden, who was kidnapped in Iraq two years ago, were also in the crowd which cheered as Rongomai Bailey, who faces firearm charges and was released on bail last week addressed it. While 13 New Zealand locations had noon meetings, people also rallyied overnight in Ireland, Australia, the US and England. "These are Kiwis who are saying 'what the hell is going on in my country?'," said veteran protester John Minto. "We're not a terrorist target. We don't have terrorists in New Zealand and this use of the Terrorism Act is a breach of civil rights." Huka Williams, who co-ordinated the Tuhoe contingent that travelled from the Bay of Plenty, wanted people to know that Tuhoe activist Tame Iti had close ties to many peaceful, human rights organisations. Meanwhile, the 250 Wellington protesters heard statements written by local activists currently in custody on charges over alleged links to the paramilitary camps. One of the arrested activists wrote, "You will hear tremendous lies and fabrications about us in the coming months and years. Beware the agenda being served: it is about controlling you and controlling your thoughts . . . "Organise, communicate and get ready to fight back against the enemies of justice and freedom among us now. We are fighting for our lives." In Christchurch about 100 people staged a sit down protest, blocking traffic for a short time. There were protests in Hamilton, Wanganui and Palmerston North. An event is planned for Dunedin today. * Police commissioner Howard Broad is expected to decide as early as tomorrow whether to recommend to the Solicitor-General that charges be laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act. * Most of the 17 arrested are due to re-appear in Auckland District Court on Thursday. Only three are remanded on bail. * Tame Iti is fighting his transfer to Auckland at a hearing in Rotorua tomorrow. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C10%5C21%5Cstory_21-10-2007_pg12_1 Three-day mourning period: Angry PPP youth riot over open shops By Faraz Khan KARACHI: In protest against the attacks on the PPP's procession in Karachi, strikes were held and riots broke out in various areas of Karachi and in other cities throughout the province. Multiple disturbances were reported Saturday from arson to skirmishes. Over a dozen bystanders were injured in Lyari because of aerial firing from, according to the police, PPP activists protesting Thursday's attacks on PPP's welcome rally. Lyari Town SP Fayyaz Khan told Daily Times that the PPP Lyari activists, especially of the Shah Baig Lane, Chakiwara, rioted a lot. "They were even trying to target the police," said Khan. However, no policemen were hurt and no one has been arrested yet, he added. The injured include Majid, Arshad, Zubair, Anas, Javaid, Rashid, Ashraf, Sabir, Hamza, Jafer, Rehan and Jamil. They were taken to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK). The CHK emergency in-charge told Daily Times that at least 12 injured had been brought in from Lyari and that most of the injuries were minor. Protestors burnt tyres and pelted vehicles with stones in the PPP-dominated areas of Lyari, Pak Colony, Old Golimar, New Golimar, Teen Hatti, Baloch Para, Jhangeer Road, Lasbela, Patel Para, MA Jinnah Road, Malir, Khoparapar, Gulistan-e-Johar, Safora Goth, Baldia, Mauripur, Super Highway, Gadap Town, Tower and Jail Chowrangi. Traffic was suspended because of man-made hurdles and one vehicle was reported burnt in Lasbela. Protestors also tried to force a shutter-down strike in several areas of the city and there were reports of aerial firing in some areas such as Kharadar, Boltan Market, Tower, Chakiwara, Singu Lane, Kalakot and more. Saddar Town Police Officer Captain Tahir Naveed told Daily Times that the incidents were minor. SP Naveed said that the police got to the places from where there were reports of aerial firing and it turned out that the protestors were trying to force shopkeepers to close down. "We talked to them and got the situation under control," said Naveed. At least 30 percent of the petrol pumps were closed. The attendance in offices was thin and most markets were closed at the time this report was filed. The protestors chanted anti-government slogans and warned of more protests if the culprits were not arrested soon. Shahzad Shah adds: At least eleven people were injured Saturday in Lyari within the jurisdiction of the Talakot Police Station. Three of them are in critical condition and have been shifted to Civil hospital's emergency ward, informed Dr Farhan, CHK's medico-legal officer. According to some reports there was an exchange of fire, but others said that it was not part of the usual gang war and just aerial firing. A witness named Ashfaq told Daily Times that a five-hour open exchange of fire took place between two groups. The incident took place on the entry road to Shah Baig near Naghman Mosque at 3:30 p.m. The relatives of the injured protested at Civil hospital because proper care arrangements were not made. There were only two doctors on duty in the emergency ward of Civil hospital, said Raheem Baloch's mother. When this correspondent tried to ask a witness about the events that transpired he angrily replied that there is no point in telling the media. "This stuff has been in the media in the past, many times, but nothing is being done about it," he said. He also alleged that the area police were behind everything. The relatives of the injured also blamed the police for not taking responsibility. They said that the police were making excuses, saying that the incident was not in their jurisdiction. The police officer of the police station concerned, Reyaz Ahmad, arrived at the CHK to negotiate with the relatives of the injured, but they refused to talk to him. The brother of one of the injured, who did not want to be mentioned, said that the police brush this off by saying that it is a war between the Baloch and 'let them fight'. The names of the injured include: Ramazan s/o Ghulam Hussain, Nauman Haider s/o Ghulam Haider, Jameel Ahmad s/o Imam Bux, Majid s/o Abdul Nawaz, Irshad s/o Abdul Sattar, Zubair s/o Javaid, Allah Bachaya s/o Suleman, Raheem Baloch s/o Suleman, Anas and Shahid s/o Murad Bux. http://kuidina.blogspot.com/2007/10/tribal-protest-continues.html Tribal protest continues Statesman News service PHULBANI, Oct. 14: Ignoring the appeal of the district administration, the Kui Samaj Samannya Samiti continued to agitate against the alleged move of extending certain tribal facilities to the non-tribals. Led by Mr Lambodar Kanhar, thousands of tribals organised a rally and a protest meeting at Linepada under the Khajuripada police station yesterday without taking prior permission from the police, official sources said. At least 3,000 tribals raised slogans against the government and particularly against the local BJD minister Mr Padmanab Behera and the Congress MP Mr Radhakanta Nayak. Castigating the government in their speeches, the tribal leaders said that a section of the people like Mr Behera and Mr Nayak has started an Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Bhubaneswar and are trying to extend facilities meant for the tribals extended to a section of the non-tribals . They also demanded that Mr Behera should be removed and stern action should be taken against the Bhubaneswar based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) which had raised such a demand. Police force were deployed in and around Linepada and the superintendent of police Mr N Bhol and the sub collector, Baliguda, Mr BK Mohapatra are closely monitoring the situation. It may be noted that Linepada and the nearby areas had witnessed an unprecedented violence in the nineties, when the then Biju Patnaik government had failed to tackle a prolonged ethnic clash between the tribals and the non-tribals. Over the years, the tribals have harboured a feeling that they are being exploited by the non-tribal Scheduled Caste sections. Recently, the tribals have started regrouping themselves against yet another move by the non-tribals who are claiming certain benefits. Sensing trouble, the district administration has appealed to the tribals for restraining themselves. However, the rally, indicated that the tribals are in no mood to listen to the administration. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iCfKCFWxw0VUcx2kxi08srzmSHYQD8SIIODG0 Obama Singer Wins Cheers Despite Protest By JIM DAVENPORT - 6 days ago COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A Grammy-winning singer whose role in a Barack Obama campaign event riled gay activists served as master of ceremonies of a gospel concert promoting the Democratic presidential hopeful Sunday night. "We're here," Donnie McClurkin told a cheering crowd. "We're here and we're glad we're here." McClurkin, who has angered gay rights groups by saying homosexuality is a choice, told the crowd the musical acts were there "in the name of unity" and "in the name of change." An hour earlier, outside the concert venue, about two dozen gay and lesbian group supporters marched and carried a rainbow flag. McClurkin was headlining an "Embrace the Change" concert that capped a weekend of gospel music that Obama, an Illinois senator, is hoping to use to recruit churchgoers - and music lovers - in this early voting state. But McClurkin's presence created a rift as gay and lesbian activists tried to force Obama to boot the singer from the lineup. Obama wouldn't budge, but he tried to quell the anger by adding an openly gay pastor to the event. McClurkin, who has said he does not believe in discriminating against homosexuals, spent much of Sunday evening introducing the acts. Obama did not attend the event, but in a video played for more than 2,000 at the Township Auditorium he called the evening's acts "inspirational talent" that were among his favorites. The people in the crowd agreed with their feet, standing and waving and clapping hands to the blaring music, regularly joining in to sing. Obama has been courting churchgoers heavily in South Carolina. Earlier this month, he spent two Sundays at churches in Columbia and Greenville. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22630354-663,00.html Papua New Guinea magistrate stoned to death A PAPUA New Guinea magistrate was stoned to death after his car crashed into a refugee camp in the capital Port Moresby. Senior magistrate Ivo Cappo crashed into a tent outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in the early hours of Saturday morning, narrowly missing sleeping women and children. The 55-year-old was then allegedly set upon and stoned to death. Police yesterday were photographing and fingerprinting men from the group of 93 Papuans. The men from the western part of New Guinea, which is under Indonesian rule, have been camped outside the UNHCR office for four weeks asking to be sent to a third country. A spokesman for the group said police were yet to lay charges, but about 37 men would be locked up as investigations continued. Mr Cappo and his passenger were "heavily drunk" when his car crashed about 2.30am, the Papuan spokesman said. Men who were not part of the refugee group attacked Mr Cappo, throwing stones at him and killing him but "one or two of our boys" were also involved, he said. Payback attacks are still widespread in PNG, but authorities seek to persuade aggrieved parties to settle matters through police and the courts or compensation deals. - AAP http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2070393.htm PNG police arrest four over magistrate killing Last Updated 25/10/2007, 14:54:45Select text size: Papua New Guinea police have arrested and charged four refugees from the Indonesian province of Papua over the alleged murder of one of PNG's senior court magistrates over the weekend. Firmin Nanol reports that PNG's Port Moresby Police Chief, Fred Yakasa says the four men were charged for willful murder and appeared briefly before the court this week. He says they allegedly stoned senior magistrate Ivvo Kappo to death at the week end after he crashed his car near their make shift camp site. The men were part of a group of more than 80 refugees from the Indonesian province of Papua who protested and camped near the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office demanding deportation to a third country, after a land they were living on was reclaimed by its owner for redevelopment. They are now being locked inside a police station in fear of revenge attack by the magistrate's relatives. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:96r3W4bmMsAJ:www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php%3Fdate%3D2007-10-13%26usrsess%3D1%26clid%3D22%26id%3D200625+india+%22flames+of+protest%22+rizwanur+rehman&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=uk Flames of protest KOLKATA, Oct 12: It was hardly seven in the evening, and the pavement adjoining St Xavier's College was brightly lit up. The streetlights seemed dim as hundreds of candles cast a glow on Rizwanur Rehman's picture, propped up on a small table. The candles are not to be extinguished. At least as long as the organisers of the candle-light protest against Rizwanur Rehman's mysterious death do not run out of the number of persons volunteering to tend the flames. And from the look of it, they won't. Hundreds of candles were burning and most of the people coming to swell the number of the those mourning Rizwanur in silence on Park Street today, came holding a candle. The manner of Rizwanur's death had not only sparked off an outrage among students. Even the man on the street joined the students today to register his disappointment with the system. Volunteers armed with registers walked up to pedestrians with a request to join their signature campaign and more often than not, they were obliged. People stopped their cars to join in a silent prayer for the former St. Xaviers' student. Some even offered money, only to be politely refused. The benefactor were told that their participation was the best contribution to the cause. They say that a city is what its streets are. That little corner outside St Xavier's spoke loud and clear what Kolkata is ~ inclusive, empathic, defiant and united by a cause. n SNS http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/LOCAL/710110510/-1/LOCAL17 October 11, 2007 Marchers protest over bodies left behind Gary -- About 20 protesters rallied outside City Hall, calling for police officers to be fired after two teenagers who died in a car crash were undiscovered for several hours until a family member found them. Neither the mayor nor the police chief met Tuesday with the picketers, who held signs and delivered letters asking that the responding officers be fired and for the chief to resign. Family members of Brandon Smith and Dominique Green, both 18, have been searching for answers about the deaths since the Sept. 15 crash. Gary police Cmdr. Sam Roberts, a department spokesman, gave protesters a letter written by Chief Thomas Houston. The letter, dated Sept. 21, offered condolences and denied claims of insensitivity. Mayor Rudy Clay was in a meeting and would not meet with the protesters, city spokeswoman LaLosa Burns said. The bodies of Smith and Green were found by Smith's father, Arthur Smith, about six hours after the crash and hours after police officers left the scene. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,304806,00.html Students Strap On Empty Holsters to Protest Gun Restrictions on Campus Wednesday, October 24, 2007 By Melissa Underwood College students across the country have been strapping empty holsters around their waists this week to protest laws that prohibit concealed weapons on campus, citing concerns over campus shootings. "People who would otherwise be able to defend themselves are left defenseless when on campus," said Ethan Bratt, a graduate student wearing an empty holster this week on the campus of Seattle Pacific University. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a group of college students, parents and citizens who organized after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech University in April, launched the protest. A national debate over gun laws on campus began in the wake of those shootings, in which a deranged student killed 32 people in a classroom building before committing suicide. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Campuses are prime targets for people intent on harming others because laws prohibit concealed weapons there, Bratt said. But others believe college is no place for firearms. "You don't like the fact that you can't have a gun on your college campus? Drop out of school," said Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. When someone pulls out a gun and starts firing in a crowded environment, it's more likely that additional victims will be harmed, Hamm said. "Let's be grateful that those holsters are empty," he said. A group of 12 students chose to wear empty holsters to class this week at the University of Idaho as part of the nationwide protest. Aled Baker, a junior, said he loses his constitutional right to protect himself and others when he steps on campus. "It's null and void when you go on campus," the mechanical engineering student said. Baker, a sportsman and hunter, has a license to carry a concealed handgun and hopes the protest will get people talking about the issue. Many universities, like George Washington University, prohibit carrying concealed handguns on campuses. "We do not allow weapons on campus for the safety and security of our student body and faculty," said Tracy Schario, spokeswoman for George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Justin Turner, a senior in criminology and history at Florida State University, also wants the ability to carry a concealed handgun on campus. "I'm hoping that people actually realize that this is something that college students are serious about moving forward and realize that it's not about taking the law into your own hands; it's about taking personal responsibility for yourself," said Turner, chairman of the Florida State chapter of Students for the Second Amendment. Congress is considering legislation that would tighten background checks and give states funding to submit information to a national database that would prevent guns from being sold to dangerous buyers. House lawmakers passed the legislation, but it remains in the Senate. "It fixes the problem that the states are not submitting the necessary records of people who have been found by a court to be dangerously mentally ill," Hamm said. Family members and survivors of the Virginia Tech shootings recently visited members of Congress to urge lawmakers to pass the legislation they believe could help prevent future tragedies. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/Protest_joy_mark_BV_road_closure/articleshow/2488201.cms Protest, joy mark BV road closure 25 Oct 2007, 0317 hrs IST,TNN PUNE: There was anger and there was delight among local residents and the student community respectively when the city police closed down the road passing through the Bharati Vidyapeeth campus in Dhankawdi on Wednesday morning. Heavy security was maintained on either ends of the road to avert any untoward incident as vehicles, including two, three- and four-wheelers were banned from entering the road from 6 am sharp. The road - a length of about 700 metres - closure comes in wake of the state government's controversial directive, which was issued last week. Barricades were erected to prevent motorists from entering the road. Local residents have been opposing the closure of the road for the past several years. Corporators on Tuesday had demanded that the civic administration should not support the ban as a PIL had been admitted by the Bombay high court. However, municipal chief Pravinsinh Pardeshi had said that they had received orders from the state government to assist the police in closing down the road. Residents staying behind the massive campus are unhappy as they are now forced to take a two-km detour to reach their destinations. Students of 32 institutions, which include medical, dental, engineering, schools and other colleges of the Vidyapeeth, have been directed to park their vehicles in the parking lot along the Pune-Satara road. Shashi Shekhar (23), a student of Amplify Mindware Pvt Ltd on the BV premises, said the campus was meant for students and a lot of outsiders were using it without any reason. He did not mind walking a km to reach his college as it will be a good exercise in the serene atmosphere. Similarly, Pooja Rajmane and Snehal Bhujbal - diploma students - were happy to know that the road had been closed for vehicular traffic. "Pedestrians had been facing a lot of problems because of the increasing traffic," they said. Nursing student Ranjan Tryambake said, "There has been a significant increase in vehicles in the campus leaving no difference between Satara road and the campus stretch". However, she added that local residents and B V people will be affected. An autorickshaw driver said the distance covered for transporting schoolchildren had increased by 16 km in the five trips he has to make every day. "No parent is ready to pay more. How can it work like this?'' he asked Local NCP corporator Santosh Pharande accompanied by other political workers took a protest morcha from Ambegaon to Pune-Satara road via the BV road. On their way, they brought down the barricades put up by the police and shouted slogans on the premises. Pharande said the move will affect nearly 50,000 residents staying in the vicinity. "The road is owned by the PMC. Moreover, the stretch of road opening at Balajinagar from Bharati Vihar is too narrow. It has been encroached by Bharati Vidyapeeth and Pune Institute of Computer Technology,'' he alleged. "The state government cannot take such decisions when the matter is sub-judice. The state recently constituted a committee to solve traffic woes and if political bigwigs start using their powers in such a manner, others will follow same practice for their own motives,'' he said. Local shopkeepers pulled down shutters opposing the road closure. http://allafrica.com/stories/200710181159.html Nigeria: Students Protest Killing of Colleague By Bus Driver Vanguard (Lagos) 18 October 2007 Posted to the web 18 October 2007 Kolade Larewaju Abeokuta STUDENTS of Itori Comprehensive High School , Itori, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State yesterday took to the street in protest of the killing of one of them by a commercial bus. Several commercial vehicles were vandalized by the students during the protest which lasted for about one hour. Eyewitnesses account said that the bus, which was going to Abeokuta from Lagos knocked down the male student from behind at Agbon Junction, killing him instantly. The eyewitnesses said that the boy simply identified as Kabiru was knocked down at about 7.30 am on his way to school as the bus veered off the road. Apparently angered, other students who were also heading for school, went on rampage, vandalizing vehicles passing through the area. No fewer than 15 vehicles were vandalized by the protesting students, who blocked one side of the road. A policeman who witnessed the incident said "we have been warning drivers on this road to be patient. They are very reckless. If the driver has been patient the accident would not have occurred". http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/nov/nov03/news09.php Riot victims announce indefinite bandh in Kapilvastu Victims of the deadly riots that engulfed Kapilvastu district six weeks earlier have announced indefinite bandh (shutdown strike) in the district from Saturday demanding compensation, resettlement of displaced families and legal action against the rioters. The bandh has badly affected normal life as marketplaces and transport service remain closed throughout the district. The protesting riot victims have accused the government of failing to fulfill its commitment to properly compensate the families of those killed during the riots, and resettle the displaced families. They have also demanded that the government declare the dead as martyrs. The riot victims had gheraoed the Ilaka Police Office in Chandrauta, the flashpoint of the mid-September riots, and submitted a memo that warned of renewed protest against government's inaction. They had agreed to put their protests on hold twice in the past after requests from the government. Nearly 20 people lost their lives and hundreds of families were displaced in the riots that erupted after the killing of Moid Khan, the leader of a formerly active anti-Maoist resistance group, on Sept 16. Study reports say property worth over 500 million rupees was looted and destroyed during the riots. nepalnews.com mk Nov 03 07 http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=127419 Kapilvastu riot victims call off indefinite banda Kantipur Report KAPILVASTU, Nov 4 - The local businessmen have called off the indefinite Kapilvastu banda Sunday after an agreement was reached between the Kapilvastu riot victims, local administration and representatives of seven political parties of the district Saturday evening. The local businessmen Saturday called indefinite Kapilvastu district bandh accusing the government of not providing enough compensation to the Kapilvastu riot victims. The banda was called off for a few days as Tihar was around the corner, said Keshav Pandey, the Chairman of the Kapilvastu riot victims' struggle committee. The agreement, reached during the meeting between the agitating group, local administration and representatives of the seven political parties, include severe action against those involved in the riots, declaring those killed in the riots as martyrs, immediate release of additional Rs 75,000 to the families of the riot victims and making arrangements to grant loans on lower interest to them. It was also agreed that the local political parties and the administration would initiate efforts to ensure that the vctims' families get compensation amount worth one million rupees. The government had already provided Rs. 25000 to the families of the dead. The bandh had affected normal life in Krishnanagar and Chandrauta and surrounding areas yesterday while hundred of communters were stranded as transportation in the East-West highway was also affected. Transportation resumed today. At least 31 persons were killed, hundreds of houses and vehicles were torched and thousands were displaced in the violence that broke out in the district on September 16, following the murder of a local political leader, Mohid Khan, also the former chief of an anti-Maoist group formed during the King's direct rule. Posted on: 2007-11-04 01:28:43 (Server Time) http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/7556854.asp?gid=74&sz=31801 Belgian anti-PKK protest winds up with 100 injured A protest against the latest PKK attacks in Turkey took place yesterday in the Belgian capital of Brussels, with up to 800 Turkish protestors coming face to face with Belgian police forces sent to control the atmosphere. At least 100 were injured in the protest, during which 3 people hit a police vehicle with their own cars, and during which anti-Kurdish slogans were shouted by the crowds. The three police in the vehicle were also injured and sent to the hospital. The protest took place in the Brussels neighborhoods of Scharbeek and Saint-Josse, known locally as "little Turkey." http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Turkish-Kurdish_conflict_reaches_Europe_999.html Turkish-Kurdish conflict reaches Europe disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only by Stefan Nicola Berlin (UPI) Oct 29, 2007 As the Turkish-Kurdish conflict threatens to escalate into a military invasion of northern Iraq, the violence has reached other countries in Europe. Over the weekend tens of thousands of Turks and a smaller number of Kurds demonstrated in Western Europe. Some 7,000 Turks from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany took to the streets in the Dutch city of Utrecht; though windows were smashed, the demonstration remained largely peaceful, and police managed to keep the situation under control. Yet in Brussels some 100 protesters of Turkish origin were arrested Sunday after an illegal demonstration ended in clashes with Belgian police. In Berlin, a city home to an estimated 200,000 Turks, a protest against the Kurdistan Workers Party, known by its acronym PKK, on Sunday also turned violent. The demonstration in Berlin's immigrant-dominated districts of Kreuzberg and Neukoelln was organized under the slogan "Unity and fraternity between Turks and Kurds," but that changed when a group of young Turks began to yell extremist chants and throw stones into Kurdish restaurants. According to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, the situation escalated when a small group of protesters believed to be members of the extremist Turkish nationalist group Gray Wolves tried to free a man arrested by police. A street battle ensued around Kottbusser Tor, an urban square dotted with Kebab restaurants and Turkish cafes. Demonstrators injured 18 police; 15 protesters were arrested. This reporter tried to reach the scene of the demonstrations via subway, yet several trains were canceled because subway stations were overcrowded with young Turkish protesters waving Turkey's flag and chanting anti-PKK, pro-Turkey and pro-Islam slogans. On Saturday some 500 Kurds demonstrated in Berlin's posh Charlottenburg district against a Turkish military operation in Iraq, but things remained peaceful. On Monday German security officials said they expected more violence if the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdish rebels hiding in mountainous northern Iraq continues. Claudia Schmid, head of Berlin's Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a domestic intelligence and security agency, said Berlin is home to some 1,000 members of the Kurdish rebel group PKK, branded by the United Nations and the European Union a terror organization. "The conflict in the border region of Iraq has come to Berlin, and we need to be very careful and keep our eyes open," she told a Berlin-based radio station. While some criticized police for arriving at the scene too late and in too few numbers, police officials said officers were able to prevent an even larger outbreak of violence. They spoke of Turkish gangs armed with machetes, ready to use them against Kurds. The violence in Europe demonstrates how tensions are rising in the conflict that started on Oct. 21 when 12 Turkish soldiers were killed in an ambush by PKK fighters, some 3,500 of whom are believed to be hiding in mountainous northern Iraq, right at the border with Turkey. The public pressure in Turkey to act against the PKK rebels is increasing each day, reflected by massive -- partly violent -- demonstrations in several Turkish cities with hundreds of thousands of participants. Iraqi and U.S. authorities have not been able to stop the violence originating from northern Iraq; they have also denied Turkish calls to hand over PKK leaders. Faced with little progress within Iraq, Turkish lawmakers earlier this month gave the formal green light to a Turkish military operation against the rebels. Senior Turkish politicians, however, have said they would not rush into a military mission but would rather lead an operation together with the United States. Experts have also said the PKK is doing everything it can to provoke Turkey into marching across the Iraqi border. Washington is trying to defuse tensions between some of its staunchest allies in the region: On the one hand NATO member Turkey, which fosters close ties with the United States, and on the other hand the Iraqi Kurds, who after years of oppression after the U.S.-led Iraq war established a self-governed, pro-American, pro-business province in northern Iraq. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Istanbul on Friday, and President Bush will visit the Turkish capital three days later. The U.S. diplomatic offensive intends to prevent a military one, which all observers agree would have terrible consequences for the entire region. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/03/europe/EU-GEN-Belgium-Turkish-Protest.php Ethnic Turks in Brussels protest against Kurdish rebel group The Associated Press Published: November 3, 2007 BRUSSELS, Belgium: About 2,000 ethnic Turks demonstrated in front of European Union headquarters on Saturday to protest recent Kurdish rebel attacks on Turkey and to seek tougher action by EU countries against the separatists. The EU's executive, the European Commission, has sided with Turkey against the Kurdish rebels, but has cautioned Ankara against sending troops into Iraq to pursue them to their bases. Mehmet Alparslan Saygun, head of the Union of European Turkish Democrats, which helped to organize the protest, said the rally was also meant to speak out against violence and to try to improve Turkish communities' damaged reputation in Belgium after rioting by Turkish youths last month. "There is no such thing as bad terror or good terror; terror is terror, ... we have to name it as it is," he said. About 100 youths were detained two weeks ago by police after rioting in several neighborhoods. The violent protests damaged cars, trams, buses and bus shelters, and several businesses also were ransacked. Belgian government officials have appealed to Belgium's ethnic Turkish community to show restraint in their outrage over the Kurdish rebel attacks and to respect Belgian law. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/30/asia/AS-GEN-Nepal-Journalists-Protest.php Journalists in Nepal protest abduction of reporter The Associated Press Published: October 30, 2007 KATMANDU, Nepal: About 200 journalists demonstrated in the Nepalese capital Tuesday to protest the disappearance of a reporter who is believed to have been abducted by former communist rebels. Protesters carried photographs of Birendra Shah, who was last seen Oct. 5, as they marched near Singha Durbar, the complex that houses the prime minister's office, parliament and most government offices. Shah, who has written critical stories about the rebels, disappeared while on a reporting trip near Unjanpipariya village, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the Katmandu. "Our protest rally is to condemn the abduction and demand that Birendra Shah be immediately freed," said Mahendra Bista of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, the umbrella body of media rights groups in Nepal. The government and independent investigations have blamed the former communist rebels, widely known as Maoists, for Shah's abduction. The journalists federation says dozens of witnesses said they saw Maoists taking Shah away. The Maoists have denied any involvement but formed their own investigating team to probe the allegations. Shah, a stringer for the Katmandu-based Nepal FM news radio station and several local newspapers, had written about the rebels' alleged profiteering via timber smuggling and also their alleged beatings and abuse of opponents. The Maoists last year gave up their decade-long armed revolt, which had resulted in the deaths of at least 13,000 people. There have been allegations of continued violence. During the insurgency, Maoists were known to frequently threaten, beat and even kill journalists who wrote critical reports about them. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/10/c8f20343-416d-4886-abf8-093aaa9be1c3.html Bosnia-Herzegovina: Serbs Protest Imposed Reforms, But Is It Smoke Or Fire? By Patrick Moore A Bosnian Serb holds a banner saying "Lajcak is a Bosnian Muslim lobbyist" at a protest in Pale on October 29 (AFP) October 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The Bosnian Serbs' parliament voted overwhelmingly today to condemn administrative reforms introduced on October 19 by the international community's high representative as contravening the 1995 Dayton peace agreements, which ended the 1992-95 conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The 12-point parliamentary resolution also called for sharply curbing Miroslav Lajcak's powers. On October 29, the Serbian Movement of Nongovernmental Organizations (Spona) organized demonstrations of several thousand people across the Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb-dominated entity, against the Slovak diplomat's reforms. In addition to carefully printed signs, some of the protesters in Banja Luka carried portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lajcak's reforms are aimed at speeding up the decision-making process in the Bosnian government and parliament and invigorating the reform effort. The measures are also designed to stop politicians from blocking the functioning of institutions by not showing up. His move comes shortly before two potentially important events: the October 31 meeting of the Peace Implementation Council, the large international grouping that oversees Bosnia's postwar recovery and which appointed Lajcak; and the publication in early November of the EU's latest annual report on Bosnia's progress. Blocking EU Membership The high representative introduced the changes in response to the repeated failure of Bosnian politicians to agree on police reform, which is the main obstacle to launching a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, which has otherwise been ready since 2006. The SAA is the first step toward EU membership and the possible easing of visa requirements for travel to EU member states, which is of central importance to most ordinary Bosnians. Furthermore, many Bosnians see EU membership as essential for their country's economic development. On October 28, Bosnian Muslim, Croat, and Serb leaders agreed in principle on a police reform, which would meet EU requirements for a single force, financed from the central budget and ostensibly free of political interference. Currently, the two entities -- the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat federation -- each have their own force, which many consider to be successors to the often shadowy security bodies that date from the war over a decade ago. Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said on October 28 that "we agreed that a reformed police force must reflect the constitution. This is an attempt to unblock the process of EU integration." After 30 days, the leaders will meet again to discuss constitutional reform and the "details" of establishing a "functional, multiethnic, and professional police force," as Dodik put it. But the devil is in those details. At stake are the power relationships between the weak central authorities on the one hand and the two entities, especially the Republika Srpska, on the other. When the Dayton agreements were signed, then-Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic convinced her followers that Dayton guaranteed the "sovereignty" of the Republika Srpska -- and Bosnian Serb leaders have operated from that premise ever since. The international community and Bosnian Muslim leaders, however, viewed Dayton as a stop-gap measure necessary to end the conflict and certainly not intended to be permanent. Western and Muslim authorities foresaw the evolution of Bosnia into a democratic, multiethnic state with an effective central government. Ethnic-Serbian and Croatian politicians feared just such a development, because the Muslims are the largest single ethnic group and could possibly outvote the others. The Serbs accordingly became suspicious of any move that threatened to undercut the sovereignty of their entity, while many Croatian leaders sought in vain to replace the federation with two distinct entities, one Muslim and one Croatian. Police reform is central to these power relationships and hence has been so difficult to achieve. One model of reform suggested setting up new police districts that crossed the boundaries of the two entities. This proved anathema to the Serbs, who saw that model as a blow to their sovereignty as set down in Dayton. Another question involves defining the multiethnicity of the police: is a force multiethnic just because it has a joint overall command like the Bosnian military, even though in reality individual units and their commanders are still determined on an ethnic basis? Obstructionism With Russian Backing? Meanwhile, much attention is centered on Dodik. If Lajcak does not withdraw his governmental reforms, which Dodik says will undermine the authority of the two entities, Dodik has threatened to withdraw Serbian officials from all central institutions and take his Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) into the opposition. For his part, Lajcak has suggested that he might use his authority to sack Dodik if the Bosnian Serb leader continues to obstruct. For the international community, much has indeed changed since U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said about a decade ago that Plavsic and Dodik were "a good ticket" because they were considered a sound alternative to politicians loyal to wartime leaders Radovan Karadzic in Bosnia and Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia. Milorad Dodik speaking in Banja Luka on October 29 (AFP)On October 22, Dodik and Lajcak held a meeting that seemed to ease tensions. But shortly afterwards, the Bosnian Serb leader met in Belgrade with nationalist Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov, who has acted as Moscow's diplomatic point man in obstructing moves toward independence for Kosova. Following that meeting, Dodik's rhetoric became tough again. Britain's "The Economist" on October 27 quoted Lajcak as saying, "They should either stop [threatening to paralyze the government] or reveal their real intentions." Meanwhile, Dodik has called for Lajcak to go and for his office to be abolished. Much of the recent discussion hardly seems new. Several informed observers from the region told RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service on October 29 that Dodik and his followers are displaying familiar obstructionist tactics aimed at keeping non-Serbs from having a say in the affairs of the Republika Srpska and holding up Bosnia's European integration. Eastern Sarajevo's "Dnevni list" of October 30 quoted Rear Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer, commander of the EU's EUFOR peacekeeping force, as saying that "if we look into these problems and events, I believe the international community is well advised to keep its hands on the western Balkans." One aspect that seems to be new is the possible Russian factor. Are Titov (and the Kremlin) encouraging Kostunica and Dodik to stonewall Western diplomatic efforts aimed at promoting the Euro-Atlantic integration of the former Yugoslavia? Does Russia have great-power ambitions in the region that go beyond nay-saying and obstructionism? What lies behind the appearance of the Putin portraits in Banja Luka, which were probably the first pictures of a Russian leader carried by demonstrators in former Yugoslavia in decades? Despite Soviet leader Josef Stalin's expulsion of Yugoslav communist chief Josip Broz Tito from the Soviet-led bloc in 1948, many Yugoslavs, particularly those from a Serbian Orthodox background, maintained an uncritical admiration for Russia that sometimes bordered on awe. This complex phenomenon is still present and could provide a political basis for expanding Russian influence in much of former Yugoslavia. It may also be, however, that Dodik's meeting with Titov and the appearance of the Putin portraits are simply aimed at providing some psychological support for Serbs who consider themselves embattled, even if there is not much substance behind the Russian "presence." Reassurance and support are part the aura surrounding Russia among many Orthodox of former Yugoslavia. According to a 19th-century British joke, an English traveler once asked a boastful Montenegrin exactly how many Montenegrins there are. The response was: "with the Russians, 120 million." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Nov 11 19:39:13 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:39:13 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Indigenous events, protests and issues, October 2007 Message-ID: <035b01c824dd$9a3276f0$0802a8c0@andy1> * GLOBAL: Indigenous encuentro in Yaqui homeland * WEST PAPUA: Eight dead in unrest between indigenous groups * WEST PAPUA: Greenpeace warns against deforestation * WEST PAPUA: "A blot on mankind's conscience" * GLOBAL: UN meeting in Sweden addressed by West Papuan and West Balochistani speakers * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Carteret Islands sinking due to global warming * CANADA: Chiefs to protest lack of progress over treaty rights * GLOBAL: The Vicam Declaration of the indigenous encuentro * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Campaigners blame palm oil scheme for sex trade increase * WEST PAPUA: Native Papuans resist deforestation * WEST PAPUA: Local unrest in Timika, houses burnt after police shoot former official * WEST PAPUA: Landslide at Freeport mine kills 13 * OAXACA: Indigenous education as politics http://www.narconews.com/Issue47/article2834.html Indigenous Woman from British Columbia: "They've Relegated Us to Authentic Concentration Camps" The Indigenous Peoples' Encuentro Began with a Strong United States Presence By Ra?l Romero and Juan Trujillo Special to The Narco News Bulletin October 16, 2007 Vicam, Sonora, Mexico, October 11-12, 2007 - The First American Indigenous Peoples' Encuentro, in the Yaqui tribe's territory, began yesterday morning-after a traditional ritual celebrated in the ceremonial center of this community-with the participation of 547 delegates of native peoples and more than 800 observers, amongst whom were journalists and national and international civil society members who are adherents to the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle. The ritual began in the sacred heart, were the Yaqui governors speak in their language, communicate with each other, and make decisions. In the ceremony a member of the National Indigenous Congress (CNI in its Spanish initials) and Subcomandante Marcos, representing the Sixth Commission and the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) were also present. While some listen, others observe the Encuentro (gathering) of the delegations of those peoples in resistance that in the coming days will speak and listen to each other. During the days leading up to the Encuentro, the EZLN delegation's large presence and participation was expected, composed of Comandantes David and Zebedeo, Comandanta Miriam, Lupita (daughter of Comandante Hortensia), and Subcomandante Marcos. However, violent harassment-which ended with the rebel group being held up for 40 minutes by the Mexican Federal Army on a Sinaloa highway while the delegation was making its way to Vicam-precipitated the comandantes' retreat to Chiapas for security reasons. The delegation explained this in a letter: Photos: D.R. 2007 Ra?l Romero "We.a delegation named by our peoples were excitedly coming.. The supposed government is now demonstrating that it has decided to impede at all cost the organization and the exercise of the Indian peoples' rights in the exercise of their autonomy in self-organization, and they use all their political, economic, ideological, and military strength to beat us. On behalf of the neo-liberal servant, we, the indigenous, are confronting their authoritarianism, their arrogance, their decadence. But we want to tell you that they are not going to stop the spreading of the words to the whole world. In this Encuentro, although we, the comandanta, the comandante, can't be physically present, our compa?ero Insurgent Subcomandante Marcos is, and through his voice, all of the men, women, elders, and all of the EZLN comandantes and comandantas speak. We will be awaiting the process of the Encuento and whatever can occur after that. In 515 years, they couldn't finish us off, even less so now because we will all be united against a common enemy." The letter is signed by Comandante Guillermo, Comandantas Susana, Miriam, Hortensia, Florencia, Insurgente Elena, Lupita, and "third generation To?ita." It was written after the Sixth Commission decided to not send more delegates due to the violent harassment they were subjected to by the Federal Army. Meanwhile, Subcomandante Marcos greeted all of the representatives of the native peoples and observers present in this encuentro, which "was reached despite everything opposing it: distances, language, borders, governments, lies, persecutions, deaths, and the false divisions they impose on us from above." He also said that the native peoples of the American continent, who have resisted for 515 years, will tell their stories of "pain and dignified rebellion" in this encuentro, as well as sharing "experience and wisdom" and naming the demands for justice and liberty that are shared by all of the indigenous nations who, since the first war of conquest, have been condemned to oblivion. With this dialogue "the continent will recover its voice," continued Marcos, "that today they silence with fire, oblivion, and noise." The rebel leader ended his participation communicating the Zapatistas' decision to not participate in this event. Their pains, dreams, and hopes would be told by the voice of other peoples because the situation of the indigenous nations in all of America is similar: "the oblivion, the misery, and the resistance extends over all of the continent." Then it was Juan Ch?vez Alonso's turn to speak as representative of the National Indigenous Congress (CNI), who noted that this encuentro is an opportunity to raise their voices against "the transnational corporations' capitalist-colonialist interests and privatizing ambitions," and described the encuentro as an "assembly of rebellion" of the peoples who are launching a defense of the "mother earth and against ecocidal, ethnocidal, and genocidal capitalism" that seeks to eliminate the first inhabitants of the continent so that then they can take their lands for themselves. He also said that after 515 years of resistance, in Vicam they will begin to unite forces to construct a "new project of life" for humanity and nature, as well as against the "neoliberal-capistalists' programs of death and destruction." The Word of the North American Land Within the framework of working groups about "The history and the word of our peoples," indigenous nations members' participation, in particular those from countries that are called "Canada" and "United States," has had special strength due to the large number of delegates who have attended this encuentro. That was the case for the Kanion'ke:haka/Mohawk, the Mik'maq, the Denen nations, the Hawdenaw swee nation, and the Anishanabe. This last group is an ethnic matrix that is also made up of the Ojibaway tribe. One component that draw attention was the critique the British Columbian women made of the organization that forces the nations and peoples onto reservations, which they call "authentic concentration camps." A representative of the Mik'maq people spoke through their spokesperson about their history and reality: "I come from strong people. We came from the west coast were we have suffered a lot of pain." He explained that they have resisted colonization, genocide, and globalization. And as a consequence of those phenomena their culture, land, and natural resources have been taken away from them: "We have lost our culture and our language; we have to put a stop to this. We are fighting many battles. The urgency of the warrior spirit is important among our people in order to recognize responsibility. We are waking up, we have the opportunity to be part of a warrior alliance that is growing and that's why we are here." The Tohono O'odham people from the United States explained that "our consciousness is being stolen. there are seeds that have been robbed." They said that the Sea of Cort?s (also known as the Gulf of California) was where their ancestors nourished themselves with fish. But now the government and the military don't permit them access to the area. Therefore, they proposed that the indigenous struggle seek "to protect the world, the territory, and the communities." The Hopi tribe, also from the United States and part of the Navajo Nation, dismissed the idea that its resistance began right after its territory was invaded by the Spanish in the 16th century. They explained that there have also been many conflicts between "indigenous brothers" that have also divided the Navajo and elaborated: "These conflicts have been created by the government and the multinationals. This is important to understand." Also, they emphasized that their resistance has succeeded in closing some power plant and mining projects that were planned for the region. The delegate from the Lakota people of the United States recognized that the struggle of Mexican indigenous peoples is "very similar to ours, because we struggle for life." He remembered that this began with the Black Hills War in 1876 when "we were separated," and from then on not even their religious centers have been respected. At the end of this messenger's speech he strongly declared: "Who we are and where we came from won't be forgotten." Silvia, another representative from this same people, denounced that "the women have suffered sexual abuses in our communities." The people of the Achumawi nation, which is located in the state of California, denounced that 90 percent of their population had been exterminated by the late-1800s gold rush, because "they contaminated our waters with mercury and murdered our people, which (in reality) was a government policy.our women were raped and they stripped us of our land." They strongly criticized the "energy colonization" that the communities suffer as a result of hydroelectric dam construction. They also denounced that there are about "450 sacred ceremonial sites that are being threatened by construction. And in the University [of California] Berkeley, there are 14,000 ancestors' remains, which makes up the second largest collection of bones in the world, and this is also being threatened by a museum that took one of the ancestors." They equally criticized white anthropologists. In the name of the Mohawk people, a nation located in upstate New York, Montreal, and Toronto, a messenger named Ketenia explained that "Our lands are close to the Hudson River. We have been struggling against the corporations that want to steal our land from us. We are one of the biggest organizations. Our land is rich in minerals and corporations." She explained that in 2005 the state of New York wanted their lands to build a casino, so they had to intervene. "We have begun to recover our lands, and we've brought the government to the bargaining table, which in reality is a learning table for them, because they illegally took our lands." According to this representative, they have succeeded in getting the government to listen to them thanks to direct action. The delegate from the Grand River nation, located in Canada, said that "before they came to our lands we were five nations, but we had conflicts and we were self-destructing. But one of us was born and came to bring us a message about how to live and govern ourselves. We've succeeded in recovering our identity." "In February 2006 we recovered land were they wanted to construct a housing development. The police came, but we managed to make an encampment that in the beginning looked pretty small." She reminded the participants that one form of struggle is to impose "the law of peace," which isn't just a flag, but an attitude. She added that one of the most important struggles is the fight against the business projects which, according to her, produce unjust arrests, which is why indigenous culture and identity is lost, because they become "Canadians" or "United States citizens" in order to not be legally persecuted. "For us to rise up means to have judicial problems and to go to jail," she said in closing. Indigenous Women's Resistance Within the framework of these accounts, the situation of the Gitxsan Nation was emphasized. The Gitxsan Nation is a community in Canada which is occupied by the English and is now known as "British Columbia." The delegate began by saying that it is a lie that this country is peaceful, because for her community war is a daily matter, especially for women. She explained that the first form of domination exercised by the English was to displace the women from the different roles that they originally had, because "the women, just like in other cultures, were in charge of maintaining the land and the culture. They were the protectors, those who cared for the children." For this reason, she continued, the colonizers saw the women as the first obstacle and began to implement a series of laws that limited their rights and participation. This is how in 1876 the "Indian Act" was decreed in which it was noted that "the indigenous man is the one who commands and who has the final word," thus ending a matriarchal system and giving way to a patriarchal one. These days the situation isn't very different: a policy of discrimination and war against indigenous peoples is exercised by the governments, and it is even more aggressive when it comes to women. One example, continued the delegate, is the "Highway of Tears" where more than two dozen indigenous women have been recorded missing, all of them under 25 years old. The Gitxsan woman ended her participation by calling all indigenous women to unite and demand better justice, and that they imagine new forms of organization that provide them with better security, because "they can't hope for anything from the bad governments." During the morning of October 12, the participation of the North American delegations ended and in the afternoon the messengers from the Latin American, Caribbean, and Mexican indigenous peoples were introduced. Translated by Kristin Bricker. Originally published in Spanish October 14. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35835 Eight dead in tribal violence in Papua Posted at 02:50 on 18 October, 2007 UTC Eight people have been killed and 19 others injured in ongoing tribal violence in Mimika in Indonesia's Papua region. The Jakarta Post reports that over 120 armed police officers have been deployed to the Banti area of Mimika's Tembagapura district to try and control the violence. The fighting reportedly pits members of the Dani, Damal and Moni tribes against the Amungme tribe. Police say the situation remains explosive in the Banti sub-district which is near the site of the copper and gold mining company Freeport Indonesia. News Content ? Radio New Zealand International PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35643 Clearing Papua's forests for palm oil plantations is backwards, warns Greenpeace Posted at 03:46 on 09 October, 2007 UTC Greenpeace has warned that Indonesia's plans to clear Papuan forests for palm oil plantations will hinder efforts to mitigate climate change. Indonesia's President has asked Papua's Governor Barnabas Seubu to open up five million hectares of land for conversion into palm oil plantations in a bid to increase biofuel production. Indonesia is on a fresh drive to become the world's biggest bio-fuel producer, and aims to reduce carbon emissions as well as spending on petrol. Jakarta also claims it's working to reduce the rampant illegal logging which is destroying its largest remaining tracts of rainforest, in Papua But Greenpeace Asia/Pacific's Tiy Chung says the government's plans to cut more Papuan forest will only increase carbon output. http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/?p=317 Guess which country has experienced only 18 months of independence and is being brutalised as we speak? Filed under: Uncategorised, Business/Politics - Chris @ Oct 9th, 2007 By new contributor Tabi-Sal. If you feel like writing for us, drop us an email! There is a country which has only experienced 18 months of independence between colonial rulers. Its waters are poisoned by the by-products of multinational corporations' extensive mining. Its soils are ruined by deforestation, and its people are displaced, brutalised, made to disappear. This nation's vast material wealth is siphoned off by an authoritarian government, and by western multinationals. These corporations fund shareholding authorities (imported from Jakarta) which bomb and strafe villages. As swathes of mountain rainforest are cleared, mined and militarised, the damage to the environment is passed on to the inhabitants of these tribal areas, who have no choice but to live off the land. The collusion of security guard and soldier is the key feature of this new form of imperialism. The destruction of the land's indigenous population is its effect. Melanesians have lived in West Papua for at least 25,000 years. No compensation has been paid to these peoples by the recent colonisers since they arrived from Holland approximately 200 years ago, or from Indonesia around 50 years ago. Presently, mountains sacred to local tribes are strip-mined at a phenomenal rate. Mining waste is bulldozed into sacred lakes in quantities of hundreds of thousands of tons. Polluted rivers flowing deep into the rainforests are grey threads of putrefaction and death. Displaced peoples die from diseases they have never encountered before as they are evicted from their mountain homes. Indonesia's GDP growth increases healthily every year. It is unsurprising and symbolic that West Papua might be more familiar to us by its Indonesian name, 'Irian Jaya'. Apart from a brief and doomed parenthesis of independence in the early sixties, the nation's aboriginal inhabitants have been seen as obstacles for nearly two hundred years, by two different governments, in their quest for pillage. For colonialism is not dead, it has merely evolved. The voiceless man's land is still irreparably polluted by the bearer of arms. The scarred lands of West Papua are an indelible blot on mankind's conscience. http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=7241 UNPO Press Briefing 2007-10-15 On 12 October 2007 UNPO conducted a briefing for the Swedish press, entitled Self-Determination as Conflict Prevention, to grant a clearer insight of the problems faced by many UNPO Members. The briefing was attended by two UNPO Member Representatives, Mr. Nasser Boladai from West Balochistan and Mr. Viktor Kaisi?po from West Papua, who delivered presentations to members of the Swedish press, and concluded with an in-depth roundtable discussion. The event was introduced by UNPO Project Coordinator, Mr. Kevan Berthou, who outlined the workings of UNPO and the importance of nonviolence as a means of achieving one's goals. Following this, Mr. Kaisi?po delivered a presentation focusing on the complex situation not only vis-?-vis Indonesia, but also on the internal heterogeneity of West Papua. Moreover, self-determination and conflict prevention cannot only be viewed from an inter-human standpoint, but must also encompass environmental issues, such as the responsible management of resources and the conflict between society and nature. Furthermore, he emphasised the value of UNPO being led by its Members, with their active input allowing the unrepresented to set the agenda, and confront issues that otherwise may have been sidelined. Mr. Boladai then continued the briefing with an overview of the situation of the Balochis in Iran, oppressed for their racial, linguistic and religious differences. Mr. Boladai outlined the possibility of self-determination within a federal structure as a means to prevent conflict, but highlighted the massive challenges in bringing about such change and the difficulty in remaining nonviolent in the face of extreme provocation. The issue of nonviolence was picked up by the journalists and carried into the subsequent discussions. One of the key points raised was how to define nonviolence, with some journalists asking whether self-defence is still compatible with the principle of nonviolence. Delving further into the principle of self-determination, questions were asked on how to define a concept which ranges from minority rights via federalism to complete independence, and how self-determination would take shape in West Papua and West Balochistan. A key issue, it appeared, was the situation of the minorities within the minority seeking self-determination. Taking such issues into account is key to developing a style of self-determination that brings stable and long-lasting peace. Aside from these points, the discussion covered more detailed aspects of UNPO, including the application and screening process of Membership, funding sources, and the democratic procedures regarding the UNPO Presidency and the UNPO General Assembly, which allows for the effective and transparent operations of the organisation. http://www.thenational.com.pg/101707/Nation%2013.htm Carteret Islands sinking fast THE Carteret Islands are almost invisible on a map of the South Pacific, but the horseshoe scattering of atolls in eastern-most Papua New Guinea is on the frontline of climate change, as rising sea levels and storm surges eat away at their existence. For 20 years, the 2,000 islanders living there have fought a losing battle against the ocean, building sea walls and trying to plant mangroves. Each year, the waves surge in higher, destroying vegetable gardens, washing away homes and contaminating fresh water supplies. Recently, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare appropriated K4.1 million (US$1,315,280) to resettle PNG villagers affected by global warming. The funding was part of a K1.6 billion (US$513,280,000) supplementary budget handed down by Treasury and Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch. Out of the K4.1 million funding, K2 million (US$641,600) will go to the Bougainville Autonomous Region's Carteret Islanders. The local Bougainville government has an ongoing resettlement programme which it hopes to complete by the end of the year. Rising sea levels will not only displace human populations. Coral reefs are expected to be affected by changes in ocean levels and sea surface temperatures. As a result, the communities that depend upon these marine resources will be affected as well. PNG's Carteret islanders are destined to become some of the world's first climate change refugees. Their islands are becoming uninhabitable, and may soon disappear below the waves. A decision has been made to move the islanders to the larger nearby Bougainville Island, a four-hour boat ride to the southwest. Ten families at a time will be moved once funds are released for the resettlement programme. An IPCC has predicted that average sea levels are likely to rise between 9cm and 88cm (3.5-35 inches) by 2100. http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=5cac8e53-ac35-41fc-822a-77488ace8ca3&k=72695 Chiefs to protest lack of progress on treaty rights Jeff Rud, Times Colonist Published: Saturday, October 13, 2007 The B.C. government's much-heralded "new relationship" with First Nations will be showcased Monday when legislation is introduced to ratify the first deal reached under the provincial treaty process. But a group of increasingly vocal chiefs is casting doubt on whether a new relationship exists. And they plan to protest on the lawn of the legislature as MLAs begin both the fall session and debate on the Tsawwassen treaty. These chiefs, who say they represent 140 of the province's 203 First Nations, claim Premier Gordon Campbell's new relationship with aboriginals has been simply "words on paper" and has produced little of value to native people. They also harshly criticize the B.C. treaty process, saying strict federal and provincial mandates make it impossible for most First Nations to reach acceptable deals. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, calls the treaty process "fundamentally flawed and completely out of line with current case law.'' Phillip said the protesters, representing First Nations both in and outside the treaty process and including those who believe the Tsawwassen treaty is infringing on their territories, will "send the distinct message to the general public that all is not well in B.C. "The fabric of the 'new relationship' has been greatly strained and is beginning to tear," he said. Yesterday, Phillip was among a large group of chiefs who met in Westbank, near Kelowna, to plan the protest and other action. The group opposes strict government mandates that they say will mean "extinguishment" of native rights and title in B.C. Specifically, they are opposed to both governments' insistence that any B.C. treaties transfer reserve land out of federal jurisdiction and into provincial registries and that natives surrender their non-taxable status. Westbank First Nations Chief Robert Louie said the chiefs are discussing legal action against both levels of government over the treaty process. "What we're contemplating here is a potential collective court action across this province,'' he said. "This could be one of the largest court actions that this province has ever seen collectively by First Nations.'' Doug Kelly, tribal chief responsible for intergovernmental relations for the Sto:lo Tribal Council, said Campbell's "new relationship" is now 2 1/2 years old and there is little to show for it. "We've not moved beyond the political rhetoric coming from the premier's office,'' Kelly said. "There's been no change. It's been lip service.'' B.C. Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Mike de Jong rejected the characterization of the new relationship as simply "words on paper.'' He said there is a "long list of agreements and actual advances, reconciliation agreements. ... All of these things have real commitments, real dollars.'' "If someone is suggesting that a $100-million New Relationship Trust that was set up and completely arms-length from government, is managed and decisions are made by a board comprised of aboriginal peoples -- if they are describing that as signifying nothing, then I disagree with them,'' de Jong said. So far, the Tsawwassen treaty is the only one to reach the legislature. The Maa-Nulth First Nations of Vancouver Island are in the process of ratifying their treaty, which could come before the legislature in November. But those two deals are all there is to show for more than 14 years and $1 billion spent on the B.C. treaty process. De Jong acknowledged there are a variety of opinions on the Tsawwassen treaty and other deals in progress. But he said he hoped that people will understand and respect that the Tsawwassen "have negotiated and ratified strongly this agreement.'' ? Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007 http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20071018144948312 The V?cam Declaration: "we will defend mother earth with our lives" Thursday, October 18 2007 @ 02:49 PM PDT Contributed by: Collin Sick Views: 289 The rebellion that will shake the continent will not repeat the paths and ways of others that have changed the course of history, subcomandante Marcos proclaims tonight in the closing ceremony of the Encuentro of the Indigenous Peoples of Am?rica. "When the wind that we are dies down," he adds, "a new time will open in which we will be all of the colors." After greeting in the languages of Yoeme, Castilian ["Spanish"], and English, and taking words from the Yaqui tradition, Marcos declares before the audience, which has doubled itself on this night in V?cam: "The four wheels of the vehicle of money are rolling again over the path of the blood and the pain of the peoples of the continent," in what he calls "the largest war in the history of humanity, which is already 515 years old." The war that they commemorate every October 12. by Hermann Bellinghausen Originally published in La Jornada Translation by Zapagringo V?cam, Sonora, October 14. The rebellion that will shake the continent will not repeat the paths and ways of others that have changed the course of history, subcomandante Marcos proclaims tonight in the closing ceremony of the Encuentro of the Indigenous Peoples of Am?rica. "When the wind that we are dies down," he adds, "a new time will open in which we will be all of the colors." After greeting in the languages of Yoeme, Castilian ["Spanish"], and English, and taking words from the Yaqui tradition, Marcos declares before the audience, which has doubled itself on this night in V?cam: "The four wheels of the vehicle of money are rolling again over the path of the blood and the pain of the peoples of the continent," in what he calls "the largest war in the history of humanity, which is already 515 years old." The war that they commemorate every October 12. This war now reproduces "the age and methods of the great trusts and estates, of the epoch in which the crowns of Europe dominated through blood and fire." Referring to the repression that armies and paramilitary forces use, "just as in the times of the Conquest," in order to eliminate entire populations. "Nevertheless, something has changed: there has never been so much destruction and stupidity by the governments, such brutality against the earth and people." Because, indicates the Zapatista delegate, "it happens that they are killing the world." They say that it is "electoral democracy" that thing with which the "bossy people" make the "business" of bringing the world to catastrophe. There above "there is no hope for the Indian peoples." In this encuentro, "memory has been the invisible thread that unites our peoples," explains Marcos, and concentrates the cause of their struggles into just one word, which comes from the birth of humanity: "freedom". It is what the people want, he continues, "and it cannot exist without justice or democracy." It trusts that there will be "a world without rulers," something that "seems impossible" today. They denounce the growing plunder of the land In turn, the Rar?muri Francisco Palmo reads the final declaration of the Encuentro of the Indigenous Peoples of Am?rica. It is directed against the arrogance of power, because the plundering of the land and resources of the people "grows with each passing day." But, it adds, "the resistance and indignation of the people grows as well." The 570 delegates from 67 indigenous peoples, coming from 12 american nations, affirmed, in the Declaration of Vicam: "We are descendents of the peoples, nations and tribes that first gave name to these lands; that were born of mother earth and maintain a sacred respect towards her that provides us with life and keeps us in death; thus we declare to the entire world that we will care for and defend mother earth with our lives." They tell of the "pain suffered from the attack of the invaders, supported in the false arguments of cultural exclusivity and arrogant civilizing presumptions, with the purpose of plundering our territories, destroying our cultures and disappearing our peoples." The participants in the encuentro proclaimed their historic right to free self-determination, "respecting the different ways that, for the exercise of this, our people decide, according to their origin, history and aspirations." Also, they reject "the war of conquest and capitalist extermination imposed by the transnational companies and the international financial organizations in complicity with the great powers and nation states." They express their rejection of "the destruction and sacking of mother earth by means of the occupation of our territories for industrial, mining, agribusiness, touristic, savage urbanization and infrastructure activities, as well as the privatization of the water, land, forests, oceans and coasts, biological diversity, the air, the rain, traditional knowledge and all that is born of mother earth." They oppose "the registration of the land, coasts, waters, seeds, plants, animals and traditional knowledges of our peoples with the aim of privatizing them," and they reject the occupation and destruction of sacred centers and places, as well as the mercantilization of their culture. They also reject the Escalera N?utica or Sea of Cort?s megaproject and the construction of the coastal highway inside of Yaqui territory. The encuentro ratifies its rejection of the 2010 Winter Olympics "in Vancouver, Canada on sacred territory, stolen from the Turtle nation with the goal of installing ski runs." They denounce that the war of conquest and capitalist extermination "worsens like never before the exploitation of the members of our peoples on plantations and in sweatshops, or as migrants in cities and distant countries, where they are hired in the worst conditions, finding themselves in situations of slavery and forced labor." The rejections extend to the big transnational stores, "that plunder the economic resources of the communities," and to neoliberal policies, which debilitate communitarian economies and food sovereignty and result in the loss of native seeds. They commit to seek the integral reconstitution of their peoples and to strengthen their cultures, languages, traditions, organization and self-government. "Supported in our culture and vision of the world, we will reinforce and recreate our own educative institutions, rejecting the educative models that the nation states impose on us to exterminate our cultures." They pronounce against "all form of repression towards our peoples, expressed in the militarization and paramilitarization of our territories, forced displacement, mass deportation, the imposition of borders in order to divide and fragment, and the imprisonment and disappearance of those who struggle for the historic revindication of our peoples". The absent indigenous "political prisoners" are a strong "presence". Some sent greetings from El Amate (Chiapas) and Molino de Flores (Texcoco, in particular the Mazahua Magdalena Garc?a Dur?n). "They were" the Oaxacans of Loxicha, San Isidro Aloapam, the organization VOCAL and other members of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca; also the Zapatista prisoners in Tabasco, as well as the Lakota leader Leonard Peltier. They demanded immediate freedom for all. The Yaqui of Vicam and from other towns came in great numbers to the closing, in which the traditional dances of the Deer and the Pascola were offered. Thus, nearly 3 thousand people participated in the culminating moment of the encuentro. http://zapagringo.blogspot.com/2007/10/vcam-declaration.html http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009001766 Sex Trade Rise In Papua Palm Oil Plantations, Says World Rainforest Movement October 30, 2007 11:15 p.m. EST Paul Icamina - AHN News Writer Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (AHN) - A scheme to include more women into palm oil harvesting has turned into a sex trade, according to the World Rainforest Movement (WRM). The "mama card" and the "mama lus frut" scheme has been hailed as an outstanding success for increasing loose fruit collection, bringing women into oil palm production and increasing their income. Until the introduction of the mama lus frut scheme, payment for oil palm harvest often ended up with the men even though women and children were all involved. Under the scheme, women exclusively collect the loose fruits and have their own payment card called the "mama card." Then some women desperate for cash decided to provide sex to men in exchange for more loose fruit to be left by the men for them to collect, said the Uruguay-based group. Field trips in Oro and West New Britain Province between 2003 and 2007 showed there are now more women working in the oil palm groves "offering an opportunity for a sex trade to take place," it said. "This situation has dissuaded genuine women pickers, who fear being tarnished with the same brush, from taking part in the scheme," the WRM said. "Some village women interviewed said they would not pick fruit unless they had a male escort. Papua now has five major plantations. A land-intensive industry, any expansion means Papuan forests are cleared, says the Australian Conservation Foundation. The habitat for plants and animals also shrinks. http://www.freewestpapua.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=406&Itemid=2 Native Papuans fight against deforestation The Jakarta Post, October 26, 2007 Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua The central government, investors in palm oil plantations and timber companies need to know that deforestation is and will be rejected by indigenous Papuans from 252 different tribes living in the western half of the island of New Guinea. If the Papuans were consulted, they would say: "Don't cut down our trees." Under Soeharto's regime, Papuans protesting against the destruction of their ancestral forests by government-authorized companies were simply accused of being separatists or against national development. Protesters were always silenced violently by the military and police, who seemed to love protecting timber companies. However, the 2001 law on special autonomy for Papua province gives more freedom for Papuans to raise their voices. Papuans, then, have begun to protest against deforestation within their ancestral forests. The latest example of the rejection of deforestation was demonstrated in September 2007 by indigenous Papuans of the Wate tribe in Nabire regency (Cenderawasih Pos, Sept. 20, 2007). It was reported members of the Wate tribe strongly opposed a plan by PT Harvest Raya, in collaboration with PT Jati Dharma Indah, to clear thousands of hectares of their ancestral forest to make way for palm oil plantations. The protesters have demanded the local government of Nabire regency revoke the permission already given to the companies. The Papuans' rejection of deforestation raises some questions. Why do indigenous Papuans courageously reject deforestation? Is the rejection a reflection of what the central government calls "Papuan separatism"? Is it a manifestation of being anti-government or anti-development, the accusations made by the central government in Jakarta for more than four decades? Is it sign of not wanting to better their future? The reasons behind the rejection are related to their culture. Their rejection is rooted in and guided by the life-giving values of local culture. Papuans never see their virgin forests simply as a sea of trees that can be cut down in order to make millions of dollars. The forest, for indigenous Papuans from all tribes, has multi-dimensional meanings. Indeed, Papuans never consider the forest as an enemy that has to be eradicated from the surface of the earth. Rather, it is first and foremost a member of the community. Papuan community is composed not only of living people, but also the dead, the spirits and nature. That's why each community, both as a tribe and a community within a tribe, always has its own forest within a clearly defined territory. So, culturally speaking, a Papuan can never be separated from the forest. It would also be a mistake if Papuan forest was seen as a isolated thing from the Papuans themselves, because the forest and the people form one community. For Papuans, a forest can mean a living pharmacy that provides all the necessary natural medicines. In times of need, Papuans go to the forest to collect natural medicine. The forest is also considered a food store or a living supermarket, for it provides vegetables, fruits, fish and animals. People used to get the necessary materials for houses, traditional boats, firewood and fences in their own forest. It is a Papuan's belief that their ancestors and deceased members of the community reside in the forest. They are the guardians of the forest, including plants and animals, owned by the community. The forest, for Papuans, is a living temple, chapel or mosque, where people come and pray. It is the place where all rituals are conducted by a community or individually. Papuans go into their ancestral forest if they want to communicate with the ancestors or the dead. The deeper sense of forest is expressed in the Papuan saying "Hutan adalah mama" (the forest is our mother). The forest is respected as a mother who tirelessly cares for, protects and sustains all of the members of the community, including the animals. Papuans cannot imagine life without the forest. Emphasizing the deeper meaning of forest, they say "Hutan kita, hidup kita" (our forest, our lives). It is for the sake of life that every Papuan is educated from childhood the importance of maintaining a correct relationship with the forest. We can now understand that deforestation, for Papuans, means destroying a living pharmacy, damaging the living supermarket, destroying the place of worship, expelling the ancestors and the dead and committing adultery against the mother forest. Deforestation, then, will bring about suffering, disaster and chaos for Papuans. That's why indigenous Papuans reject deforestation. Papuans learned the importance of the forest for life neither from the Dutch nor the Indonesian government, but from Papuan cultural tradition. The cultural concept of forest is handed down from one generation to the next. The central government should respect Papuan culture, including the cultural understanding of forest, and utilize it to protect the Papua's forests. By doing so, the government and Papuans could jointly prevent Papua's forests from being lost to deforestation. Otherwise there will be war between Papuans preserving Papua's forests and the central government proposing deforestation. The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology, in Abepura, Papua. http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1370991.php/Tribesmen_torch_homes_in_Indonesias_Papua Asia-Pacific News Tribesmen torch homes in Indonesia's Papua Nov 4, 2007, 1:02 GMT Jakarta - Riot police and soldiers fired warning shots Sunday after tribesmen in Indonesia's Papua province set several homes on fire in unrest triggered by the death of a former local police chief, local media reports said. At least 10 homes belonging to locals in Papua's Timika district were torched, forcing occupants aided by security officers to carry out their possessions and flee, the state-run Antara news agency reported. Rioter also set a car ablaze. Timika is located in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, about 3,150 kilometres north-east of Jakarta. In an attempt to stop the violence, riot police and troops firing warning shots to disperse the mob. The combined security forces were stationed at strategic locations and combed vital areas in order to prevent the rioting from escalating further. Two armoured vehicles were stationed in Timika's nearby business district, the state-run media reported, while dozens of residents sought refugee at local police stations. A reporter with the Jakarta-based Elshinta private radio reported that one person had suffered a gunshot wound Sunday, while several people were arrested. Brigadier General Andilolo, deputy police chief in Papua, told the radio station that peaceful means were being attempted to defuse the tension, including negotiations with the tribes and other community leaders in an attempt to restore calm. Triggered by the death of a respected elder from a local tribe, identified as Yance Ikomou, hundreds of angered tribesmen blocked the main road Saturday afternoon in Timika. Tribesmen also gathered in a field demanding an explanation of their leader's death. Ikomou died early Saturday at a local police station after he was arguing with a fellow police officer, following the reported arrest of his son for disturbing the peace while drinking. Papua Police Chief Max Donald was quoted as saying that Ikomou suddenly collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died. Hours earlier, anger over Ikomou's death prompted tribesmen to attack the police station where he had been. Police reportedly shot back, killing at least one rioting tribesman. ? 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:dCP4kU4MZ-YJ:www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp%3Ffileid%3D20071104173934%26irec%3D4+Peace+deal+reached+after+riot+in+Timika&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=uk Angry mobs burn houses in Timika JAKARTA (Antara): Angry mobs on Sunday morning set fire to houses in Timika, Mimika regency, Papua following the death of a local policeman. Antara reported that at least 10 houses in Timika Indah residence were set on fire. However, later in the day local police, Army and Air Force personnel said they had the situation under control. There have been no reports of arrests. The incident began when a local policeman, identified as Adj. Comr. Yance, went to the Mimika Baru Police office to complain after his son was beaten by policemen for drinking liquor and misbehaving. Unsatisfied with the response of his colleagues, Yance was later involved in a fight with another police before they were separated, Antara reported. However, after the fight, Yance suddenly collapsed. He was rushed to Mitra Masyarakat Hospital, in Mimika where he was pronounced dead. The cause of his death remains unknown. Yance's death provoked angry mobs in Mimika to attack a local police office on Saturday. http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-30308020071103 Landslide at Freeport Indonesia's mine injures 13 Sat Nov 3, 2007 12:52pm IST Email | Print | Digg | Single Page [-] Text [+] JAKARTA (Reuters) - A landslide injured 13 workers at U.S. firm Freeport's gold and copper mine in Indonesia's Papua province on Saturday, the company said. The landslide outside the Grasberg mine did not affect company operations, Mindo Pangaribuan, a Freeport Indonesia spokesman, said. "It's a natural incident. The victims sustained light injuries," he said, adding that the injured, all Indonesian workers of the mine, had been taken to the company-run hospital. The mine -- believed to have the world's third-largest copper reserves and one of the biggest gold deposits -- has been a frequent source of controversy over its environmental impact and the share of revenue going to Papuans. http://www.narconews.com/Issue47/article2860.html Indigenous Education as Politics The Second National Congress on Indigenous and Intercultural Education By Nancy Davies Commentary from Oaxaca October 28, 2007 A reggae song by Peter Tosh called "Equal Rights" has a lyric which goes, "everyone is crying out for peace; none is crying out for justice." Tosh sings "I don't want no peace, I need equal rights and justice." Photos: D.R. 2007 Nancy Davies The Second National Congress on Indigenous and Intercultural Education in Oaxaca this week blossomed with peoples from all over Mexico, in a colorful array of men clad in the short pants of Chiapas authorities moving among women in jeans or long skirts or crowned with beribboned braids. It's been a long process of self-definition for cultural rescue, language preservation, and equal rights and justice, led by the Coalition of Indigenous Teachers and Promoters of Oaxaca (CMPIO, by its Spanish initials.) Listening to each other and sharing experiences play a major role. Oaxaca is a state with 16 different language groups; many of which were on the verge of disappearing when CMPIO stepped forward to promote bilingual education. Last July 30, I visited a workshop for teachers which focused on how grandmothers can renew their vanishing languages with their grandchildren: the in-between generation of parents were mono-lingualized by the state education system. Fernando Soberanes, present at that CMPIO event, said that the range of languages and experiences in all of Mexico is mind-boggling. There are at least 62 languages, with about 150 important variants. Oaxaca's Zapoteco, for example, is spoken in seven variations, not mutually intelligible. At least a dozen Mexican languages verge on extinction, which implies a cultural loss as well. (For more information on languages in Mexico, INEGI, the national bureau of statistics, is a standard source). Hence the current congress has worked to present equal opportunity for geographical regions, and for gender equity as well because so many women historically were left out of both schooling and consultation. Education in general in Oaxaca has been deplorable. Many accept government propaganda against teachers, but most of them, and especially the indigenous bilingual teachers, are heroic in combating state neglect. The indigenous teachers' goal, through participation of all, is to invent methods and materials where printed resources in their mother tongues scarcely exist. A method from the spring workshop, offered by an American professor Lois Meyers, focused on going out into the street to gather printed words, on shops or tires or building walls. The printed word becomes precious. Systemization of bilingualism is still far off, aided by sharing of various educational practices. The many alphabets have been codified, along with adaptations as needed of sounds that do not appear in Spanish. A related consideration of education springs from the extremely high rate of childhood malnutrition - about 50 percent of rural children suffer a dietary deficiency - and the lack of health services. Remote towns receive scant resources. Nevertheless, under CMPIO's promotion, Oaxaca is making strides with bilingual primary education, pilot projects at the secondary level, the creation of 20 intercultural community senior high schools, the normal school for indigenous education in the town of Tlacochahuaya, and the Intercultural University Ayuuk in the Mixe region. This places Oaxaca among the leaders for indigenous education, in a state where a third to one half of the population - especially women - remains illiterate. Services for an Alternative Education (EDUCA, in its Spanish initials), also one of the first organizations to sign on to the APPO in June of 2006, assisted in organizing the Second Congress and served as one of the participants. In a press conference, EDUCA member Aljandro Sandoval explained that the First National Congress for Indigenous and Intercultural Education (CNEII), held in P?tzcuaro, Michoac?n in 2002, made clear the necessity of strengthening regional and local participation to draw on the richness of options and ideas already in practice. This year's congress gathered about 400 delegates from 30 different indigenous Oaxacan peoples, participants from 16 other states, and from Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the U.S. The U.S. participants included, by video presentation, linguist/political analyst Noam Chomsky, who saluted the "valiant teachers of Oaxaca" for their professional work in education, but above all for participating in "a struggle of far-reaching importance." The struggle of Oaxacan teachers, he said, "has an impact at this time in all of Latin America." Chomsky sees Latin America as the most exciting area of the world, for the first time in modern history, because of the movement toward an important level of integration instead of "being separated among themselves and dominated by the imperial powers.. Latin America is beginning to overcome the true curse" of the American continent, "the curse of an enormous gulf, without precedence in the world, between a small elite with enormous wealth and a vast mass of people profoundly impoverished." Both Chomsky and the Mexican writer Carlos Montemayor observed that indigenous education necessitates a political posture. Chomsky in his video remarked that "organizing is of paramount importance, because it throws overboard 500 years of miserable ugly history, by revitalizing languages, cultures and technical knowledge." Montemayor, addressing the congress in person, added, "we are all profoundly racist in Mexico" because Mexicans, as a mixture of Spanish and original peoples, in public education date their history from the arrival of Spain, throwing aside the prior three thousand years of civilization. (Montemayor did not mention the admixture of Africans brought to Mexico by the Spaniards as slaves, nor the prior agricultural discoveries of perhaps 8,000 BCE.) Mexico must recover its indigenous self, he added. In Mexico, many laws stand on the books regarding the rights of the indigenous peoples, including not only the federal Constitution and the Oaxaca state constitution, but the San Andr?s Peace Accord reached in 1996 after the Zapatista uprising and never implemented. The indigenous peoples now struggle across the state of Oaxaca regarding land and water, mining, and wind power, as well as for equal education and health services. During the height of the popular movement initiated in June, 2006 the goal of peace was invoked on all sides by the government, the church, by the tourist and commercial sectors in Oaxaca. In the country at large there exists no true policy of what is now called intercultural education, which would place indigenous and mestizo needs on an equal footing. As Fernando Soberanes said, "There is ongoing social and institutional discrimination, and indigenous languages continue to disappear." Ixcateco, Chocholteco, Zoque and Chontal languages stand in gave risk of being lost, which in the future would mean "a real poverty for humanity and for culture." Therefore, he said, one of the objectives of the second National Congress of Indigenous and Intercultural Education is to initiate a strong resistance movement against this kind of government policy. Soberanes accused that the politics of education toward the Indian peoples are absolutely discriminatory. The expenditure per student in basic education is 8,000 pesos annually, while for an indigenous child is about 200 pesos. Furthermore, he added, the State gives "the least and the worst education" to the Indian peoples because they are the ones who attend schools in horrible conditions, if they have any school at all, because the in the majority of cases classes are given under a tree or on top of a rock. And if that weren't enough, the teachers "are the worst trained"; so much so that children as docents have no teaching material. At the same time, the curricula proposed by the government do not take into account the indigenous ways, customs and culture. That fact, he highlighted, "is leading to the loss of identity of the peoples" and when identity disappears there will be no policy on teaching the language. Instead, the strategy of grand capital has caused an expulsion and there are entire populations moving north in the country in search of options. In spite of the work of social organizations trying to save the indigenous culture, these efforts cannot halt this type of problem, because they have to do with structural issues of the current political and economic policies. Proposing new agendas for federal, state and city governments goes forward, but at the same time a strong popular movement for alternative education also goes forward. The challenge falls on the indigenous population to organize and produce their own educational agendas. The indigenous teachers recognize that languages change, and words enter and leave every language. They don't oppose the evolution of languages or cultures. But they demand equal rights, and justice. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Nov 15 06:37:45 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:37:45 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] US: Stryker movements blockaded in Olympia Message-ID: <000101c82825$f8ecf940$0802a8c0@andy1> GI SPECIAL 5K9: As Activists Block Stryker Movements At Olympia Port, "Overwhelmingly Positive Gestures Such As 'Thumbs Up' From Troops As They Drive By In Their Strykers And Other Vehicles" NCO "Pulled Over, Got Out Of His Car, Came Over, Shook Their Hands And Said, 'I Just Want To Thank You People For What You're Doing'" "He Told Them That He Had Been Deployed To Iraq Twice Before And Found It To Be A Hopeless Situation" [Thanks to David McReynolds for this report.] November 12, 2007 Zoltan Grossman, ZNet [Excerpts] Olympia, Washington -- Late Friday afternoon, approximately 50 members of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance (OlyPMR) sat down near the main gate of the Port of Olympia in Washington State. Two tractor trailers, one carrying two Stryker combat vehicles, another filled with military cargo, were blocked from exiting the port. Police arrived on the scene and after failing to persuade the demonstrators to allow one truck through, ceded control of the entrance. The 2 trucks were forced by these circumstances to back up - returning inside the port gate. OlyPMR was founded in May of 2006 when Olympia peace activists attempted to block outgoing Strykers and other military equipment in advance of the deployment of the 3rd Brigade Stryker Team from Ft. Lewis. Activists united under the banner of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, declaring a common mission to "end our community's participation in the illegal occupation of Iraq by stopping the US military's use of the Port of Olympia." Thirty- seven people were arrested for acts of nonviolent civil disobedience over the course of 10 days during that first campaign. On Thursday evening, at an open meeting, a packed room of more than 60 activists agreed on a plan for using human blockades to nonviolently contain military cargo at the port. 200 people gathered at the port entrance, which activists say was a number twice as large as that needed to execute their plan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOkn2Fg7R8w After several hours it became apparent that there would be no movement of vehicles from the port that night, and activists set up an encampment in order to keep watch while others rested. Civil disobedience and other actions at the port are expected to continue as anti-war activists have declared their commitment to ongoing resistance. As the nation begins its annual observance of the Veterans Day holidays, OlyPMR says they stand with the men and women of the military by demanding an immediate halt to the War, and the return of all the troops. "We want the troops to know we are glad they are home. We also want them to know that we will do everything we can to make sure that they never have to go again," said Mayes. This message seems to resonate with many soldiers. Activists involved in PMR actions in Olympia or Tacoma report overwhelmingly positive gestures such as "thumbs up" from troops as they drive by in their Strykers and other vehicles. TJ Johnson, Austin Kelley and others vigiling at a busy intersection in Olympia this Thursday report that a Non Commissioned Officer wearing fatigues pulled over, got out of his car, came over, shook their hands and said, "I just want to thank you people for what you're doing." He told them that he had been deployed to Iraq twice before and found it to be a "hopeless situation." He said that he and other soldiers wished that they could speak out against the war, but military regulations prohibited them from publicly opposing the war. Members of OlyPMR argue that they are struggling for what most US soldiers, and the majority of citizens in the US and Iraq clearly want. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Nov 21 14:27:29 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:27:29 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] FRANCE: Mass strike wave, sabotage hit Sarkozy regime Message-ID: <016b01c82c8d$b39f1fa0$0802a8c0@andy1> A series of sabotage incidents have compounded disruption caused by a massive week-long rail strike in France against the Sarkozy regime. Sarkozy has no response but to make vicious and vindictive threats against his opponents. The statists are refusing to compromise and hence making it difficult for union leaders to defuse unrest. This is the kind of hard-right regime which can only be affected by force. Sarkozy is also being hit with strikes and occupations at colleges, and even an occupation by lawyers. This is basically a trial of strength - the tyrant against the people. With luck this will be the beginning of the end for quasi-fascist scumbag Sarkozy who wants to destroy French social movements like Thatcher did in Britain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7106419.stm Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 November 2007, 20:03 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Sarkozy vows to punish saboteurs The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has called for those who sabotaged his country's high-speed TGV rail network to be punished with "extreme severity". Mr Sarkozy asked the justice minister to carry out all necessary inquiries into what the state rail operator, SNCF, called a "concerted campaign". Arsonists burnt tracks and signals, causing delays to services already hit by an eighth day of transport strikes. Earlier, talks were held to try to end the dispute over economic reforms. Managers from SNCF and the Paris public transport operator, RATP, held lengthy meetings with union and government representatives in the capital to try to reach a compromise. Map: France's TGV network There has been no word of a breakthrough, however, and workers are due to vote on Thursday on whether to continue a strike which the government says is costing France millions of euros a day. The government has vowed not to back down on its core proposal to reform the "special" pension system. 'Big mistake' In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, the SNCF said there had been "several acts" occurring "at the same time" overnight on lines running north, west, east and south-east out of Paris. It said they included a "very large" fire on the TGV's Atlantic branch that damaged signals affecting 30km (18 miles) of track. At a cabinet meeting, President Sarkozy asked the police to "make sure the perpetrators were punished with the most extreme severity", the secretary of state in charge of transport, Dominique Bussereau, told France 2 TV. Prime Minister Francois Fillon later blamed militant unionists for the "criminal acts". "The matter has been referred to the judicial authorities. Inquiries are under way, and penalties will be very severe," he told reporters. Mr Fillon said the perpetrators of the sabotage had "no doubt" thought they could interrupt negotiations and the resumption of rail services by the SNCF, which he said was "under way". "Well, let me tell them that they have made a big mistake because, on the contrary, this irresponsible strategy makes negotiations and an end to the strike, which is under way, even more necessary," he added. The prime minister finished by saying it was "high time for these strikes to stop" and for transport networks to resume. Union officials also deplored the attacks as acts of vandalism by "cowards", warning that they put people's safety at risk. Bernard Thibault, chief of the powerful CGT railway union, suggested the acts could have been aimed to discredit the strike movement. 'Pyromaniac government' The unions later held three-way talks with the management of the SNCF and RATP and government representatives in Paris. After the meeting, the head of the CGT's branch at the RATP, Gerard Leboeuf, called on transport workers to "take account of public opinion and preserve their forces to have a bearing on the talks if necessary". Nevertheless, Mr Leboeuf said union leaders would not call for an end to the strike, saying workers would be allowed to vote on whether to continue on Thursday. "We're not going to play the role of fire fighters for this pyromaniac government and it's the workers themselves who are going to decide the next step," he added. The next round of talks with the RATP is scheduled for Monday. President Sarkozy has urged protesters to go back to work, saying the strike had "already cost users - and strikers - so dear". The government has said there could be incentives of salary rises and a top-up scheme for pensions. But it has stressed that there will be no budging on the core issue of eliminating special pensions which allow 500,000 transport and utility workers to retire early. Didier Le Rester of France's General Labour Confederation has predicted that the negotiations could last up to a month. Commuter havoc Before the latest incidents, the SNCF had estimated there would be slightly improved rail services on Wednesday as the number of strikers steadily declined. The SNCF claimed that only 22.8% of its staff remained on strike, while the RATP said 16.4% were still refusing to work. The week of strikes has caused havoc for millions of commuters across France. Businesses have started complaining that the strikes are hurting their operations. The president of the Medef employers' association has described the strike as a "catastrophe" of "probably gigantic" cost to the economy. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has meanwhile said the dispute is costing France up to 400m euros (?290m) a day in lost business. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7102840.stm Last Updated: Monday, 19 November 2007, 22:56 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Strike fever spreading in France By Alasdair Sandford BBC News, Paris As happens from time to time in France, militancy is in the air again. The resolve of the railway workers - on strike for almost a week now - seems to have encouraged others to stick up for their rights too. Lessons at a lycee in Lille were suspended after students blocked access to the secondary school in protest at university reforms. In Vannes several dozen lawyers angry at an overhaul of the court system had to be forcibly moved by police from a courtroom they had occupied. And a publishing union announced that Tuesday's newspapers would not appear in the stands because of a dispute over distribution. The state railway company, SNCF, condemned several new "acts of ill-will" by staff on strike in several stations. Ballast had been dumped on points, signals interfered with and keys stolen to prevent trains from departing. In one incident, several carriages disappeared from their depots overnight and were found blocking a track nearby. Familiar pattern The rail dispute itself has begun to follow something of a familiar pattern. No sooner do the government, the railway companies and union leaders announce that talks are on the horizon than grassroots members immediately vote in waves for the strike to continue the following day. At local meetings around the country on Monday, the results were overwhelmingly in favour - 181 out of 187 workers in Marseille vowed to stay out, as did 97 out of 102 at Bordeaux. In Strasbourg only five voted against the strike, from 250 workers present. At the same time, the proportion of rail staff actually on strike has continued to fall steadily, according to the rail companies. On Monday only 26% of the national rail workforce was said to be still out, along with only 18% of staff on the Paris metro. Yet among train drivers, the figures have reflected the opposite, which may explain why many services have barely improved since day one. So, while a sea of Parisian commuters queued for half an hour to reach the platform of the only metro line that was running properly, some were asking why talks had to wait until Wednesday. Six unions have agreed to sit at a "tripartite round table" with government and railway officials, who will be there as long as rather more trains are running than have been until now. Walking the tightrope France's Labour Minister, Xavier Bertrand - who has been tipped as a possible future prime minister - has refused to bend on the principle that the "special regimes" enjoyed by rail and power workers must be brought into line with other pensions in the public sector. But a compensation package is said to have been drawn up as a sweetener, amounting to perhaps 90 million euros a year according to Le Monde newspaper. The plethora of unions involved - with the grassroots and rail sections often at odds with the national leadership - has confused the picture. In the forefront, the CGT leader Bernard Thibault has been walking something of a tightrope, offering olive branches to the government while trying not to alienate his more militant members. All sides know that many striking rail workers have had their eyes fixed on what has been called "Black Tuesday", when many of those who have been struggling to get to work over the past week will themselves be going on strike. Hundreds of thousands - possibly millions - of teachers, civil servants, health workers, students, banking staff, air traffic controllers, customs officials, weather forecasters, and others - will stop work for 24 hours for a variety of reasons: from pay to public sector reform. While some unions have wanted to keep the disputes separate, others have been pushing for a "junction" of the two protest movements under a common theme of the high cost of living. The high stakes have led to a strange phenomenon: a largely silent president. The usually omnipresent Nicolas Sarkozy has let his ministers do the talking for the past week. He is expected to intervene before too long, however, with some major announcements on boosting wages, one of his main election themes. The president may feel he needs to grab the reins publicly again: at least two opinion polls in recent days suggested that his rating had dropped five points in a month. In the words of one newspaper, the honeymoon period is over. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: o.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: dot_629.gif Type: image/gif Size: 75 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: email.gif Type: image/gif Size: 70 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: print.gif Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 999999.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Nov 26 02:13:28 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:13:28 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] BOLIVIA: Prison break during rightist unrest Message-ID: <007a01c83015$0103c590$0802a8c0@andy1> NOTE: These rightist protests have materialised pretty suddenly - there was always a right-libertarian/neoliberal autonomy movement in Santa Fe, but otherwise the mass mobilisations pre-Morales were leftist and pretty much unopposed... which makes me rather cynical about where this "popular" groundswell is coming from. What is good to see however, is that some good comes out of the unrest despite its sinister origins - a prison set on fire and over 100 escaped, taking advantage of the climate of unrest. http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN2546520071126 Bolivian protesters free prisoners Mon Nov 26, 2007 1:20am GMT Email | Print | Share | Single Page | Recommend (0) [-] Text [+] 1 of 18Full Size By David Mercado SUCRE, Bolivia (Reuters) - Demonstrators opposed to efforts by Bolivian President Evo Morales to overhaul the constitution on Sunday torched police stations and stormed a jail, freeing 100 inmates, while on the streets protesters clashed with police and one officer was killed. The protests in the southern city of Sucre came hours after pro-government allies in a constitutional assembly approved a preliminary draft late on Saturday of the new constitution, a key Morales political project. Morales, a leftist and Bolivia's first Indian president, says the new constitution will give the country's indigenous majority more political power. But the vote was boycotted by the rightist opposition, which has heavily criticized the assembly. On the streets of Sucre, protesters stood face to face with police officers, setting fires to tires as tear-gas rained down on them. They also set fire to Sucre's San Roque prison, starting a prison riot that saw at least 100 inmates escape, local media said. Bolivia's state news agency ABI reported police had been ordered off the streets in Sucre to avoid further provoking protesters. The agency said the police officer who was killed had been lynched by a mob. Three other officers were injured. "The constitutional assembly needs to leave. They're no good. It's just for La Paz; it doesn't represent Bolivia," said a university student who did not give his name after a night battling police. Protests have raged for days against the assembly and the constitution it was drafting, and on Saturday police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of demonstrators armed with rocks and clubs. The assembly has polarized the country and comes amid a power struggle between Morales and his conservative rivals, who want more autonomy for the regions they govern and who also want to move the seat of government and Congress to Sucre from La Paz, a bastion of support for the president. Sucre is nominally the South American country's capital, but it is home only to the top courts, while the legislature and the seat of government have been in La Paz for over a century. The constitutional draft was approved mainly with votes from Morales' party as most opposition representatives boycotted the debates to protest moving the assembly to an army compound. "That assembly is managed by the people of the Altiplano, by people who don't know how to measure the consequences of their actions," said Mario Ona, a constituent assembly delegate, referring to the Andean mountain region surrounding La Paz, home to Morales' strongest support base. The new constitution must pass a referendum by the general population early next month. (Additional reporting by Monica Machicao, Writing by Pav Jordan, Editing by Cynthia Osterman) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ?m=02&d=20071126&t=2&i=2280415&w=192&r=2007-11-26T011959Z_01_N25465_RTRUKOP_0_PICTURE0 Type: application/octet-stream Size: 7434 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: btn_inlineslide_prev.gif Type: image/gif Size: 372 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: btn_inlineslide_next.gif Type: image/gif Size: 365 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Nov 26 22:56:27 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:56:27 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] SCOTLAND: Anti-cuts rally in Glasgow Message-ID: <01be01c830c2$a243f350$0802a8c0@andy1> Glasgow strikers and supporters rally for justice online only by Penny Howard "This is our one and only chance to stand firm for ourselves," said striker Euana Campbell, addressing a crowd of about 150 strikers and supporters gathered in Glasgow's St Enoch Square. "If we don't stand up now, we will have to accept whatever the council throws at us. Cuts like this are happening across councils, the public service, and the NHS. We need to show people what can be done if we stand together. We need to show that we can win! We are fighting for our future, and we shall not be moved!" Euana is a rank and file member of the Unison union, and one of the day centre workers who are now entering their seventh week of an indefinite strike against the Glasgow Council. Unlike most of the strikers, she is not losing any pay, but she is on strike in solidarity with those that have, and out of concern for the future of the service. The strike has been widely supported by the carers and people who use the day centres. Jean is one of a group of carers who attended the demonstration, explaining, "We are here to show our support for the workers, and to say that we are against the closures. We are here for our sons and daughters." Mary added, "My lassie is getting depressed, I can see the life draining out of her. All we get from the council are lies and broken promises. The union are the only people giving us any information." Sheryl, a young woman who uses the Accord day centre, also addressed the crowd. "I want to go back to the centre and see my all friends again. I have never been so sad," she said. Unison is now holding regular meetings for carers in its offices, an important step in building community support for the strike, and defending the service. At the demonstration, Duncan Smith, the branch chair of Edinburgh City Unison, described how a united campaign by Unison and community members forced the Edinburgh council to back down on cuts to schools in August. Iain Ferguson from the University and College Union (UCU) spoke to the crowd saying, "You are fighting to defend an important service. New Labour and the SNP say they want to increase service user involvement - but cutting wages and closing centres is a very strange way to go about doing that." Peter Murray of the National Union of Journalists gave his support, and spoke about upcoming cuts at the BBC. Stephen Smellie, the branch secretary of South Lanarkshire Unison announced their ?1,000 donation, and a member of West Dumbartonshire Unison talked about cuts that their council has recently announced. Unison regional officer Mandy McDowell, and John Devine, branch secretary of Glasgow City Unison also spoke to the crowd. Speakers at the demonstration were harshly critical of the council's consultation on "modernisation" plans for services for people with disabilities, which began last week. Running a consultation during a strike means carers are not able to participate properly because they are not receiving their normal support services, and the staff who are most familiar with the service are also excluded. Carers have been sent two huge consultation documents which they have been given very little time to respond to. One consultation document even boasts of the day centres' skilled workforce, and the fact that they are certified to SVQ level 3 - the very qualification that the council is now refusing to acknowledge! The motion to the Scottish Parliament from SNP MSP Bob Doris which "sympathises" with strikers received the support of 13 SNP, Green, and Liberal Democrat MSPs, but he has decided not to submit the motion to parliament for debate. When strikers visited the parliament 2 weeks ago, they were told that funding equal pay properly was Westminister's responsibility. Yet Westminister recently gave local authorities ?500 million for equal pay settlements, increasing the pressure for Holyrood to do the same. The demonstration was an excellent step in building solidarity with the strike. But we need a proper national demonstration, and we need to consider widening the action to other members of the branch. We cannot leave small groups of workers to battle the council's "service redesigns" on their own, what is necessary now is to bring all the fights against Glasgow Council together and step up the pressure on the council to win. Daycare strikers: 'We won't let Glasgow council bully or blackmail us' Strikers and supporters marched through Glasgow city centre last Saturday. Several union branches also sent delegations (Pic: Duncan Brown) by Simon Assaf Around 270 day centre workers in Glasgow are entering their seventh week of indefinite strike action. The dispute began in July after the city council foisted a "single status" pay review onto its care workers that would leave some of them thousands of pounds a year worse off. Now the council wants the workers to help implement a "service modernisation" that would hit the most vulnerable people. They have presented care workers with a choice - accept plans to cut wage levels or agree to huge cuts in services. They have rejected both. Three strikers, Janette Miller, Euena Campbell and Josie Hughes spoke to Socialist Worker about their struggle. Josie said the single status review was originally set up to look at low pay for women. "The mood was really upbeat when we first got the report," she said. "But when we realised the scale of the attack we became very angry. "Somebody somewhere realised that they could use 'equal pay' to lower people's wages. They are using a good law for a bad purpose." Janette said, "We are angry and determined because we see this 'pay review' as a total injustice." She believes that electoral politics are behind the cuts. "The Labour-run council is only interested in appealing to the electorate. And it's people with learning and physical difficulties that are having to pay for that." The council changed the "work profile" of the day centre workers so that pay scales could be lowered. Support Euena said, "The council has no idea what we do. I have been in this job for five years, and I could not believe how many people are dependent on our services. I want the councillors to take off their shirts and ties and come down and see our work." She joined the strike even though she will get a wage rise under the scheme. "I'm a support worker, I'm not in 'detriment'. But some people are losing ?5,800 in wages. I could not stand by and say, 'I'm all right Jack.' "I totally agree with my colleagues about going out on strike, and as long as they're out, I'm staying out with them," she added. The workers are demanding that the job profiles be reconsidered, but the council are refusing, saying the workers are overpaid. Now the council wants to trade the issue of wages with cuts in services.Josie said, "When they started out, the council said that there were two separate issues - the pay and benefits review to help underpaid women, and a strategy to 'help take the service forward'. "Now they have merged these two issues. They are saying to us that we will only get our money if we agree with 'service modernisation'. Under this plan the council will close day care centres under the pretext of 'working in the community'. "They produced a document that set out plans to use local facilities. We took that on board and use all the facilities that are available. "Then in the same document they say that the centres should be shut. "The term 'in the community' sounds good but in reality it involves dumping us in shopping centres. They say its a 'bad thing' to keep people in buildings, and they should be out - but out where? "We have specialist training kitchens, changing facilities and toilets at our centres. Are we going to find that in shopping centres? We have trampolines for physical therapy that use hoists - they don't have these in sports centres. "The council is saying, 'You can have your wages back, but first you have to agree to what we will do to your clients.' This is bullying and blackmail." The strikers say that is a battle for all public sector workers and solidarity is key to its success. Involved "We have had great support from other unions, the public and service users," said Janette. "People come up to get involved in making placards and notices - doing lots of wee bits and pieces to help. We go out to trade union meetings giving talks on the strike." Euena said, "It took two or three weeks for the strike to make the news. But now we have started to make an impact on the council. "If we accept this rotten deal the council will clap their hands like performing seals." Josie had a message to the council. "I was on a course paid for by the council where we were told, 'A society is judged by how they treat the weak'. So where are their morals? How do they sleep at night?" http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=13611 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Nov 15 06:27:02 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:27:02 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] GREECE: Anti-prison demonstrations Message-ID: <142901c82793$8f716bf0$0802a8c0@andy1> Greece: Simultaneous protests outside prisons in 8 cities @ | 13.11.2007 21:43 | Repression | World Anarchists against prisons Following the uprising in prisons all over Greece during April ( http://athens.indymedia.org/features.php3?id=463), due to the poor living conditions which was sparked after the beating of anarchist prisoner Giannis Dimitrakis, disciplinary measures and prison transfers are a daily routine to those prisoners who still dare to speak up. On Sunday 5th of November anarchists around Greece held solidarity protests outside 8 prisons, namely Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Heraklion Crete, Larisa, Volos, Ioannina and Komotini, to show that prisoners are not alone in their struggle for better living conditions and express their ideas against prisons as a notion and an institution. In Athens the riot police attacked the demo of 800-1.000 anarchists, which resulted to clashes and tear gas. Photos & videos from the protests: Athens: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=789501 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=788638 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=788672 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=788672#788685 Thessaloniki: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=789276 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=789014 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=789276#789332 Heraklion Crete: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=788797 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=788797#789058 Patra: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=788594 Volos: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=792304 Larisa: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=791084 Posters: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=782709#786016 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=786939#786944 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=786097#786100 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=784893 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=781654 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=786027 http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=786755 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 385782.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 155882 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: extlink.gif Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lionelmc at interlog.com Wed Nov 21 21:04:36 2007 From: lionelmc at interlog.com (lionelmc at interlog.com) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:04:36 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Re: [smygo] FRANCE: Mass strike wave, sabotage hit Sarkozy regime In-Reply-To: <016b01c82c8d$b39f1fa0$0802a8c0@andy1> References: <016b01c82c8d$b39f1fa0$0802a8c0@andy1> Message-ID: <20071122000425.kgamizokggg40wg4@webmail.uniserve.com> I'm thankful that France has not followed the U.S. model of increasing the deficit by engaging in war. France has chosen an excellent means of increasing the deficit. "Health, Education and Welfare" its a great formula Mr. Bush! Quoting Andy : > A series of sabotage incidents have compounded disruption caused by > a massive week-long rail strike in France against the Sarkozy > regime. Sarkozy has no response but to make vicious and vindictive > threats against his opponents. The statists are refusing to > compromise and hence making it difficult for union leaders to defuse > unrest. This is the kind of hard-right regime which can only be > affected by force. > > Sarkozy is also being hit with strikes and occupations at colleges, > and even an occupation by lawyers. > > This is basically a trial of strength - the tyrant against the > people. With luck this will be the beginning of the end for > quasi-fascist scumbag Sarkozy who wants to destroy French social > movements like Thatcher did in Britain. > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7106419.stm > > Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 November 2007, 20:03 GMT > > E-mail this to a friend Printable version > > Sarkozy vows to punish saboteurs > > The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has called for those > who sabotaged his country's high-speed TGV rail network to be > punished with "extreme severity". > Mr Sarkozy asked the justice minister to carry out all > necessary inquiries into what the state rail operator, SNCF, called > a "concerted campaign". > > Arsonists burnt tracks and signals, causing delays to services > already hit by an eighth day of transport strikes. > > Earlier, talks were held to try to end the dispute over > economic reforms. > > Managers from SNCF and the Paris public transport operator, > RATP, held lengthy meetings with union and government > representatives in the capital to try to reach a compromise. > > > Map: France's TGV network > There has been no word of a breakthrough, however, and workers > are due to vote on Thursday on whether to continue a strike which > the government says is costing France millions of euros a day. > > The government has vowed not to back down on its core proposal > to reform the "special" pension system. > > 'Big mistake' > > In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, the SNCF said > there had been "several acts" occurring "at the same time" overnight > on lines running north, west, east and south-east out of Paris. > > > > It said they included a "very large" fire on the TGV's > Atlantic branch that damaged signals affecting 30km (18 miles) of > track. > > At a cabinet meeting, President Sarkozy asked the police to > "make sure the perpetrators were punished with the most extreme > severity", the secretary of state in charge of transport, Dominique > Bussereau, told France 2 TV. > > Prime Minister Francois Fillon later blamed militant unionists > for the "criminal acts". > > "The matter has been referred to the judicial authorities. > Inquiries are under way, and penalties will be very severe," he told > reporters. > > Mr Fillon said the perpetrators of the sabotage had "no doubt" > thought they could interrupt negotiations and the resumption of > rail services by the SNCF, which he said was "under way". > > > > "Well, let me tell them that they have made a big mistake > because, on the contrary, this irresponsible strategy makes > negotiations and an end to the strike, which is under way, even more > necessary," he added. > > The prime minister finished by saying it was "high time for > these strikes to stop" and for transport networks to resume. > > Union officials also deplored the attacks as acts of vandalism > by "cowards", warning that they put people's safety at risk. > > Bernard Thibault, chief of the powerful CGT railway union, > suggested the acts could have been aimed to discredit the strike > movement. > > 'Pyromaniac government' > > The unions later held three-way talks with the management of > the SNCF and RATP and government representatives in Paris. > > After the meeting, the head of the CGT's branch at the RATP, > Gerard Leboeuf, called on transport workers to "take account of > public opinion and preserve their forces to have a bearing on the > talks if necessary". > > > > Nevertheless, Mr Leboeuf said union leaders would not call for > an end to the strike, saying workers would be allowed to vote on > whether to continue on Thursday. > > "We're not going to play the role of fire fighters for this > pyromaniac government and it's the workers themselves who are going > to decide the next step," he added. > > The next round of talks with the RATP is scheduled for Monday. > > President Sarkozy has urged protesters to go back to work, > saying the strike had "already cost users - and strikers - so dear". > > The government has said there could be incentives of salary > rises and a top-up scheme for pensions. > > But it has stressed that there will be no budging on the core > issue of eliminating special pensions which allow 500,000 transport > and utility workers to retire early. > > Didier Le Rester of France's General Labour Confederation has > predicted that the negotiations could last up to a month. > > Commuter havoc > > Before the latest incidents, the SNCF had estimated there > would be slightly improved rail services on Wednesday as the number > of strikers steadily declined. > > The SNCF claimed that only 22.8% of its staff remained on > strike, while the RATP said 16.4% were still refusing to work. > > The week of strikes has caused havoc for millions of commuters > across France. > > Businesses have started complaining that the strikes are > hurting their operations. > > > The president of the Medef employers' association has > described the strike as a "catastrophe" of "probably gigantic" cost > to the economy. > > Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has meanwhile said the > dispute is costing France up to 400m euros (?290m) a day in lost > business. > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7102840.stm > > Last Updated: Monday, 19 November 2007, 22:56 GMT > > E-mail this to a friend Printable version > > Strike fever spreading in France > By Alasdair Sandford > BBC News, Paris > > > As happens from time to time in France, militancy is in > the air again. > > > The resolve of the railway workers - on strike for > almost a week now - seems to have encouraged others to stick up for > their rights too. > > Lessons at a lycee in Lille were suspended after > students blocked access to the secondary school in protest at > university reforms. > > In Vannes several dozen lawyers angry at an overhaul of > the court system had to be forcibly moved by police from a courtroom > they had occupied. > > And a publishing union announced that Tuesday's > newspapers would not appear in the stands because of a dispute over > distribution. > > The state railway company, SNCF, condemned several new > "acts of ill-will" by staff on strike in several stations. > > > Ballast had been dumped on points, signals interfered > with and keys stolen to prevent trains from departing. > > In one incident, several carriages disappeared from > their depots overnight and were found blocking a track nearby. > > Familiar pattern > > The rail dispute itself has begun to follow something of > a familiar pattern. > > > No sooner do the government, the railway companies and > union leaders announce that talks are on the horizon than grassroots > members immediately vote in waves for the strike to continue the > following day. > > At local meetings around the country on Monday, the > results were overwhelmingly in favour - 181 out of 187 workers in > Marseille vowed to stay out, as did 97 out of 102 at Bordeaux. > > In Strasbourg only five voted against the strike, from > 250 workers present. > > > > At the same time, the proportion of rail staff actually > on strike has continued to fall steadily, according to the rail > companies. > > On Monday only 26% of the national rail workforce was > said to be still out, along with only 18% of staff on the Paris > metro. Yet among train drivers, the figures have reflected the > opposite, which may explain why many services have barely improved > since day one. > > So, while a sea of Parisian commuters queued for half an > hour to reach the platform of the only metro line that was running > properly, some were asking why talks had to wait until Wednesday. > > Six unions have agreed to sit at a "tripartite round > table" with government and railway officials, who will be there as > long as rather more trains are running than have been until now. > > Walking the tightrope > > France's Labour Minister, Xavier Bertrand - who has been > tipped as a possible future prime minister - has refused to bend on > the principle that the "special regimes" enjoyed by rail and power > workers must be brought into line with other pensions in the public > sector. > > But a compensation package is said to have been drawn up > as a sweetener, amounting to perhaps 90 million euros a year > according to Le Monde newspaper. > > The plethora of unions involved - with the grassroots > and rail sections often at odds with the national leadership - has > confused the picture. > > In the forefront, the CGT leader Bernard Thibault has > been walking something of a tightrope, offering olive branches to > the government while trying not to alienate his more militant members. > > > > All sides know that many striking rail workers have had > their eyes fixed on what has been called "Black Tuesday", when many > of those who have been struggling to get to work over the past week > will themselves be going on strike. > > Hundreds of thousands - possibly millions - of teachers, > civil servants, health workers, students, banking staff, air > traffic controllers, customs officials, weather forecasters, and > others - will stop work for 24 hours for a variety of reasons: from > pay to public sector reform. > > While some unions have wanted to keep the disputes > separate, others have been pushing for a "junction" of the two > protest movements under a common theme of the high cost of living. > > The high stakes have led to a strange phenomenon: a > largely silent president. > > The usually omnipresent Nicolas Sarkozy has let his > ministers do the talking for the past week. > > He is expected to intervene before too long, however, > with some major announcements on boosting wages, one of his main > election themes. > > The president may feel he needs to grab the reins > publicly again: at least two opinion polls in recent days suggested > that his rating had dropped five points in a month. > > In the words of one newspaper, the honeymoon period is over. > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Nov 26 01:51:36 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:51:36 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] RUSSIA: Anti-regime protests suppressed, Kasparov jailed Message-ID: <006901c83011$f489d4b0$0802a8c0@andy1> http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/25/kasparov.jail/index.html Chess legend Kasparov gets 5 days in jail for protest a.. Story Highlights b.. Garry Kasparov charged with organizing protest, resisting arrest, chanting slogans c.. Chess legend says government is harassing him to keep Vladimir Putin in power d.. Putin due to step down next year after two consecutive terms as president e.. Kasparov, other protesters demanding fair elections f.. Next Article in World ? a.. Read b.. VIDEO (CNN) -- A Russian judge sentenced opposition leader Garry Kasparov to five days in jail Sunday, a day after the chess champion-turned-politician and other protesters were arrested at a pro-democracy demonstration in Moscow. Opposition leader Garry Kasparov flashes a V-sign from a police bus after his arrest Saturday in Moscow. Kasparov was charged and sentenced Sunday for organizing an unsanctioned procession, resisting arrest and chanting anti-government slogans. The chess grandmaster said his conviction is part of a government effort to harass him. "Everything you heard here is a lie," he told reporters outside the courtroom. "All my rights were violated from the outset, from the moment of my detention." Watch police hustle Kasparov away at protest ? Kasparov said his arrest was intended to ensure that President Vladimir Putin's party holds on to power. Putin is slated to step down next year at the end of his second consecutive term in office. Though Russia's constitution prohibits a third consecutive term, Putin is expected to attempt to retain power in some form. "We are absolutely against Putin's plan and his political course, because it leads us to the Third World," said Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader. "It leads to abuse of power, lawlessness and bureaucracy, uncontrolled corruption." Don't Miss a.. Kasparov seized at Moscow protest, released Kasparov told CNN his arrest came after protesters delivered a written resolution demanding fair elections to the Russian Central Electorate commission. He spoke to CNN from a police bus as he was being taken to a police station. Authorities have been cracking down on a growing coalition of Soviet-era dissidents, leftists and democrats who are demanding that next Saturday's elections be fair. "The United States is concerned by the aggressive tactics used by Russian authorities against opposition protesters yesterday in Moscow," National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a written statement Sunday. "We are troubled that Garry Kasparov and other leaders of the opposition have been arrested and detained. We call for them to be given proper access to legal counsel and fair treatment in processing." Kasparov was detained briefly in April during at another anti-Putin protest. Witnesses said he was seized as he tried to lead a small group of demonstrators through lines of police ringing the square. 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Name: art.kasparov.arrest.afp.gi.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 20478 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: corner_wire_BL.gif Type: image/gif Size: 94 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: advertisement.gif Type: image/gif Size: 182 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Nov 26 22:55:39 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:55:39 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Fwd: FRANCE: Various socialist reports on the unrest Message-ID: <01b701c830c2$87fe2e70$0802a8c0@andy1> 37 French Universities on Strike First posted 16 November. Student Movement overview (LCR website translation): 37 Universities wholly or partially on strike, with pickets: Paris I (Tolbiac), Sorbonne Paris IV, Paris III, Paris VIII Saint-Denis, Paris X Nanterre, Paris XIII Villetaneuse, Rouen, Tours... ... Caen, Nantes, Rennes II, Rennes I, Toulouse II le Mirail, Toulouse III Rangeuil, Pau, Perpignan, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon II, Montpellier II, Montpellier III, Lille III, Lille I, Limoges, Brest, Le Havre, Bordeaux II, Bordeaux III, Amiens, Angers, Besancon, Metz, Nancy II, La Rochelle, Dijon, Grenoble III, Orl?ans. SNESUP (majority union of university researchers) is calling, from the 16th of November, for general assemblies of research staff to be held to vote on strike action. Paris Region Tolbiac Paris I: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: The centre has been on strike (with pickets) since Tuesday 30th October. Since this date, the director of Paris I has made numerous attempts at repression ( with the unanimous support of the directors of the law faculty, who are declaring their "total solidarity" with the director): administrative closures (from 2nd Nov to 6th Nov, 8th Nov and 10th Nov); police intervention (at 10PM on Weds. 7th Nov), and misleading email communiqu?s. Despite the administrative closure, strikers managed to get in on monday the 5th of november. On Wednesday 7th of November, an assembly of 1,300 students voted again to strike, by a large majority, and voted to occupy. On Friday the 9th of November, a new assembly elected 5 delegates to attend the national co-ordination (from the unions FSE and SUD and one non-union representative). The director decided to organise an electronic referendum (!) from Tuesday 13th to Thursday the 15th of November. On the Tuesday 13th, an assembly of 1,300 students voted to continue the strike and the blockade with a crushing majority, until Tuesday the 20th of November. Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th saw administrative closures. Sorbonne: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 6th November, an assembly of at least 300 students voted to strike with pickets with an easy majority. The vote to occupy was split exactly 50%-50%. More than 100 students occupied the Sorbonne, until a police intervention at 10PM. No delegates were voted to go to the national co-ordination, as there were no general assemblies between the 6th and the 13th. On 8th of November, a "manifestation sauvage" [a roving crowd of demonstrators, with no police permission and no set route] of around 1000 came to the Sorbonne. 50 got into the university despite a police cordon, before being thrown out. Thereafter, the demo blockaded the train tracks at the Gare du Nord for 90 minutes. At the general assembly on the 13th of November, more than 400 students voted for a strike, with blockade and occupation, effective from the 14th of November. Further general assembly on the 15th. The situation is tense; plainclothes police are hovering around. Censier Paris III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of around 700 students voted to strike and blockade. Another general assembly was held on the 15th. Clignancourt Paris IV: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly of around 120 votes for strike and blockade - unanimous but for 4 votes. The next day, an assembly of 400 votes to continue the strike with a slim majority (187 to 165). Monday 12th November, a general assembly of more than 600 students voted to lift the blockade (won by 10 votes). Another general assembly is being held today (Friday 16th November) to discuss the blockade. Malesherbes Paris IV: Wednesday 7th November, General Assembly of 70. Election of an observer for the national co-ordination (from the FSE). Tuesday the 13th of November, general assembly of around 500 students; strike with blockade rejected by 12 votes. Paris VI Jussieu: Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of around 300 students (and about 20 staff) voted to put in place a "barrage filtrant" on monday the 12th of November [a barrage filtrant: lit. "flitering blockade", being where activists block all but one or two entrances to the building, so that all staff and students are obliged to pass by an information point where tracts are handed out]. Paris VII (left bank ): Thursday 8th November, assembly of around 300 students. Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of more than 500 students vote for strike with blockade starting from monday the 19th of November. Paris VIII Saint-Denis: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, general assembly of around 500 people. Wednesday 7th of November, general assembly of 400 people. Monday 12th November, general assembly of 800-1000 people votes for strike, blockade and occupation. Tuesday 13th November, an assembly of 500 votes to continue the strike. Nanterre Paris X: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of 800-1000 students vote to strike with picketing (615 for, 199 against) and occupation. Friday 9th November, buildings A, B, C, D, E, and L are blockaded. Strike pickets and "barrages filtrants" put up in buildings F (law) [n.b. law and econocmics faculties are normally the most anti-strike] and G (economics). On Monday 12th November, the forces of order penetrate the campus, temporarily break the picket lines and gas students; general assembly of 1,500 voted to continue the blockade. Tuesday 13th November, blockade of the entire campus; at 10PM, the CRS use batons to dislodge the students blockading the law faculty. Law students at STAPS vote to strike. Cr?teil Paris XII: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 200 people vote for the the repeal of the P?cresse Law (the motion was taken to the Administrative Council [elected staff body which governs the uni alongside the director. Administrative Councils, or CAs are threatened by the LRU, which aims to undermine them.]). Tuesday 13th of November, a general assembly puts in place "barrages filtrants". Villetaneuse Paris XIII: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Assembly Wednesday 7th November (election of two delegates to the national co-ordination). Tuesday 13th November, an assembly of more than 300 voted to strike, blockade and occupy (the UNEF leadership declared itself against the strike) by 205 votes to 83. Evry: Monday 12th November, general assembly of 300 students voted to strike. Another assembly was held yesterday. Cergy Pontoise: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of 200 students voted to strike Marne La Vall?e: Thursda y 8th November, general assembly of 200 people. Western Northwest Region: Rouen: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: on strike with blockade since the 25th of October (faculty of letters and psychology), general assemblies of 1000 people monday 29th and tuesday 30th of October. Monday 5th November, general assembly of 2000 students voted to continue the strike and blockade, and voted almost unanimously to adopt the following motion: "We call upon the higher education union leaderships to join the mobilisation and call immediately for strike s." Wednesday 7th of November, the blockade was extended to the science faculty. Thursday 8th November, 700 students (500 according to police) demonstrated. Monday 12th November, sport science students joined the movement and voted to blockade. Assembly of 1,200 people in letters, humanities, psychology, and sociology voted to continue the strike with blockade. Tours: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE 6th November, assembly of 800 students vote for strike and blockade. 8th November, general assembly continues the blockade and votes in delegates got the national co-ordination. Monday the 12th of November, a general assembly of 1,500 students voted to continue the strike with blockade until 21st November. Tuesday 13th November, two students are arrested by the undercover police [the BAC, or Brigades Anti-Criminalit?, a particularly brutal plainclothes riot squad, not an 'intelligence' operation like UK plainclothes police]. The local SNESUP branch has called a strike for the 16th of November [today]. Caen: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly of around 400 students voted for strike with blockade in the literature building. Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of around 600-700 people blockaded the literature buildings and the science faculty. Demonstration of around 500 people on Thursday 8th November. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of around 1,500 students voted to reconduct the strike with a blockade. More than 1,000 students have gone to demonstrate in the city. Nantes: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday the 7th of November, general assembly of 700 people votes for strike with blockade. Blockade in literature and human sciences of 200 students. Thursday the 8th of November, general assembly of 1,800 students votes to continue the strike (around 1,200 for, 600 against) and the occupation. Demonstration of around 700 students. Occupation of the university on Thursday the 8th of November. Following the general assembly on tuesday the 13th, the blockade of literature and human sciences was continued. Following the general assembly on the 14th of November, the blockade was extended into the law faculty. Read about it on http://mouvement.etudiant.nantais.over-blog.fr/ Rennes II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly of 800 students voted to strike with blockade. Wednesday 7th November, a general assembly of at lesat 2,000 students voted to continue the blockade. Thursday the 8th November, demonstration of around 3,000 students in the streets of Rennes. Blockade of the railway lines for 2 hours. Monday 12th November, general assembly of 2000 students votes to continue the blockade until the repeal of the P?cresse Law. Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th November, administrative closure of the uni following an (illegitimate) referendum organised by the president and sanctioned by UNEF. Wednesday 14th of November, a general assembly of staff shamefully gave its support to the director of Rennes II (who compares strikers to "terrorists"), thus opening the way for police intervention on Thursday 15th November at 2AM. Students were arrested. Brest: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE. Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 300 people votes to strike without blockade. Monday the 12th November, general assembly of more than 500 people votes to strike with blockade. Le Havre: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 1,000 people votes in a strike with a slim (510/476) majority. Blockade rejected (361 for, 476 against). Monday the 12th of November, a general assembly of over 1,000 people votes for strike with blockade (586 for, 475 against). Another general assembly was held yesterday. Rennes I: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE. Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 300 people votes to strike without blockade. Tuesday the 13th of November, a general assembly of 500 students votes for strike with blockade. Lorient: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of 150, "barrage filtrant" put in place the next day. Poitier: Monday 12th November, general assembly of several hundred students. Angers: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th November, a general assembly of 900 students in literature votes for strike with blockade (470 for, 261 against). General assembly of students in sciences took place yesterday. Le Mans: general assembly took place yesterday. La Rochelle: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th November, 400 students from the faculty of letters voted to strike with blockade. Orl?ans: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th October, General Assembly of 250. Wednesday 14th of November, general assembly of 400 students voted for strike with blockade of the literature faculty. SOUTH WEST Toulouse le Mirail: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, 1,500 students decided to maintain the blockade (and noted the launch of an anti-blockade email petition by reactionary groups), which was put in place the next morning. Thursday 8th of November, general assembly of 2,000 students continued the blockade. At least 2,000 students from 3 universities in Toulouse demonstratied. Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of 1,300 students voted to continue the blockade until tuesday the 20th of November. Furthermore a general assembly of 200 staff voted to go on strike! Toulouse I (Arsenal): Thursday 8th November, general assembly of between 250-300 students. Two delegates sent to the National Co-ordination (from FSE and the left-faction of UNEF, the TUUD). Tuesday the 13th of November, the assembly voted to strike without blockade. Toulouse Rangueil: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of around 80 students. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of 600 students voted to strike with blockade. Pau: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of 400 people vote to strike. Thursday the 8th of November, a general assembly of 1600 people voted to strike (1,129 for, 295 against, 33 abstentions) and to blockade (1,009 for, 591 against, 20 abstentions). Friday 9th November, demonstration of around 200 students. Direct action against a motorway toll booth. Monday 12th November, students voted 1,242 to 1,023 to contiue the blockade until friday the 16th of novemeber. Perpignan: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: General assembly Wednesday 31st of October of 200 students. Assembly voted to strike, and also t o "empty the rooms" [of classroom furniture, to prevent teaching] and the occupation of the campus until wednesday the 6th of November. Wednesday 7th November, another general assembly was attended by 1,000 students. Students voted by 618 votes to 361 to continue the strike, blockade and occupation. The technology facutly also went on strike with blockade until Wednesday 14th of November, when another general assembly voted to continue the blockade by 896 votes to 626. http://greve-perpignan.blogspot.com/ Limoges: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE Tuesday 6th November, general assembly of around 150 people. Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 300 people. Monday 12th November, general assembly of 400 people (literature) who voted to strike and bloc kade. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of science students (300) voted to strike and blockade. Another general assembly was held yesterday. Bordeaux III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of 1,500 to 2,000 students voted to strike and blockade by a slim majority. Bordeaux II: Also on strike Bordeaux I: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of 140 students. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of 600 people votes to accept the principle of strike action. Next assembly is on Monday the 19th. SOUTH EAST Aix-En-Provence (Schuman site): STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, a general assembly of 1,300 students voted to strike, blockade and occupy. Friday the 9th of November saw a general assembly of 800 people vote to continue the blockade. At 9:30 that night, the CRS [rio t police] dislodged the occupying students (this being a completely unprecedented event in the history of the university). The univesrity has been closed by the administration "until further notice". Tuesday the 13th of November, a general assembly of staff demanded the reopening of the site. Lyon II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thurday the 8th of November, a general assembly of around 500 people voted to strike and blockade from monday the 12th of November. On Monday 12th November, at least 1,000 students vote to blockade the site for the entire week. Montpellier II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of 500 students voted to strike and blockade. In spite of this, the strike wasn't really begun until Wednesday the 14th of November. On the 14 th of November, a general assembly of more than 1000 students voted to strike and blockade. On Friday the 16th of November, the director intends to hold a referendum on the blockade. Montpellier III (Paul Val?ry): STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Friday the 9th of November, general assembly of 150-200 students. Monday the 12th of November, assembly of around 1000 students who voted for strike and blockade. Grenoble III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of over 1,000 students voted to s trike, blockade and occupy the building until the 21st of November. On that evening, the police arrived and cleared out the university: three students were arrested. Grenoble II: Tuesday 13th of November, private security guards dislodged, with the use of dogs, a meeting of students in a lecture theatre. Saint Etienne: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 80 students. Interprofessional meeting on the 13th. Assembly on the 15th. Nimes: Friday 9th November, students decided (by secret ballot) to blockade the university from the 12th of November, in order to demand the election of a new university director (the election having been held up by the current rector). Local demands on issues like democratic control, wages and the marking of exam papers. Another general assembly was held yesterday. Marseille (Saint Charles): Monday 5th of November, general assembly of 150 people. Chamb?ry: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 80 people. Avignon: Monday 12 November, meeting of 300 people. Clermont-Ferrand: Tuesday 13th November, 450 students attended an informative meeting. The next day, the Administrative Council's offices were blockaded by around 100 students. An assembly was held yesterday. NORTH Lille III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: 6th November, general assembly of 1,200 students voted to strike and blockade. Next general assembly was fixed for the the 12th of November; the assembly decided to let the director of the university organise a referendum by secret ballot on the blockade of the university on that day. On Thursda the 8th of November, a demonstration of 2,000 people. On Monday the 12th of November, the secret ballots were counted to reveal that students had voted to blockade by 1,631 votes to 1,037. Lille I: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, general ass embly of 300 people. Virtually unanimously votes to strike and a small majority (150 for, 130 against) votes to blockade. Thursday 8th November, demonstration of around 1,500 people. The next day, a general assembly of 1,600 students votes by a very slim majority (810 for, 800 against) to continue the blockade. Monday the 12th of November, a general assembly votes to continue the blockade by 1,082 votes against 1,006. On Wednesday the 14th of November, a general assembly of staff in the maths faculty voted to strike. http://www.ag-lille1.info/ Lille II: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of more than 2,000 people votes to strike (1,483 for, 774 against), but the blockade was rejected (952 for, 1,316 against). Arras: Thursday the 8th of November, general assembly of 400 people votes to accept the principle of striking. Another was held on tuesday 13th of November. Amiens: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th of November, general assembly of around 400 people. Tuesday the 13th of November, general assembly of 1,000 students from human sciences (of a faculty of 5,000) votes to strike with blockade. On other faculties, a strike without blockade was voted in. Valenciennes: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE in the literature faculty. EAST Nancy II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly assembled around 150 students and voted to put in place "barrages filtrants" on Thursday the 8th of November. On that day, a general assembly of 700 students, followed by a demonstration of several hundred. Two delegates (from UNEF) were sent to the national co-ordination. On Wednesday the 14th of November, a general assembly of 1,000 students voted to strike with a crushing majority (90%). Metz: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th of November, general assembly of 650 students voted to strike. Tuesday the 13th of November, a general assembly of 800 students voted to strike, blockade and occuoy. Reims: Tuesday 6th November, general assembly of around 200 people. Strasbourg: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 150-180 people. On Tuesday the 13th, general assembly of 600 people voted to strike without blockade. Dijon: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, a general assembly of over 1,000 students voted to strike and blockade. Besancon: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, a general assembly in the literature faculty voted to strike and blockade. France: action spreads to high schools, railworkers' strike wins partial concessions 23 November, 2007 - 20:57 < /FONT> Author: Martin Thomas The railworkers' strike action in France seems to be ending for the time being, apparently with some concessions, but student mobilisations continue, and may even be growing among high-school students. The militant student union SUD-Etudiant reports: "Thousands of university and high school students marched on Thursday 22 November, in many cities across France, to protest against the university autonomy law" [a first step to privatisation]. SUD-Etudiant estimates: "Between thirty and forty universities were still blockaded on Thursday [22 November], and more than twenty high schools have joined the movement, especially in the region around Paris and in the North. "Almost three quarters of universities are regularly h olding student General Assemblies against the autonomy law, and more than a third are on strike". A national student coordination meeting in Tours last weekend called for a new day of action on Tuesday 27th. A new national coordination meeting this weekend [24th-25th] will review that plan and discuss others. The level of student action is continuing high despite police being called in to end occupations (often with some brutality) at many universities. According to the militant union SUD-rail, the continuation of the French railworkers' strike over pension rights "became more difficult after Tuesda y 20 November [the day of a public service workers' strike and big demonstrations across France], when the CGT [the majority union, influenced by the Communist Party] began to call for a return to work". After striking on 14 November, the railworkers had been holding mass meetings each day and voting to continue the strike, and there was a strong commitment to stay out to join up with the public service workers on the 20th, but after that the CGT thought they could secure a return to work. As SUD-rail puts it, "signs of a return to work" were given, and eventually "the return to work by some allowed the leaderships to get a return to work by others, since 'the number of strikers was falling'. "Nevertheless", continues SUD-rail, "many CGT activists and collectives preferred to continue the struggle, sticking to the same conclusion as that arrived at by SUD-rail and [the other union federation] FO: we have decided together to enter into a mobilisation which we knew would probably be a long one..." Negotiations are now in progress: SUD-rail reports that "the unions are invited to eleven meetings between now and 18 December". According to D?bat Militant (a newsletter published by a current in the LCR), "It seems that the SNCF [mainline railways] and RATP [Paris public transport] managements are willing to finance, from their profits, wage compensations which would allow the meintenance, more or less, of the level of the workers' pensions despite the 'reform'. It is a way of trying to get the movement from 37.5 years' contributions [for a full pension] to 40, that is to secure the real aim of this 'reform', which is not, as we can well see, just a question of money, but rather a political problem: to clear the ground for a general increase in the number of years' contributions required to 40 for all workers". The battle over pensions is by no means over yet. SUD-rail says tha t the railworkers see their battle as not just one for their particular pension rights, but for all workers, "henceforth directly under threat of an increase in the minimum number of years' contributions for a full pensions being raised to 41 [from 40 at present] in 2008, then 42, and so on". The bosses' federation MEDEF has indicated that it wants the requirement raised to 45 years' contributions. Reports I'd seen previously spoke of the increase to 41 years as a threat for 2010, but SUD-rail reports it as a more immediate threat. On 8 December there is a demonstration in Paris against unemployment and casualisation. French students: 'The movement is building rapidly' University students have been central to the revolt (Pic: Phototh?que Rouge/JMB) Students across France have been occupying their universities and protesting against the government's LRU laws that introduce the market into university management. Kohou Mbw?lili, a student at Sorbonne university in Paris, spoke to Socialist Worker about the growing movement. "We've held a series of general assemblies that have voted to shut down the university," she said. "We had a blockade last week, but it was smashed up by the police on Friday morning and one student was arrested. "This is a new strategy from the university authorities to call in the police at the first sign of a blockade. They're moving much more quickly and aggressively - the idea is not to allow any picket lines to form at the university. "This has been happening in other universities too - there were major clashes last week between police and students in Nanterre university. "Our movement is still confident, however. On Monday this week we leafleted the university to build support for a renewed blockade. The student movement is expanding rapidly, following much the same dynamic of last year's movement against the CPE labour laws. "We've also been building links with other groups of workers. Many of the lecturers here support the idea of an occupation to defeat the new university laws. We've also had rail workers come in to address the general assembly about their strikes. "I feel the size of the movement against Sarkozy's laws has given us support - especially the strikes by railway workers and civil service workers. We will be joining the demonstrations on Tuesday this week and holding our own day of action on Thursday." France: action spreads to high schools, railworkers' strike wins partial concessions 23 November, 2007 - 20:57 Author: Martin Thomas The railworkers' strike action in France seems to be ending for the time being, apparently with some concessions, but student mobilisations continue, and may even be growing among high-school students. The militant student union SUD-Etudiant reports: "Thousands of university and high school students marched on Thursday 22 November, in many cities across France, to protest against the university autonomy law" [a first step to privatisation]. SUD-Etudiant estimates: "Between thirty and forty universities were still blockaded on Thursday [22 November], and more than twenty high schools have joined the movement, especially in the region around Paris and in the North. "Almost three quarters of universities are regularly holding student General Assemblies against the autonomy law, and more than a third are on strike". A national student coordination meeting in Tours last weekend called for a new day of action on Tuesday 27th. A new national coordination meeting this weekend [24th-25th] will review that plan and discuss others. The level of student action is continuing high despite police being called in to end occupations (often with some brutality) at many universities. According to the militant union SUD-rail, the continuation of the French railworkers' strike over pension rights "became more difficult after Tuesday 20 November [the day of a public service workers' strike and big demonstrations across France], when the CGT [the majority union, influenced by the Communist Party] began to call for a return to work". After striking on 14 November, the railworkers had been holding mass meetings each day and voting to continue the strike, and there was a strong commitment to stay out to join up with the public service workers on the 20th, but after that the CGT thought they could secure a return to work. As SUD-rail puts it, "signs of a return to work" were given, and eventually "the return to work by some allowed the leaderships to get a return to work by others, since 'the number of strikers was falling'. "Nevertheless", continues SUD-rail, "many CGT activists and collectives preferred to continue the struggle, sticking to the same conclusion as that arrived at by SUD-rail and [the other union federation] FO: we have decided together to enter into a mobilisation which we knew would probably be a long one..." Negotiations are now in progress: SUD-rail reports that "the unions are invited to eleven meetings between now and 18 December". According to D?bat Militant (a newsletter published by a current in the LCR), "It seems that the SNCF [mainline railways] and RATP [Paris public transport] managements are willing to finance, from their profits, wage compensations which would allow the meintenance, more or less, of the level of the workers' pensions despite the 'reform'. It is a way of trying to get the movement from 37.5 years' contributions [for a full pension] to 40, that is to secure the real aim of this 'reform', which is not, as we can well see, just a question of money, but rather a political problem: to clear the ground for a general increase in the number of years' contributions required to 40 for all workers". The battle over pensions is by no means over yet. SUD-rail says that the railworkers see their battle as not just one for their particular pension rights, but for all workers, "henceforth directly under threat of an increase in the minimum number of years' contributions for a full pensions being raised to 41 [from 40 at present] in 2008, then 42, and so on". The bosses' federation MEDEF has indicated that it wants the requirement raised to 45 years' contributions. Reports I'd seen previously spoke of the increase to 41 years as a threat for 2010, but SUD-rail reports it as a more immediate threat. On 8 December there is a demonstration in Paris against unemployment and casualisation. France rises up against Sarkozy by Jim Wolfreys A major battle is underway in France. The newly elected president Nicolas Sarkozy and his right wing government have launched a wave of attacks on workers and students. But the movement against neoliberalism has fought back magnificently - with resolute rank and file activism to the fore. The media is comparing Sarkozy's attacks on French workers to those undertaken in Britain by Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s. Spearheading the struggle are railway workers, whose strike has gone into a second week, and students, whose protests have affected more than half of France's 85 universities. Teachers, nurses, solicitors, magistrates, post workers, gas and electricity workers, fishermen and civil servants have also taken action, along with ballet dancers, actors and stagehands at both Paris opera houses and the Com?die-Fran?aise theatre. Railway and metro workers are defending pension rights in the public sector. They are part of a group of half a million workers who have the right to retire earlier on a full pension, although in return they make higher social security payments. The government wants to end this "privilege" so that nobody is eligible for a full pension until they have worked for 40 years. It will then launch further attacks on the pension rights of all workers. Opposition from the Socialist Party and its leader, Fran?ois Hollande, has been weak. He is in favour of pension reform and has only criticised the way Sarkozy has gone about it. As one railway worker put it, "When I hear poor old Hollande, I want to cry." Opposition It is the railway and metro workers themselves, rather than the official opposition, who have taken the fight to Sarkozy. They walked out on strike on Tuesday of last week. Daily mass meetings then voted to renew the action so they were still out when other public sector workers demonstrated over pay and job cuts on Tuesday of this week. The government has entered into talks with some groups, such as gas and electricity workers, in the hope of isolating the railway workers. It is trying to divide France's various union federations and wants to draw the railway workers' main union, the CGT, into calling off the strike, negotiating and selling out the fight over pensions. But pressure from below has ensured the action has remained effective, with as much disruption to the transport system as during France's great strike wave of 1995. The CGT leadership knows that if it calls off the action it will lose credibility and members. But its control of events is already threatened by rank and file activity. By ensuring the current strike has been continuous, union activists have prevented it from being focused on individual days of action and thereby fragmented. Sarkozy is also confronted by another battle, led by students, against a new law which will shift control of higher education from the state to the market, opening the door to privatisation of the university system. Disrupted As the transport network ground to a halt last week, universities across the country were disrupted by action, with riot police attacking students who had set up blockades in Rennes and Nanterre. The students' national coordinating committee urged students to join workers on Tuesday of this week and to prepare for a nationwide strike in schools and universities two days later. The students have also issued a call for every "sector in struggle" to mobilise for a day of action on Tuesday of next week. The coordinating committee declared, "We must build a movement of all young people and workers to fight back against the government's offensive." One student activist summed up the mood last week, "We're not great leaders - we're just students who are afraid our future is being flogged off." Anger at the havoc and misery caused by neoliberalism is what unites all the different groups now engaged in struggle, whether over pay, pensions or market-led education reforms. Sarkozy has sought confrontation in order to neutralise their movement, which has undermined every French government elected since 1995. But students and workers are drawing on the activist networks and experience they have built up over the past 12 years. Despite the government's offensive, this means they have entered the conflict with a higher level of organisation than on previous occasions. Yet they are faced with a government that is confident it has a mandate for cutbacks and a trade union leadership that has failed to give impetus to the movement. There are signs that the strikes are provoking tensions on the right. Last week Sarkozy was forced to head off attempts by members of his own UMP party to inflame the situation further by organising an anti-strike demonstration. He knows that if the government is defeated, the reputation of his hardline presidency will be in ruins. But the movement of workers and students has already proven its capacity to overcome setbacks. This week will be a crucial test of the strength of opposition to Sarkozy, who is prepared for a long conflict. The ability of activists to maintain radical action and mobilise wider layers of workers and students will be crucial. As one railway worker put it, "After the demonstration on 20 November, the movement has to snowball." Special Thanks to: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Fri Nov 30 23:40:39 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:40:39 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] FRANCE: Unrest rocks suburbs Message-ID: <00ff01c833ed$6ea7b710$0802a8c0@andy1> To repeat what I've said before... France is at a turning point. Social resistance and insurrection need to be sustained, or else Sarkozy is going to drive France into the same neo-totalitarian cesspit as Britain, America and Australia. Sarkozy is an authoritarian/neoliberal extremist and must be stopped. For his project to succeed, he needs to crush the massive resistance of the urban poor, workers, students and other groups involved in social mobilisations. It would require something like the miners' strike to turn France from the quasi-populist liberal democracy it started out as into a full-fledged authoritarian regime like those in strongly neoliberal societies. Every revolt must be viewed with hope - and every wave of repression, every threatened measure with trepidation. France is currently at the forefront of the struggle for, and against, neoliberalism globally. Summary: * Mass uprising by youths in Paris suburbs after suspicious death linked to police * Riot police in pitched battles with thousands of local youths * "Guerrilla war" analogy mooted * Clashes continue for two nights but abate on third; also spread to Toulouse * Unrest briefer, but more intense than 2005 insurrection; at least 200 clashes between youths and police last year * Police routed in several locations * Several police stations torched * Airguns fired at police during unrest * "It's a way of making people understand we've had enough" * Police try to cordon off affected areas * Serious analysts stress racism, poverty; Sarkozy in denial, spouts hatred (but is careful to wait for it to die down first) * Menace of CCTV, tasers could be deployed to suppress unrest * Police attempt show-trials of accused youths * Local bigots make excuses for police as "violence" taboo kicks in * Strikes, unrest hit Sarkozy's popularity Riots break out in Paris suburbs after police crash kills youth By Alex Lantier, France 27 November 2007 http://wsws.org/articles/2007/nov2007/fran-n27.shtml Riots have shaken the north Paris suburbs for two consecutive nights after the deaths of two youths, Moushin and Larimi, in Villiers-le-Bel around 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 25. The youths were riding on a motorbike that was hit by a police car and were left for dead by police. The basic details of the collision are not in dispute. According to the daily Le Monde, "the motorbike skidded for over twenty meters," while "the police car's front was smashed and the bumpers torn off; the windshield caved in deeply." The policemen promptly fled the scene on foot. Marie-Th?r?re Givry, the Pontoise district prosecutor, said that the policemen left the area and did not begin investigations until that night because of "the danger that their presence in that area would have posed." She did not explain her comment further, but it is clear that they feared being caught by enraged inhabitants. Le Monde quoted Youn?s B., an inhabitant of Villiers-le-Bel: "A second police team came to pick up their colleagues. But they left the two kids without doing anything." Givry opened an investigation for "involuntary homicide and non-assistance of persons in danger" with the Inspection G?n?rale de la Police Nationale (IGPN), the national agency charged with investigating police misconduct. Belgium's RTL television interviewed one inhabitant who said: "A lady [...] came down to help them, she's a nurse. She gave them first aid. When the neighborhood kids arrived, she said, 'It's over, they're dead.' She was all alone, the cops were gone." Firemen eventually arrived to try to help the victims. Omar Sehhouli, the brother of one of the deceased, told RTL: "I spoke to a fireman, I won't tell you the name as he asked me not to quote him. He said, 'Frankly, just between the two of us, the policemen are cowards.'" There are substantial suspicions that the incident was deliberate. According to reporters for the daily Lib?ration, "Media use of the term 'involuntary homicide' was particularly infuriating [to residents of the area], many of whom are convinced that the collision was deliberately provoked by the police squad." Lib?ration added: "There was apparently tension between one of the victims and police. Larami's father [...] affirmed today to other inhabitants that a policeman had threatened his son last week. His described a verbal exchange with a policeman who told his son that 'You'll have to deal with us.'" Rioting spread that evening and developed into a pitched battle between police and local inhabitants. Riot police around the local fire station shot flash-balls and tear gas at demonstrators, who threw stones and glass bottles. They then marched on the local commuter train station, burning the police stations of Villiers-le-Bel and Arnouville-l?s-Gonesse and destroying their computers. Le Monde commented: "Despite reinforcements from all over the Paris area, police forces-equipped with bulletproof vests, flash-balls, and tear grenades-had the greatest difficulty in restoring order. They tried to block the movements of 'highly mobile' groups, according to a police official on the scene, but without success. [...] Numerous inhabitants insulted policemen as they go by-and the police did not hesitate to reply in the same manner." According to figures given by Givry's office, 40 policemen were injured, including one police commissioner with serious skull injuries. No figures were given in French corporate media on the number or seriousness of casualties among the demonstrators. The next day, hundreds of policemen were brought into the region. The IGPN released an interim report on Monday that provocatively attempted to whitewash the conduct of the police. It cleared the policemen of all charges and confirmed "police accounts" that the incident was a "traffic accident" due to the youth traveling "at a very lively speed," whereas the police car was moving "normally, without speeding or sirens." On the question of whether police failed to appropriately help the victims of the accident-to which both witnesses and officials had until then unanimously testified-the report brazenly asserted that it was "a harder point in the case, which calls for more investigations." It added that police committed "no serious error." Authorities quickly tried to rally around the report. Givry announced: "I will not let anyone say that the police services did not assist the youth." From China, where he is currently on a state visit, French President Sarkozy demanded that "everyone calm down and that the justice system be allowed to determine the degree of responsibility on both sides." Villiers-le-Bel inhabitants marched Monday afternoon. Those at the front of the march carried pictures of Moushin and Larimi bitterly labeled, "Rest in peace. Deceased on November 25, 2007. Died for no reason." Monday night, further rioting broke out in six neighboring suburbs: Villiers-le-Bel, Cergy, Goussainville, Sarcelles, Garges-l?s-Gonesse, and Ermont. Police sources said 36 cars burned, in addition to trashcans, a primary (maternelle) school, and a library. Thirty policemen were listed as injured, including two serious injuries. Again, there were no figures on non-police injuries. Authorities fear that, should these demonstrations continue and get out of control of police forces, there could be a replay of the November 2005 riots touched off by the electrocution of two youths while fleeing police in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. They are therefore publicly announcing preparations for a massive confrontation. A police official told Le Monde, "It's been a long time since there have been so many police forces brought together. Even in 2005 we hadn't seen something like this. The town is entirely sectioned off." The use of language reminiscent of French colonialism's struggle against the masses of Algiers in the 1950s is no accident. The policy of forming large-scale police authorities capable of rapidly mobilizing large numbers of cops for police raids in poor neighborhoods-a policy championed by Sarkozy as Interior Minister in 2003-has helped transform the relations between inhabitants and police into a constant, low-level war that erupts every time the police kill someone, unintentionally or otherwise. Inhabitants' suspicions that the deaths were intentional are entirely justified. This act of police violence comes in a definite political context-the calling off by the trade union bureaucracy of the major transport strikes against Sarkozy's government over pension cuts. Every time a major mass struggle has been called off in recent years-e.g. in 2003 against then-Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's pension cuts and in 2006 against Dominique de Villepin's First Job Contract reforms-the government has sought to appeal to racist or religious prejudices against Muslims and immigrants, who make up a large portion of the population in poorer suburbs. In 2003, Raffarin prepared a bill that banned Islamic headscarves in French public buildings. In 2006, the Villepin government passed a tough anti-immigrant bill shortly after the end of the First Job Contract demonstrations. Whether or not this particular killing happened as authorities were encouraging police officials to take a harder line on immigrant suburban youth is, of course, hard to determine. However, there are undeniable signs that another campaign appealing to anti-immigrant prejudices is being prepared. Several media outlets, including Lib?ration and Le Nouvel Observateur, have recently carried articles paraphrasing apparently vulgar anti-Muslim rants by Sarkozy in diplomatic negotiations with other European heads of state. Lib?ration journalist Jean Quatremer wrote on November 19 that Nicolas Sarkozy "gave a real anti-Muslim diatribe before his guests. According to my sources, the head of state [i.e. Sarkozy] launched into a confused, twenty-minute speech [...] against the overly large number of Muslims present in Europe." He mentioned that Sarkozy repeatedly spoke of a "clash of civilizations" between Islam and Europe. Le Nouvel Observateur, in its November 26 article on the subject, also posted a video of Sarkozy criticizing Islamic practices, such as the slaughter of sheep during the festival of Eid. Sarkozy roughly comments: "One does not slaughter a sheep in one's bathtub." In the current political context, no confidence can be placed in the investigations carried out by the police. Sarkozy's call for everyone to "calm down" in the face of a police whitewash reeks of the most repellent cynicism. An independent investigation must be convened to establish the legal responsibility of the policemen and the political responsibility of the leading politicians. ------------------------------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/europe/28riot.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Police and Protesters Clash Near Paris a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This b.. Print c.. Reprints d.. Share a.. Del.icio.us b.. Digg c.. Facebook d.. Newsvine e.. Permalink By KATRIN BENNHOLD Published: November 28, 2007 VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France, Nov. 27 - Dodging rocks and projectiles, the police lined the streets of this tense suburb Tuesday where angry youths have vowed to seek revenge for the deaths of two teenagers who died in a weekend collision with a police car. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Charles Platiau/Reuters The Louis Jouvet library was torched. More Photos ? Multimedia Photographs Violence in a Paris Suburb Enlarge This Image Charles Platiau/Reuters Municipality workers stood near a burnt police car two days after the death of two youths in a motorbike accident with a police car in a suburb of Paris. More Photos > The New York Times More Photos > Police union officials warned that the violence was escalating into urban guerrilla warfare, with shotguns aimed at officers - a rare sight in the last major outbreak of suburban unrest, in 2005. More than 80 have been injured so far - four of them as a result of gunfire - and the rage was still simmering Tuesday afternoon. Inside the city hall of Villiers-le-Bel, a group of visiting mayors appealed for calm while police officers dodged rocks outside. "We are sitting targets," said Sophie Bar, a local police officer who stood guard outside. "They were throwing rocks at us and it was impossible to see where they came from. They just came raining over the roof." The violence was set off by the deaths of two teenagers on a motorbike who were killed in a crash with a police car Sunday night. The scene, with angry youths targeting the police mostly with firebombs, rocks and other projectiles, was reminiscent of three weeks of rioting in 2005. But senior police officials warned that the violence was more intense this time. "Things have changed since 2005," said Joachim Masanet, secretary general of the police wing of the UNSA trade union. "We have crossed a red line. When these kids aim their guns at police officers, they want to kill them. They are no longer afraid to shoot a policeman. We are only on the second day since the accident, and already they are shooting guns at the police." Some young men stood by the charred timbers of the town's police station, laughing and surveying the damage. Cem, 18, of Turkish origin, declined to give his name because he feared police reprisals. But he and his friend Karim, of Algerian descent, said they both had participated in rioting over the past two days. "That's just the beginning," Cem said. "This is a war. There is no mercy. We want two cops dead." Karim added: "The police brought this on themselves. They will regret it." Six of the officers hurt in the clashes Monday were in serious condition, according to Francis Debuire, a police union official. Four were wounded by gunfire, including one who lost an eye and another who suffered a shattered shoulder. The biggest risk, the police say, is that the violence will spread. In 2005, unrest cascaded through more than 300 towns, leaving 10,000 cars burned and 4,700 people arrested. As night fell in Villiers-le-Bel, the anxiety was evident. Strangers warned people to hide their cellphones because youths were snatching them on the street. People hurried to their homes, while some gathered in knots on street corners. Police helicopters circling public housing developments spotted stockpiles of rocks stacked along the roofs. Naim Masoud, 39, a teaching assistant in Villiers-le-Bel, said that, in her school, even 8-year-old children talked about racism and discrimination by the police. "It will take a lot more than riot police to cure this neighborhood," she said. "These children feel like foreigners. It is inexcusable what they are doing, but the seeds are deep." Some of the fiercest clashes Monday took place near a bakery where one of the dead, a 16-year-old known only as Larami because his identity has not been made public, was an apprentice. Habib Friaa, the owner of the bakery, said Larami had been highly regarded. He was stunned, he added, to learn Monday about his death. "It's quite something to say goodbye to somebody on Saturday and learn two days later that he died. We're like a family here because we're a small business," Mr. Friaa said, noting that Larami "was not a delinquent. He was somebody who was learning our profession and he was serious." Ariane Bernard contributed reporting from Villiers-le-Bel. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jeFc8AF_c6NJD6v25AZYeidCgg0AD8T7IDV80 French Leader: Thug Culture Caused Riots By JENNY BARCHFIELD - 1 day ago PARIS (AP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy rejected the notion Thursday that a recent bout of rioting was part of a wider social crisis, blaming instead a "thugocracy" in France's housing projects. The conservative leader vowed to give law enforcement improved technology to fight urban disturbances like ones that shook the troubled suburbs north of Paris earlier this week. Vast deployments of riot police succeeded in restoring calm to the area following two nights of violent clashes between rampaging local youth and police officers. The unrest has drawn comparisons to riots that raged through poor suburbs nationwide for three weeks in 2005, and it shows that anger still simmers in poor housing projects where many Arabs, blacks and other minorities live, often isolated from mainstream society. Sarkozy made it clear he would not throw money at the problem, saying he favored harsher penalties for the troublemakers. "The response to the rioters is not more money at the taxpayers' expense, but the arrest of rioters," Sarkozy told a meeting of some 2,000 police officers. He insisted the unrest had "nothing to do with a social crisis. That has everything to do with the thugocracy." He said France would invest in video surveillance equipment and other technologies aimed at putting down urban violence. The riots broke out following the deaths Sunday of two teenage boys in a motorbike crash with a police car in Villiers-le-Bel. Some residents refused to believe the deaths were accidental, blaming the police. On Thursday, some 300 mourners marched through Villiers-le-Bel carrying a banner at the front of the funeral procession that demanded "justice and truth" for the dead teens, Mohsin Sehhouli, 16, and Lakamy Samoura, 15. Samoura will be buried in Senegal, the country his parents immigrated from in 1966, said Jean Chevais, an attorney for the family. At the height of the violence Monday night, rioters fired shotguns at officers, injuring at least 10 and signaling a deterioration in long-strained relations between police and the country's youth. Guns were rarely used during the 2005 riots. In his speech Thursday, Sarkozy vowed zero tolerance for the use of firearms against officers. "If it is a new attitude, it won't last long," he said, adding that police were worthy of praise because they legitimately could have fired back. Successive governments have struggled with the question of how to integrate minority youths from poor neighborhoods. Heavy state investment has done little to improve housing and create jobs in the depressed projects that ring Paris. The government's newest plan - an "equal opportunities" bill to improve the prospects of those in poor suburbs - will be unveiled Jan. 22. Associated Press writer Laurent Pirot in Paris contributed to this report. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22847024-1702,00.html Sarkozy condemns riot 'yobocracy' By Emma Charlton in Paris November 30, 2007 09:11am Article from: Agence France-Presse Font size: + - Send this article: Print Email FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to track down the "yobs and traffickers" he accused of fomenting unrest in the high-immigration suburbs of Paris. In a prime-time television interview, Mr Sarkozy promised his government would take a tough line towards those behind a flare-up of violence that left more than 120 police wounded, some by gunfire. "These people are yobs, ready to do anything. We will find them one by one," said Mr Sarkozy, who seized hold of the suburb crisis upon his return from a state visit to China. Two nights of arson attacks and clashes around Villiers le Bel, north of the capital, were triggered by the death of two teenage boys in a motorbike collision with a police car on Sunday. "We came within inches of a catastrophe," warned Mr Sarkozy, who earlier visited several officers wounded by hunting rifle buckshot and bullets, including one who lost an eye. Hundreds of riot police were on duty for a fourth night in Villiers and nearby towns, where a mass security presence has kept an uneasy calm for the past two nights. Mr Sarkozy charged earlier that the violence - France's worst unrest since nationwide riots in November 2005 - was caused by a hard core of delinquents rather than social deprivation. "What happened in Villiers le Bel has nothing to do with a social crisis and everything to do with yobocracy," he told a meeting of police officers. "Other unemployed people do not open fire on the police," he reaffirmed. "This has nothing to do with an accident. This has nothing to do with social problems. I will not respond to this with more money. "When you try to explain the inexplicable, you end up finding excuses for the inexcusable." His words were echoed by Urban Affairs Minister Fadela Amara, herself a social activist from the "banlieues", who told Le Parisien newspaper that "what happened is not a social crisis. This is anarchic urban violence carried out by a minority, who tarnish the majority." Tough on delinquents Mr Sarkozy said an action plan for the poor suburbs to be announced in January would focus on encouraging social mobility "for those who want to get out", while promising tough treatment for delinquents. Government policy would be "more generous to those who want training and a job, a family and a home, and more severe to those whose only idea is to poison the lives of others," he said. The initial findings of an investigation into Sunday's accident confirmed the police version according to which the police vehicle was driving at normal speed when it was crashed into by the two teenagers, neither of whom was wearing a helmet, Le Figaro newspaper reported. Some local people appear to believe that the crash was deliberately caused by the police, who they say left the scene without treating the victims. Nine-day transport strike The suburb violence came hard on the heels of a paralysing nine-day transport strike against Mr Sarkozy's pension reform plans, the most serious challenge to his presidency since his election in May. A poll taken at the height of the strike showed Mr Sarkozy's confidence ratings tumbling below 50 percent for the first time, with respondents complaining of stagnating wages and rising prices and stubbornly high unemployment, at 8.1 percent. Mr Sarkozy pledged to "put some fuel" back into the economy, but with sluggish growth and French public finances stretched to capacity, he warned the solution could not come from state "hand-outs". "The French people are not waiting for me to hand out gifts like Father Christmas when they know there is no money in the coffers," he said. Mr Sarkozy insisted the only way to boost spending power was to allow people to "work more to earn more" - his key campaign slogan - promising to let firms circumvent the 35-work week under agreement with workers and unions. Forty-nine percent of respondents told the TNS-Sofres poll they doubted Mr Sarkozy's ability to wrench France out of the economic doldrums. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g0SrWTaNqfYGtJGPUCd27QG-0ZMAD8T86MPG0 Riots Point to Racially Divided France By JENNY BARCHFIELD and JOHN LEICESTER - 11 hours ago VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France (AP) - French officials point to a host of causes - poverty, unemployment, the influence of criminal gangs - for riots that erupted this week. But there's one taboo issue that officially colorblind France has been unable to confront: race. The violence, like riots that spread nationwide for three weeks in 2005, exposed how parts of France have divided along color lines, with blacks and Arabs trapped in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods - like Villiers-le-Bel, in the northern suburbs of Paris, where gangs attacked police and burned cars and buildings this week. "Among the rioters, the very large majority come from immigrant backgrounds," said Douhane Mohamed, a police commander. "Why? We mustn't kid ourselves: there is a direct link between urban violence and ghettos, and the majority of people with immigrant roots live in ghettos." France does not like to see its recurrent, and some say worsening, bouts of urban violence through the prism of race or color. Rioters are often described simply as "youths," while poor projects with large concentrations of immigrants are "sensitive urban zones." In the name of equality, France has so idealized the melting pot that it has made its minorities invisible - on paper at least. The country does not compile statistics on the foreign-born or their French-born children. France, a nation of 60 million people, has the largest Muslim community in western Europe but does not know how many Muslims live here. The number is estimated at about 5 million - though some experts disagree. Critics argue that being officially colorblind has limited France's ability to recognize and treat the difficulties its minorities face - sometimes because of their color. Immigrants and their French-born children often complain that it is harder for them than whites to get work, job interviews, housing, even entrance to nightclubs. President Nicolas Sarkozy once toyed with the idea of affirmative action but then dropped it before he won the presidency in May. He won praise for appointing three women to his Cabinet who have roots in north and sub-Saharan Africa. But his toughness on immigration and crime has angered many minority youths. Sarkozy took a hard line against this week's rioters, dismissing the notion that they were symptomatic of a wider social crisis and instead labeling them a "thugocracy." The rioters are a tiny minority but sullen anger is palpable in Villiers-le-Bel. Black youths complain that police stop and search them because of their color. They speak of exclusion, of not getting a fair shake, of being treated like foreigners in their own country. Few residents condone the violence and many condemn it - but no one seems surprised that it broke out. "Everyone is equal. That is what is written. But behind that is something else," said Hassan Ben M'Barek, spokesman for Suburbs Respect, a group that lobbies for those who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. In some such areas of the Paris region, "there are no white French people left in the streets. You can drive around for two or three hours and all you will see are North Africans and blacks. And these are neighborhoods with enormous problems," he added. "Those who have the means to leave the projects are white, and they leave. There's no more ethnic diversity." It was impossible not to see the violence in Villiers-le-Bel in black and white terms. The hundreds of beefy riot police officers drafted in, some from as far away as France's eastern border with Germany, were almost exclusively white. The neighborhoods they patrolled were largely black and Arab. The trigger for the rioting was the deaths last Sunday of two teens whose motorcycle crashed with a police car. Lakamy Samoura, 15 and Mohsin Sehhouli, 16, weren't wearing helmets and their bike was not authorized for public roads. Police insisted the crash was accidental, but kids in the neighborhood didn't believe it. The deaths became an excuse for two nights of rioting in which more than 100 police officers were injured, some by shotgun rounds. Tellingly, neither of the teens will be buried in France, although both were French. Mohsin's parents are taking his body to Morocco; Lakamy will be buried in Senegal, from where his parents emigrated in 1966. Having a foot in France and another in Africa is something that Maka Sali, a black 17-year-old in Villiers, identifies with. She said she doesn't like taking trips into Paris - about 20 minutes away on the train - because she doesn't like the way some whites there look at her. "I feel like a foreigner," she said. She also said it was "just terrible" that it took the deaths of two teens to thrust the issue of France's poor neighborhoods back to the forefront of the national agenda. The riots of 2005 also started when two teens were killed - electrocuted while hiding in a power substation from police. Some argue that the recurring violence must make France rethink its taboos. Mohamed, the police officer born in France of Algerian parents, said France should carefully allow research into the proportion of crimes and urban violence carried out by minorities, so solutions can be found. M'Barek said France needs more minorities in visible positions of responsibility and that affirmative action may be a way to get them there. Since the violence of 2005, France has earmarked billions of dollars for programs to improve housing and create jobs in tough neighborhoods. The government says that its newest "equal opportunities" program will be unveiled Jan. 22. But it was hard to see among the burned out cars and blackened moods in Villiers that much has changed. "The only thing they (the government) have done is build that police station," said Frank Dosso, a black 16-year-old, referring to a $7 million police station under construction in Villiers. "But that's not going to last long." http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/commentary/commentaryother.asp?file=novembercommentary722007.xml Disaffection, poverty underlie French riots (By Geraldine Baum) They burned the library during a riot in Villiers-Le-Bel, a gritty suburb outside of Paris. The blackened shelves and books were thrown around like garbage the next morning, and singed desks were piled on top of each other like old firewood. As they examined the wreckage - the senator, the sports coach and the teenagers with sticks and pipes still skulking around in the light of day - all had similar explanations as to why. Why the arson up and down the commercial streets? Why the attack on a pre school and the area's only train station? The death of two teenagers after their motorbike collided on Sunday with a police car had ignited a melee. But why two nights of unparalleled violence against police? "It's a way of making people understand we've had enough," says Charlie Koissi, the 31-year-old coach who seems to know every kid who passes by and gives each one a high-five. "When you touch one of our brothers, no matter what (his) origin, it concerns us." Raymonde Le Texier, the senator who represents the area in the French Parliament and has lived here 40 years, describes pent-up rage by black and Muslim children of immigrants who feel lost and abandoned in the projects. "People feel forgotten by those in power," says Le Texier, a member of the Socialist Party. "It's the truth - they have been forgotten." As for the kids, they speak without words. They throw rocks at outsiders and stare angrily at officials including Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who breezes quickly past the burned-out library and later calls the rioters "criminals". Journalists with their relentless questions are circling around the kids, who half want to be heard and half want to fight them. No, they aren't talking today, and they shut down their "brothers" who try to speak. By midnight there was still evidence of tension, but mostly the area had calmed down. Unrest flared up briefly in the southern town of Toulouse where 10 cars and another library were torched by roving posses of disaffected youth. Theirs is a world apart with its own codes and subculture. When France was paralysed most of this month by widespread strikes, the young in these poor neighbourhoods remained calm, quietly enduring the chaos like everybody else. But then two of their own, identified as Moushin, 15, and Larimi, 16, lay dead on the street. Immediately everybody blamed the cops. Cars were set on fire, and blurry photographs of the teenagers with the words "We Love You" written on them were taped on storefronts and street signs. This time around the violence came faster and more furiously than in 2005. During 200 nights of clashes between ghetto youth and riot police that year, there was only one death and sporadic injuries. But after only two nights of confrontations this week, 80 police were hospitalised, including six who were seriously injured when rioters pummeled them with stones, gas bombs and firecrackers. At least two dozen officers were hit by pellets fired from long guns. Not much has changed since 2005 in the lives of the young rabble-rousers. Despite the money the government has poured into these areas to rehabilitate them, the mood is the same. In this town of 27,000 young and older men still roam the streets with nothing to do most weekdays. The jobless rate remains steady at 40 per cent. The French government has been trying to bring renewal to these tumble-down areas, spending almost $9bn a year on programmes and construction projects. A recent watchdog report showed, however, that much of the money had been wasted through inefficiency and repetitive services. There is a new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, promising more renewal, but he is also the loathed former interior minister of the previous regime who fanned the violence in 2005 by referring to marauding youth as "scum". Sarkozy has made it clear that he'll side with law enforcement and the people who have lost their cars and their businesses to the unrest. Le Texier, the senator, scoffs at Sarkozy's urban affairs minister, Fadela Amara. Amara has been on a mission since the summer to hear from the residents of the ghetto about what they think must be done and is expected to deliver a plan of action by early next year. Le Texier says people who know the problems are disgusted by Amara's search for the best strategies: "We've been telling the government for 10 years what needs to be done here." The most difficult hurdles, she and others agree, are the ones money cannot easily fix. They are endemic to the culture of France's 5 million immigrants, particularly many of the second-generation who are born in France but don't feel French. And so during a night of rage they target a police station, a local library: "It's a symbol," says Le Texier, "of the Republic, of the city, of the state." http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article3201860.ece Paris suburbs on brink as riots leave 82 police injured Wednesday, November 28, 2007 By John Lichfield Massive police reinforcements, led by the Prime Minister in person, attempted to stem a violent revolt, bordering on guerrilla warfare, on the northern fringes of greater Paris. Cars and shops were set alight late last night but there was nothing like the massed attacks on police seen on Monday evening when 82 officers were injured, some by pellets from shot-guns and light hunting rifles. Appeals for calm, and an influx of hundreds of police, led by the Prime Minister Fran?ois Fillon and Interior Minister Mich?le Alliot- Marie, appeared to have imposed an uneasy calm in the early part of the evening in the town of Villiers-le-Bel, 12 miles north of Paris. The town's library and two schools were burned to the ground on Monday night in running battles between police and a mob of 150 to 200 youths. Despite the apparent lull, fears remained high that the riots might erupt once again and spread to other poor and troubled suburbs of French cities, just as they did in November 2005. There were car burnings in several cities last night and an attempted arson attack on a library in a poor district of Toulouse, in south-west France. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was returning from a visit to China last night, will hold an emergency security meeting today. The violence in Villiers-le-Bel, previously a leafy island of relative calm in the far northern suburbs of the capital, was sparked by the death of two teenage boys after an accident between their miniature scrambling bike and a police car. A broadly similar incident, in another northern Paris suburb, ignited the riots two years ago, which spread to the poor districts of almost every town and city in France. Why should an accident produce such an explosion of violence? Why should boys, aged 14 to 17, some as young as 10, burn a library? What depths of hatred and anger would persuade them to fire hunting rifles and shot-guns at the police? Two years after the suburban riots of 2005, France finds itself confronted with all of the same questions. Or, perhaps, even harder questions. The evidence of the second night's rioting - more than 80 policemen injured by shotgun and airgun pellets, including four seriously - suggests that the level of urban violence has ratcheted up alarmingly. Few guns were used during the three weeks of nationwide riots in 2005. On Monday night, the youths, mostly teenagers, but with some older leaders in their 20s, attacked the police head on. In 2005, there were thousands of incidents of arson but few direct confrontations. Despite evidence to the contrary, the young people from the tower blocks of the ZAC - "concerted redevelopment zone" - on the edge of Villiers-le-Bel are convinced that Larami, 16, and Mouhsin, 15, were deliberately rammed by a patrolling police car. According to the authorities, all the evidence from independent eye-witnesses points to a simple road accident. The two boys - riding without helmets on an off-road, miniature, scrambling bike - roared out of a side-street in front of the patrol car. The policemen tried to help them and called for medical help before retreating from a menacing mob, police say. Part of the problem is that the police - and the then interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy - made similar dismissive comments after two teenage boys died in an electricity sub-station at Clichy-sous-Bois while fleeing police in late October 2005. It later emerged that the boys, innocent of any crime, had been pursued by police and the officers had abandoned them in the sub-station, knowing that they were in danger. A much larger part of the problem is that a state of warfare now exists between the police and young people in the poor, multi-racial suburbs. For them it is inconceivable that a fatal accident involving a police-car could have been an "accident". Amina, 28, was visiting the impromptu shrine to the boys where they died. "Yes, of course it was probably an accident but try telling that to the other boys here," she said. "This is not an especially violent place. When the police come here, it is only to make trouble, to harass and insult the boys and young men. Even I have to ask myself: what were the police doing here on Sunday?" Even politicians from his own centre-right party are pointing to a decision taken by M. Sarkozy as interior minister in 2002 as the source of much of the increased anger in the banlieues. M. Sarkozy abolished the local police units in the suburbs and replaced them with flying squads, including units of the CRS riot police. Hugues Portelli, centre-right mayor of Ermont, close to Villiers le Bel, said yesterday: "We need to have the local police back... in my town we know very well that there is no point in calling in some CRS units. They only provoke a fight." http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10204344 On the streets, again Nov 28th 2007 | PARIS >From Economist.com France's social problems run deep AFP AFTER nights of rioting in Villiers-le-Bel, a rough banlieue north of Paris, and clashes in Toulouse, President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to hold an emergency security meeting in the French capital on Wednesday November 28th. He was expected to step up further the security presence in the run-down suburb, as well as in those nearby, in an effort to stop the trouble spreading. Police reinforcements helped to bring about a calmer third night on Tuesday. Mr Sarkozy, who was interior minister during the three weeks of rioting and car-burning across French banlieues in 2005, is this time determined to prevent a repeat by clamping down on the violence early. Freshly back from his trip to China, Mr Sarkozy set the tone for the hard-line position he intends to adopt towards the rioters. After visiting in hospital a local police chief badly wounded in the first night of violence, he vowed on Wednesday that anybody who had fired on policemen would end up in the criminal court: "It is," he said, "attempted murder". Unlike in 2005, when almost no firearms were used by either the rioters or the police, and the violence was primarily arson and rock-throwing, a number of hunting shotguns were used to fire at the police this time. As in 2005, this week's rioting was triggered by the deaths of two youths in a clash with the police. This time, the two teenagers, riding a mini-motorbike without wearing crash helmets, were killed in a collision with a police car. How this happened is unclear, and an inquiry has been opened. By nightfall, rioters were on the rampage. Over two nights of violence, they torched scores of cars and rubbish bins, a police station, a primary school, a library, local shops, a McDonald's fast-food restaurant and municipal buildings. Some 130 policemen were wounded, several of them seriously. Local (mainly Socialist) mayors had been warning for a while that tension remained high in the country's banlieues, two years on. It is not that these grim neighbourhoods have been neglected altogether. There has been a heavy injection of public cash, primarily into the renovation of the housing estates that ring the big cities. The centre-right Mr Sarkozy appointed a left-wing Muslim woman, Fadela Amara, to draw up a "Marshall Plan" for the banlieues, which is due in January. By including her, as well as other members of ethnic minorities, in his government, he also sent a message of inclusion to the heavily Muslim and ethnic population of the banlieues. The problem, rather, is that two central issues remain unresolved: the failure of the French economy to create enough jobs, and the tense relationship between the police and local youths. The unemployment rate in the banlieues remains more than twice as high as the national average (which is 8.1%) and on some housing estates is 40%. Mr Sarkozy wants to loosen the labour market to encourage job creation, but negotiations over how to do this are still in progress. It will anyway take time for new policies to take effect. As for policing, France is hamstrung by a sterile debate that pits the left against the right over police methods. The left insists that things have deteriorated ever since neighbourhood policing was dismantled under the previous centre-right government, and accuses the right of inflaming tension with heavy-handed techniques. In reply, Mr Sarkozy insists that those methods were too lax, treated policemen like social workers not law-enforcement officers, and prefers a strong hand to clamp down on criminality. This wave of violence comes at a testing time for Mr Sarkozy's six-month-old presidency. He has just endured a nine-day public-transport strike, which brought chaos to the capital's roads and enraged commuters. Students have been blockading university campuses for weeks in protest at higher-education reform. Magistrates are holding a one-day strike on Thursday against judicial reform. It is one thing to deal with this form of organised discontent on the streets. The disorganised criminal violence that broke out this week is altogether more unpredictable. http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3920292&page=1 French Riots: 'Urban Guerilla Warfare' Latest Outburst Is More Intense Than 2005 Riots, Police Say By JEAN-NICHOLAS FIEVET and CHRISTOPHE SCHPOLIANSKY LONDON, Nov. 27, 2007 Font Size E-mail Print Share Gangs of youths fought running battles with police Monday for a second consecutive night in a suburb north of Paris. It was an outburst many said was surprising in its intensity. Their faces hidden behind scarves and hoods, rioters used firearms and hurled Molotov cocktails, paving stones and firecrackers at cops, injuring 77 officers. Four police officers remain hospitalized with air gun and shotgun wounds. Cmdr. Mohamed Douhane of police union Synergie described the rioting to ABC News as "open rebellion," with youths operating like "urban guerrillas." "We are dealing with groups of louts who are very mobile, very determined, and who are not hesitating to use firearms to shoot at policemen like rabbits," he said. About 100 young men set fire to cars and several buildings in the suburb of in Villiers-le-Bel, 12 miles north of the French capital. The fire service quickly arrived on the scene and was able to control most of the flames. The only building to suffer serious damage was the local public library. Some of those rioting Monday night were said to have been as young as 10 years old. Riot police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Monday's rioting came a day after two teenagers were killed in a traffic accident involving a police vehicle in the same suburb of Villiers-le-Bel. Police have said that a 15-year-old and 16-year-old were riding on a small motorbike that collided with a police car out on a routine patrol. Their deaths sparked riots Sunday in Villiers-le-Bel, and the surrounding areas of Gonesse, Sarcelles and Arnouville. Around 30 cars and several buildings were set ablaze. Eight arrests were made, and 20 police officers were injured. A preliminary investigation by police Monday appeared to clear the officers of responsibility for the road accident. French Prime Minister Fran?ois Fillon said today that "those who fire on the police are criminals. They will be treated as such," saying that additional security forces would be deployed in the Parisian suburbs Tuesday night. Yesterday's riots are reminiscent of the violence that swept across Paris' outlying suburbs in the autumn of 2005 and spread to the rest of the country. Those, too, were sparked by the deaths of two youths, electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police. So far, the riots over the past couple of days have been much smaller in scope but more intense, according to police. "Violence against the police has radicalized itself, with a quasi-systematic use of firearms," Douhane told ABC News. "This is a new development, compared to the riots of two years ago. In 2005, there were two shots fired at the police, but that was after several weeks of violence; 77 policemen were wounded last night, while in 2005, during three weeks of violence, a total of 126 policemen and gendarmes were wounded." Monday youths built improvised barricades out of trash cans and rubble. Eyewitnesses described the rioters as organized and disciplined. Sebastian Roch?, a sociologist and author at think-tank CNRS, agreed. He told ABC News that "the rioters have learned from 2005. They use garbage covers as shields. Some are very determined, and are prepared to use weapons that can kill. The violence has reached a new level." Monday night one youth was seen with a two-way radio tuned in to a police frequency. Sebastian Roch? believes that it's too early to know if the violence will spread. Police representatives told ABC News that the potential for further escalation "is of great concern." Three local mayors said that the situation in the suburbs since 2005 had not only failed to improve but has indeed worsened. "In the autumn of 2005, French politicians seemed to wake up to the serious problems in the suburbs," wrote Claude Dilain, St?phane Gatignon and Fran?ois Pupponi in the daily newspaper Le Monde. "Yet the situation continues to deteriorate. All the data points to increases in social exclusion, unemployment, street violence . communities are unravelling, and when people feel abandoned, they have a tendency to turn in on themselves." ONZUS, a government agency that monitors urban areas, confirmed that despite a small drop in crime since 2005, unemployment in these neighborhoods remained twice as high as the national average. France's political parties, and the families of the killed teenagers, have condemned the latest violence and urged for calm. While on an official visit to China today, Nicolas Sarkozy called for the justice system to take its course and determine who is responsible. Wednesday the French president is expected to visit injured police officers in the hospital, meet the families of the killed teenagers and convene a meeting of ministers to discuss his government's response. As Interior Minister during the 2005 riots, Sarkozy caused considerable controversy when he declared that the restive suburbs needed "cleansing," and described the youths as "rabble." Police commander Mohamed Douhane told ABC News today that a minority of young people in the French suburbs reject state institutions, and the police in particular. "They use an excuse, a tragic event in this case, to express their hatred of society by the most violent means." Christophe Schpoliansky reported from Paris. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/280563 A French `insurrection' Email story Print Choose text size Report typo or correction Sarkozy calls for calm as police clamp down on youth riots described as `more violent than 2005' Nov 28, 2007 04:30 AM Nicolas Garriga ASSOCIATED PRESS VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France-Youths rampaged for a third night in the tough suburbs north of Paris and violence spread to a southern city late yesterday as police struggled to contain rioters who burned cars and buildings - and shot at officers. During 200 nights of clashes between ghetto youth and riot police in 2005, there was only one death and sporadic injuries. But after only two nights of confrontations this week, 80 police were hospitalized, including six seriously injured when rioters pummelled them with stones, gas bombs and firecrackers. At least two dozen officers were hit by pellets fired from long guns. "We're talking about insurrection," Patrice Ribeiro, of the police union Synergie Officers, told the Los Angeles Times. "It's more violent than in 2005 ... We have armed people shooting at police.'' Bands of young people set more cars on fire in and around Villiers-le-Bel, the suburb where rioting first erupted, and 22 youths were arrested, the regional government said. In the southern city of Toulouse, 20 cars were set ablaze but fires at two libraries were under control, police said. Prime Minister Fran?ois Fillon, who was briefed by police in Villiers-le-Bel, said things were "much calmer than the previous two nights, but ... still fragile, and we need a large preventive force on the ground so that what happened last night does not happen again.'' Police reinforcements were moved to trouble spots yesterday. as helicopters flew overhead, shining powerful spotlights into apartment buildings to keep people at home. About 1,000 officers patrolled in and around Villiers-le-Bel yesterday, Fillon said. One rioter with a shotgun "was firing off two shots, reloading in a stairwell, coming back out - boom, boom - and firing again,'' said Gilles Wiart, an official in the SGP-FO police union. "I don't think it's an ethnic problem. Most of all it is youths who reject all state authority. They attack firefighters, everything that represents the state.'' The trigger was the deaths Sunday of two minority teens when their motorscooter collided with a police car in Villiers-le-Bel, a blue-collar town on the northern edge of Paris. Suspicion of police runs high in the housing project where they died. Media gave only their first names, Lakhami, 16, and Mouhsin, 15. The riots present a stern test for new President Nicolas Sarkozy, showing anger still smoulders in France's poor neighbourhoods, where many Arabs, blacks and other minorities live largely isolated from the rest of French society. Residents claimed the officers left without helping the teens. Prosecutor Marie-Th?r?se de Givry denied that, saying police stayed on the scene until firefighters arrived. Rioting and arson erupted after the crash. Violence worsened overnight Monday as rioters burned a library, a nursery school and a car dealership. Eight rioters convicted yesterday in fast-track trials were jailed three to 10 months. "The situation is under control," said Denis Joubert, director of public safety for the region. Sarkozy, speaking from China, appealed for calm and called a security meeting of cabinet for today on his return home. In 2005, he was the hard-line interior minister, in charge of police during three weeks of riots, who angered project dwellers when he called delinquents there "scum.'' The rioting youth "want Sarkozy - they want him to come and explain" what happened to the two teens, said Linda Beddar, 40, a mother of three in Villiers-le-Bel. She woke yesterday to find the library across from her house a burned-out shell. The 2005 riots also began in the northern suburbs, after two teens were electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/nov2007/fran-n30.shtml France: drumhead tribunals and threats of police state repression By Alex Lantier 30 November 2007 Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author The French government's response to three nights of anti-police rioting in Paris's poorer north suburbs has been a ruthless assault on local inhabitants and on democratic rights. With 1,000 policemen already deployed against rioters, President Nicolas Sarkozy gave two bellicose speeches yesterday-one in front of 2,000 massed policemen at the corporate La D?fense district, another on prime-time national television-threatening stiff jail terms for rioters and promising massive equipment purchases for police. At the same time, the courts are passing draconian sentences in drumhead tribunals against youth picked up by police on suburban streets, often on the flimsiest evidence. The riots were sparked by the deaths of two youths in Villiers-le-Bel Sunday afternoon, in a collision between their motorbike and a police car. According to testimony of residents, the policemen fled the scene, leaving the two youths to die. The General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) issued a report Monday largely clearing the police of responsibility, but the report itself was found to be in contradiction with a video of the accident and the accounts given by Villiers-le-Bel's inhabitants. In Villiers-le-Bel and surrounding areas, still sectioned off by police after a night without rioting, inhabitants expressed their frustration. One of them told the daily Le Monde: "The police, this is all theater; they're coming here with weapons and ski masks." Le Monde carried disturbing pictures of policemen, inexplicably dressed as civilians and wearing ski masks, but carrying shotguns and assault rifles with infrared sights, guarding intersections. Police surveillance helicopters, flying low, shone powerful headlights down on streets and buildings. One resident commented: "You'd think we were at war, they're provoking the youth." Another yelled, "Hey, you, extra-terrestrials!" at the circling helicopters. Prime Minister Fran?ois Fillon confirmed that the purpose of the deployment was to intimidate the population: "The situation is much more calm than the two previous nights, but all that remains, we well know, very fragile and we need a major dissuasive force in the area to prevent what happened the previous night from re-occurring." The identity of the youths dragged off the streets and given summary judgments in French courts confirms that what is taking place is not a crackdown on violent gangs, but the terrorizing of working-class youth from oppressed layers of the population. Thirty-nine youths are still being watched by police, according to the daily Lib?ration, and eight have been judged so far. C?dric is a part-time plumber finishing vocational school, with no police record. Accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police, he said he "panicked" when he was caught in a volley of tear-gas grenades while walking home from his 20th birthday party and tried to escape by scaling a barricade. Prosecutors demanded that he be sentenced to 30 months in jail, causing "stupor in the courtroom," according to press accounts. C?dric's lawyer responded by pleading that the judge "only consider the actual contents of the case" against her client. C?dric received a one-year prison sentence without parole. Two teenagers, Jean-Matthieu and Alan, one on a short-term contract as a shipping package preparer and another a part-time warehouse stocker, received three-month prison terms without parole for being found with packs of candy they said they found on the street. They were taken directly to prison from the arms of their parents. Neither one had a police record. No?l, a 21-year old part-time security guard, was the only youth tried yesterday with a police record-for driving last year without proper auto insurance. The police accused him of torching cars with gasoline and "busying himself with the burning cars." The prosecutor announced, "The facts are clear," adding that "unless you subscribe to a massive conspiracy theory, there is no reason to doubt [police] accounts." No?l's lawyer pointed out that a burning car gives off powerful smells that "get into your hair, your clothes," whereas his client bore no such traces. No?l was the only accused youth to be released. As one defense lawyer, Laurence Benitez de Lugo, told Le Monde: "There is a desire for a firm, immediate response which is not arrived at serenely." To speak more plainly, the French courts are carrying out politically-motivated show trials in a blatant assault on the democratic rights of the accused and, by extension, of the entire French population. Sarkozy and his officials are deliberately stoking panic by slandering the inhabitants of Villiers-le-Bel, distorting the seriousness of the riots, and calling for drastic increases in police powers and equipment. In an address to the nation on TF1 television's prime-time 8 p.m. news bulletin, Sarkozy provocatively denied that there was any "social crisis" in the suburbs and claimed that recent events were the result of "hoodlum-ocracy." He said that youth opposing police in Villiers-le-Bel were "drug traffickers." Sarkozy delivered similar comments in somewhat expanded form before an assembly of 2,000 policemen at La D?fense in the west Paris suburbs. He said, "The right response to the riots is not more money on the taxpayers' tab. The right response is to arrest the rioters." Stressing that there was no social crisis in the suburbs, he demagogically attacked "those who would lecture us" about social issues but "don't know what it's like to be in uniform, facing rabid gangs." One can appreciate the level of shamelessness in Sarkozy's comments by noting that, as of April 2007, his presidential campaign was on the record as supporting a "new Marshall Plan" for the poorer suburbs, a reference to the US financial assistance that helped rebuild Western European capitalism after World War II. Of course, being committed to budgetary austerity and appealing to the anti-immigrant vote, Sarkozy never seriously intended to carry out such a plan. However, the denial of elementary reality-that the poorer, immigrant suburbs in France house the most oppressed layers of the working class and face a massive social crisis-is a qualitatively new element of French politics. Despite having recently succeeded in using the trade union bureaucracy to end a strike by rail and energy workers against pension cuts, Sarkozy's regime faces a deteriorating political situation. According to a recent poll carried out by Sofr?s for the conservative daily Le Figaro, Sarkozy's approval rating has recently dipped below 50 percent for the first time in his presidency. The approval rating for his prime minister, Fran?ois Fillon, has fallen to 44 percent. Ruling circles are highly conscious of the fact that public sector resentment over salary and pension cuts extends to within the police force, and particularly the gendarmerie military police-who are responsible for policing rural areas, state security, and military police duties in foreign interventions of the French armed forces. As members of the military, the gendarmes are denied union representation. However, several detachments of gendarmes participated in the November strikes against pension cuts. They also resent the fact that the police are substantially better paid. In his speech at La D?fense, Sarkozy promised to convene a "joint working group" to study how to "erase" the distinctions between police and gendarmes. However, his main method for appealing to the police forces was the promotion of hostility towards the suburbs and stoking an atmosphere of civil war. Referring to the fact that several policemen were hit with pellets fired from hunting rifles belonging to unknown persons during the Villiers-le-Bel riots, Sarkozy promised the policemen that those who have "taken the responsibility of firing on public officials will find themselves before the Assizes"-France's criminal courts. He then called for a massive increase in the use of video-surveillance cameras, high-range flash-ball guns, and Taser electric guns. Making it sound as if every high-rise residential complex was firing on police, he added that surveillance helicopters would have been invaluable in finding "stocks of weapons on the roofs of apartment complexes," and called for the purchase of more such helicopters. There is a definite political logic to such inflammatory language. As far as Sarkozy's patrons in French business circles are concerned, his task is to eliminate the social concessions granted to the French working class, which are hurting the competitiveness of French business and which his predecessors over the last decade tried but failed to fully dismantle. They are fully conscious of the powerful social tensions that such a policy will release. Thus, shortly after Sarkozy's election, economist Nicolas Baverez wrote in the right-wing Revue des Deux Mondes: "The 2007 election [won by Sarkozy] is the last opportunity, the last chance to modernize our country without a civil war." The government's handling of the Villiers-le-Bel crisis should be taken as a signal that, in the face of growing political opposition to Sarkozy's rule, the French ruling elite is increasingly considering the option of civil war against the population. http://www.thomsonfxhub.com/fxhub/news-detail.jsf?newsId=4187 France's Sarkozy sees approval rating go under 50 pct ahead of key TV address - PARIS (Thomson Financial) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy's approval rating has slipped below the 50 pct mark for the first time since his election in May, according to a poll released Thursday ahead of a live TV interview this evening. According to the TNS-Sofres poll, carried out last week at the height of a paralysing transport strike but before the wave of unrest in one of Paris' suburbs, 49 pct of the French public trust Sarkozy to 'solve France's problems'. Sarkozy's confidence rating was down four points since the previous month, and showed a 15-point drop since September. The same number, 49 pct, said they were confident in Sarkozy's work as head of state, according to the poll to appear in Le Figaro Magazine on Saturday. On the back of a nine-day transport strike over pensions reform, 76 pct of respondents said they expected France to experience 'a lot of social conflict' in the coming three months. French morale has also been badly hit by stagnating wages, and rising inflation, with polls citing purchasing power as a growing concern for the public. This mood was illustrated by today's monthly survey from statistics office Insee showing that consumer confidence fell much much further than expected by economists. In this evening's interview, president Sarkozy has promised to unveil measures to boost consumer purchasing power. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/29/europe/riots.php#end_main 'Caught in the middle' of French unrest By Katrin Bennhold Published: November 29, 2007 E-Mail Article VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France: The first thing everyone mentions is the helicopters, the relentless throbbing of blades cutting through the skies above the housing projects and the probing searchlights that have kept the residents of this heavily immigrant suburb of Paris awake over the last four nights. The gunfire that echoed off the walls of the tower blocks in a violent outburst of rioting this week has subsided. But the calm, enforced by 1,000 police officers deployed at sunset every night, had a precarious feel to it Thursday as locals, caught in the middle between angry youths and the police, tried to make do with an undeclared state of emergency that has hobbled their daily lives in multiple ways. "It feels like we live in a war zone," said Nad?ge Tanier, a 40-year-old mother of two, as she walked by the burned-out hulk of a garbage truck still reeking of burned tires. "I feel safer for having all those cops on the streets and the helicopter at night making sure the kids are not planning more riots, but it sure is hard to live like this." There is no curfew, but few people go out after dark, when rows of shielded riot police move in to take up positions around the town north of Paris. Buses, a popular target for youths with firebombs in the past, have stopped running in the early evenings, making it hard for people to come home from work. Many shops lock up hours before their normal closing time, partly for fear of vandalism, partly because few customers dare shop after dark. The Tunisian owner of a local bakery, Habib Friaa, said his staff was baking only half as many baguettes as usual because business had slumped. Some damage could be more permanent. Among the buildings that were torched Sunday and Monday was a complex housing a nursery school and a library with a children's section. The 135 children who are enrolled in the preschool had to be relocated to four makeshift classrooms in a nearby primary school. But the library, described by several parents here as a sort of community center for children, a refuge for those hungry to learn, is gone for now. Tanier, whose 11-year-old daughter, Emiline, visited the library regularly, said children in the neighborhood have been traumatized by the sight of the charred ruin. Emiline, a slight girl with long blond hair who was wrapped up in a puffy winter coat, said she was scared that her school would also be burned down. The city authorities have made a child psychologist available to the school to counsel distraught pupils. On Thursday, a group of 12-year-old girls climbed through the shattered windows into what was once the reading room. One of them, pulling at a scorched volume, said they had hoped to find a few books they could save. But they left empty-handed. Just last week, Cise Tanjigora's 8-year-old son, Adama, went to borrow a book for the first time after his class had visited the library a few days earlier. "I was so proud of him," said Tanjigora, a 40-year-old French woman of Senegalese origin who was clothed in bright-colored African garb. "What have they done? This is a poor town, parents don't have much money to buy books. There is no other library nearby." Tanjigora, meanwhile, has been walking 45 minutes to the nearest suburban train stop leading into Paris, because the buses are not running when she needs to leave to work her evening shift. President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the recent rioting in harsh terms Thursday, blaming what he called a "thugocracy" of criminals for the violence. "I reject any form of other-worldly na?vet? that wants to see a victim of society in anyone who breaks the law, a social problem in any riot," he said in a speech to police officers west of Paris. "What happened in Villiers-le-Bel has nothing to do with a social crisis. It has everything to do with a thugocracy." The 48 hours of rage that shook the town - reminiscent of three weeks of unrest across France in 2005 - were triggered by the deaths of two local teenagers whose motorbike collided with a police car Sunday. The police are not popular here, even among those who accept that they helped stop the violence and who are grateful for the calm. But in interviews with residents Thursday, it became plain that there was little sympathy for rioters claiming to seek revenge for their friends' deaths. "I don't like the way police are treating the kids sometimes, and I know they have not got many economic opportunities, but there is no excuse for the violence and the destruction," said Nora Hemmal, a Moroccan immigrant, who had hoped to enroll her one-year-old daughter next year in the nursery that was destroyed. "Most of us are just caught in the middle," she said. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/dec2007/fran-d01.shtml Police maintain their occupation of Paris working class suburb By Antoine Lerougetel 1 December 2007 Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author French President Nicolas Sarkozy has responded to three nights of anti-police rioting in Paris's impoverished northern suburbs with a massive build-up of the repressive powers of the state. The rioting began in Villiers-le-Bel when two immigrant boys, Larami (16) and Moushin (15), were killed after a collision with a police car. An occupying force of a thousand police officers will remain in the largely immigrant suburb until Sunday, according to Mich?le Alliot-Marie, the minister of the interior. The riot police, deployed since Tuesday, have firearms and are equipped with full riot gear, teargas, flash balls and at least two helicopters with powerful searchlights. On Thursday afternoon the authorities reported some 60 people being held in custody. Seven have been sentenced on charges related to the rioting. The Pontoise criminal court reported prison sentences ranging from 3 to 8 months for three young adults. Sarkozy spoke at length on Thursday about the situation in Villiers-le-Bel. In the morning he addressed a gathering of some 2,000 police personnel. In the evening he gave a prime time TV interview, which was also devoted to economic issues. In his speech to the police, Sarkozy said he wanted the police and gendarmerie to be "the most modern in Europe." He said it was necessary to develop "non-lethal" weapons such as Taser pistols and a new generation of flash balls with a range of 40 metres, and promised to supply helicopters to search for weapons allegedly stashed on the roofs of high-rise flats. He outlined a vision of a social order maintained by ever-increasing repressive measures, and flatly rejected any conception that poverty and unemployment on the urban council estates housing some 6 million French people were the cause of anti-police riots. In Villiers-le-Bel, a town of 27,000, 39.5 percent of 16-to-25 year-olds are unemployed. "What happened has nothing to do with a social crisis," Sarkozy said. "It's got everything to do with a hoodlumocracy." He then indulged in racist scape-goating after the manner of the neo-fascist Jean-Marie Le Pen: "There's social discontent, there's immigration which has not been controlled for years, ghettos with people who are not integrated." He baldly stated that the explosion of anger against the police was the work of "drug dealers." Those who fire at the police, he threatened, "we will track down one by one." There has been a media campaign asserting that the police are facing urban guerrilla warfare and are constantly under fire. A New York Times report claimed that 30 police suffered gunshot wounds. Where the Times obtained these figures is, however, not clear. Sarkozy said 82 police had been injured since the fatal crash and declared that "individuals had shot at the police." He portrayed the police, who routinely brutalize the youth in the immigrant suburbs, as the victims, and the youth as the aggressors. Sarkozy's line was fully supported by Secretary of State for Town Policy Fadela Amara. "Respect for the police is very important," she said. "We are facing urban, anarchic violence carried out by a minority, which casts opprobrium on the majority. That hard core makes use of the slightest protest to break, burn, smash up everything in the neighbourhood." Amara is from a working class Algerian family. A Socialist Party member and feminist, she joined Sarkozy's right-wing Gaullist government soon after he was elected president in May. Sarkozy's use of the Villiers-le-Bel tragedy to boost the repressive powers of the state is a continuation of his policy since he became minister of the interior in the Gaullist government under President Jacques Chirac in 2002. A vast array of legislative measures, largely promoted by himself, has granted enhanced powers of surveillance and repression to the state: three immigration laws, the Prevention of Delinquency law, an anti-terror law which involves municipal officials, doctors, social workers and teachers in surveillance and control of the population. The State of Emergency law was reactivated two years ago, using the 2005 urban youth riots as a justification. Previously utilized in 1955 during the French colonial occupation of Algeria, it was used against French citizens for the first time. None of these measures received any significant opposition from the Socialist Party, the Communist Party or the unions. Now, these organisations, either explicitly or by default and silence, are doing nothing to defend working class communities from assault by the forces of the state. They have refused to come to the aid of the youth and families of Villiers-le-Bel. None have called for the withdrawal of the 1,000 police. Fran?ois Hollande, first secretary of the Socialist Party, said he was against Sarkozy's use of the word "hoodlumocracy" and his dismissal of the social crisis, but went on to fully support the president's build-up of state forces. "We do indeed have gangs which carry out criminal actions and which absolutely must be eradicated," he declared, adding that "all violence must not only be condemned, but punished." Practically every other Socialist Party commentator followed the same line, calling for an increased presence of community police. The petty-bourgeois left, Lutte Ouvri?re (Workers Struggle-LO) and the Ligue Communiste R?volutionnaire (Revolutionary Communist League-LCR), all but ignored the anti-police riot and the massive build-up of the police. Both merely published a few lines on their web sites. The Lutte Ouvri?re newspaper published an article complaining that youth could no longer have any "confidence into the authorities, the prefects and the police." "Undoubtedly," the article continued, "involved in these confrontations was a certain number of small mafia leaders who poison the life of the cities and who were possibly the first to set fire to shops, a library or a school... But this does not explain why hundreds of other youth joined them so rapidly." The article complains of the miserable social conditions in the suburbs and remarks: "But the use of force and repression will evidently not resolve the basic problems that have caused these dramatic explosions that periodically enflame certain neighbourhoods." It ends by "urgently" calling for more schools and teachers. The state "must give a bit less to the richest and devote the necessary means to make life acceptable in the neighbourhoods." This could have just as well been published in the Socialist Party or liberal press. There is no call for the withdrawal of the police, nor even a denunciation of the massive police presence. Four years ago, LO gave much support to Fadela Amara's campaign to ban girls from wearing the Islamic headscarf in school. Thus, it supported a law of the right-wing government which strengthens state discrimination against immigrants. The LCR was even more canny in its commentary on the Villiers-le-Bel events. Its spokesman, Olivier Besancenot, sent his condolences to the parents of the youth who had been killed and called for an "independent inquiry" into the incident, without specifying how and by whom this inquiry should be set up. The editorial of the LCR's weekly Rouge stated, "[W]e must impose on the government that it establish an emergency plan for the neighbourhoods." It called for "the creation of jobs, more and strengthened social services, guarantees to subsidise organisations which create social cohesion, a halt to identity checks, and the suppression of the BAC (anti-crime squads)." Like LO, the LCR did not call for the withdrawal of the police force and the mobilisation of the working class to defend the youth and families of the community. Their mealy-mouthed proposals avoid a political struggle against Sarkozy's government. They disarm the working class as to the dangers to the democratic rights of the entire working population posed by the state repression in Villiers-le-Bel. Having worked to provide political cover for the trade unions' betrayal last week of the railway workers' strike, they now put forward the illusion that the government can be pressured into a crash programme in favour of the poorest sections of the working class, working thereby to blind the working class to the nature of the Sarkozy regime and the need for an independent political struggle against the entire French ruling elite and bourgeois political establishment-"left" as well as right. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: article-sponsor.gif Type: image/gif Size: 437 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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